SCCM 2012 Site Systems Design & Planning FAQs

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

General

• What is a “Site System Role”?
• What are the ConfigMgr 2012 Site System Roles?
• Do I have to install all Site System Roles on the Site Server?
• Can I install any Site System Roles at the same time that I install a Site Server?
• Can I install Site System roles from different ConfigMgr Sites on the same server?
• Can I install the ConfigMgr 2012 Client on a computer hosting a Site System role?

Communications

• How do Site System Servers communicate?
• Can I control when Site System Roles within the same Site communicate with another?

Internet-Based/ Untrusted Location Client Management

• Can I have a mix of HTTP and HTTPS Site System Roles in the same Site?
• Can I have more than one Internet-based Management Point in a Site?
• Can I configure the Management Point my Internet-based Clients should use?
• If I can only specify a single Management Point my Internet-based Clients can use what’s the point of having more than one?

Post Installation

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

Proxy Servers

• Can Site Systems use Proxy Servers?
• Which context is the connection from the Site System to the Internet made in?
• Which Site System Roles can use a Proxy Server?
• On which computer do I need to configure the Proxy Server?
• Can I configure ConfigMgr to use a Proxy Server?
• Do I have to configure the Proxy Server at the time I install the Site System Role?
• Can I use different Proxy Server settings for different Site System Roles installed on the same Site System Server?
• If I edit the Proxy Server configuration on a Site System Server does it affect all Site System Roles running on that computer?
• Do I need to perform any additional configuration on a Site System Role after enabling the Proxy Server?

Security

• Which Account is used to install Site System Roles?
• Do I have to use the Site System Installation Account to install Site System Roles?

Site System Placement

• Where can I install Site System Roles?
• Can a ConfigMgr Site spam multiple Active Directory Forests?
• If the Application Catalog Web Service and Enrollment Point must be installed in the same Forest as the Site Server will this work if my Clients are in a different Forest?

Site System Requirements

• Hardware Requirements
  • What Hardware Factors affect the Performance of my Site System Servers?
  • What are the Minimum and Recommended Site System Hardware requirements?
• Active Directory Domain requirements
  • Do all Site Systems need to be members of an Active Directory Domain?
• Operating Systems
  • Do I have to install my Site Systems on computers running 64-bit Operating Systems?
  • Can I install Site Systems on Windows Server Core installations?
  • Can I install Site Systems on Windows Server Cluster?
  • Do I have to install my Site Systems on NTFS volumes?
  • Can Site Systems running on different computers share a Logical partition on Storage Technologies?
• BITS
  • Which Site System Roles require BITS?
• Internet Information Services
  • Which Site System Roles require Internet Information Services?
  • Do I need to Reboot the Server after installing IIS?
• Microsoft .NET Framework
  • Which Site System Roles require Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1?
  • Which Site System Roles require Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0?
  • Which Site System Roles require Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5?
• Remote Differential Compression
  • Which Site System Roles require Remote Differential Compression?
• Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services
  • Which Site System Roles require Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services?
• Windows Deployment Services
  •  Which Site System Roles require Windows Deployment Services?
  •  Is Windows Deployment Services (WDS) installed and configured automatically by ConfigMgr?

Application Catalog Web Service Point

• General
  • What is the “Application Catalog Web Service Point” Site System Role?
  • How many Clients can the Application Catalog Web Server Point support?
• Installation
  • How many instances of the Application Catalog Web Server Point should I install?
  • Where should I install the Application Catalog Web Service Point?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Application Catalog Web Service Point on?

Application Catalog Website Point

• General
  • What is the “Application Catalog Website Point” Site System Role?
  • How many Clients can the Application Catalog Website Point support?
• Installation
  • How many instances of the Application Catalog Website Point should I install?
  • Where should I install the Application Catalog Website Point?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Application Catalog Website Point on?

Asset Intelligence Synchronization Point

• General
  • What is the “Asset Intelligence Synchronization Point” Site System Role?
• Installation
  • How many instances of the Asset Intelligence Synchronization Point can I install?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Asset Intelligence Synchronization Point on?
  • Where can I install the Asset Intelligence Synchronization Point?

Certificate Registration Point

• General
  • What is the “Certificate Registration Point” Site System Role?
• Installation
  • Can I install more than one instance of the Certificate Registration Point?
  • If I install more than one instance of the Certificate Registration Point is there any form of load balancing of Clients?
  • If I install multiple Certificate Registration Points do I also need to install multiple instance of Network Device Enrollment Service?
  • Can I install the Certificate Registration Point on the same server that runs the Network Device Enrollment Service?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Certificate Registration Point on?

Component Server

• General
  • What is the “Component Server” Site System Role?

Distribution Point

• General
  • What is the “Distribution Point” Site System Role?
  • How many Distribution Points are supported at a Site?
  • How many Client connections can a DP support?
  • How many Applications and Packages does each DP support?
  • Does the Site Server Compress Content sent to DPs enabled for Bandwidth Control?
  • Where does the Distribution Point keep the list of Management Points?
• Prerequisites
  • What are the Prerequisites for a Distribution Point?
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to install a Distribution Point?
• Installation
  • Should I install a DP on my Site Server?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install a Distribution Point on?
  • Do I have to install BITS on my DPs?
  • Do I have to install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable on my DPs in order to enable PXE?
  • Do I have to install Remote Differential Compression on my DPs?
  • Do I need to Reboot the Site Server after installing Remote Differential Compression?
• Cloud DPs
  • Can my Intranet Clients use a Cloud Distribution Point if they don’t have a PKI Certificate?
  • Do Cloud DPs support the download of Content by Clients configured for Windows BranchCache?
• Pull DPs
  • How many Pull DPs should I have per Source DP?
  • Do Pull DPs get all of their content all at once?
• Shared DPs
  • What is a “Shared Distribution Point”?
  • What happens when I upgrade a Shared Distribution Point?

Endpoint Protection Point

• General
  • What is the “Endpoint Protection Point” Site System Role?
• Installation
  • How many instances of the Endpoint Protection Point can I install?
  • Where can I install the Endpoint Protection Point?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Endpoint Protection Point on?

Enrollment Point

• General
  • What is the “Enrollment Point” Site System Role?
• Installation
  • Where do I install the Enrollment Point if a user enrolling Mobile Devices with ConfigMgr has an Active Directory account in a different, untrusted Forest to the Site Server?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Enrollment Point on?

Enrollment Proxy Point

• General
  • What is the “Enrollment Proxy Point” Site System Role?
• Installation
  • If I need to support Mobile Devices on the Internet where should I install my Enrollment Proxy Point/ Enrollment Point?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Enrollment Proxy Point on?

Fallback Status Point

• General
  • What is the “Fallback Status Point” Site System Role?
  • How many Clients can a Fallback Status Point support?
  • How many Fallback Status Points can I install?
• Installation
  • When should I consider installing more than one Fallback Status Point?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Fallback Status Point on?

Management Point

• General
  • What is the “Management Point” Site System Role?
  • How many Clients can each ConfigMgr 2012 Management Point Support?
  • How many Management Points can a Primary Site support?
  • How many Management Points can a Secondary Site support?
  • Can I move the MP from a Secondary Site to a different server?
• Prerequisites
  • What Prerequisite Checks are run when I want to install a Management Point?
• Installation
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Management Point on?
  • Does the Management Point at a Secondary Site have to be installed on the Site Server?
  • If I install more than 4 MPs at a Primary Site can I support more Clients?
  • Can I install a ConfigMgr 2012 Management Point on a computer already running the ConfigMgr 2007 Client?
• Operation
  • How do Clients locate a Management Point?
  • Can Clients connect to more than one Management Point?
  • Can I restrict which Management Point a Client communicates with?
  • Which Management Point does a Client use – HTTPS or HTTP?
  • Do Clients in a Secondary Site talk to the MP in a Primary Site?

Out of Band Service Point

• General
  • What is the “Out of Band Service Point” Site System Role?
• Installation
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Out of Band Service Point on?
  • Where does the Out of Band Service Point need to be installed?
• Provisioning
  • Can I Provision AMT-based computers residing in a different Forest?

Reporting Services Point

• General
  • What is the “Reporting Services Point” Site System Role?
• Installation
  • Should I consider installing more than one Reporting Services Point in my hierarchy?
  • Where can I install a Reporting Services Point?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Reporting Services Point on?
• SQL
  • Can the Reporting Services Point share the same SQL Instance as the Site Database?
  • Can the SQL Instance used to host the Reporting Services Point be shared with other System Center product?

Site Database Server

• General
  • What is the “Site Database Server” Site System Role?
  • Does each Site require its own Site Database?
• Installation
  • Should I install the Site Database on the Site Server or on a Remote SQL Server?
  • Do I have to install the Site Database on the Default SQL instance?
  • Can I install the Site Database Server on a Domain Controller?
  • Can I install the Site Database Server on a Windows Server Cluster?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Site Database Server on?
  • Does the Remote Registry Service need to be enabled on the Site Database Server?
• Operation
  • Can I modify the configuration of the Site Database/ Site Database Server post Site installation?
  • Will ConfigMgr warn me if I’m running out of free disk space on the Site Database Server?
• SQL
  • Can I host multiple Site Databases on the same SQL Server?
  • Do I have to use a x64-bit version of SQL?
  • Where can I install the SQL Instance that will host the Site Database?
  • Does every Site in my Hierarchy have to run the same version of SQL?
  • Does the Site Database support SQL Server database Mirroring and Peer-to-Peer Replication?
  • Is a SQL Server Cluster in a NLB cluster supported for the Site Database?

Site Server

• General
  •  What is the “Site Server” Site System Role?

SMS Provider

• General
  • What is the “SMS Provider” Site System Role?
  • What uses the SMS Provider?
  • Do ConfigMgr Clients use the SMS Provider?
  • Where is the structure of the SMS Provider defined?
  • What are the common namespaces used by the SMS Provider?
• Prerequisites
  • What are the Prerequisites for the SMS Provider?
• Installation
  • Where can I install the SMS Provider?
  • Is the SMS Provider installed on all Site Servers?
  • Do I have to manually install the SMS Provider?
  • Can I move the SMS Provider?
  • Can I install additional instances of the SMS Provider?
  • Can I install more than one instance of the SMS Provider on the same computer?
  • Can I install different instances of the SMS Provider for different Sites on the same computer?
  • Can I run the SMS Provider on computers that are in a different Domain to the Site Server?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install a the SMS Provider on?
  • Do I have to install the Windows AIK/ ADK on my SMS Provider computer?
• Availability
  • Can I control which SMS Provider a connection uses?
  • Is there any limit to the number of connections supported by an instance of the SMS Provider?
  • What happens if the SMS Provider is unavailable?
  • If the SMS Provider I’m connected to fails will I automatically be redirected to another working instance?
• Languages
  • Does the SMS Provider support language translation?
• Security
  • How is access to the SMS Provider controlled?
  • What happens after a user successfully connects to the SMS Provider?

Software Update Point

• General
  • What is the “Software Update Point” Site System Role?
  • How many Software Update Points are supported at a Site?
  • How many Clients can a Software Update Point support?
• Installation
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Software Update Point on?
  • Do I have to install the Software Update Point on the same computer as WSUS?
  • Where do I need to install an Active Software Update Point?

State Migration Point

• General
  • What is the “State Migration Point” Site System Role?
  • How many State Migration Points are supported at a Site?
• Installation
  • Where can I install a State Migration Point?
  • Do I have to install a State Migration Point in a Secondary Site?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the State Migration Point on?

System Health Validator Point

• General
  • What is the “System Health Validator Point” Site System Role?
  • How many Clients can each instance of the System Health Validator Point support?
• Installation
  • Where is the System Health Validator Point installed?
  • Do I have to install the System Health Validator Point on a NAP Health Policy Server?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the System Health Validator Point on?

Windows Intune Connector

• General
  • What is the “Windows Intune Connector” Site System Role?
  • How many instances of the Windows Intune Connector can I install?
• Installation
  • Where can I install the Windows Intune Connector?
  • Which Operating Systems can I install the Windows Intune Connector on?