Topic last updated -- November 2007

In the planning phase, you plan the Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy design and create a Configuration Manager 2007 project deployment plan and schedule.

During this phase, you should plan how your Configuration Manager 2007 site will be configured and determine how you will use Configuration Manager 2007 features to support your business and technical objectives defined in the preplanning phase. When planning how the Configuration Manager 2007 site and features will be configured, you should also plan for security, backup and recovery operations. As you perform these steps, test configuration variations and deployment scenarios your test lab environment.

Create a Deployment Project Plan and Schedule

When creating a project plan and schedule, consider the following:

  • Include all tasks. Do not assume anything.

    Include explicit recurring tasks for such items as project status reporting, team meetings, and other similar organizational and communications activities. If they are not included, they either will not take place or will impact the schedules of fully committed resources.

  • Define start and end dates for all tasks and steps in the process.

    This level of detail is important in measuring project progress and making mid-course adjustments to avoid delays. Microsoft Project can help you devise and track the schedule.

  • Prioritize tasks.

    Identify critical paths and sequences. For example, if you need to purchase equipment or software for the lab, the orders must be placed so that the equipment is available when the team is scheduled to set up the lab.

  • Schedule regular project reviews and assessments.

    This lets you fine-tune the schedule or the allotted resources, as necessary, before delays are propagated throughout the process. If things go more quickly than expected, it lets you take advantage of the extra time.

  • Plan ahead.

    Look ahead at the tasks to be completed. Think about what must be done next. Consider what might stand in the way.

  • Be flexible.

    A 100 percent accurate project plan might not be feasible at this point. Expect to revise the plan based on the information and experience gained during the lab and pilot testing tasks.

Recommended Planning Phase Considerations

It is recommended that you consider the following when creating your Configuration Manager 2007 deployment project plan.

Active Directory Planning

A single Configuration Manager 2007 site can span multiple domains within a single Active Directory forest or even multiple Active Directory forests.
Security Planning

By properly securing your management systems, you help to ensure that unauthorized persons cannot use your management systems to access or disable your organization’s computers.
Discovery Planning

You should plan for which discovery methods you will enable for your Configuration Manager 2007 sites.
Client Installation Planning

You must determine which client installation methods you will enable for your Configuration Manager 2007 sites.
Client Agent Settings Planning

Client agent settings are generally site-specific. They apply to all clients within a site.
Site Planning

You should consider the design of each Configuration Manager 2007 site or Configuration Manager 2007 site hierarchy if you will have more than one site within your organization.
Site System Planning

You should also plan to determine which site system roles you need to enable, and which servers within your site you should assign those site system roles to.
Boundary Planning

Computers are assigned as clients to Configuration Manager 2007 sites according to the site boundaries you configure in the Configuration Manager console.
Backup and Recovery Planning

This early stage of your Configuration Manager 2007 deployment, is the perfect time to consider backup and recovery requirements

Planning Guides

You can use the Configuration Manager Planning Worksheets to help you make decisions about your deployment.

Active Directory Planning

Managing Configuration Manager Sites Across Multiple Forests

A single Configuration Manager 2007 site can span multiple domains within a single Active Directory forest or even multiple Active Directory forests. Be aware of limitations across forests and considerations in the following areas when you design your Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy.

For more information about planning for Configuration Manager 2007 sites in multiple Active Directory forests, see Configuration Manager in Multiple Active Directory Forests.

Security Planning

Computer management systems such as Configuration Manager 2007 are powerful systems, and they often involve many, if not all, of the computers in an organization. It is critical that the security of your management systems does not become compromised. By properly securing your management systems, you help to ensure that unauthorized persons cannot use your management systems to access or disable your organization’s computers.

For information about Configuration Manager 2007 security best practices, see Best Practices for Maintaining Configuration Manager Security.

Discovery Planning

You should plan for which discovery methods you will enable for your Configuration Manager 2007 sites. You can choose different combinations of discovery methods to locate resources. The discovery method you use determines the type of resources discovered and which Configuration Manager 2007 services and agents are used in the discovery process. A computer does not automatically become a Configuration Manager 2007 client through discovery. Depending on how you plan to use Configuration Manager 2007, you can choose to perform discovery without performing installation, or vice versa.

For more information about planning Configuration Manager 2007 discovery methods, see Configuration Manager Discovery Planning.

The Discovery Planning Worksheet can also help you identify which discovery methods you should plan for.

Client Installation Planning

You must determine which client installation methods you will enable for your Configuration Manager 2007 sites. Although this step might seem out of place as you plan for deploying a Configuration Manager 2007 site, you will need to know where your potential clients are located, and what type of Configuration Manager 2007 client they might be before you deploy a Configuration Manager 2007 site. In fact, information about your clients might affect your decision about the number and location of your Configuration Manager 2007 sites.

The client planning flowcharts help you identify which Configuration Manager 2007 client software is applicable to the computers or devices that you want to manage. There is no single preferred solution or best practice for choosing a client installation method. You must decide which method or combination of methods works best within your organization.

You should also complete the Client Installation Planning Worksheet.

Client Agent Settings Planning

Client agent settings are generally site-specific. They apply to all clients within a site. Understanding which client agents and client agent settings you need to apply to which clients can help you determine the number of Configuration Manager 2007 sites you might need to deploy.

Use the Client Agent Planning Worksheet to help you identify the client agents and client agent settings you plan to enable for clients within your Configuration Manager 2007 sites. If there are groups of clients within your site that require unique settings, you might need to accommodate those clients by assigning them to a different site or deploying a site specifically to manage those clients.

Site Planning

You should consider the design of each Configuration Manager 2007 site or Configuration Manager 2007 site hierarchy if you will have more than one site within your organization. The Site Planning Worksheet can help you identify the number of sites you need for managing the clients in your organization, the subnets or Active Directory sites associated with those sites, and the site names and site codes you plan to assign to those sites.

For more information about site names and site codes, see Configuration Manager Site Naming.

Site System Planning

You should also plan to determine which site system roles you need to enable, and which servers within your site you should assign those site system roles to. A Configuration Manager 2007 site system is a server that provides Configuration Manager 2007 functionality to the site. The functionality contributed by a site system is indicated by its assigned site system roles, which are tasks that a site system performs in a Configuration Manager 2007 site.

For example, the management point role provides a communication point between the Configuration Manager 2007 site and its clients. A computer hosting the management point role is a site system. The Configuration Manager 2007 administrator can assign site system roles to the primary site server or distribute them among several different site systems. You can assign some site system roles during installation, and other site system roles through the Configuration Manager console.

Fore more information about planning Configuration Manager 2007 site systems, see Configuration Manager Site System Planning.

The Site Systems Planning Worksheet can help you identify what site systems you must enable for each site and identify the planning considerations for each site system.

Boundary Planning

Computers are assigned as clients to Configuration Manager 2007 sites according to the boundaries configured in the Configuration Manager console. Boundaries can be defined by IP subnets, Active Directory site names, IPv6 Prefix, or IP ranges.

Consequently, an essential part of the deployment planning process is determining the appropriate boundaries for your Configuration Manager 2007 site. Use the Boundaries Planning Worksheet to help you identify and organize possible Configuration Manager 2007 boundaries.

Boundaries are used to assign clients to a site. They are not used to specify which computers are assigned site system roles for the site. Configuration Manager 2007 site server systems do not have to be located within a site’s boundaries. Configuration Manager 2007 Clients are able to communicate with site server systems that are members of another site in the Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy.

Fore more information about planning for Configuration Manager 2007 boundaries, see Planning Configuration Manager Boundaries.

Important
Overlapping boundaries can produce undefined results in Configuration Manager 2007. Assign clients to only one Configuration Manager 2007 site.

Backup and Recovery Planning

This early stage of your Configuration Manager 2007 deployment, is the perfect time to consider backup and recovery requirements, to develop a recovery plan, and to incorporate backup and recovery preparation into your Configuration Manager 2007 deployment plan.

A site recovery is a complex process, and it is recommended that you plan ahead and be prepared. This helps you in the following ways:

  • You minimize the risk of failure in your site.

  • You minimize the impact of a failure on your site, if it occurs.

You should plan to simplify the recovery process, reduce the time of the recovery process, and minimize data loss, in the event of failure.

For more information about planning for backup and recovery, see Planning for Backup and Recovery.

See Also