You can use the Setup Wizard in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager to install and uninstall sites, create a Configuration Manager hierarchy, recover a site, and perform site maintenance. Use the following sections in this topic to help you to install sites, create a hierarchy, and learn more about the Setup options.

What’s New in Configuration Manager

Things to Consider Before You Run Setup

There are many business and security decisions that you must consider before you run Setup and install your site. Base your System Center 2012 Configuration Manager hierarchy design on careful planning for your network infrastructure, business requirements, budget limitations, and so on. Ideally, read the entire Planning for Configuration Manager Sites and Hierarchy section in the Site Administration for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide, but for brevity, the following list provides several important planning steps from the guide that you must consider before you run Setup.

Important
Installing System Center 2012 Configuration Manager in your production environment without thorough planning is unlikely to result in a fully functional site that meets your business and security requirements.

Item Description More information

Network infrastructure and Business requirements

Identify your network infrastructure and how it influences your Configuration Manager hierarchy, and what your business requirements are for using Configuration Manager.

Identify Your Network and Business Requirements to Plan a Configuration Manager Hierarchy

Supported configurations

Verify that your servers meet the supported configurations for installing Configuration Manager.

Supported Configurations for Configuration Manager

PKI certificates

Review the public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates that you might require for your Configuration Manager site system servers and clients.

PKI Certificate Requirements for Configuration Manager

Site hierarchy

Determine whether to install a central administration site, a child primary site, or a stand-alone primary site. When you create a hierarchy, you must install the central administration site first.

Planning for Sites and Hierarchies in Configuration Manager

Windows environment

Prepare the Windows environment for the site server and site system installation.

Prepare the Windows Environment for Configuration Manager

Site database

Plan for and configure your site database server.

Planning for Database Servers in Configuration Manager

Pre-Installation Applications

There are two applications, Setup Downloader and Prerequisite Checker, that you can optionally run before you install the site. They download updated files for Setup and verify server readiness for the site server or site system server.

Setup Downloader

Configuration Manager Setup Downloader is a stand-alone application that verifies and downloads required prerequisite redistributable files, language packs, and the latest product updates for Setup. When you install a Configuration Manager site, you can specify a folder that contains required files, or Setup can automatically start the Setup Downloader to download the latest files from the Internet. You might choose to run Setup Downloader before you run Setup and store the files on a network shared folder or removable hard drive. This approach is necessary when the planned site server computer does not have Internet access, or a firewall prevents the files from downloading. After you download the latest files, you can use the same path to the download folder to install multiple sites. When you install sites, always verify that the path to the download folder contains the most recent version of the files.

Security Note
To prevent an attacker from tampering with the files, use a local path to the folder that stores the files. If you use a network shared folder for the files, use Server Message Block (SMB) signing or Internet Protocol security (IPsec) to secure the location for the files.

You can open Setup Downloader and specify a path to the folder to host the downloaded files, or you can run Setup Downloader at a command prompt and specify command-line options. Use the following procedures to start Setup Downloader and download the latest Configuration Manager files that Setup requires.

To start Setup Downloader from Windows Explorer

To start Setup Downloader at a command prompt

Prerequisite Checker

Prerequisite Checker (Prereqchk.exe) is a stand-alone application that verifies server readiness for a site server or specific site system roles. Before site installation, Setup runs Prerequisite Checker. You might choose to manually run Prerequisite Checker on potential site servers or site systems to verify server readiness. This process lets you to remediate any issues that you find before you run Setup. When you run Prerequisite Checker without command-line options, the local computer is scanned for an existing site server, and only the checks that are applicable to the site are run. If no existing sites are detected, all prerequisite rules are run. You can run Prerequisite Checker at a command prompt and specify specific command-line options to perform only checks that are associated with the site server or site systems that you specified in the command line. When you specify another server to check, you must have administrative user rights on the server for Prerequisite Checker to complete the checks. For more information about the prerequisite checks that Prerequisite Checker performs, see Technical Reference for the Prerequisite Checker in Configuration Manager.

When you are planning to upgrade a Configuration Manager site to a new service pack, you can manually run the Prerequisite Checker on each site to verify that site’s readiness for upgrade. To do so, use the Prerequisite Checker files from the source media of that new version of Configuration Manager. When you run the Prerequisite Checker for upgrade, you do not specify command-line options.

Use the following procedures to run Prerequisite Checker on site servers or site system servers.

To move Prerequisite Checker files to another computer

To start Prerequisite Checker and run default checks

To start Prerequisite Checker at a command prompt and run all checks

To start Prerequisite Checker at a command prompt and run primary site checks

To start Prerequisite Checker at a command prompt and run central administration site checks

To start Prerequisite Checker at a command prompt from a primary site and run secondary site checks

To start Prerequisite Checker at a command prompt and run Configuration Manager console checks

Manual Steps to Prepare for Site Server Installation

Before you install a site server on a computer, consider the following manual steps to prepare for site server installation.

Manual step Description

Install the latest security updates on the site server computer.

Use Windows Update to install the latest security updates on the site server computer.

Install the hotfix that is described in KB2552033 on site servers that run Windows Server 2008 R2.

The hotfix that is described in KB2552033 must be installed on site servers that run Windows Server 2008 R2 when client push installation is enabled.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Setup Wizard

When you run Setup, the local computer is scanned for an existing site server and provides only the options that are applicable, based on the scan results. The options that are available in Setup also differ when you run Setup from installation media, the Configuration Manager DVD or a network shared folder, or if you run Setup from the Start menu or by opening Setup.exe from the installation path on an existing site server. The Configuration Manager Setup Wizard provides the following options to install, upgrade, or uninstall a site:

  • Install a Configuration Manager primary site server: When you choose to install a new primary site, you can manually configure the site settings in the wizard, or let Setup configure the site with a default installation path, to use a local installation of the default instance of SQL Server for the site database, to install a management point on the site server, and to install a distribution point on the site server.

    Note
    You must start Setup from installation media to select this option.
  • Install a Configuration Manager central administration site: The central administration site is used for reporting and to coordinate communication between primary sites in the hierarchy. There is only one central administration site in a Configuration Manager hierarchy. The central administration site must be the first site that you install.

    Note
    You must start Setup from installation media to select this option.
  • Upgrade an existing Configuration Manager installation: Choose this option to upgrade an existing version of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

    Note
    You must start Setup from installation media to select this option.
  • Uninstall a Configuration Manager site server: When an existing site is detected on the local computer, and the version of the site is the same version as Setup, you have the option to uninstall the site server. You can start Setup from either the installation media or from the local site server to select this option.

Note
For more information about site maintenance and site reset options that are available in Setup, see Manage Site and Hierarchy Configurations.

Install a Configuration Manager Console

Administrative users use the Configuration Manager console to manage the Configuration Manager environment. Each Configuration Manager console connects to either a central administration site or a primary site. After the initial connection is made, the Configuration Manager console can connect to other sites. However, you cannot connect a Configuration Manager console to a secondary site.

Note
The objects that are displayed for the administrative user who is running the console depend on the rights that are assigned to the administrative user. For more information about role-based administration, see the Planning for Role-Based Administration section in the Planning for Security in Configuration Manager topic.

You can install the Configuration Manager console during the site server installation in the Setup Wizard, or run the stand-alone application.

Use the following procedure to install a Configuration Manager console by using the stand-alone application.

To install a Configuration Manager console

To install a Configuration Manager console at a command prompt

Manage Configuration Manager Console Languages

During site server installation, the Configuration Manager console installation files and supported language packs for the site are copied to the <ConfigMgrInstallationPath>\Tools\ConsoleSetup subfolder on the site server. When you start the Configuration Manager console installation from this folder on the site server, the Configuration Manager console and supported language pack files are copied to the computer. When a language pack is available for the current language setting on the computer, the Configuration Manager console opens in that language. If the associated language pack is not available for the Configuration Manager console, the console opens in English. For example, consider a scenario where you install the Configuration Manager console from a site server that supports English, German, and French. If you open the Configuration Manager console on a computer with a configured language setting of French, the console opens in French. If you open the Configuration Manager console on a computer with a configured language of Japanese, the console opens in English because the Japanese language pack is not available.

Each time the Configuration Manager console opens, it determines the configured language settings for the computer, verifies whether an associated language pack is available for the Configuration Manager console, and then opens the console by using the appropriate language pack. When you want to open the Configuration Manager console in English regardless of the configured language settings on the computer, you must manually remove or rename the language pack files on the computer.

Use the following procedures to start the Configuration Manager console in English regardless of the configured locale setting on the computer.

To install an English-only version of the Configuration Manager console on computers

To temporarily disable a console language on an existing Configuration Manager console installation

Install a Site Server

Your Configuration Manager deployment consists of either a hierarchy of sites or a stand-alone site. A hierarchy consists of multiple sites, each with one or more site system servers. A stand-alone site also consists of one or more site system servers. Site system servers extend the functionality of Configuration Manager. For example, you might install a site system at a site to support software update deployment or to manage mobile devices. To successfully plan your hierarchy of sites and identify the best network and geographical locations to place site servers, make sure that you review the information about each site type and the alternatives to sites that content deployment-related site systems offer. For more information, see the Planning a Hierarchy in Configuration Manager section in the Planning for Sites and Hierarchies in Configuration Manager topic.

You must have a forest trust to support any Configuration Manager sites that are located in other Active Directory forests. When you install a Configuration Manager site in a trusted forest, Configuration Manager does not require any additional configuration steps. However, make sure that any intervening firewalls and network devices do not block the network packets that Configuration Manager requires, that name resolution is working between the forests, and that you use an account that has sufficient permissions to install the site. For more information, see the Planning for Communications Across Forests in Configuration Manager section in the Planning for Communications in Configuration Manager topic.

Configuration Manager central administration site and primary site installation requires SQL Server to be installed before you run Setup. You can install SQL Server on a secondary site server before you run Setup, or let Setup install SQL Server Express as part of the secondary site installation. For more information about supported SQL Server versions for site installation, see the SQL Server Site Database Configurations section in the Supported Configurations for Configuration Manager topic.

To set up a new site in Configuration Manager, you can use either the Configuration Manager Setup Wizard, or perform an unattended installation by using the scripted installation method. When you use the Configuration Manager Setup Wizard, you can install a primary site server or central administration site. You install a secondary site from the Configuration Manager console.

For more information about the command-line options that are available with Setup, see the Using Command-Line Options with Setup section in this topic.

For more information about running Setup by using an unattended script, see the Configuration Manager Unattended Setup section in this topic.

Important
After Setup is finished, you cannot change the program files installation directory, site code, or site description for the site. To change the installation directory, site code, or site name, you must uninstall the site, and then reinstall the site by using the new values.

Use the following sections to help you install a site by using the Setup Wizard.

Install a Central Administration Site

Use a central administration site to configure hierarchy-wide settings and to monitor all sites and objects in the hierarchy. You must install the central administration site before you install the primary site that is connected to the Configuration Manager hierarchy. If you install a primary site before you install the central administration site, the only way to connect the primary site to the Configuration Manager hierarchy is to uninstall the primary site, install the central administration site, and then reinstall the primary site and connect it to the central administration site during Setup.

However, with Configuration Manager SP1, you can expand an existing stand-alone primary site into a hierarchy that includes a new central administration site. After you install the new central administration site, you can install additional new primary sites. For more information, see the Planning to Expand a Stand-Alone Primary Site section in the Planning for Sites and Hierarchies in Configuration Manager topic.

Use the following procedure to install a central administration site.

To install a central administration site

Install a Primary Site Server

During Setup, you must choose whether to join the primary site to an existing central administration site or install it as a stand-alone primary site.

Important
When you create a Configuration Manager hierarchy, you must install the central administration site first.

When you install a new primary site in your production environment, manually configure the installation options in the wizard. Typically, you only select the Use typical installation options for a stand-alone primary site option to install a stand-alone primary site in your test environment. When you select this option, Setup automatically configures the site as a stand-alone primary site, uses a default installation path, a local installation of the default instance of SQL Server for the site database, a local management point, a local distribution point, and configures the site with English and the display language of the operating system on the primary site server if it matches one of the languages that Configuration Manager supports.

Use one of the following procedures to install a primary site.

To install a primary site that joins an existing Configuration Manager hierarchy

To install a stand-alone primary site

Install a Secondary Site

Use secondary sites to manage the transfer of deployment content and client data across low bandwidth networks. You manage a secondary site from a central administration site or the secondary site’s parent primary site, and they are frequently used in locations that do not have an administrative user with Local Administrator rights. After a secondary site is attached to a primary site, you cannot move it to a different parent site without uninstalling it, and then reinstalling it at the new site.

The secondary site requires SQL Server for its site database. Setup automatically installs SQL Server Express during site installation if a local instance of SQL Server is not available. Before Setup starts the secondary site installation, it runs Prerequisite Checker on the secondary site computer to verify requirements. During the secondary site installation, Setup configures database replication with its parent primary site, and automatically installs the management point and distribution point site system roles on the secondary site.

Note
For more information about supported versions of SQL Server for secondary sites, see the SQL Server Site Database Configurations section in the Supported Configurations for Configuration Manager topic.
Note
Setup automatically configures the secondary site to use the client communication ports that are configured at the parent primary site.

Use the following procedure to create a secondary site.

To create a secondary site

To verify the secondary site installation status

Upgrade an Evaluation Installation to a Full Installation

If you install Configuration Manager as an evaluation, after 180 days the Configuration Manager console becomes read-only until you activate the product from the Site Maintenance page in Setup.

Note
When you connect a Configuration Manager console to an evaluation installation of Configuration Manager, the title bar of the console displays the number of days that remain before the evaluation installation expires. The number of days does not automatically refresh and only updates when you make a new connection to a site.

Use the following procedure to upgrade an evaluation installation to a full installation.

To upgrade an evaluation installation to a full installation

Using Command-Line Options with Setup

There are many options available when you run Configuration Manager Setup at a command prompt. These options can be used to start a scripted installation or upgrade, test a site's ability to be upgraded, perform a site reset, manage installed languages, and so on.

The following table provides a list of command-line options for Setup. For information about how to use Setup script files to perform unattended installations, see the Configuration Manager Unattended Setup section in this topic.

Command-line option Description

/DEINSTALL

Uninstalls the site. You must run Setup from the site server computer.

/DONTSTARTSITECOMP

Install a site, but prevent the Site Component Manager service from starting. Until the Site Component Manager service starts, the site is not active. The Site Component Manager is responsible for installing and starting the SMS_Executive service, and additional processes at the site. After the site install is completed, when you start the Site Component Manager service, it will then install the SMS_Executive and additional processes necessary for the site to operate.

/HIDDEN

Hides the user interface during setup. This option must be used in conjunction with the /SCRIPT option, and the unattended script file must provide all required options, or Setup fails.

/NOUSERINPUT

Disables user input during Setup, but display the Setup Wizard interface. This option must be used in conjunction with the /SCRIPT option, and the unattended script file must provide all required options, or Setup fails.

/RESETSITE

Performs a site reset that resets the database and service accounts for the site. You must run Setup from <ConfigMgrInstallationPath>\BIN\X64 on the site server. For more information about the site reset, see the Perform a Site Reset section in the Manage Site and Hierarchy Configurations topic.

/TESTDBUPGRADE <InstanceName\DatabaseName>

Performs a test on a backup of the site database to ensure that it is capable of an upgrade. You must provide the instance name and database name for the site database. If you specify only the database name, Setup uses the default instance name.

Important
It is not supported to run this command-line option on your production site database. Doing so upgrades the site database and could render your site inoperable.

/UPGRADE

For Configuration Manager SP1 only: Runs an unattended upgrade of a site. When you use /UPGRADE, you must also specify the product key, including the dashes (-). Additionally, you must specify the path to the previously downloaded Setup prerequisite files.

Example: setupwpf.exe /UPGRADE xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx <path to external component files>

For more information about Setup prerequisite files, see the Setup Downloader section in this topic.

/SCRIPT <SetupScriptPath>

Performs unattended installations. A Setup initialization file is required when you use the /SCRIPT option. For more information about how to run Setup unattended, see the Configuration Manager Unattended Setup section in this topic.

/SDKINST <FQDN>

Installs the SMS Provider on the specified computer. You must provide the FQDN for the SMS Provider computer. For more information about the SMS Provider, see the Site System Roles in Configuration Manager section in the Planning for Site Systems in Configuration Manager topic.

/SDKDEINST <FQDN>

Uninstalls the SMS Provider on the specified computer. You must provide the FQDN for the SMS Provider computer.

/MANAGELANGS <LanguageScriptPath>

Manages the languages that are installed at a previously installed site. To use this option, you must run Setup from <ConfigMgrInstallationPath>\BIN\X64 on the site server and provide the location for the language script file that contains the language settings. For more information about the language options available in the language setup script file, see the How to use a Command-Line Option to Manage Languages section in this topic.

How to use a Command-Line Option to Manage Languages

Configuration Manager Unattended Setup

To perform an unattended installation for a new Configuration Manager central administration site or primary site, you can create an unattended installation script and use Setup with the /SCRIPT command-line option. The script provides the same type of information that the Setup Wizard prompts for, except that there are no default settings. All values must be specified for the setup keys that apply to the type of installation that you are using.

Note
You cannot use the unattended script file to upgrade an evaluation site to a full installation of Configuration Manager.

When you run Setup to install Configuration Manager by using the user interface, Setup automatically creates the unattended installation script for you when you confirm the settings on the Summary page of the wizard. The unattended installation script contains the settings that you select in the wizard. After the script is created, you can modify the script to install other sites in your hierarchy. Setup creates the script in %TEMP%\ConfigMgrAutoSave.ini. You can then use this script to perform an unattended setup of Configuration Manager. When Setup creates the unattended installation script, it is populated with the product key value that you enter during setup. This can be a valid product key, or it is equal to EVAL when you install an evaluation version of Configuration Manager. The product key value in the script is populated to enable the prerequisite check to finish. When Setup starts the actual site installation, the automatically created script is written to again to clear the product key value in the script that it creates. Before using the script for an unattended installation of a new site, you can edit the script to provide a valid product key or specify an evaluation installation of Configuration Manager.

Tip
In Configuration Manager with no service pack, an unattended installation does not run Prerequisite Checker. Therefore, plan to manually run Prerequisite Checker before starting the installation. In Configuration Manager SP1, an unattended installation does run Prerequisite Checker. For information about Prerequisite Checker, see Technical Reference for the Prerequisite Checker in Configuration Manager

You can run Configuration Manager Setup unattended by using an initialization file with the /SCRIPT Setup command-line option. Unattended setup is supported for new installations of a Configuration Manager central administration site, primary site, and Configuration Manager console. To use the /SCRIPT Setup command-line option, you must create an initialization file and specify the initialization file name after the /SCRIPT Setup command-line option. The name of the file must have the .ini file name extension. When you reference the Setup initialization file at the command prompt, you must provide the full path to the file. For example, if your Setup initialization file is named Setup.ini, and it is stored in the C:\Setup folder, at the command prompt, type:

setup /script c:\setup\setup.ini.

Security Note
You must have administrative credentials to run Setup. When you run Setup with the unattended script, start the command prompt by using Run as administrator.

The script contains section names, key names, and values. Required section key names vary depending on the installation type that you are scripting. The order of the keys within sections, and the order of sections within the file, is not important. The keys are not case sensitive. When you provide values for keys, the name of the key must be followed by an equals sign (=) and the value for the key.

Unattended Setup Script File Keys

Decommission Sites and Hierarchies

To decommission hierarchies, start at the bottom of the hierarchy and move upward. Remove secondary sites attached to primary sites, primary sites from the central administration site, and then the central administration site itself. Use the information in this section to remove individual sites or decommission a hierarchy of sites.

Remove a Secondary Site from a Hierarchy

You cannot move or reassign secondary sites to a new parent primary site. To remove a secondary site from a hierarchy, it must be deleted from its direct parent site. Use the Delete Secondary Site Wizard from the Configuration Manager console to remove the secondary site. When you remove a secondary site, you must choose whether to delete or uninstall the secondary site:

  • Uninstall the secondary site: Use this option to remove a functional secondary site that is accessible from the network. This option uninstalls Configuration Manager from the secondary site server, and then deletes all information about the site and its resources from the Configuration Manager hierarchy. If Configuration Manager installed SQL Server Express as part of the secondary site installation, Configuration Manager will uninstall SQL Express when it uninstalls the secondary site. If SQL Server Express was installed before you installed the secondary site, Configuration Manager will not uninstall SQL Server Express.

  • Delete the secondary site: Use this option if one of the following is true:

    • A secondary site failed to install.

    • The secondary site continues to display in the Configuration Manager console after you uninstall it.

    This option deletes all information about the site and its resources from the Configuration Manager hierarchy, but leaves Configuration Manager installed on the secondary site server.

    Note
    You can also use the Hierarchy Maintenance Tool and the /DELSITE option to delete a secondary site. For more information, see Technical Reference for the Hierarchy Maintenance Tool (Preinst.exe) in Configuration Manager.

To uninstall or delete a secondary site

Uninstall a Primary Site

You can run Configuration Manager Setup to uninstall a primary site that does not have an associated secondary site. Before you uninstall a primary site, consider the following:

  • When Configuration Manager clients are within the boundaries configured at the site, and the primary site is part of a Configuration Manager hierarchy, consider adding the boundaries to a different primary site in the hierarchy before you uninstall the primary site.

  • When the primary site server is no longer available, you must use the Hierarchy Maintenance Tool at the central administration site to delete the primary site from the site database. For more information, see Technical Reference for the Hierarchy Maintenance Tool (Preinst.exe) in Configuration Manager.

Use the following procedure to uninstall a primary site.

To uninstall a primary site

Uninstall a Primary Site that is Configured with Distributed Views

Uninstall the Central Administration Site

You can run Configuration Manager Setup to uninstall a central administration site without child primary sites. Use the following procedure to uninstall the central administration site.

To uninstall a central administration site

Configuration Manager Site Naming

Site codes and site names are used to identify and manage the sites in a Configuration Manager hierarchy. In the Configuration Manager console, the site code and site name are displayed in the <site code> - <site name> format. Every site code that you use in your Configuration Manager hierarchy must be unique. If the Active Directory schema is extended for Configuration Manager, and sites are publishing data, the site codes used within an Active Directory forest must be unique even if they are used in a different Configuration Manager hierarchy or if they have been used in previous Configuration Manager installations. Be sure to carefully plan your site codes and site names before you deploy your Configuration Manager hierarchy.

Specify a Site Code and Site Name

During Configuration Manager Setup, you are prompted for a site code and site name for the central administration site, and each primary and secondary site installation. The site code must uniquely identify each Configuration Manager site in the hierarchy. Because the site code is used in folder names, never use Windows-reserved names for the site code, such as AUX, CON, NUL, or PRN.

Note
Configuration Manager Setup does not verify that the site code that you specify is not already in use.

To enter the site code for a site during Configuration Manager Setup, you must enter three alphanumeric characters. Only the letters A through Z, numbers 0 through 9, or combinations of the two are allowed when specifying site codes. The sequence of letters or numbers has no effect on the communication between sites. For example, it is not necessary to name a primary site ABC and a secondary site DEF.

The site name is a friendly name identifier for the site. Use only the standard characters A through Z, a through z, 0 through 9, and the hyphen (-) in site names.

Important
Changing the site code or site name after installation is not supported.

Re-Using Site Codes

Site codes cannot be used more than one time in a Configuration Manager hierarchy for a central administration site or primary sites. If you reuse a site code, you run the risk of having object ID conflicts in your Configuration Manager hierarchy. You can reuse the site code for a secondary site if it is no longer in use in your Configuration Manager hierarchy or in the Active Directory forest.

See Also