FAQShop.com : Understanding DPs

Understanding DPs

When I originally installed SMS (still trying to get all the kinks out) I installed everything on one machine. Thought I remember reading somewhere that you can store the source to your Apps that you want to install (i.e. Office 2003) on a different fileserver as long as there was a UNC path to it.

So Since I'm still in the testing phase I Installed Office2003 with Setup.exe /A into a folder on the SMS Server C:\installables\Office2003

Then when I create the package it then copies all of the files in the C:\installables\Office2003 to the folder C:\SMSPKGC$\ENM0000D

Which I'm guessing that C:\SMSPKGC$ is the Distribution Point that is local on the machine.

So my Questions are:

1) Do I need the files in C:\installables\Office2003 now that they are all in the C:\SMSPKGC$ folder?

2) I'd like to have my main storage server be the repository for all of the files in the Packages. Does that mean I need to make it a Distribution Point? If so how do I make it one and how do I make it so the DP on the SMS server is not one, or should I keep it as a backup?

Contributed By: Carl Sullivan [MSFT]
You are correct the Distribution point is a file share, smspkg<drive>$ share.

If you don't plan on changing the Office 2003 source files then you don't need to keep the original source files (I would run a test installation first to make sure your DP has all the files.

To make another machine a DP, you first make it a site system in the SMS admin console. This is done by right clicking on the Site Systems folder and selecting New - server. Then in the properties of this Site System, go to the Distribution Point tab and enable it as a DP. You can also remove this role from the SMS site server by disabling (unchecking the box) the DP.

To see other SMS 2003 Design and Planning related FAQs click here.