The distribution point stores Configuration Manager package source files that Configuration Manager clients use when installing software programs distributed by Configuration Manager. When the Configuration Manager administrator advertises a program, the advertisement and program information are available to clients through a management point.

When Configuration Manager is set up, the site server is automatically assigned the distribution point role. The Configuration Manager administrator can enable the distribution point to use Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), which enables incremental package file download to clients.

Clients use BITS to automatically detect the client network connection capacity and adjust transfer rates efficiently. This is supported only on clients running Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 operating systems, and the Windows Vista operating systems.

The management point is the primary point of contact between Configuration Manager clients and the Configuration Manager site server. A Configuration Manager site has only one default management point, although multiple management points can be configured with Windows Network Load Balancing Service. A management point:

• Provides specific client configuration details for the client after client installation.
  
  
• Serves as the location where client computers check for advertisements.
  
  
• Locates distribution points for clients.
  
  
• Receives inventory, software metering, and status information from clients and forwards it to the Configuration Manager site server.
  
  

The server locator point locates management points for Configuration Manager clients. The server locator point is mostly used in client installation. The server locator point:

• Locates a management point for the clients if the client is configured for automatic Configuration Manager site assignment.
  
  
• Provides clients with the location of the management point during Logon Script-initiated Client Installation and during an installation without sufficient credentials.
  
  

A reporting point is a server running Internet Information Services (IIS) that hosts the code for Report Viewer and any supplemental reports. A reporting point communicates only with its Configuration Manager site database server.

The software update point in Configuration Manager 2007 is a required component of software updates and is installed as a site system role in the Configuration Manager console. The software update point site system role must be created on a site system server that has Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 installed and that interacts with the WSUS components to configure update settings, to request synchronization to the upstream update server, and to synchronize the updates from the WSUS database to the site server database.

To enable monitoring for software update point and Windows Server Update Services perform the following procedure.

1. In the Operations Console, click Authoring.

2. In the navigation pane, navigate to Authoring > Management Pack Objects, and then click Rules.

3. In the rules pane, search for the rule to be enabled. If the Look for bar is not available above the rule list, navigate View, and then click Find.

4. Right-click the rule name for the rule to be enabled, navigate Overrides > Override the Rule, and click the set of objects to be monitored by the rule.

5. Set the Enabled property to True, and modify any thresholds as appropriate for your environment. Click OK.

A Configuration Manager site system role assigned to the server on which Configuration Manager Setup has been run successfully. When a Configuration Manager site is installed on a computer, that computer is automatically assigned the site server role. Every Configuration Manager site has one site server.

A Configuration Manager site system role assigned to the computer that hosts the Configuration Manager site database (a SQL Server database).

The Configuration Manager Provider processes requests for data from the Configuration Manager site database. The Configuration Manager Provider role is installed on the same computer as the Configuration Manager site server or the Configuration Manager site database. It is recommended that you install both the Configuration Manager Provider and the Configuration Manager site database on the site server. The Configuration Manager Provider provides access to data for the Configuration Manager Administrator console installed on the site.

The device management point is a site role dependent on the Configuration Manager 2007 management point role. The device management point is the communication point for Configuration Manager 2007 Windows Mobile device clients and must reside on the same computer as the Configuration Manager 2007 management point.

The Configuration Manager 2007 Administrator console is the graphical user interface used to administer Configuration Manager. This interface uses a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that is provided with the Configuration Manager product software. The Configuration Manager Administrator console is installed by default when you install a primary site server. It can also be installed on other servers or workstations.

A Configuration Manager site system that gathers state messages from clients that cannot install properly, cannot assign to a Configuration Manager 2007 site, or cannot find or communicate with their assigned management point. State messages are also sent to the fallback status point when the client installs and assigns successfully.

Configuration Manager 2007 uses the PXE service point site role to initiate the operating system deployment process. The PXE service point must be configured to respond to PXE boot requests made by Configuration Manager 2007 clients on the network and then interact with Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure to determine the appropriate deployment actions to take.

The System Health Validator point is the Configuration Manager 2007 site system role that runs on Windows Server 2008 with the Network Policy Server (NPS) role. When using Network Access Protection (NAP) in Configuration Manager 2007, the System Health Validator point is needed to validate the statement of health from NAP-capable Configuration Manager clients to produce a client health state of compliant or noncompliant, or an error condition that prevented the health state from being determined.

Server locator points are used in a Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy to complete client site assignment on the intranet and help clients find management points when they cannot find that information through Active Directory Domain Services. Intranet clients use Active Directory Domain Services as their preferred method to complete site assignment and find management points. However, clients must use a server locator point if the Active Directory schema is not extended for Configuration Manager 2007 or the site is not published to Active Directory Domain Services, or if clients do not belong to the same Active Directory forest as the site server's forest.

The state migration point is used by Configuration Manager 2007 Operating System Deployment when migrating user state and settings from one computer to another as part of the operating system image deployment. The state migration point requires Internet Information Services to be installed.

Concepts