Introduction to Content Management in Configuration Manager

Configuration Manager uses distribution points to store files that are required for software to run on client computers. Clients must have access to at least one distribution point from which they can download the files. For more information about distribution points, see the following topics:

• Planning for Content Management in Configuration Manager

• Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager

• Operations and Maintenance for Content Management in Configuration Manager

Distribution point groups provide a logical grouping of distribution points for content distribution. 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. This lets you manage and monitor content from a central location for distribution points that span multiple sites. When you distribute content to a distribution point group, Configuration Manager distributes the content to all distribution points that are members of the distribution point group. If you add a distribution point to the distribution point group after an initial content distribution, Configuration Manager automatically distributes the content to the new distribution point member. You can also associate a collection to a distribution point group. When you distribute content to a collection, Configuration Manager determines the distribution point groups associated with the collection, and then the content is distributed to all distribution points that are members of distribution point groups. For more information about distribution point groups, see the following:

• The Plan for Distribution Point Groups section in the Planning for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.

• The Create and Configure Distribution Point Groups section in the Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.

You can prestage content to add the content files to the content library on a site server or distribution point before you distribute the content. Because the content files are already in the content library, they are not transferred over the network when you distribute the content. You can prestage content files for applications and packages. In the Configuration Manager console, you select the content that you want to prestage, and then use the Create Prestaged Content File Wizard to create a compressed prestaged content file that contains the files and associated metadata for the content. Then, you can manually import the content at a site server or distribution point. When you import the prestaged content file on a site server, the content files are added to the content library on the site server, and then registered in the site server database. When you import the prestaged content file on a distribution point, the content files are added to the content library on the distribution point, and a status message is sent to the site server that informs the site that the content is available on the distribution point.

You can optionally configure the distribution point as prestaged to help manage content distribution. Then, when you distribute content you can choose whether you want to always prestage the content on the distribution point, prestage the initial content for the package and then use the standard content distribution process when there are updates to the content, or always use the standard content distribution process for the content in the package. For more information about prestaging content, see the following:

• The Network Bandwidth Considerations for Distribution Points section in the Planning for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic to determine whether to prestage content on the remote distribution point.

• The Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic for steps to configure the distribution point as prestaged.

• The Prestage Content section in the Operations and Maintenance for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic for the procedures to prestage content.

You can manage your content from the properties of distribution points, distribution point groups, and package types (for example, applications, deployment packages, and driver packages). From the distribution point and distribution point properties, you can review all package types that are assigned for distribution. In the package properties, you can review all distribution points and distribution point groups in which the package has been distributed. You can redistribute, validate, or remove the content in the properties for the objects. For more information about how to manage content files, see the following sections in the Operations and Maintenance for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic:

• Distribute Content on Distribution Points

• Update Content on Distribution Points

• Redistribute Content on Distribution Points

• Remove Content on Distribution Points

The content library stores all content files for software updates, applications, operating system deployment, and so on. The content library is located on each site server and on each distribution point and provides a single instance store for content files. Before Configuration Manager downloads content files to the site server and copies the files to distribution points, Configuration Manager verifies whether each content file is already in the content library. If the content file is available, Configuration Manager does not copy the file to the distribution point, but instead associates the existing content file with the application or package.

On computers where you install a distribution point, you can configure the disk drives on which you want to create the content library, and you can configure a priority for each drive. Configuration Manager copies the content files to the drive with the highest priority until that drive contains less than a minimum amount of free space that you specify. You configure the drive settings during the distribution point installation. You cannot configure the drive settings in the distribution point properties after installation completes. For more information about how to configure the drive settings for the distribution point, see the Install and Configure the Distribution Point section in the Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.

The Configuration Manager console provides content monitoring that includes the status for all package types in relation to the associated distribution points, the status of content assigned to a specific distribution point group, the state of content assigned to a distribution point, and the status of optional features for each distribution point. For more information about monitoring content, see the Monitor Content section in the Operations and Maintenance for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.

You can enable content validation on distribution points to verify the integrity of distributed packages. You can configure content validation to run on a schedule. Or, you can manually start content validation from the properties for distribution points, distribution point groups, and package types. You can view status reports in the Monitoring workspace in the Configuration Manager console. For more information about content validation, see the following:

• The Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic to configure content validation.

• The Initiate Content Validation section in the Operations and Maintenance for Content Management in Configuration Manager topic to manually start content validation.

The following items are new or have changed for content management since Configuration Manager 2007.

• Branch distribution points were available in Configuration Manager 2007 to distribute content, for example, to a small office with limited bandwidth. In System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, there is only one distribution point type with the following new functionality:

  • You can install the distribution point site system role on client or server computers.

  • You can configure bandwidth settings, throttling settings, and schedule content distribution between the site server and distribution point.

  • You can prestage content on remote distribution points and manage how Configuration Manager updates content to the prestaged distribution points.

  • The PXE service point and the associated settings are in the properties for the distribution point.

• In Configuration Manager 2007, you configure a distribution point as protected to prevent clients outside the protected boundaries from accessing the distribution point. In System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, preferred distribution points replace protected distribution points.

• Distribution point groups provide a logical grouping of distribution points for content distribution. 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. This expanded functionality lets you manage and monitor content from a central location for distribution points that span multiple sites.

• The content library in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager is the location that stores all content files for software updates, applications, operating system deployment, and so on. The content library provides a single instance store for content files on the site server and distribution points, and provides an advantage over content management functionality in Configuration Manager 2007. For example, in Configuration Manager 2007, you might distribute the same content files multiple times by using different deployments and deployment packages. The result was that the same content files were stored multiple times on the site server and on distribution points and added unnecessary processing overhead and excessive hard disk space requirements.

• You can prestage content, which is the process to copy content, to the content library on a site server or distribution point before you distribute the content. Because the content files are already in the content library, Configuration Manager does not copy the files over the network when you distribute the content.

• The Configuration Manager console provides content monitoring that includes the status for all package types in relation to the associated distribution points, the status of content assigned to a specific distribution point group, the state of content assigned to a distribution point, and the status of optional features for each distribution point.

• You can enable content validation on distribution points to verify the integrity of packages that have been distributed to the distribution point.

• In Configuration Manager 2007, content files are automatically distributed to the disk drive with the most amount of free space. In System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, you configure the disk drives on which you want to store content and configure the priority for each drive when Configuration Manager copies the content files.

• BranchCache has been integrated in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager so that you can control usage at a more detailed level. You can configure the BranchCache settings on a deployment type for applications and on the deployment for a package.

The following items are new for content management in Configuration Manager SP1.

• You can configure the drive location for the content library in the Create Site System Server Wizard and Add Site System Roles Wizard when you create the distribution point site role.

• You can configure some distribution points as pull-distribution points. When you distribute content to a pull-distribution point, the Configuration Manager site server does not transfer the content that you distribute to the distribution point computer. Instead, Configuration Manager notifies the pull-distribution point which then transfers the content from a source distribution point that you specify.

The following items are new or have changed for content management in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager.

• The following changes are introduced for pull-distribution points:

  • Pull-distribution points support the prioritization of their source distribution points. A priority can be assigned to one or more source distribution points, and the pull-distribution point attempts to locate content from a distribution point assigned to the lowest numbered priority before attempting to contact a distribution point associated with the next higher numbered priority.

  • Pull-distribution points push status for completed actions to the site server. This replaces the requirement to have Distribution Manager (distmgr) on the site server poll each pull-distribution point periodically to obtain this status, and helps to reduce the overall processing load for distmgr on the site server.

• From the Distribution Status node in the Monitoring workspace of the Configuration Manager console, you can cancel distributions that are in progress to a distribution point, and redistribute distributions that have failed.

• You can use the new built-in report named Distribution point usage summary, to view details about how individual distribution points are utilized, including how many unique clients access the distribution point, and how much data transfers from the distribution point.

• You can configure multiple Network Access Accounts at each site. For more information, see Configuring Site Components in Configuration Manager.

• Clients that use Windows BranchCache to download content and that have a download interrupted now resume the download where it left off, without having to restart the download from the beginning.

• The following additional optimizations are introduced to improve performance during deployment of content:

  • Each time Configuration Manager transfers content to a distribution point, it calculates the speed of the transfer. During subsequent content deployment, this information is used to prioritize which distribution points receive content first. This is done to maximize the number of distribution points that receive content in the shortest period of time.

  • To improve concurrent distributions, when Configuration Manager validates content on distribution points, it validates up to 50 files during each WMI call to a distribution point. Prior to this version, Configuration Manager used a single WMI call to a distribution point to validate each individual file.

The following items are new or have changed for content management in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2.

• Network optimizations

  • Transfers between the site server and distribution point resume from where they left off if there is a failure during content transfer.

  • RDC (Remote Differential Compression) is no longer used for every file during content distribution. It is only used for files larger than 16KB.

  • Fixed an issue where the available threads are exhausted when a large number of packages (1000+) are distributed to a pull-distribution point.

• Content deployment optimizations

  • You can now control concurrent distribution settings to multiple pull-distribution points.

  • When selecting source distribution points for a pull-distribution point, you can now select source distribution points that are configured to only use HTTPS. This is managed by a new registry key and is enabled by default. The display does not identify if the source distribution point is HTTP or HTTPS capable, however, when you select one or more HTTPS source distribution points, you will receive a notice to ensure the pull-distribution point supports your PKI infrastructure. Typically, this is accomplished by installing a PKI enabled client on the computer that hosts the pull-distribution point.

  • A new notification warns you when content is distributed to a pull-distribution point, and no source distribution point has been configured.

  • If a failure occurs when transferring content from a source distribution point to a pull-distribution point, the pull-distribution point downloads the remaining content from the next distribution point in the source distribution point list. This saves time when transferring large packages and reduces the amount of network bandwidth used.

  • If a failure occurs when transferring content from the site server to a distribution point, when the transfer resumes is begins at the point where the failure occurred. This reduces use of bandwidth and reduces time to complete the transfer of content you deploy.