Supported Configurations for Configuration Manager

Note
This topic appears in the Getting Started with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide and in the Site Administration for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide.

This topic specifies the requirements to implement and maintain Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager in your environment.

The following sections list products that are supported with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. No extension of support for these products beyond their current product life-cycles is implied. Products that are beyond their current support life cycle are not supported for use with Configuration Manager. For more information about Microsoft Support Lifecycles, visit the Microsoft Support Lifecycle website at Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Warning
Microsoft provides support for the current service pack and, in some cases, the immediately previous service pack. For more information about Microsoft support life-cycle policy, go to the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Support Policy FAQ website at Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy FAQ.

Products that are not listed in this document are not supported with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager unless they are announced on the System Center Configuration Manager Team Blog.

Configuration Manager System Requirements
Configurations for the SQL Server Site Database
- SQL Server Requirements
Function-Specific Requirements
Support for Active Directory Domains
Windows Environment
Supported Upgrade Paths for Configuration Manager

Configuration Manager System Requirements

The following sections specify the hardware and software requirements that you must have to implement and maintain Configuration Manager in your environment.

Site and Site System Role Scalability

The following table contains information about the support limits at each site type and for client-facing site system role. This information is based on the recommended hardware for site systems. For information about the recommended hardware for Configuration Manager sites, see Planning for Hardware Configurations for Configuration Manager. For information about the minimum required hardware to run a Configuration Manager site, see Minimum Hardware Requirements for Site Systems, in this topic. For information about the number of clients supported by each site or hierarchy, see Client Support Numbers for Sites and Hierarchies, in this topic.

Site or site system role

More information

Central administration site

A central administration site can support up to 25 child primary sites.

Primary site

Each primary site can support up to 250 secondary sites.

Note
The number of secondary sites per primary site is based on continuously connected and reliable wide area network (WAN) connections. For locations that have fewer than 500 clients, consider a distribution point instead of a secondary site.

For information about the numbers of clients and devices a primary site can support, see the Client Support Numbers for Sites and Hierarchies section in this topic.

Secondary site

For information about the recommended hardware for Configuration Manager sites, see Planning for Hardware Configurations for Configuration Manager.

Management point

Management points per site:

Each primary site can support up to 10 management points.

Tip

Do not position management points across a slow link from their primary site server or from the site database server.
Each secondary site supports a single management point that must be installed on the secondary site server.

For information about the numbers of clients and devices a management point can support, see the Clients per Management Point section in this topic.

Distribution point

The number of distribution points that are supported by an individual site depends on the version of Configuration Manager that you use:

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack
- Each primary and secondary site supports up to 250 distribution points.
- Each distribution point supports connections from up to 4,000 clients.
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1
- Each primary and secondary site supports up to 250 distribution points.
- Each distribution point supports connections from up to 4,000 clients.
- A pull-distribution point is considered to be a client when it accesses another distribution point to obtain content.
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
- Each primary and secondary site supports up to 250 distribution points.
- Each primary and secondary site supports up to 2000 additional distribution points configured as pull-distribution points. For example, a single primary site supports 2250 distribution points when 2000 of those distribution points are configured as pull-distribution points.
- Each distribution point supports connections from up to 4,000 clients.
- A pull-distribution point is considered to be a client when it accesses another distribution point to obtain content.

Each primary site supports a combined total of up to 5,000 distribution points. This total includes all the distribution points at the primary site and all distribution points that belong to the primary site’s child secondary sites.

Each distribution point supports a combined total of up to 10,000 packages and applications.

Note
The number of clients that one distribution point can support depends on the speed of the network, and the hardware configuration of the distribution point computer.

Software update point

The number of software update points supported by each site depends on the version of Configuration Manager that you use:

For Configuration Manager without service pack, each site supports one active software update point for use on the intranet, and optionally, one software update point for use on the Internet. You can configure each of these software update points as a Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster. You can have up to four software update points in the NLB cluster.

Beginning with Configuration Manager SP1, each site supports multiple software update points for use on the intranet and on the Internet. By default, beginning with Configuration Manager SP1, the Configuration Manager console does not support configuring software update points as NLB clusters. However, you can use the Configuration Manager SDK to configure a software update point on a NLB cluster.
A software update point that is installed on the site server can support up to 25,000 clients.
A software update point that is installed on a computer that is remote from the site server can support up to 100,000 clients when the remote computer meets the WSUS requirements to support this number.

Note
For more information, see Planning for Software Updates in Configuration Manager.

Fallback status point

Each fallback status point can support up to 100,000 clients.

Application Catalog website point

You can install multiple instances of the Application Catalog website point at primary sites.

For improved performance, plan to support up to 50,000 clients per instance.
Each instance of this site system role supports up to 400,000 clients, which provides service for the whole hierarchy.

Tip
As a best practice, install the Application Catalog website point and Application Catalog web service point together on the same site system when they provide service to clients that are on the intranet.

Application Catalog web service point

You can install multiple instances of the Application Catalog web service point at primary sites.

For improved performance, plan to support up to 50,000 clients per instance.
Each instance of this site system role supports up to 400,000 clients, which provides service for the whole hierarchy.

Tip
As a best practice, install the Application Catalog website point and Application Catalog web service point together on the same site system when they provide service to clients that are on the intranet.

System Health Validator point

Each System Health Validator point can support up to 100,000 clients.

Client Support Numbers for Sites and Hierarchies

Use the following information to determine how many clients (devices) are supported by Configuration Manager sites and hierarchies.

The following table identifies logical groups that combine different types of supported devices into one of three client groups. These client groups are then referenced in this topic to identify how many devices are supported by each type of Configuration Manager site, and as a combined total of devices for a hierarchy of Configuration Manager sites.

Logical groups

Details

Client group 1

This client group includes computers that run a client for Configuration Manager and includes Windows Server, Windows Client, and Windows Embedded operating systems. It also includes the Configuration Manager client for Linux and UNIX.

For more information, see the following sections of this topic:

Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Client Installation
Client Requirements for Linux and UNIX Servers
Embedded Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Clients

Client group 2

This client group includes devices that are managed using Windows Intune with Configuration Manager, and devices supported by using the Exchange Server connector.

For more information, see the following sections of this topic:

Mobile Devices Enrolled by Windows Intune
Mobile Device Support by Using the Exchange Server Connector

Note
Prior to Configuration Manager SP1, only mobile devices supported by using the Exchange Server connector are supported by Configuration Manager.

Client group 3

This client group includes devices that are enrolled by Configuration Manager, devices supported by the mobile device legacy client, and computers that run the client for Mac.

For more information, see the following sections of this topic:

Mobile Devices Enrolled by Configuration Manager
Mobile Device Legacy Client
Client Requirements for Mac Computers

Clients per Hierarchy

This section contains information about the number of clients (devices) that are supported by a Configuration Manager hierarchy.

The following table lists the maximum number of devices supported by different hierarchy designs and configurations, and is followed by supplemental details about the different designs and the maximum number of devices each design supports:

Note
Configuration Manager supports up to the listed number of devices from each client group for each listed hierarchy design when you use the default settings for all Configuration Manager features.

Hierarchy design	Client group 1	Client group 2	Client group 3
Stand-alone primary site	100,000	50,000 ¹	25,000
Central administration site with a site database created on a Datacenter or Enterprise edition of SQL Server	400,000	300,000	25,000
Central administration site with a site database created on a Standard edition of SQL Server	50,000	300,000	25,000

¹ When a stand-alone primary site supports only devices from client group 2, the site can support up to 100,000 devices.

Stand-alone primary: For a hierarchy that has a stand-alone primary site as the top-level site, Configuration Manager supports up to 100,000 devices from client group 1. Additional devices from client group 2 and client group 3 are also supported. Unlike a central administration site, the edition of SQL Server that you use at a primary site does not affect the maximum number of clients that the hierarchy can support.

Central administration site: For a hierarchy that has a central administration site as the top-level site, the combined number of clients from client group 1 that the hierarchy can support depends on the edition of SQL Server that you use to host the site database at the central administration site. Regardless of the edition of SQL Server that you use, the number of devices from client group 2 and from client group 3 that a hierarchy supports does not change.

If you expand a stand-alone primary site into a hierarchy by installing a new central administration site, the edition of SQL Server in use at the primary site does not place limits on the number of devices that the hierarchy can support. Instead, it is the edition of SQL Server in use at the new central administration site that determines the maximum number of devices that the new hierarchy can support.

When you install a central administration site and use an Enterprise or Datacenter edition of SQL Server, the hierarchy can support a combined total of up to 400,000 devices from client group 1. Additional devices from client group 2 and client group 3 are also supported. In this configuration, the number of devices that each child primary site can support remains limited by the configuration of that primary site. For more information, see the Clients per Site section in this topic.
When you install a central administration site and use a Standard edition of SQL Server, the hierarchy can support a total of up to 50,000 devices from client group 1. This total of devices is combined from all child primary sites in the hierarchy. This limitation exists because of how the database is partitioned when it’s created by using a Standard edition of SQL Server at the central administration site. Additional devices from client group 2 and client group 3 are also supported. After you install a central administration site, if you then upgrade the edition of SQL Server at the central administration site from Standard to an Enterprise or Datacenter edition, the database does not repartition and the 50,000 device limitation remains in place.

Clients per Site

The maximum number of clients (devices) that a site can support depends on the site type, and the version of Configuration Manager that you use. Although you can only assign a device to a primary site, secondary sites support communications from devices.

To help identify the supported number of devices, devices are divided into three logical client groups. A site is not limited to supporting devices from a single client group. A primary site can support a separate number of devices from each of the three client groups. For example, a stand-alone primary site that runs Configuration Manager SP1 can support up to 100,000 devices from client group 1, up to 50,000 devices from client group 2, and up to 25,000 devices from client group 3; for a total of 175,000 devices. However, Configuration Manager does not support replacing any number of devices from one client group with devices from another client group. For example, you have a stand-alone primary site that has 100,000 assigned devices from client group 1 and you do not assign any devices from client group 2 or client group 3. In this scenario, the site cannot support additional devices from client group 1 even though it is not supporting additional clients from the additional client groups.

The following table identifies the maximum number of devices per client group that are supported at primary and secondary sites:

Tip
The maximum number of clients that a primary or secondary site can support is not affected by the edition of SQL Server you use at that site. However, a child primary site that uses a local site database (installed on the site server) is limited to 50,000 clients from client group 1.

Site type	Configuration Manager version	Client group 1	Client group 2	Client group 3
Stand-alone primary site, with a local site database, or a remote site database	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack ¹	100,000	50,000 ⁴	25,000
	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1	100,000 ²	50,000 ⁴	25,000
	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	100,000 ²	50,000 ⁴	25,000
Child primary site with a local site database	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack ¹	50,000	50,000 ⁴	25,000
	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1	50,000 ²	50,000 ⁴	25,000
	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	50,000 ²	50,000 ⁴	25,000
Child primary site with a remote site database	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack ¹	100,000	50,000 ⁴	25,000
	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1	100,000 ^{2, 3}	50,000 ⁴	25,000
	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	100,000 ^{2, 3}	50,000 ⁴	25,000
Secondary site	Any version ¹	5,000 ⁵

¹ System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack does not support the cilent for Linux and UNIX (client group 1) and does not support the client for Mac (client group 3). Additioanlly, client group 2 includes only mobile devices supported by using the Exchange Server connector. Support for the additional device types in this client group is introduced with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1.

² Beginning with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1, primary sites support Windows Embedded devices that have File-Based Write Filters (FBWF) enabled. When embedded devices do not have write filters enabled, a primary site can support a number of embedded devices up to the allowed number of devices for that site (50,000 or 100,000). Of the total number of devices that a primary site supports, a maximum of 10,000 of these can be Windows Embedded devices when those devices are configured for the exceptions listed in the Deploying the Configuration Manager Client to Windows Embedded Devices section in the Introduction to Client Deployment in Configuration Manager topic. A primary site supports only 3,000 Windows Embedded devices that have FBWF enabled and that are not configured for the exceptions.

³ In a hierarchy that has a central administration site that uses a Standard edition of SQL Server, child primary sites are limited to 50,000 devices from client group 1 because this is the maximum number of devices that are supported by that hierarchy configuration.

⁴ When a site supports only devices from client group 2, the site can support up to 100,000 devices. With this configuration, there is no change to the total number of devices that are supported in the hierarchy.

⁵ Each secondary site can support communications from up to 5,000 devices when you use a secondary site server that has the recommended hardware and a fast and reliable network connection to its primary parent site. This number includes a mix of devices from any of the three client groups. A secondary site could support communications from additional devices when its hardware configuration exceeds the recommended hardware configuration.

For information about the recommended hardware for Configuration Manager sites, see Planning for Hardware Configurations for Configuration Manager.

Clients per Management Point

The number of devices that a management point supports depends on the type of site where the management point is located, and the type and numbers of clients that might use the management point. To help you understand the following details, you should be familiar with the three logical client groups which define different types of clients. For information about the client groups, see Client Support Numbers for Sites and Hierarchies, in this topic.

Site type

Client group 1

Client group 2

Client group 3

Primary site:

Each primary site supports up to 10 management points

Allocate at least one management point for every 25,000 clients

For example, if you have a stand-alone primary site that can support up to 100,000 clients from client group 1, and you have 100,000 active clients from client group 1, you must have at least four management points. It is a best practice to provide additional management points.

Note
When you use more than four management points in a primary site, you do not increase the number of clients that site can support beyond the documented limits. Instead, any additional management points provide redundancy for communications from clients.

Not applicable. Clients in client group 2 do not require the use of a management point.

Allocate at least one management point that is enabled for mobile devices for every 25,000 devices that run the mobile device legacy client in addition to any management points you use to manage devices that run the client for Mac.
Allocate at least one management point that is enabled for mobile devices for every 10,000 devices that run the client for Mac, in addition to any management points you use for devices that run the mobile device legacy client.

Secondary site:

Each secondary site supports a single management point which must be installed on the site server computer.

The management point at a secondary site always supports communications from the same number of clients as supported by the secondary site server. For information about the number of clients supported by a secondary site, see, Clients per Site, in this topic.

For example, you have a site that supports the following devices:

35,000 clients that include a mix of Windows client and server operating systems, Linux, and Windows Embedded devices (group 1)
15,000 devices that run the client for Mac, (group 3)
10,000 devices that run the mobile device legacy client (group 3)

To support this distribution of devices, you deploy five management points:

Two management points to support the various devices from group 1
Two management points enabled for mobile devices to support the clients for Mac
One additional management point enable for mobile devices to support the devices that run the mobile device legacy client

Note
In most scenarios you cannot control the specific management point that is used by a client that runs the mobile device legacy client or the Mac client. Therefore, it is a best practice to plan for extra capacity, providing additional management points per device.

Site System Requirements

Each System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site system server must use a 64-bit operating system. The only exception to this is the distribution point site system role which can be installed on limited 32-bit operating system versions.

Limitations for site systems:

Site systems are not supported on Server Core installations for the following operating systems:
- Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2.
- Windows Server 2008 Foundation or Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation.
- Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2. An exception to this is that beginning with System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, these operating systems support the distribution point site system role, without PXE or multicast support.
- Windows Server 2012 Foundation or Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation.
It is not supported to change the domain membership or computer name of a Configuration Manager site system after it is installed.
Site system roles are not supported on an instance of a Windows Server cluster. The only exception to this is the site database server.

The following sections list the hardware requirements and operating system requirements for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager sites, typical site system roles, and function-specific site system roles.

Prerequisites for Site System Roles

The following table identifies prerequisites that are required by Configuration Manager for each site system role on supported operating systems prior to Windows Server 2012. For information about prerequisites for site system roles on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, see Prerequisites for Site System Roles on Windows Server 2012.

Important
Except where specifically noted, prerequisites apply to all versions of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

Some prerequisites, such as SQL Server for the site database server, or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) for the software update point, might require additional prerequisites that are not directly required by the site system role.

For site system roles that require Internet Information Services (IIS), use a version of IIS that the computer supports that runs the site system role. For information, see the following sections, Operating System Requirements for Typical Site System Roles and Operating System Requirements for Function-Specific Site System Roles, in this topic.

Site system role

.NET Framework version¹

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) activation²

Role services for the web server (IIS) role

Additional prerequisites

Site server

Requires both of the following:

3.5 SP1
4.0

Not applicable

Windows feature:

Remote Differential Compression

The computer where you install a central administration site or a primary site must have the required version of Windows AIK or Windows ADK installed before you install Configuration Manager. Similarly, when you upgrade a Configuration Manager site, you must install the version of the Windows ADK that the new version of Configuration Manager requires before you can upgrade the site. For more information about this requirement, see Operating System Deployment in this topic.

By default, a secondary site installs a management point and a distribution point. Therefore secondary sites must meet the prerequisites for these site system roles.

Database server

Not applicable

A version of SQL Server that Configuration Manager supports must be installed on this computer.

During installation of the Configuration Manager site, the remote registry service must be enabled on the computer that hosts the site database.

When you install SQL Server Express as part of a secondary site installation, the secondary site server computer must meet the requirements for SQL Server Express.

SMS Provider Server

Not applicable

The computer where you install an instance of the SMS Provider must have the required version of Windows AIK or Windows ADK installed before you install the SMS Provider. Similarly, when you upgrade a Configuration Manager site, on each computer that runs an instance of the SMS Provider you must install the version of the Windows ADK that the new version of Configuration Manager requires. For more information about this requirement, see Operating System Deploymentin this topic.

Application Catalog web service point

Requires both of the following:

3.5 SP1
4.0

Requires the following options for WCF activation:

HTTP Activation
Non-HTTP Activation

Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions:

Application Development:
- ASP.NET (and automatically selected options)
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

Not applicable

Application Catalog website point

Requires the following:

Not applicable

Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions:

Common HTTP Features:
- Static Content
- Default Document
Application Development:
- ASP.NET (and automatically selected options)³
Security:
- Windows Authentication
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

Not applicable

Asset Intelligence synchronization point

Requires the following:

Not applicable

Certificate registration point

Requires the following:

Requires the following options for WCF activation:

HTTP Activation

Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions:

IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

Not applicable

Distribution point⁴

Not applicable

You can use the default IIS configuration, or a custom configuration.

To use a custom IIS configuration, you must enable the following options for IIS:

Application Development:
- ISAPI Extensions
Security:
- Windows Authentication
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

When you use a custom IIS configuration, you can remove options that are not required, such as the following:

Common HTTP Features:
- HTTP Redirection
IIS Management Scripts and Tools

Windows feature:

Remote Differential Compression

To support PXE or multicast, install and configure the following Windows role:

Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

Note
For Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, WDS is installed and configured automatically when you configure a distribution point to support PXE or Multicast. For Windows Server 2003, you must install and configure WDS manually.

For System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack, to support PXE on a distribution point that is on a computer remote from the site server, you should install the following:

Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable.

Note
You can run the Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable Setup from the Configuration Manager installation at: <ConfigMgrInstallationFolder>\Client\x64\vcredist_x64.exeFor Configuration Manager SP1, vcredist_x64.exe is installed automatically when you configure a distribution point to support PXE.

With Configuration Manager SP1, you can use a cloud service in Windows Azure to host a distribution point. For more information, see the section Planning for Distribution Points for Windows Azure in the Planning for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.

Note
With System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, the distribution point site system role does not require Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS). When BITS is configured on the distribution point computer, BITS on the distribution point computer is not used to facilitate the download of content by clients that use BITS

Endpoint Protection point

Requires the following:

3.5 SP1

Not applicable

Enrollment point

Requires the following:

3.5 SP1 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack
4.0 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1

Requires the following options for WCF activation:

HTTP Activation
Non-HTTP Activation

Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions:

Application Development:
- ASP.NET (and automatically selected options) ³

Not applicable

Enrollment proxy point

Requires the following:

3.5 SP1 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack
4.0 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1

Requires the following options for WCF activation:

HTTP Activation
Non-HTTP Activation

Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions:

Application Development:
- ASP.NET (and automatically selected options) ³

Not applicable

Fallback status point

Not applicable

Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions:

IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

Not applicable

Management point

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack:

Management points that support mobile devices require the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1⁵

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1:

All management points require the .NET Framework 4

Not applicable

You can use the default IIS configuration, or a custom configuration⁵.

To use a custom IIS configuration, you must enable the following options for IIS:

Application Development:
- ISAPI Extensions
Security:
- Windows Authentication
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

When you use a custom IIS configuration you can remove options that are not required, such as the following:

Common HTTP Features:
- HTTP Redirection
IIS Management Scripts and Tools

Windows feature:

BITS Server Extensions (and automatically selected options), or Background Intelligent Transfer Services (BITS) (and automatically selected options)

Out of band service point

Requires the following:

Requires the following options for WCF activation:

HTTP Activation
Non-HTTP Activation

Not applicable

Reporting services point

Requires the following:

Not applicable

SQL Server Reporting Services installed and configured to use at least one instance for the reporting services point. The instance you use for SQL Server Reporting Services can be the same instance you use for the site database. Additionally, the instance you use can be shared with other System Center products as long as the other System Center products do not have restrictions for sharing the instance of SQL Server.

Software update point

Requires both of the following:

3.5 SP1
4.0

Not applicable

Requires the default IIS configuration

Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 SP2 must be installed on this computer.

For more information, see the Planning for Software Update Point Installation section in the Planning for Software Updates in Configuration Manager topic.

State migration point

Not applicable

Requires the default IIS configuration

Not applicable

System Health Validator point

Not applicable

This site system role is supported only on a NAP health policy server.

Windows Intune connector

Requires the following:

Not applicable

¹ Install the full version of the Microsoft.NET Framework before you install the site system roles. For example, see the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Stand-Alone Installer).

Important
The Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile is insufficient for this requirement.

² You can configure WCF activation as part of the .NET Framework Windows feature on the site system server. For example, on Windows Server 2008 R2, run the Add Features Wizard to install additional features on the server. On the Select Features page, expand NET Framework 3.5.1 Features, then expand WCF Activation, and then select the check box for both HTTP Activation and Non-HTTP Activation to enable these options.

³ In some scenarios, such as when IIS is installed or reconfigured after the .NET Framework version 4.0 is installed, you must explicitly enable ASP.NET version 4.0. For example, on a 64-bit computer that runs the .NET Framework version 4.0.30319, run the following command: %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe -i -enable

⁴ You must manually install IIS on computers that run a supported version of Windows Server 2003. Additionally, to install IIS and configure the additional Windows features, the computer might require access to the Windows Server 2003 source media.

⁵ Each management point that you enable to support mobile devices requires the additional IIS configuration for ASP.NET (and its automatically selected options). With this requirement, review note 3 for applicability to your installation.

Prerequisites for Site System Roles on Windows Server 2012

For System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 and System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager only:

The following table identifies prerequisites that are required by Configuration Manager site system roles you install on Windows Server 2012 or Windows Server 2012 R2. For information about prerequisites for site system roles on supported operating systems prior to Windows Server 2012, see Prerequisites for Site System Roles.

Site system role

Windows Server Roles and Features

Additional prerequisites

Site server

Features:

.NET Framework 3.5
.NET Framework 4.5
Remote Differential Compression

By default, a secondary site installs a management point and a distribution point. Therefore secondary sites must meet the prerequisites for these site system roles.

Database server

Not applicable

A version of SQL Server that Configuration Manager supports must be installed on this computer.

During installation of the Configuration Manager site, the remote registry service must be enabled on the computer that hosts the site database.

When you install SQL Server Express as part of a secondary site installation, the secondary site server computer must meet the requirements for SQL Server Express.

SMS Provider Server

Not applicable

Application Catalog web service point

Features:

.NET Framework 3.5
- HTTP Activation (and automatically selected options)
.NET Framework 4.5
- ASP.NET 4.5

IIS Configuration:

Common HTTP Features:
- Default Document
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
Application Development:
- ASP.NET 3.5 (and automatically selected options)
- .NET Extensibility 3.5

Not applicable

Application Catalog website point

Features:

.NET Framework 3.5
.NET Framework 4.5
- ASP.NET 4.5

IIS Configuration:

Common HTTP Features:
- Default Document
- Static Content
Application Development:
- ASP.NET 3.5 (and automatically selected options)
- ASP.NET 4.5 (and automatically selected options)
- .NET Extensibility 3.5
- .NET Extensibility 4.5
Security:
- Windows Authentication
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

Not applicable

Asset Intelligence synchronization point

Features:

.NET Framework 4.5

Not applicable

Certificate registration point

Features:

.NET Framework 4.5
- HTTP Activation

IIS Configuration:

Application Development:
- ASP.NET 3.5 (and automatically selected options)
- ASP.NET 4.5 (and automatically selected options)
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

Not applicable

Distribution point

Features¹:

Remote Differential Compression

IIS Configuration:

Application Development:
- ISAPI Extensions
Security:
- Windows Authentication
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

To support PXE or multicast, install and configure the following Windows role:

Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

Note

WDS installs and configures automatically when you configure a distribution point to support PXE or Multicast on Windows Server 2012.

For Configuration Manager with SP1, to support PXE on a distribution point that is on a computer remote from the site server, install the following:

Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable.

Note

For Windows Server 2012, the vcredist_x64.exe is installed automatically when you configure a distribution point to support PXE.
PowerShell 3.0 is required on Windows Server 2012 before you install the distribution point.

Note
With System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, the distribution point site system role does not require Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS). When BITS is configured on the distribution point computer, BITS on the distribution point computer is not used to facilitate the download of content by clients that use BITS

Endpoint Protection point

Features:

.NET Framework 3.5 SP1

Not applicable

Enrollment point

Features:

.NET Framework 3.5
- HTTP Activation
.NET Framework 4.5
- ASP.NET 4.5

Common HTTP Features:
- Default Document
Application Development:
- ASP.NET 3.5
- .NET Extensibility 3.5
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

Not applicable

Enrollment proxy point

Features:

.NET Framework 3.5
.NET Framework 4.5
- ASP.NET 4.5

IIS Configuration:

Common HTTP Features:
- Default Document
- Static Content
Application Development:
- ASP.NET 3.5 (and automatically selected options)
- ASP.NET 4.5 (and automatically selected options)
- .NET Extensibility 3.5
- .NET Extensibility 4.5
Security:
- Windows Authentication
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

Not applicable

Fallback status point

Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions:

IIS Configuration:

IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility

Not applicable

Management point

Features:

.NET Framework 4.5
BITS Server Extensions (and automatically selected options), or Background Intelligent Transfer Services (BITS) (and automatically selected options)

IIS Configuration:

Application Development:
- ISAPI Extensions
Security:
- Windows Authentication
IIS 6 Management Compatibility:
- IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
- IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

Not applicable

Out of band service point

Features:

.NET Framework 4.5
- HTTP Activation
- Non-HTTP Activation

Not applicable

Reporting services point

Features:

.NET Framework 4.5

Software update point

Features:

.NET Framework 3.5 SP1
.NET Framework 4.5

Requires the default IIS configuration

Windows server role:

Windows Server Update Services

For more information, see the Planning for Software Update Point Installation section in the Planning for Software Updates in Configuration Manager topic.

State migration point

Requires the default IIS configuration

Not applicable

System Health Validator point

Not applicable

This site system role is supported only on a NAP health policy server.

Windows Intune connector

Features:

.NET Framework 4.5

Not applicable

¹ With System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, distribution points do not require BITS. When BITS is configured on the distribution point computer, BITS on the distribution point computer is not used to facilitate the download of content by clients that use BITS.

Minimum Hardware Requirements for Site Systems

Hardware component	Requirement
Processor	Minimum: AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64, Intel Xeon with Intel EM64T support, Intel Pentium IV with EM64T support Minimum: 1.4 GHz
RAM	Minimum: 2 GB
Free disk space	Available: 10 GB Total: 50 GB

Operating System Requirements for Site Servers, Database Servers, and the SMS Provider

The following table specifies the operating systems that can support System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site servers, the database server, and the SMS Provider site system role. The table also specifies the Configuration Manager versions that support each operating system.

Operating system	System architecture	Central administration site	Primary site	Secondary site¹	Site database server^1, 2	SMS Provider
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 Standard Datacenter	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Datacenter	x64	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1³ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

¹ Site database servers are not supported on a read-only domain controller (RODC). For more information, see You may encounter problems when installing SQL Server on a domain controller in the Microsoft Knowledge Base. Additionally, secondary site servers are not supported on any domain controller.
² For more information about the versions of SQL Server that Configuration Manager supports, see Configurations for the SQL Server Site Database in this topic.

³ To support this operating system as a database server for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1, you must install cumulative update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1. For more information see Description of Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1.

Note
Windows Server 2012 R2 does not support the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit 8.0 (Windows ADK). For Configuration Manager SP1, the Windows ADK is a prerequisite for a computer that is a site server or that hosts an instance of the SMS Provider. Therefore, Windows Server 2012 R2 remains unsupported for use as a site server or as a host for the SMS Provider for Configuration Manager SP1 even when cumulative update 3 is installed.

Note

Windows Server 2012 R2 does not support the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit 8.0 (Windows ADK). For Configuration Manager SP1, the Windows ADK is a prerequisite for a computer that is a site server or that hosts an instance of the SMS Provider. Therefore, Windows Server 2012 R2 remains unsupported for use as a site server or as a host for the SMS Provider for Configuration Manager SP1 even when cumulative update 3 is installed.

Operating System Requirements for Typical Site System Roles

The following table specifies the operating systems that can support multi-function site system roles, and the Configuration Manager versions that support each operating system.

Operating system	System architecture	Distribution point³	Enrollment point and enrollment proxy point	Fallback status point	Management point	Windows Intune connector
Windows Vista Business Edition (SP1) Enterprise Edition (SP1) Ultimate Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack^{1, 2} System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{1, 2} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{1, 2}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows 7 Professional (with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Editions (with no service pack, or with SP1) Ultimate Editions (with no service pack, or with SP1)	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack^{1, 2} System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{1, 2} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{1, 2}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows 8 Pro Enterprise	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{1, 2} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{1, 2}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows 8.1 Pro Enterprise	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{2, 4, 7} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{1, 2}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack^{2, 4} System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{2, 4} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{2, 4}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition (SP2) Storage Server Edition (SP2)	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack^{2, 4} System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{2, 4} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{2, 4}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition Enterprise Edition	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack^{2, 4} System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{2, 4} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{2, 4}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack^{2, 4} System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{2, 4} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{2, 4}	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (SP1)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack⁴ System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1⁵ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ⁵	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Workgroup Standard Enterprise	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack^{2, 4} System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1^{2, 5} System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{2, 5}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2012 Standard Datacenter	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ⁶	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2012	x64	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{1, 2}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Datacenter	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1⁷ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ⁶	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1⁷ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1⁷ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1⁷ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1⁷ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2012 R2	x64	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager ^{1, 2}	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported

¹ Distribution points on this operating system are not supported for PXE.

² Distribution points on this operating system version do not support Multicast.

³ Unlike other site system roles, distribution points are supported on some 32-bit operating systems. Distribution points also support several different configurations that each have different requirements and in some cases support installation not only on servers, but on client operating systems. For more information about the options available for distribution points, see Prerequisites for Content Management in Configuration Manager in the Deploying Software and Operating Systems in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide.

⁴ Distribution points on this operating system version are supported for PXE, but they do not support network booting of client computers in EFI mode. Client computers with BIOS or with EFI booting in legacy mode are supported.

⁵ Distribution points on this operating system version are supported for PXE boot of x64 UEFI computers but do not support PXE boot of IA32 UEFI computers.

⁶ Distribution points on this operating system version are supported for PXE boot of both x64 and IA32 UEFI computers.

⁷ To support this operating system as a site system server for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1, you must install cumulative update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1. For more information see Description of Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1.

Operating System Requirements for Function-Specific Site System Roles

The following table specifies the operating systems that are supported for use with each feature-specific Configuration Manager site system role, and the Configuration Manager versions that support each operating system.

Operating system	System architecture	Application Catalog web service point and Application Catalog website point	Asset Intelligence synchronization point	Certificate registration point	Endpoint Protection point	Out of band service point	Reporting services point	Software update point	State migration point	System Health Validator point
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Not supported	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service packSystem Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (SP1)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service packSystem Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 Standard Datacenter	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP12 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Datacenter	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

¹ To support this operating system as a site system server for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1, you must install cumulative update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1. For more information see Description of Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1.

Computer Client Requirements

The following sections describe the operating systems and hardware supported for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager computer client installation on Windows-based computers, Mac computers, and servers that run Linux or UNIX. Make sure that you also review Prerequisites for Windows Client Deployment in Configuration Manager for a list of dependencies for the installation of the Configuration Manager client on Windows-based computers and mobile devices.

Computer Client Hardware Requirements

Function	Minimum hardware requirements
Operating system deployment	384 MB of RAM
Software Center	500 MHz processor
Remote Control	Pentium 4 Hyper-Threaded 3 GHz (single core) or comparable CPU, with at least a 1 GB RAM for optimal experience.
Out of Band Management	Desktop or portable computers must have the Intel vPro Technology or Intel Centrino Pro and a supported version of Intel AMT.

Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Client Installation

The following table specifies the operating systems that are supported for Configuration Manager client installation, and the versions of Configuration Manager that support each operating system. For server platforms, client support is independent of any other service that runs on that server unless noted otherwise. For example, the client is supported on domain controllers and servers that run cluster services or terminal services.

Operating system	System architecture	Configuration Manager version
Windows XP Professional (SP3)	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows XP Professional for 64-bit Systems (SP2)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows XP Tablet PC (SP3)	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Vista Business Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Ultimate Edition (SP2)	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 7 Professional (with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Editions (with no service pack, or with SP1) Ultimate Editions (with no service pack, or with SP1)	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 8 Pro Enterprise	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 8.1 Pro Enterprise	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1³ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition (SP2)	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition¹ (SP2)	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 Standard Edition Enterprise Edition Datacenter Edition¹	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 SP2	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2) ¹	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 (SP2)	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Workgroup Standard Enterprise	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1)¹	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 (with no service pack, or with SP1)	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 Standard Datacenter¹	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2012²	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Datacenter¹	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1³ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Storage Server 2012 R2	x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1³ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2012 R2²	x64	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

¹ Datacenter releases are supported but not certified for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. Hotfix support is not offered for issues specific to Windows Server Datacenter Edition.

² To support client push installation, the computer that runs this operating system version must run the File Server role service for the File and Storage Services server role.

³ To support this operating system as a client with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1, you must first install cumulative update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1. For more information see Description of Cumulative Update 3 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1.

For more information about installing Windows features on a Server Core computer, see Install Server Roles and Features on a Server Core Server in the Windows Server 2012 TechNet library.

Embedded Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Clients

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection support clients for integration with Windows Embedded. Support limitations for Windows Embedded:

All client features are supported natively on supported Windows Embedded systems that do not have write filters enabled.
For System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack, Windows Embedded systems that have write filters enabled must use task sequences to deploy to embedded devices, and the task sequences must include steps to disable and then restore the write filters.
Beginning with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1, clients that use Enhanced Write Filters (EWF) RAM or File Based Write Filters (FBWF) are natively supported for all features except power management.
Beginning with System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, clients that use Unified Write Filters (UWF) are natively supported for all features except power management.
The Application Catalog is not supported for any Windows Embedded device.
Windows Embedded operating systems based on Windows XP are only supported for Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager SP1.
Before you can monitor detected malware on Windows Embedded devices based on Windows XP, you must install the Microsoft Windows WMI scripting package on the embedded device. Use Windows Embedded Target Designer to install this package. The files WBEMDISP.DLL and WBEMDISP.TLB must exist and be registered in the folder %windir%\System32\WBEM on the embedded device to ensure that detected malware is reported.

Note
Beginning with Configuration Manager SP1, new options are added to control the behavior of Windows Embedded write filters when you install the Endpoint Protection client. For more information, see Introduction to Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager.

The following table specifies the Windows Embedded versions that are supported with Configuration Manager and Endpoint Protection, and the versions of Configuration Manager and Endpoint Protection that support each Windows Embedded version.

Windows Embedded operating system	Base operating system	System architecture	Configuration Manager version	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection version
Windows Embedded Standard 2009	Windows XP SP3	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows XP Embedded SP3	Windows XP SP3	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP)	Windows XP SP3	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Embedded POSReady 2009	Windows XP SP3	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
WEPOS 1.1 with SP3	Windows XP SP3	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Embedded Standard 7 with SP1	Windows 7	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with no service pack System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Embedded POSReady 7	Windows 7	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with no service pack System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Thin PC	Windows 7	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with no service pack System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Embedded 8 Pro	Windows 8	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Embedded 8 Standard	Windows 8	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Embedded 8 Industry	Windows 8	x86, x64	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1¹ System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection with SP1
Windows Embedded 8.1 Industry	Windows 8.1	x86, x64	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection

¹ The Unified Write Filter (UWF) that is included with this version of Windows Embedded is not supported by System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1. Therefore, with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1, the built-in features for write filter management will not work with UWF.

Client Requirements for Mac Computers

Client Requirements for Linux and UNIX Servers

Note
For System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 and System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager only:

Use the information in the following sections to identify the supported distributions of Linux and UNIX and the hardware requirements to run a Configuration Manager client for Linux and UNIX. For information about the operating system file dependencies for the client for Linux and UNIX, see Prerequisites for Client Deployment to Linux and UNIX Servers in the Planning for Client Deployment for Linux and UNIX Servers topic. For an overview of the management capabilities supported for computers that run Linux or UNIX, see the Deploying the Configuration Manager Client to Linux and UNIX Servers section in the Introduction to Client Deployment in Configuration Manager topic.

Supported Distributions of Linux and UNIX

The following table lists the different releases of the client for Linux and UNIX that you can use with each version of Configuration Manager:

Configuration Manager version	Version of the client for Linux and UNIX
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack	Not supported
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 Client for Linux and UNIX Cumulative Update 1 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 Client for Linux and UNIX
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Agent for Linux and UNIX

The following table identifies the operating systems, platforms, and client installation packages that are supported for each release of the client for Linux and UNIX:

Important

Only the most recent update for the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 Client for Linux and UNIX or the System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Agent for Linux and UNIX is available for download. You can download clients for additional operating systems, and view the Release History including the client build versions online at the Microsoft Download Center:

Operating system	Version	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 Client for Linux and UNIX	Cumulative Update 1 for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 Client for Linux and UNIX	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Agent for Linux and UNIX
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)	Version 4 x86	ccm-RHEL4x86.<build>.tar	ccm-RHEL4x86.<build>.tar	ccm-RHEL4x86.<build>.tar
	Version 4 x64	ccm-RHEL4x64.<build>.tar	ccm-RHEL4x64.<build>.tar	ccm-RHEL4x64.<build>.tar
	Version 5 x86	ccm-RHEL5x86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 5 x64	ccm-RHEL5x64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x86	ccm-RHEL6x86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x64	ccm-RHEL6x64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
Solaris	Version 9 SPARC	ccm-Sol9sparc.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol9sparc.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol9sparc.<build>.tar
	Version 10 x86	ccm-Sol10x86.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol10x86.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol10x86.<build>.tar
	Version 10 SPARC	ccm-Sol10sparc.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol10sparc.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol10sparc.<build>.tar
	Version 11 x86	No support	ccm-Sol11x86.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol11x86.<build>.tar
	Version 11 SPARC	No support	ccm-Sol11sparc.<build>.tar	ccm-Sol11sparc.<build>.tar
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)	Version 9 x86	ccm-SLES9x86.<build>.tar	ccm-SLES9x86.<build>.tar	ccm-SLES9x86.<build>.tar
	Version 10 SP1 x86	ccm-SLES10x86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 10 SP1 x64	ccm-SLES10x64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
	Version 11 SP1 x86	ccm-SLES11x86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 11 SP1 x64	ccm-SLES11x64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
CentOS	Version 5 x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 5 x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
Debian	Version 5 x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 5 x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
	Version 7 x86	No support	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 7 x64	No support	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
Ubuntu	Version 10.4 LTS x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 10.4 LTS x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
	Version 12.4 LTS x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 12.4 LTS x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
Oracle Linux	Version 5 x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 5 x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x86	No support	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx86.<build>.tar
	Version 6 x64	No support	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar	ccm-Universalx64.<build>.tar
HP-UX	Version 11iv2 IA64	No support	ccm-HpuxB.11.23i64.<build>.tar	ccm-HpuxB.11.23i64.<build>.tar
	Version 11iv2 PA-RISC	No support	ccm-HpuxB.11.23PA.<build>.tar	ccm-HpuxB.11.23PA.<build>.tar
	Version 11iv3 IA64	No support	ccm-HpuxB.11.31i64.<build>.tar	ccm-HpuxB.11.31i64.<build>.tar
	Version 11iv3 PA-RISC	No support	ccm-HpuxB.11.31PA.<build>.tar	ccm-HpuxB.11.31PA.<build>.tar
AIX	Version 5.3 (Power)	No support	ccm-Aix53ppc.<build>.tar	ccm-Aix53ppc.<build>.tar
	Version 6.1 (Power)	No support	ccm-Aix61ppc.<build>.tar	ccm-Aix61ppc.<build>.tar
	Version 7.1 (Power)	No support	ccm-Aix71ppc.<build>.tar	ccm-Aix71ppc.<build>.tar

Note

For the clients for Linux and UNIX, the listed version includes all subsequent minor versions. For example, where the table indicates support for CentOS version 6, this also includes any subsequent minor version of CentOS 6, such as CentOS 6.3. Similarly, where the table indicates support for an operating system that uses service packs, such as SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 SP1, support includes subsequent service packs for that operating system.

For information about client installation packages and the Universal Agent, see How to Install Clients on Linux and UNIX Computers in Configuration Manager.

Hardware and Disk Space Requirements

Mobile Device Requirements

The following sections describe the hardware and operating systems that are supported for managing mobile devices in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

Note
The following mobile device clients are not supported in the Configuration Manager hierarchy: Device management clients from System Management Server 2003 and Configuration Manager 2007 Windows CE Platform Builder device management client (any version) System Center Mobile Device Manager VPN connection

Mobile Devices Enrolled by Configuration Manager

Mobile Devices Enrolled by Windows Intune

For System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 and System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager only: The following table lists the platforms and languages that are supported for mobile devices that are enrolled by Windows Intune and you use the Windows Intune connector in Configuration Manager.

Important
You must have a subscription to Windows Intune to manage the following operating systems.

Operating system	Operating system version	Configuration Manager version	Company portal supported languages
Windows Phone 8	Not applicable	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Czech Danish Dutch English (US) Finnish French (France) German Greek Hungarian Italian Japanese Korean Norwegian Polish Portuguese (Brazil) Romanian Russian Spanish (Spain) Swedish Turkish
Windows 8 RT	Not applicable	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 8.1 RT	Not applicable	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 8.1 x86 x64	Not applicable	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
iOS	5.0 6.0	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
iOS	7.0	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Android ¹	2.3 and later	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

¹ Support for devices that run Android begins with Android 2.3, and includes all subsequent releases of Android. However, when you use System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1, or when you use System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager with a version of Android that is prior to 4.0, a limited set of functionality is available. Beginning with System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, when you use the Company Portal app, Configuration Manager supports additional capabilities for devices that run Android 4.0 or later.

For more information, see the How to Manage Mobile Devices by Using Configuration Manager and Windows Intune topic in the Deploying Clients for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide.

Mobile Device Support by Using the Exchange Server Connector

Mobile Device Legacy Client

The following sections list the hardware and operating systems that are supported for the mobile device legacy client in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

Mobile Device Legacy Client Hardware Requirements

The mobile device client requires 0.78 MB of storage space to install. In addition, logging on the mobile device can require up to 256 KB of storage space.

Mobile Device Legacy Client Operating System Requirements

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager supports management for Windows Phone, Windows Mobile, and Windows CE when you install the Configuration Manager mobile device legacy client. Features for these mobile devices vary by platform and client type. For more information about which management functions Configuration Manager supports for the mobile device legacy client, see Determine How to Manage Mobile Devices in Configuration Manager.

The following table lists the mobile device platforms that are supported with the mobile device legacy client for Configuration Manager, and the versions of Configuration Manager that support each platform.

Operating system	Configuration Manager version	Supported languages
Windows CE 5.0 (Arm and x86 processors)	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows CE 6.0 (Arm and x86 processors)	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows CE 7.0 (Arm and x86 processors)	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows Mobile 6.0	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)

Configuration Manager Console Requirements

The following table lists the operating systems that are supported to run the Configuration Manager console, the minimum version of the Microsoft .NET Framework they require, and the versions of the Configuration Manager console that support each operating system.

Operating system	System architecture	Minimum .NET Framework version	Configuration Manager version
Windows XP Professional (SP3)	x86	.NET Framework 4 ¹	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Vista Business Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Ultimate Edition (SP2)	x86, x64	.NET Framework 4 ¹	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 7 Professional Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Ultimate Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1)	x86, x64	.NET Framework 4 ¹	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 8 Pro Enterprise	x86, x64	.NET Framework 4.5	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows 8.1 Pro Enterprise	x86, x64	.NET Framework 4.5	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x86, x64	.NET Framework 4 ¹	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (with no service pack, or with SP1)	x64	.NET Framework 4 ¹	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 Standard Edition Datacenter Edition	x64	.NET Framework 4.5	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Edition Datacenter Edition	x64	.NET Framework 4.5	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

¹ The Configuration Manager console requires the full version of the .NET Framework 4 and is not supported with the .NET Framework Client Profile.

The requirements in the following table apply to each computer that runs Configuration Manager console.

Minimum hardware configuration

Screen resolution

1 x Pentium 4 Hyper-Threaded 3 GHz (Intel Pentium 4 HT 630 or comparable CPU)

2 GB of RAM

2 GB of disk space.

DPI setting	Minimum resolution
96 / 100%	1024x768
120 /125%	1280x960
144 / 150%	1600x1200
196 / 200%	2500x1600

For System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 and System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager only: Beginning with Configuration Manager SP1, the Configuration Manager console supports PowerShell. When you install support for PowerShell on a computer that runs the Configuration Manager console, you can run PowerShell cmdlets on that computer to manage Configuration Manager. You can install a supported version of PowerShell before or after the Configuration Manager console installs. The following table lists the minimum required version of PowerShell for each version of Configuration Manager.

PowerShell version	System architecture	Configuration Manager version
PowerShell 3.0	x86	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

For information about using a Configuration Manager console in an environment with multiple versions of Configuration Manager, see the Interoperability for the Configuration Manager Console section in the Interoperability between Different Versions of Configuration Manager topic.

Configurations for the SQL Server Site Database

Each System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site database can be installed on either the default instance or a named instance of a SQL Server installation. The SQL Server instance can be co-located with the site system server, or on a remote computer. In a hierarchy with multiple sites, each site can use a different version of SQL Server to host the site database so long as that version of SQL Server is supported by the version of Configuration Manager that you use. For example, if your hierarchy runs Configuration Manager SP1, it is supported to use SQL Server 2008 R2 with SP1 and cumulative update 6 at the central administration site, and to use SQL Server 2012 with no service pack and cumulative update 2 at a child primary site, or vice versa.

When you use a remote SQL Server, the instance of SQL Server used to host the site database can also be configured as a SQL Server failover cluster in a single instance cluster, or a multiple instance configuration. SQL Server cluster configurations that have multiple active nodes are supported for hosting the site database. The site database site system role is the only System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site system role supported on an instance of a Windows Server cluster. If you use a SQL Server cluster for the site database, you must add the computer account of the site server to the Local Administrators group of each Windows Server cluster node computer.

Note
A SQL Server cluster in a Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster configuration is not supported. Additionally, SQL Server database mirroring technology and peer-to-peer replication are not supported.

When you install a secondary site, you can use an existing instance of SQL Server or allow Setup to install and use an instance of SQL Server Express. Whichever option that you choose, SQL Server must be located on the secondary site server. The version of SQL Server Express that Setup installs depends on the version of Configuration Manager that you use:

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager without a service pack: SQL Server 2008 Express
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1: SQL Server 2012 Express

The following table lists the SQL Server versions that are supported by System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

SQL Server version	SQL Server service pack	Minimum required SQL Server cumulative update	Configuration Manager version	Configuration Manager site type
SQL Server 2008 Standard¹ Enterprise Datacenter	SP2	Minimum of cumulative update 9	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Central administration site Primary site Secondary site
SQL Server 2008 Standard¹ Enterprise Datacenter	SP3	Minimum of cumulative update 4	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Central administration site Primary site Secondary site
SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard¹ Enterprise Datacenter	SP1	Minimum of cumulative update 6	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Central administration site Primary site Secondary site
SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard¹ Enterprise Datacenter	SP2	No minimum cumulative update	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Central administration site Primary site Secondary site
SQL Server 2012 Standard¹ Enterprise	No service pack	Minimum of cumulative update 2	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Central administration site Primary site Secondary site
SQL Server 2012 Standard¹ Enterprise	SP1	No minimum cumulative update	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Central administration site Primary site Secondary site
SQL Server Express 2008 R2	SP1	Minimum of cumulative update 6	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Secondary site
SQL Server Express 2008 R2	SP2	No minimum cumulative update	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Secondary site
SQL Server 2012 Express	No service pack	Minimum of cumulative update 2	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Secondary site
SQL Server 2012 Express	SP1	No minimum cumulative update	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Secondary site

¹ When you use SQL Server Standard for the database at the central administration site, the hierarchy can only support up to 50,000 clients. For more information, see Site and Site System Role Scalability.

SQL Server Requirements

The following are required configurations for each database server with a full SQL Server installation, and on each SQL Server Express installation that you manually configure for secondary sites. You do not have to configure SQL Server Express for a secondary site if SQL Server Express is installed by Configuration Manager.

Configuration

More information

SQL Server version

Configuration Manager requires a 64-bit version of SQL Server to host the site database.

Database collation

At each site, both the instance of SQL Server that is used for the site database and the site database must use the following collation: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS.

Note
Configuration Manager supports two exceptions to this collation to meet standards that are defined in GB18030 for use in China. For more information, see Technical Reference for International Support in Configuration Manager.

SQL Server features

Only the Database Engine Services feature is required for each site server.

Note
Configuration Manager database replication does not require the SQL Server replication feature.

Windows Authentication

Configuration Manager requires Windows authentication to validate connections to the database.

SQL Server instance

You must use a dedicated instance of SQL Server for each site.

SQL Server memory

When you use a database server that is co-located with the site server, limit the memory for SQL Server to 50 to 80 percent of the available addressable system memory.

When you use a dedicated SQL Server, limit the memory for SQL Server to 80 to 90 percent of the available addressable system memory.

Configuration Manager requires SQL Server to reserve a minimum of 8 gigabytes (GB) of memory in the buffer pool used by an instance of SQL Server for the central administration site and primary site and a minimum of 4 gigabytes (GB) for the secondary site. This memory is reserved by using the Minimum server memory setting under Server Memory Options and is configured by using SQL Server Management Studio. For more information about how to set a fixed amount of memory, see How to: Set a Fixed Amount of Memory (SQL Server Management Studio).

Optional SQL Server Configurations

The following configurations either support multiple choices or are optional on each database server with a full SQL Server installation.

Configuration

More information

SQL Server service

On each database server, you can configure the SQL Server service to run by using a domain local account or the local system account of the computer that is running SQL Server.

Use a domain user account as a SQL Server best practice. This kind of account can be more secure than the local system account but might require you to manually register the Service Principle Name (SPN) for the account.
Use the local system account of the computer that is running SQL Server to simplify the configuration process. When you use the local system account, Configuration Manager automatically registers the SPN for the SQL Server service. Be aware that using the local system account for the SQL Server service is not a SQL Server best practice.

For information about SQL Server best practices, see the product documentation for the version of Microsoft SQL Server that you are using. For information about SPN configurations for Configuration Manager, see How to Manage the SPN for SQL Server Site Database Servers. For information about how to change the account that is used by the SQL Service, see How to: Change the Service Startup Account for SQL Server (SQL Server Configuration Manager).

SQL Server Reporting Services

Required to install a reporting services point that lets you run reports.

SQL Server ports

For communication to the SQL Server database engine, and for intersite replication, you can use the default SQL Server port configurations or specify custom ports:

Intersite communications use the SQL Server Service Broker, which by default uses port TCP 4022.
Intrasite communication between the SQL Server database engine and various Configuration Manager site system roles by default use port TCP 1433. The following site system roles communicate directly with the SQL Server database:
- Management point
- SMS Provider computer
- Reporting Services point
- Site server

When a SQL Server hosts a database from more than one site, each database must use a separate instance of SQL Server, and each instance must be configured to use a unique set of ports.

Warning
Configuration Manager does not support dynamic ports. Because SQL Server named instances by default use dynamic ports for connections to the database engine, when you use a named instance, you must manually configure the static port that you want to use for intrasite communication.

If you have a firewall enabled on the computer that is running SQL Server, make sure that it is configured to allow the ports that are being used by your deployment and at any locations on the network between computers that communicate with the SQL Server.

For an example of how to configure SQL Server to use a specific port, see How to: Configure a Server to Listen on a Specific TCP Port (SQL Server Configuration Manager) in the SQL Server TechNet library.

Function-Specific Requirements

The following sections identify function-specific requirements for Configuration Manager.

Application Management

Operating System Deployment

Out of Band Management

Remote Control Viewer

Software Center and the Application Catalog

Support for Active Directory Domains

All System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site systems must be members of a Windows Active Directory domain. The following table identifies the Windows Active directory domain functional level that is supported with each version of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager:

Active Directory domain functional level	Configuration Manager version
Windows 2000	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2003	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 R2	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

Note
If you configure discovery to filter and remove stale computer records, the Active Directory domain functional level must be a minimum of Windows Server 2003.

This requirement includes site systems that support Internet-based client management in a perimeter network (also known as DMZ, demilitarized zone, and screened subnet).

The following are limitations for site systems:

Configuration Manager does not support the change of domain membership, domain name, or computer name of a Configuration Manager site system after the site system is installed.

Configuration Manager client computers can be domain members, or workgroup members.

The following sections contain additional information about domain structures and requirements for Configuration Manager.

Active Directory Schema Extensions

Disjoint Namespaces

Except for out of band management, Configuration Manager supports installing site systems and clients in a domain that has a disjoint namespace.

Note
For more information about namespace limitations for when you manage AMT-based computers out of band, see Prerequisites for Out of Band Management in Configuration Manager.

A disjoint namespace scenario is one in which the primary Domain Name System (DNS) suffix of a computer does not match the Active Directory DNS domain name where that computer resides. The computer that uses the primary DNS suffix that does not match is said to be disjoint. Another disjoint namespace scenario occurs if the NetBIOS domain name of a domain controller does not match the Active Directory DNS domain name.

The following table identifies the supported scenarios for a disjoint namespace.

Scenario

More information

Scenario 1:

The primary DNS suffix of the domain controller differs from the Active Directory DNS domain name. Computers that are members of the domain can be either disjoint or not disjoint.

In this scenario, the primary DNS suffix of the domain controller differs from the Active Directory DNS domain name. The domain controller is disjoint in this scenario. Computers that are members of the domain, such as site servers and computers, can have a primary DNS suffix that either matches the primary DNS suffix of the domain controller or matches the Active Directory DNS domain name.

Scenario 2:

A member computer in an Active Directory domain is disjoint, even though the domain controller is not disjoint.

In this scenario, the primary DNS suffix of a member computer on which a site system is installed differs from the Active Directory DNS domain name, even though the primary DNS suffix of the domain controller is the same as the Active Directory DNS domain name. In this scenario, you have a domain controller that is not disjoint and a member computer that is disjoint. Member computers that are running the Configuration Manager client can have a primary DNS suffix that either matches the primary DNS suffix of the disjoint site system server or matches the Active Directory DNS domain name.

To allow a computer to access domain controllers that are disjoint, you must change the msDS-AllowedDNSSuffixes Active Directory attribute on the domain object container. You must add both of the DNS suffixes to the attribute.

In addition, to make sure that the DNS suffix search list contains all DNS namespaces that are deployed within the organization, you must configure the search list for each computer in the domain that is disjoint. Include in the list of namespaces the primary DNS suffix of the domain controller, the DNS domain name, and any additional namespaces for other servers with which Configuration Manager might interoperate. You can use the Group Policy Management console to configure the Domain Name System (DNS) suffix search list.

Important
When you reference a computer in Configuration Manager, enter the computer by using its Primary DNS suffix. This suffix should match the Fully Qualified Domain Name registered as the dnsHostName attribute in the Active Directory domain and the Service Principal Name associated with the system.

Single Label Domains

Windows Environment

The following sections contain general support configuration information for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

Support for Internet Protocol Version 6

Support for Specialized Storage Technology

Support for Computers in Workgroups

Support for Virtualization Environments

Configuration Manager supports installing the client and site system roles on supported operating systems that run as a virtual machine in the following virtualization environments. This support exists even when the virtual machine host (virtualization environment) is not supported as a client or site server. For example, if you use Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012 to host a virtual machine that runs Windows Server 2012, you can install the client or site system roles on the virtual machine (Windows Server 2012), but not on the host, (Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012).

Virtualization environment	Configuration Manager version
Windows Server 2008	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008 R2	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2008	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1
Windows Server 2012	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2012	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2	System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

Each virtual computer that you use must meet or exceed the same hardware and software configuration that you would use for a physical Configuration Manager computer.

You can validate that your virtualization environment is supported for Configuration Manager by using the Server Virtualization Validation Program and its online Virtualization Program Support Policy Wizard. For more information about the Server Virtualization Validation Program, see Windows Server Virtualization Validation Program.

Note
Configuration Manager does not support Virtual PC or Virtual Server guest operating systems that run on a Mac.

Configuration Manager cannot manage virtual machines unless they are online. An offline virtual machine image cannot be updated nor can inventory be collected by using the Configuration Manager client on the host computer.

No special consideration is given to virtual machines. For example, Configuration Manager might not determine whether an update has to be re-applied to a virtual machine image if the virtual machine is stopped and restarted without saving the state of the virtual machine to which the update was applied.

Support for Network Address Translation

DirectAccess Feature Support

BranchCache Feature Support

Windows BranchCache is integrated in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. You can configure the BranchCache settings on a deployment type for applications, on the deployment for a package, and for task sequences.

When all the requirements for BranchCache are met, this feature enables clients at remote locations to obtain content from local clients that have a current cache of the content. For example, when the first BranchCache-enabled client computer requests content from a distribution point that is configured as a BranchCache server, the client computer downloads and caches the content. This content is then made available for clients on the same subnet that request this same content, and these clients also cache the content. In this manner, successive clients on the same subnet do not have to download content from the distribution point, and the content is distributed across multiple clients for future transfers.

To support BranchCache with Configuration Manager, add the Windows BranchCache feature to the site system server that is configured as a distribution point. System Center 2012 Configuration Manager distribution points on servers configured to support BranchCache require no additional configuration.

Note
With Configuration Manager SP1, cloud-based distribution points support the download of content by clients that are configured for Windows BranchCache.

To use BranchCache, the clients that can support BranchCache must be configured for BranchCache distributed mode, and the operating system setting for BITS client settings must be enabled to support BranchCache.

The following table lists the Configuration Manager client operating systems that are supported with Windows BranchCache and identifies for each operating system if BranchCache distributed mode is supported natively by the operating system, or if the operating system requires the addition of the BITS 4.0 release.

Operating system	Support details
Windows Vista with SP2¹	Requires BITS 4.0
Windows 7 with SP1	Supported by default
Windows 8	Supported by default
Windows 8.1	Supported by default
Windows Server 2008 with SP2¹	Requires BITS 4.0
Windows Server 2008 R2 with no service pack, with SP1, or with SP2	Supported by default
Windows Server 2012	Supported by default
Windows Server 2012 R2	Supported by default

¹ On this operating system, the BranchCache client functionality is not supported for software distribution that is run from the network or for SMB file transfers. Additionally, this operating system cannot use BranchCache functionality with cloud-based distribution points.

You can install the BITS 4.0 release on Configuration Manager clients by using software updates or software distribution. For more information about the BITS 4.0 release, see Windows Management Framework.

For more information about BranchCache, see BranchCache for Windows in the Windows Server documentation.

Fast User Switching

Dual Boot Computers

Supported Upgrade Paths for Configuration Manager

The following sections identify the upgrade options for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, the operating system version of site servers and clients, and the SQL Server version of database servers.

Upgrade Configuration Manager

The following table lists the versions of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, and the supported upgrade paths between versions.

Configuration Manager version

Release options

Supported Upgrade Paths

More information

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

An evaluation release that expires 180 days after installation.
A complete release, to perform a new installation.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager evaluation release

You can install System Center 2012 Configuration Manager as either a full installation, or as a trial installation. If you install Configuration Manager as a trial installation, after 180 days, you can only connect a read-only Configuration Manager console and Configuration Manager functionality is limited. At any time before or after the 180 day period, you have the option to upgrade the trial installation to a full installation.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager supports migration of your Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure but does not support an in–place upgrade of sites from Configuration Manager 2007.

However, migration supports the upgrade of a Configuration Manager 2007 distribution point, or secondary site that is co-located with a distribution point, to a System Center 2012 Configuration Manager distribution point.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1

An evaluation release that expires 180 days after installation.
A complete release, to perform a new installation.
An upgrade from System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 evaluation release
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack

You can install System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 as a trial installation, a full install, or as an upgrade to existing infrastructure that runs System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack. However, an upgrade from Configuration Manager 2007 to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 is not supported.

If you install Configuration Manager as a trial installation, after 180 days you can only connect a read-only Configuration Manager console and Configuration Manager functionality is limited. At any time before or after the 180 day period, you have the option to upgrade the trial installation to a full installation.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 supports migration from Configuration Manager 2007.

System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

An evaluation release that expires 180 days after installation.
A complete release, to perform a new installation.
An upgrade from System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1

System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager evaluation release
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1

You can install System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager as a trial installation, a full install, or as an upgrade to existing infrastructure that runs System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1. However, an upgrade from Configuration Manager 2007 or from System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack to System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager is not supported. If you use System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack, you must first upgrade your hierarchy to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1, and then you can upgrade to System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager.

System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager supports migration from Configuration Manager 2007.

For information about how to upgrade an evaluation release of Configuration Manager to a full installation, see the Upgrade an Evaluation Installation to a Full Installation section in the Install Sites and Create a Hierarchy for Configuration Manager topic.

For more information about migration, see Migrating Hierarchies in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

Infrastructure Upgrade for Configuration Manager

In addition to upgrading the version of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager you use for sites, Configuration Manager clients and Configuration Manager consoles, you can upgrade the operating systems that run Configuration Manager site servers, database servers, site system servers, and clients. The information in the following sections can help you upgrade the infrastructure for Configuration Manager.

Upgrade of the Site Server Operating System

Client Operating System Upgrade

SQL Server Upgrade for the Site Database Server

Configuration Manager supports an in-place upgrade of SQL Server from a supported version of SQL on the site database server. The following sections provide information about the different upgrade scenarios supported by Configuration Manager and any requirements for each scenario.

Requirement	Details
Processor and memory	Refer to the processor and RAM requirements for the computer’s operating system.
Disk space	500 MB available disk space, with 5 GB recommended for the Configuration Manager client cache.
Network connectivity	Configuration Manager client computers must have network connectivity to Configuration Manager site systems to enable management.

Function	Exception to IPv6 support
Cloud-based distribution points	IPv4 is required to support Windows Azure and cloud-based distribution points.
Mobile devices that are enrolled by Windows Intune and the Windows Intune connector	IPv4 is required to support mobile devices that are enrolled by Windows Intune and the Windows Intune connector.
Network Discovery	IPv4 is required when you configure a DHCP server to search in Network Discovery.
Operating system deployment	IPv4 is required to support operating system deployment.
Out of band management	IPv4 is required to support out of band management.
Wake-up proxy communication	IPv4 is required to support the client wake-up proxy packets.
Windows CE	IPv4 is required to support the Configuration Manager client on Windows CE devices.

Operating system	Configuration Manager version
Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion)	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 cumulative update 1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

Operating system	Configuration Manager version	Supported languages
Windows Mobile 6.1	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows Mobile 6.5	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Nokia Symbian Belle	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	Arabic Basque (Basque) Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Hong Kong SAR) Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English (UK) English (US) Estonian Farsi Finnish French (Canada) French (France) Galician German Greek Hebrew Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Italian Kazakh Korean Latvian Lithuanian Malay Norwegian Polish Portuguese (Brazil) Portuguese (Portugal) Romanian Russian Serbian (Latin/Cyrillic) Slovak Slovenian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Spain) Swedish Tagalog (Filipino) Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese

Version of Exchange Server	Configuration Manager version
Exchange Server 2010 SP1	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Exchange Server 2010 SP2	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Exchange Server 2013	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager
Exchange Online (Office 365) ¹	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with no service pack System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with SP1 System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

Configuration Manager System Requirements

Site and Site System Role Scalability

Client Support Numbers for Sites and Hierarchies

Clients per Hierarchy

Clients per Site

Clients per Management Point

Site System Requirements

Prerequisites for Site System Roles

Prerequisites for Site System Roles on Windows Server 2012

Minimum Hardware Requirements for Site Systems

Operating System Requirements for Site Servers, Database Servers, and the SMS Provider

Operating System Requirements for Typical Site System Roles

Operating System Requirements for Function-Specific Site System Roles

Computer Client Requirements

Computer Client Hardware Requirements

Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Client Installation

Embedded Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Clients

Client Requirements for Mac Computers

Client Requirements for Linux and UNIX Servers

Supported Distributions of Linux and UNIX

Hardware and Disk Space Requirements

Mobile Device Requirements

Mobile Devices Enrolled by Configuration Manager

Mobile Devices Enrolled by Windows Intune

Mobile Device Support by Using the Exchange Server Connector

Mobile Device Legacy Client

Mobile Device Legacy Client Hardware Requirements

Mobile Device Legacy Client Operating System Requirements

Configuration Manager Console Requirements

Configurations for the SQL Server Site Database

SQL Server Requirements

Function-Specific Requirements

Application Management

Operating System Deployment

Out of Band Management

Remote Control Viewer

Software Center and the Application Catalog

Support for Active Directory Domains

Active Directory Schema Extensions

Disjoint Namespaces

Single Label Domains

Windows Environment

Support for Internet Protocol Version 6

Support for Specialized Storage Technology

Support for Computers in Workgroups

Support for Virtualization Environments

Support for Network Address Translation

DirectAccess Feature Support

BranchCache Feature Support

Fast User Switching

Dual Boot Computers

Supported Upgrade Paths for Configuration Manager

Upgrade Configuration Manager

Infrastructure Upgrade for Configuration Manager

Upgrade of the Site Server Operating System

Client Operating System Upgrade

SQL Server Upgrade for the Site Database Server

Upgrade of the Service Pack Version of SQL Server

SQL Server 2008 to SQL Server 2008 R2

SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2 to SQL Server 2012

To upgrade SQL Server on the site database server

See Also

Concepts