- Sample Organization
- Configuring Installation Prerequisites
- Implementing the Central Administration Site
- Deploying the Primary Sites
- Deploying the Secondary Sites
- Configuring the Hierarchy
- Configuring Sites
- Configuring Client Settings
- Implementing Internet-Based Client Management
- Summary
- Best Practices
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Deploying the Primary Sites
Deploying primary sites follows a similar process as deploying the Central Administration Site Server. In the case of the Company XYZ Configuration Manager 2012 hierarchy, there are two primary sites. These are San Francisco (SFO) with the CM2 server and Paris (PAR) with the CM3 server.
Verify that all the hardware and software requirements have been met and the installation configuration prerequisites have been completed.
Installing a Primary Site Server
Before running the Configuration Manager setup, run the prerequisite checker to verify the required components have been successfully installed. The prerequisite checker can be launched from a link on the splash.hta page. The splash.hta page can be found in the root of the Configuration Manager media.
To install the SFO Primary Site Server on the CM2 server in the Company XYZ hierarchy, complete the following steps:
- Launch splash.hta from the Configuration Manager 2012 media.
- To run the Prerequisite Checker, click on the Assess Server Readiness link in the Tools and Standalone Components section.
- Remediate any issues the prerequisite checker tool finds and click OK to close the window.
- After ensuring all the prerequisites have been met, click the Install link in the splash screen.
- At the Before You Begin screen, click Next.
- Select the Install Configuration Manager Primary Site option and click Next.
- Enter a 25-character product key and click Next.
- Accept the license terms and click Next.
- Accept the license terms for the software that will be downloaded and installed automatically on Site Systems pushed through the hierarchy and click Next.
- Because the prerequisites were downloaded previously, choose the Use Previously Downloaded Files option and enter the location of the downloaded prerequisites and updates, in this example the previously created share \\CM1\SCCMUpdates, and click Next.
- In the Server Language Selection, leave the default English and click Next.
- In the Client Language Selection, leave the default English and click Next.
- In the Site and Installation Settings, enter a site code and site name. In this example, the site code is SFO and the site name is Company XYZ San Francisco Site.
- Leave the default installation folder and click Next.
- Enter the name of the Central Administration Site Server to join the existing hierarchy, in this case cm1.companyxyz.com and click Next.
- In the Database Information, specify the database server name and instance. Click Next.
- In the SMS Provider Settings, leave the default of CM2 and click Next.
- In the Client Computer Communication Settings, choose the Configure the Communication Method on Each Site System Role option and click Next.
- In the Site Systems Roles, leave the options to install a Management Point and a Distribution Point checked and click Next.
- In the Customer Experience Improvement Program Configuration, choose the appropriate option and click Next.
- In the Settings Summary (shown in Figure 3.6), review the settings and click Next to begin the installation.
Figure 3.6 The primary Site installation Settings Summary.
- The Prerequisite Checker executes to do a last-minute check. Verify that all prerequisites have been met or remediate any errors, and then click Begin Install.
- Installation completes and should have green status symbols next to each component installation.
- Click Close to exit the setup wizard.
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Installation is now complete for the Primary Site and the console can be launched.
Repeat the preceding steps for Company XYZ Paris Site, the PAR Primary Site Server on the CM3 server.
Validating the Installation of the Primary Site
To validate the installation, check the contents of the System Management container in Active Directory. The System Management container can be seen with the Advanced view of Active Directory Users and Computers, or with ADSI Edit. In this example, the Site Server object should exist in this container for the Central Administration Site of type mSSMSSite. The SFO primary site should create a record in the System Management container named SMS-Site-SFO of type mSSMSSite. There should also be an object for the Management Point, named SMS-MP-SFO-CM2.COMPANYXYZ.COM of type mSSMSManagementPoint. Similarly, the PAR primary site should create an object in the System Management container named SMS-Site-PAR of type mSSMSSite. There should also be an object for the Management Point, named SMS-MP-PAR-CM3.COMPANYXYZ.COM of type mSSMSManagementPoint. Figure 3.7 shows the Active Directory records for the sites created.
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Figure 3.7 The Active Directory SCCM records for Primary Sites.
It is important to validate the installation after each role is deployed; this ensures everything is functioning correctly before moving to the next step. It is also important to monitor site status on a continuous basis to ensure the health of the environment. For additional information on automatically monitoring the Configuration Manager hierarchy with Operations Manager, review Chapter 8.
In addition, open the Configuration Manager console located under the Microsoft System Center 2012\Configuration Manager folder in the Start menu on the Site Server, expand the Monitoring option, and review the Site Status component in the System Status container.
To view the component status in the Configuration Manager console, do the following:
- Launch the Configuration Manager console.
- Choose the Monitoring space.
- Expand the System Status node.
- Select the Site Status node and confirm that all statuses show as OK with green icons.
- Select Component Status and confirm that all statuses show as OK with green icons.
The Site Status page shows a high-level summary of the Site System roles and the status. This is useful for seeing an overview of the Site Systems and ensuring that they are healthy. If a role is marked with a red error or a yellow warning icon, the component has received status messages indicating a problem with the component. Right-click the component, select Show Messages - All from the menu and select a viewing period for the messages.
The Component Status page shows all of the components that make up the Configuration Manager infrastructure for this site. The component status is based on status messages that are received from the component. Because the component has to send the Site Server status, and the Site Server has to process the status message, the condition of components can be delayed. This is especially true when looking at the status of child sites within the Central Site console because status messages are sent to parent sites based on the Site Sender configuration.
If a component is marked with a red error or a yellow warning icon, the component has received status messages indicating a problem with the component. Right-click the component, select Show Messages - All from the menu, and select a viewing period for the messages.
The delay in status messages is often a source of frustration for administrators starting out with Configuration Manager. For a better, real-time view into site components, check the log files with cmtrace.exe, a Configuration Manager 2012 utility. You can identify the log file for a specific component by right-clicking the component and selecting Start, ConfigMgr Service Manager from the menu. Navigate to the component within the Service Manager, right-click the component from the Actions pane, and then select Logging.
Now that the primary sites have been deployed successfully, the secondary sites can be deployed in the Configuration Manager 2012 hierarchy.