SCCM 2012 Site Server Design & Planning FAQs

This page contains the various categories for the SCCM 2012 Site Server Design & Planning FAQs.

General

• What is a ConfigMgr “Site”?
• What is a ConfigMgr “Site Server”?
• Are there different types of ConfigMgr Sites?
• How many Clients can each ConfigMgr 2012 Site Support?
• Can a Site only support Devices from a Single Client Group?
• If I’m not using Clients from one Client Group can I add these to a different Client Group?
• What happens if I exceed the supported Number of Clients for a Site?
• Why is there a limit on the number of Clients supported at a Secondary Site if Clients can only be assigned to a Primary Site?

Requirements

• Hardware
  • What are the Minimum Recommended Hardware specifications for ConfigMgr Site Servers?
  • What are the Minimum Recommended Hardware Requirements for a Test ConfigMgr Site?
  • What are the Recommended Disk Configurations for ConfigMgr Site Servers?
• Operating Systems
  • Which Operating Systems can I install a ConfigMgr 2012 Site Server on?
  • Do I have to install my Site Server on NTFS volumes?
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
  • Which version of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable does each version of ConfigMgr 2012 require?
  • Do I need to manually install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable or does ConfigMgr Setup take care of it?
  • Do I need to install both the x86 and x64 versions of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable?
• Windows Roles and Features
  • Do I need to install Remote Differential Compression on a Site Server?
  • Do I need to Reboot the Site Server after installing Remote Differential Compression?
  • Do I need to install IIS on a Site Server?
• WAIK/ WADK
  • Do I have to install the Windows AIK/ ADK on my Site Servers?

Central Administration Site

• What is a Central Administration Site?
• How does a CAS differ from a ConfigMgr 2007 Central Site?
• When do I need a Central Administration Site?
• What is the biggest Processing Load on CAS?

Primary Sites

• What is a Primary Site?
• Are there different types of Primary Sites?
• Does a Standalone Primary provide the same functionality as a CAS?
• When do I need a Primary Site?

Secondary Sites

• What is a Secondary Site?
• When do I need a Secondary Site?
• Are there any differences between a ConfigMgr 2012 Secondary Site and a ConfigMgr 2007 Secondary Site?
• Do I have to install a Secondary Site?
• Why does a Secondary Site also need to meet the Prerequisites for a Distribution Point and Management Point?
• Can I install a Secondary Site on a Domain Controller?
• Does a Secondary Site require a SQL Database?
• Can I use an existing instance of SQL Server on my Secondary Site?
• Where do I administer a Secondary Site from?

Site Codes

• What is a “Site Code”?
• Does the Site Code have to be unique?
• What characters can I use for a Site Code?
• Are there any ConfigMgr/SCCM Site Code Combinations I should avoid using?
• Do Site Codes need to be sequential?
• Should I have a Naming Convention for my Site Codes?
• Does ConfigMgr check the Site Code is unique when I install a Site?
• Can I change a Site’s Site Code?
• Can I re-use a Site Code?

Site Name

• What is the “Site Name”?
• What characters can I use for a Site Name?
• Should I have a Naming Convention for my Site Names?
• Can I change a Site’s Name Code?

Prerequisites

• General
  • How can I ensure the Computer I plan to install ConfigMgr 2012 on meets the Prerequisites?
  • Do I have to run the Setup Downloader and Prerequisite Checker before I can install a ConfigMgr 2012 Site?

Setup Downloader

• What is the Setup Downloader?
• What are the benefits of using the Setup Downloader?
• Do I only need to run the Setup Downloader once or should I run it each time before I install a new Site?
• If I run Setup Downloader again and tell it to use a directory I’ve used previously does it re-download everything again?
• Are there any precautions I should take to prevent the files downloaded by Setup Downloader from being tampered with?
• Does Setup Downloader create a log?

Prerequisite Checker

• What is the Prerequisite Checker?
• When does the Prerequisite Checker run?
• Will the Prerequisite Checker notify me of any issues?
• Will issues with a severity of “Warning” prevent ConfigMgr Setup from running?
• Will issues with a severity of “Error” prevent ConfigMgr Setup from running?
• Does the Prerequisite Checker have any prerequisites?
• What checks does the Prerequisite Checker perform?
  • Prerequisite Checks for Security Rights
  • Prerequisite Checks for Configuration Manager Dependencies
  • Prerequisite Checks for System Requirements
  • Prerequisite Checks for Upgrades
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to install a Site Server?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to install the ConfigMgr Console?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to install a Distribution Point?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to install a Management Point?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to install the SMS Provider?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run relating to SQL Server?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to Upgrade a Site Server?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to Upgrade a SQL Server?
• Does the Prerequisite Checker change anything?
• Does the Prerequisite Checker create a log anywhere?

Languages

• Does ConfigMgr support Languages other than English?
• Are there different types of Language Pack?
• Do I have to install Site Servers using language specific media?
• Which Language Preferences do the Language Packs use to display information?
• What happens when I add a Language Pack to a Site?
• How do I update the Language Packs?
• Do I have to install all of the Languages I want to use on my Site Servers at the time I install them?
• Do I have to install all of the Client Language Packs I want to use on all of my Site Servers?

Moves

• Can I move a Site Server from one Domain to another?
• If I need to move a Site Server between Domains can I backup the Site Database before I move the Site, move the Site and then restore the Site Database?

Post Installation

• Can I change the Domain Membership of a Site Server?
• Can I change the Domain Name of a Site Server?
• Can I change the Name of the computer hosting a Site Server?
• Can I change the “Startup Type” or “Log on as” settings for the ConfigMgr-related services?

Upgrades

• General
  • Can I upgrade an Evaluation copy of ConfigMgr 2012 to a Fully Licensed version?
  • Which versions of SMS/ ConfigMgr can I Upgrade to ConfigMgr 2012?
  • Can I downgrade from one version of ConfigMgr 2012 to a lower version?
• SMS 2003
  • Can I upgrade my SMS 2003 Site Servers to ConfigMgr 2012?
• ConfigMgr 2007
  • Can I perform an “In-Place” upgrade of a ConfigMgr 2007 Site to ConfigMgr 2012?
• RTM
  • Can I upgrade a Pre-Release version of ConfigMgr 2012 RTM to 2012 RTM?
• SP1
  • Can I upgrade a Pre-Release version of ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 to 2012 SP1 RTM?
  • Can I upgrade a ConfigMgr 2012 RTM Site to SP1?
• R2
  • Can I upgrade a Pre-Release version of ConfigMgr 2012 R2 to 2012 R2 RTM?
  • Can I upgrade a Pre-Release version of ConfigMgr 2012 R2 SP1 to 2012 R2 SP1 RTM?
  • Can I upgrade a ConfigMgr 2012 RTM Site to R2?
  • Can I upgrade a ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 Site to R2?
• Operating System Upgrades
  • Can I perform an “In-place” upgrade of the Windows Operating System Service Pack version on a Site Server?
  • Can I perform an “In-place” upgrade of the Operating System version of Windows on a Site Server?