Content management in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager provides the tools for you to manage content files for applications, packages, software updates, and operating system deployment. Configuration Manager uses distribution points to store files required for software to run on client computers. These distribution points function as distribution centers for the content files and let users download and run the software. Clients must have access to at least one distribution point from which they can download the files.
Use the following sections in this topic to help you plan how to manage content in your Configuration Manager hierarchy:
- Plan for Distribution
Points
- Plan for Distribution Point
Groups
- Plan
for Content Libraries
 Note |
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| For information about the dependencies and supported configurations for content management, see Prerequisites for Content Management in Configuration Manager. |
Plan for Distribution Points
When you plan for distribution points in your hierarchy, determine what distribution point attributes you must have in your environment, how to distribute the network and system load on the distribution point, and determine the distribution point infrastructure.
Distribution Point
Configurations
Distribution points can have a number of different configurations. The following table describes the possible configurations.
| Distribution point configuration | Descriptions | ||
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Preferred distribution point |
You assign boundary groups to distribution points. The distribution points are preferred for clients that are within the boundary group for the distribution point, and the client uses preferred distribution points as the source location for content. When the content is not available on a preferred distribution point, the client uses another distribution point for the content source location. You can configure a distribution point to let clients not in the boundary groups use it as a fallback location for content. |
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PXE |
Enable the PXE option on a distribution point to enable operating system deployment for Configuration Manager clients. The PXE option must be configured to respond to PXE boot requests that Configuration Manager clients on the network make and then interact with the Configuration Manager infrastructure to determine the appropriate installation actions to take.
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Multicast |
Enable the multicast option on a distribution point to use multicast when you distribute operating systems.
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Pull |
For Configuration Manager SP1 only: Enable the pull-distribution point option on a distribution point to change the behavior of how that computer obtains the content that you distribute to the distribution point. When you configure a distribution point to be a pull-distribution point, you must specify one or more source distribution points from which the pull-distribution point obtains the content.
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Support for mobile devices |
You must configure the distribution point to accept HTTPS communications to support mobile devices. |
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Support for Internet-based clients |
You must configure the distribution point to accept HTTPS communications to support Internet-based clients. |
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Application Virtualization |
Although there are no configuration requirements for the distribution point to enable streaming of virtual applications to clients, there are application management prerequisites that you must consider. For more information, see Prerequisites for Application Management in Configuration Manager. |
Planning for Preferred Distribution
Points and Fallback
When you create a distribution point, you have the option to assign boundary groups to the distribution point. The distribution points are preferred for clients that are within a boundary group that is assigned to the distribution point.
Content Source Location
When you deploy software to a client, the client sends a content request to a management point, the management point sends a list of the preferred distribution points to the client, and the client uses one of the preferred distribution points on the list as the source location for content. When the content is not available on a preferred distribution point, the management point sends a list to the client with distribution points that have the content available. The client uses one of the distribution points for the content source location.
In the distribution point properties and in the properties for a deployment type or package, you can configure whether to enable clients to use a fallback source location for content. When a preferred distribution point does not have the content and the fallback settings are not enabled, the client fails to download the content, and the software deployment fails.
Network Connection Speed to the
Content Source Location
You can configure the network connection speed of each distribution point in an assigned boundary group. Clients use this value when they connect to the distribution point. By default, the network connection speed is configured as Fast, but it can also be configured as Slow. When the client uses a distribution point that is not preferred, the connection to the distribution point is automatically considered as slow. The network connection speed helps determine whether a client can download content from a distribution point. You can configure the deployment behavior for each network connection speed in the deployment properties for the specific software that you are deploying. You can choose to never install software when the network connection is considered slow, download and install the software, and so on.
On-Demand Content Distribution
You can select the Distribute the content for this package to preferred distribution points property for an application or package to enable on-demand content distribution to preferred distribution points. When enabled, the management point creates a trigger for Distribution Manager to distribute the content to all preferred distribution points in the list when a client requests the content for the package and the content is not available on any preferred distribution points. Depending on the scenario, the client might wait for the content to be available on a preferred distribution point, or it might download the content from a distribution point that is configured to enable a fallback location for content source.
Content Source Location
Scenarios
When you deploy software to clients, the content source location that the client uses depends on the following settings:
- Allow fallback source location for
content: This distribution point property enables clients to
fall back and use the distribution point as the source location for
content when the content is not available on a preferred
distribution point.
- Deployment properties for network
connection speed: The deployment properties for network speed
are configured as a property for deployed objects, such as
application deployment types, software updates, and task sequence
deployments. There are different settings for the different
deployment objects, but the properties can configure whether to
download and install the software content when the network
connection speed is configured as slow.
- Distribute the content for this package to
preferred distribution points: When you select this application
deployment type or package property, you enable on-demand content
distribution to preferred distribution points.
The following table provides scenarios for different content location and fallback scenarios.
| Scenario: | Scenario 1 | Scenario 2 | Scenario 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Fallback configuration and deployment behavior for slow network: |
Allow Fallback Not enabled Deployment behavior for slow network Any configuration |
Allow Fallback Enabled Deployment behavior for slow network Do not download content |
Deployment - Fallback option: Enabled Deployment behavior for slow network Download and install content |
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Distribution points are online and meet the following criteria:
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The client sends a content request to the management point. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points that contain the content. The client downloads the content from a preferred distribution point on the list. |
The client sends a content request to the management point. The client includes a flag with the request that indicates fallback distribution points are allowed. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points and fallback distribution points that contain the content. The client downloads the content from a preferred distribution point on the list. |
The client sends a content request to the management point. The client includes a flag with the request to indicate that fallback distribution points are allowed. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points and fallback distribution points that contain the content. The client downloads the content from a preferred distribution point on the list. |
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Distribution points are online and meet the following criteria:
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The client sends a content request to the management point. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points that have the content. There are no preferred distribution points in the list. The client fails with the message Content is not available and goes into retry mode. A new content request is started every hour. |
The client sends a content request to the management point. The client includes a flag with the request that indicates fallback distribution points are allowed. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points and fallback distribution points that have the content. There are no preferred distribution points that have the content, but at least one fallback distribution point has the content. The content is not downloaded because the deployment property for when the client is using a fallback distribution point is set to Do not download. The client fails with the message Content is not available and goes into retry mode. The client makes a new content request every hour. |
The client sends a content request to the management point. The client includes a flag with the request that indicates fallback distribution points are allowed. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points and fallback distribution points that have the content. There are no preferred distribution points that have the content, but at least one fallback distribution point that has the content. The content is downloaded from a fallback distribution point on the list because the deployment property for when the client is using a fallback distribution point is set to Download and install the content. |
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Distribution points are online and meet the following criteria:
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The client sends a content request to the management point. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points that have the content. There are no preferred distribution points that have the content. The client fails with the message Content is not available and goes into retry mode. A new content request is made every hour. The management point creates a trigger for Distribution Manager to distribute the content to all preferred distribution points for the client that made the content request. Distribution Manager distributes the content to all preferred distribution points. A content request is initiated by the client to the management point every hour. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points that have the content (in most cases the content is distributed to the preferred distribution points within the hour). The client downloads the content from a preferred distribution point on the list. |
The client sends a content request to the management point. The client includes a flag with the request that indicates fallback distribution points are allowed. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points and fallback distribution points that have the content. There are no preferred distribution points that have the content, but at least one fallback distribution point that has the content. The content is not downloaded because the deployment property for when the client is using a fallback distribution point is set to Do not download. The client fails with the message Content is not available and goes into retry mode. The client makes a new content request every hour. The management point creates a trigger for Distribution Manager to distribute the content to all preferred distribution points for the client that made the content request. Distribution Manager distributes the content to all preferred distribution points. A content request is initiated by the client to the management point. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points that have the content (typically the content is distributed to the preferred distribution points within the hour). The client downloads the content from a preferred distribution point on the list. |
The client sends a content request to the management point. The client includes a flag with the request that indicates fallback distribution points are allowed. A content location list is returned to the client from the management point with the preferred distribution points and fallback distribution points that have the content. There are no preferred distribution points that have the content, but at least one fallback distribution point that has the content. The content is downloaded from a fallback distribution point on the list because the deployment property for when the client is using a fallback distribution point is set to Download and install the content. The management point creates a trigger for Distribution Manager to distribute the content to all preferred distribution points for the client that made the content request. Distribution Manager distributes the content to all preferred distribution points. |
Planning for BranchCache
Support
Windows BranchCache has been integrated in Configuration Manager. You can configure the BranchCache settings on software deployments. 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 running Windows Server 2008 R2 and that has also been configured as a BranchCache server, the client computer downloads the content and caches it. 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 way, subsequent 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. For more information about BranchCache support in Configuration Manager, see the BranchCache Feature Support section in the Supported Configurations for Configuration Manager topic.
Network Bandwidth Considerations for
Distribution Points
To help you plan for the distribution point infrastructure in your hierarchy, consider the network bandwidth used for the content management process and what you can do to reduce the network bandwidth that is used.
When you create a package, change the source path for the content, or update content on the distribution point, the files are copied from the source path to the content library on the site server. Then, the content is copied from the content library on the site server to the content library on the distribution points. When content source files are updated, and the source files have already been distributed, Configuration Manager retrieves only the new or updated files, and then sends them to the distribution point. Scheduling and throttling controls can be configured for site-to-site communication and for communication between a site server and a remote distribution point. When network bandwidth between the site server and remote distribution point is limited even after you configure the schedule and throttling settings, you might consider prestaging the content on the distribution point.
Planning for Scheduling and
Throttling
In Configuration Manager, you can configure a schedule and set specific throttling settings on remote distribution points that determine when and how content distribution is performed. Each remote distribution point can have different configurations that help address network bandwidth limitations from the site server to the remote distribution point. The controls used for scheduling and throttling to the remote distribution point are similar to the settings for a standard sender address, but in this case, the settings are used by a new component called Package Transfer Manager. Package Transfer Manager distributes content from a site server (primary site or secondary site) to a distribution point that is installed on a site system. The throttling settings are configured on the Rate Limits tab, and the scheduling settings are configured on the Schedule tab for a distribution point that is not on a site server.
 Warning |
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| The Rate Limits and Schedule tabs are displayed only in the properties for distribution points that are not installed on a site server. |
For more information about configuring scheduling and throttling settings for a remote distribution point, see the Modify the Distribution Point Configuration Settings section in the Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.
Determine Whether To Prestage
Content
Consider prestaging content for applications and packages in the following scenarios:
- Limited network bandwidth from the site
server to distribution point: When scheduling and throttling do
not satisfy your concerns about distributing content over the
network to a remote distribution point, consider prestaging the
content on the distribution point. Each distribution point has the
Enable this distribution point for prestaged content setting
that you can configure in the distribution point properties. When
you enable this option, the distribution point is identified as a
prestaged distribution point, and you can choose how to manage the
content on a per-package basis.
The following settings are available in the properties for an application, package, driver package, boot image, operating system installer, and image, and let you configure how content distribution is managed on remote distribution points that are identified as prestaged:
- Automatically download content when
packages are assigned to distribution points: Use this option
when you have smaller packages where the scheduling and throttling
settings provide enough control for content distribution.
- Download only content changes to the
distribution point: Use this option when you have an initial
package that is possibly large, but you expect future updates to
the content in the package to be generally smaller. For example,
you might prestage Microsoft Office 2010 because the initial
package size is over 700 MB and too large to send over the network.
However, content updates to this package might be less than 10 MB
and acceptable to distribute over the network. Another example
might be driver packages where the initial package size is large,
but incremental driver additions to the package might be small.
- Manually copy the content in this package
to the distribution point: Use this option for when you have
large packages, with content such as an operating system, and never
want to use the network to distribute the content to the
distribution point. When you select this option, you must prestage
the content on the distribution point.
WarningThe preceding options are applicable on a per-package basis and are only used when a distribution point is identified as prestaged. Distribution points that have not been identified as prestaged ignore these settings, and content always is distributed over the network from the site server to the distribution points. - Automatically download content when
packages are assigned to distribution points: Use this option
when you have smaller packages where the scheduling and throttling
settings provide enough control for content distribution.
- Restore the content library on a site
server: When a site server fails, information about packages
and applications contained in the content library is restored to
the site database as part of the restore process, but the content
library files are not restored as part of the process. If you do
not have a file system backup to restore the content library, you
can create a prestaged content file from another site that contains
the packages and applications that you have to have, and then
extract the prestaged content file on the recovered site server.
For more information about site server backup and recovery, see the
Planning for Backup and Recovery section in the Planning for Site
Operations in Configuration Manager topic.
For more information about prestaging content files, see the Prestage Content section in the Operations and Maintenance for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.
Planning for Pull-Distribution
Points
With Configuration Manager SP1, you can configure a distribution point that is not on a site server to be a pull-distribution point. When you deploy content to a large number of distribution points at a site, pull-distribution points can help reduce the processing load on the site server and can help to speed the transfer of the content to each distribution point. This is accomplished by offloading the process of transferring the content to each distribution point from the distribution manager process on the site server. Instead, each pull-distribution point individually manages the transfer of content, downloading content from another distribution point that already has a copy of the content. A pull-distribution point can only obtain content from a distribution point that is specified as a source distribution point.
Pull-distribution points support the same configurations and functionality as typical Configuration Manager distribution points. For example, a distribution point that is configured as a pull-distribution point supports using multi-cast and PXE configurations, content validation, transfer schedules, and on-demand content distribution. A pull-distribution point supports HTTP or HTTPS, supports the same certificates options as other distribution points, and can be managed individually or as a member of a distribution point group. However, the following configurations are exceptions to support for the pull-distribution point:
- A cloud-based distribution point cannot be
configured as a pull-distribution point, and cannot be used as a
source distribution point.
- A distribution point on a site server cannot
be configured as a pull-distribution point.
- The prestage content configuration for a
distribution point overrides the pull-distribution point
configuration. A pull-distribution point that is configured for
prestaged content does not pull content from source distribution
point and does not receive content from the site server.
- A distribution point configured as a
pull-distribution point does not use configurations for rate limits
when transferring content. If you configure a previously installed
distribution point to be a pull-distribution point, configurations
for rate limits are saved, but not used. If at a later time you
remove the pull-distribution point configuration, the rate limit
configurations are implemented as previously configured.
- To transfer content from a source
distribution point in a remote forest, the computer that hosts the
pull-distribution point must have a Configuration Manager client
installed, and a Network Access Account that can access the source
distribution point must be configured for use.
You can configure a pull-distribution point when you install the distribution point or after it has installed by editing the properties of the distribution point site system role. A distribution point that you will configure as a pull-distribution point can support communication by HTTP or HTTPS. When you configure the pull-distribution point you must specify one or more source distribution points and only distribution points that qualify to be source distribution points are displayed. Only distribution points that support HTTP can be specified as a source distribution points. A pull-distribution point that supports HTTP can be specified as a source distribution point for another pull-distribution point.
When you distribute content to the pull-distribution point, Configuration Manager notifies the distribution point about the content but does not transfer the content to the distribution point computer. Instead, after the pull-distribution point is notified, it attempts to download the content from the first source distribution point on its list of source distribution points. If the content is not available, the pull-distribution point attempts to download the content from the next distribution point on the list, continuing until either the content is successfully downloaded or the content is not accessed from any source distribution point. If the content cannot be downloaded from any source distribution point, the pull-distribution point sleeps for 30 minutes and then begins the process again.
To manage the transfer of content, pull-distribution points use the CCMFramework component of the Configuration Manager client software. This framework is installed by the Pulldp.msi when you configure the distribution point to be a pull-distribution point and does not require that the Configuration Manager client be installed. After the pull-distribution point installs, the CCMExec service on the distribution point computer must be operational for the pull-distribution point to function. When the pull-distribution point transfers content, it logs its operation in the datatransferservice.log and the pulldp.log on the distribution point computer.
By default, a pull-distribution point uses its computer account to transfer content from a source distribution point. However, when the pull-distribution point transfers content from a source distribution point that is in a remote forest, the pull-distribution point always uses the Network Access Account. This requires that the computer have the Configuration Manager client installed and that a Network Access Account is configured for use and has access to the source distribution point. For information about the Network Access Account, see the Network Access Account section in the Technical Reference for Accounts Used in Configuration Manager topic. For information about configuring the Network Access Account, see Configure the Network Access Account in the Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.
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| Because the pull-distribution point requires the CCMFramework from Configuration Manager SP1, computers that run client software from Configuration Manager with no service pack cannot be configured as pull-distribution points. |
You can remove the configuration to be a pull-distribution point by editing the properties of the distribution point. When you remove the pull-distribution point configuration, the distribution point returns to normal operation and future content transfers to the distribution point are managed by the site server. In the Configuration Manager console, there is nothing that identified the distribution point as a pull-distribution point. You must review the properties of the distribution point to identify if it is configured as a pull-distribution point.
Planning for Cloud-Based
Distribution Points
With Configuration Manager SP1, you can use a cloud service in Windows Azure to host a distribution point. When you use a cloud-based distribution, you configure client settings to enable users and devices to access the content, and specify a primary site to manage the transfer of content to the distribution point. Additionally, you specify thresholds for the amount of content you want to store on the distribution point and the amount of content you want to allow clients to transfer from the distribution point. Based on these thresholds, Configuration Manager can raise alerts that warn you when the combined amount of content you have stored on the distribution point is near the specified storage amount, or when transfers of data by clients are close to the thresholds that you defined.
Cloud-based distribution points support the following features that are also supported with on-premises distribution points:
- You manage cloud-based distribution points
individually, or as members of distribution point groups.
- You can use a cloud-based distribution point
for fallback content location.
- Support for both intranet and Internet-based
clients.
A cloud-based distribution point provides the following additional benefits:
- Content that is sent to the cloud-based
distribution point is encrypted by Configuration Manager before
sending to Windows Azure.
- In Windows Azure, you can manually scale the
cloud service to meet changing demands for content request by
clients, without the requirement to install and provision
additional distribution points.
- The cloud-based distribution point supports
the download of content by clients that are configured for Windows
BranchCache.
The following are limitations of cloud-based distribution points:
- You cannot use a cloud-based distribution
point for PXE or multi-cast enabled deployments. Additionally,
clients are not offered a cloud-based distribution point as a
content location for a task sequence that is configured for
download on demand.
- Cloud-based distribution points do not
support packages that run from the distribution point. All content
must be downloaded by the client, and then run locally.
- No support to stream applications by using
Application Virtualization or similar programs.
- No support for prestaged content. The
distribution manager of the primary site that manages the
distribution point transfers all content to the distribution
point.
- Cloud-based distribution points cannot be
configured as pull-distribution points.
Prerequisites for Cloud-Based
Distribution Points
Plan for the Cost of using Cloud-Based
Distribution
About Subscriptions and Certificates for
Cloud-Based Distribution Points
Site Server to Cloud-Based Distribution
Point Communication
Client to Cloud-Based Distribution Point
Communication
Determine the Distribution Point
Infrastructure
At least one distribution point is required at each site in the Configuration Manager hierarchy. By default, a primary site server is configured as a distribution point. However, assign this role to a remote site system and remove it from the site server if possible. This role assignment reduces the resource requirements and improves performance on the site server, and also assists in load balancing. The distribution point site system role is automatically configured on the secondary site server when it is installed. However, the distribution point site system role is not required at secondary sites. Clients connect to distribution points at the parent primary site if one is not available at the secondary site. As you configure your distribution points with assigned boundary groups, consider the physical location and network connection speed between the distribution point and site server
Consider the following to help you determine the appropriate number of distribution points to install at a site:
- The number of clients that might access the
distribution point
- The configuration of the distribution point,
such as PXE and multicast
- The network bandwidth that is available
between clients and distribution points
- The size of the content that clients retrieve
from the distribution point
- The setting for BranchCache, when enabled,
lets clients at remote locations obtain content from local
clients.
For more information about creating and configuring distribution points, see the Install and Configure the Distribution Point section in the Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.
Plan for Distribution Point
Groups
Distribution point groups provide a logical grouping of distribution points for content distribution. When you distribute content to a distribution point group, all distribution points that are members of the distribution point group receive the content. If you add a distribution point to the distribution point group after an initial content distribution, the content automatically distributes to the new distribution point member. You can add one or more distribution points from any site in the Configuration Manager hierarchy to the distribution point group. You can also add the distribution point to more than one distribution point group, to manage and monitor content from a central location for distribution points that span multiple sites.
You can also add a collection to distribution point groups, which creates an association, and then distribute content to the collection. When you distribute content to a collection, the content is assigned to all distribution point groups that are associated with the collection. The content is then distributed to all distribution points that are members of those distribution point groups. There are no restrictions on the number of distribution point groups that can be associated with a collection or the number of collections that can be associated with a distribution point group. If you add a collection to a distribution point group, the distribution point group does not automatically receive content previously distributed to the associated collection. However, the distribution point group receives all new content that is distributed to the collection.
| Note |
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| After you distribute content to a collection, and then associate the collection to a new distribution point group, you must redistribute the content to the collection before the content is distributed to the new distribution point group. |
For more information about creating and configuring distribution point groups, see the Create and Configure Distribution Point Groups section in the Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.
Plan for Content Libraries
When you create or deploy content in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, Configuration Manager creates a content library on the site server that manages the content (such as on the site server of the site where you create the content), and on each distribution point. The content library stores all content files for software updates, applications, operating system deployment, and so on. When planning for content management, ensure there is enough free disk space for use by the content library on each distribution point you deploy, and on each site server that will manage content that you create or that you migrate from another Configuration Manager site. For information about the content library, see the Content Library section in the Introduction to Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.
 Important |
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| For Configuration Manager SP1 only: To move the content library to a different location on a distribution point after the installation, use the Content Library Transfer Tool in the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1 Toolkit. You can download the toolkit from the Microsoft Download Center. |
Supplemental Planning Topics for
Content Management
Use the following topics to help you plan for content management in Configuration Manager: