Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure (AZ-800) Practice

The correct choice involves configuring sites in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). This approach is crucial because Active Directory replication is influenced significantly by the design of sites and subnets. By defining sites, an administrator can manage how and when replication occurs between domain controllers within those sites.

Each site can represent a geographic location or network segment and can be configured to optimize local traffic and minimize bandwidth usage over wide-area links. Active Directory uses sites to control the replication frequency—replication can be scheduled and bandwidth allocated based on the defined site links, which helps ensure that replication occurs efficiently and aligns with the organization's operational requirements.

By appropriately configuring these sites, an administrator can ensure that changes made to directory data are replicated in a timely and controlled manner, thereby maintaining consistency across the Active Directory environment.

The other options, while related to Active Directory management, do not directly control replication in the same manner. Trust relationships relate to security governance and access permissions across multiple domains but do not dictate replication. Static IP addresses for virtual machines are more about network configuration and do not directly influence replication traffic or scheduling. Adding more domain controllers can enhance overall performance and availability but does not itself control the mechanics of the replication process without site configuration.