Configuration Manager 2007 propagates collection definitions that are created at a parent site to all that parent's child sites. However, by design, these propagated collections cannot be modified at the receiving child site. The following small lock icon is used in the Configuration Manager console to indicate that the collection is locked and cannot be modified:
These collections are locked so that multiple versions of the same collection do not coexist within a site hierarchy. Therefore, collections created at a parent site can be modified only at that parent site. (Because collections created at a child site are not replicated to that child's parent site, if modifications were allowed, those changes would not move up the hierarchy to the parent, thus creating multiple versions of the collection.)
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| If a collection is not updated within a week, Configuration Manager automatically sends the entire collection from a primary site to its child sites to ensure that the collections remain synchronized. |
Primary Child Sites
Child sites that are primary sites receive all the data about a propagated collection (general data, membership rules, and a list of subcollections) except for the actual membership list, which each child primary site generates for its own site based on its site database. By having the child site generate the membership list, Configuration Manager helps to minimize network traffic and also enables the membership list to be updated more easily.
You can delete all the members of a locked collection by right-clicking the collection and then clicking Delete Special. However, if the deleted members are still valid according to the membership rules at the parent site, they can eventually be rediscovered and reappear in the collection.
Primary child sites can create their own collections just as a primary parent site can. These collections are fully managed at the child site by the child site's administrator and are not forwarded to the parent site. If the site has child sites of its own, these collections will be propagated to those child sites and will be locked there.
Secondary Child Sites
Child sites that are secondary sites receive the membership lists for resources that belong to their sites. Only the membership lists are propagated because child sites do not maintain a database and do not have a collection evaluator, and therefore cannot process a collection's membership rules. Whenever a collection is reevaluated at a primary site, its secondary sites receive updated membership lists that replace outdated lists.