• Article

Configuring Boundaries and Boundary Groups in Configuration Manager

 

Updated: May 14, 2015

Applies To: System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1, System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager SP1

Boundaries represent network locations on the intranet where Configuration Manager clients are located. Boundary groups are logical groups of boundaries that provide clients access to resources. In System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, each boundary and boundary group you configure is available throughout the hierarchy. You do not configure them for individual sites.

You configure a boundary for each intranet network location that you manage, and then add that boundary to one or more boundary groups.

You can configure a boundary group to identify the site that new clients should join, based upon the clients’ network location. You can also configure the boundary group with to identify which content servers are available for use by a client, based upon the clients’ network location. Beginning with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, you can also use the boundary group to identify preferred management points.

Use the procedures in the following sections to help you configure boundaries and boundary groups

  • Create and Configure Boundaries for Configuration Manager

  • Create and Configure Boundary Groups for Configuration Manager

Create and Configure Boundaries for Configuration Manager

When you configure boundaries in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, they automatically receive a name that is based upon the type and scope of the boundary. You cannot modify this name. Instead, when you configure the boundary specify a description to help identify the boundary in the Configuration Manager console.

After you create a boundary, you can modify its properties to do the following:

  • Add the boundary to one or more boundary groups.

  • Change the type or scope of the boundary.

  • View the boundaries Site Systems tab to see which site system servers (distribution points, state migration points, and beginning with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, management points) are associated with the boundary.

Tip

In addition to using the Create Boundary command to create a new boundary, you can configure Active Directory Forest Discovery to create boundaries for each IP Subnet and Active Directory Site it discovers.

Use the following procedures to create and modify a boundary:

To create a boundary

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

  2. In the Administration workspace, expand Hierarchy Configuration, and click Boundaries.

  3. On the Home tab, in the Create group, click Create Boundary.

  4. On the General tab of the Create Boundary dialog box you can specific a Description to identify the boundary by a friendly name or reference.

  5. Select a Type for this boundary:

    - If you select **IP Subnet**, you must specify a **Subnet ID** for this boundary.

  <div class="alert">


  > [!TIP]
  > <P>You can specify the <STRONG>Network</STRONG> and <STRONG>Subnet mask</STRONG> to have the <STRONG>Subnet ID</STRONG> automatically specified. When you save the boundary, only the Subnet ID value is saved.</P>


  </div>

- If you select **Active Directory site**, you must specify or **Browse** to an Active Directory site in the local forest of the site server.

  <div class="alert">


  > [!IMPORTANT]
  > <P>When you specify an Active Directory site for a boundary, the boundary includes each IP Subnet that is a member of that Active Directory site. If the configuration of the Active Directory site changes in Active Directory, the network locations included in this boundary also change.</P>


  </div>

- If you select **IPv6 prefix**, you must specify a **Prefix** in the IPv6 prefix format.

- If you select **IP address range**, you must specify a **Starting IP address** and **Ending IP address** that includes part of an IP Subnet or includes multiple IP Subnets.

  6. Click OK to save the new boundary.

To configure a boundary

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

  2. In the Administration workspace, expand Hierarchy Configuration, and click Boundaries.

  3. Select the boundary you want to modify.

  4. On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

  5. In the Properties dialog box for the boundary, select the General tab to edit the Description or Type for the boundary. You can also change the scope of a boundary by editing the network locations for the boundary. For example, for an Active Directory site boundary you can specify a new Active Directory site name.

  6. Select the Site Systems tab to view the site systems that are associated with this boundary. You cannot change this configuration from the properties of a boundary.

    Tip

    For a site system server to be listed as a site system for a boundary, the site system server must be associated as a site system server for at least one boundary group that includes this boundary. This is configured on the References tab of a boundary group.

  7. Select the Boundary Groups tab to modify the boundary group membership for this boundary:

    - To add this boundary to one or more boundary groups, click **Add**, select the check box for one or more boundary groups, and then click **OK**.

- To remove this boundary from a boundary group, select the boundary group and click **Remove**.

  8. Click OK to close the boundary properties and save the configuration.

Create and Configure Boundary Groups for Configuration Manager

When you configure boundary groups, you add one or more boundaries to the boundary group, and then configure optional settings for use by clients located on those boundaries. The configurations are for site assignment and assigned site system servers for clients when they are on the intranet.

Note

Clients that are on the Internet or configured as Internet-only clients do not use boundaries and boundary groups. These clients cannot use automatic site assignment when they are on the Internet and will download content from any distribution point in their assigned site that allows client connections from the Internet.

Configuration

Details

Site assignment

Site assignment is used by clients that use automatic site assignment to find an appropriate site to join, based on the clients current network location. After a client assigns to a site, the client will not change that site assignment. For example, if the client roams to a new network location that is represented by a boundary in a boundary group with a different site assignment, the client’s assigned site will remain unchanged.

When Active Directory System Discovery discovers a new resource, network information for the discovered resource is evaluated against the boundaries in boundary groups. This process associates the new resource with an assigned site for use by the client push installation method.

Select site system servers

Note

Prior to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager  SP2, this configuration was called Content location.

Beginning with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, Select site system servers is used by clients to identify available distribution points or state migration options, and to identify preferred management points.

Prior to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, Content location is used by clients to identify available distribution points or state migration points, based upon the client’s current network location.

When you configure boundary groups for site assignment, ensure that each boundary in a boundary group is not a member of another boundary group with a different site assignment. Boundaries that are associated with more than one assigned site are called overlapping boundaries. Overlapping boundaries are not supported for site assignment. However, overlapping boundaries are supported for content location.

  • Overlapping boundaries for site assignment can prevent clients from joining the site you expect.

  • Overlapping boundaries for content location can provide clients access to content from multiple content sources.

Note

To help avoid overlapping boundaries for site assignment, consider using of one set of boundary groups for site assignment, and a second set of boundary groups for content location.

To create a boundary group

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

  2. In the Administration workspace, expand Hierarchy Configuration, and click Boundary Groups.

  3. On the Home tab, in the Create group, click Create Boundary Group.

  4. In the Create Boundary Group dialog box, select the General tab and specify a Name for this boundary group.

  5. Click OK to save the new boundary group.

To configure a boundary group

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

  2. In the Administration workspace, expand Hierarchy Configuration, and click Boundary Groups.

  3. Select the boundary group you want to modify.

  4. On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

  5. In the Properties dialog box for the boundary group, select the General tab to modify the boundaries that are members of this boundary group:

    - To add boundaries, click **Add**, select the check box for one or more boundaries, and click **OK**.

- To remove boundaries, select the boundary and click **Remove**.

  6. Select the References tab to modify the site assignment and associated site system server configuration:

    - To enable this boundary group for use by clients for site assignment, select the check box for **Use this boundary group for site assignment**, and then select a site from the **Assigned site** dropdown box.

- To configure which available site system servers are associated with this boundary group:

    1. Click Add, and then select the check box for one or more servers. The servers are added as associated site system servers for this boundary group. Only servers that have supported site system role installed on them are available.

      Note

      You can select any combination of available site systems from any site in the hierarchy. Selected site systems are listed on the Site Systems tab in the properties of each boundary that is a member of this boundary group.

    2. To remove a server from this boundary group, select the server and then click Remove.

      Note

      To stop use of this boundary group for associating site systems you must remove all servers listed as associated site system servers.

    3. To change the network connection speed for a site system server for this boundary group, select the server and then click Change Connection.

      By default, the connection speed for each site system is Fast, but can be changed to Slow. The network connection speed and the configuration of a deployment determine whether a client can download content from the server.

    Important

    Beginning with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, if you will use preferred management points, you must enable this option for the hierarchy.

  7. Click OK to close the boundary group properties and save the configuration.

To associate a content deployment server or management point with a boundary group

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

  2. In the Administration workspace, expand Site Hierarchy, and click Boundary Groups.

  3. Select the boundary group you want to modify.

  4. On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

  5. In the Properties dialog box for the boundary group, select the References tab.

  6. Under Select site system servers, or Content location if you use a version prior to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2, click Add, select the check box for the site system servers you want to associate with this boundary group, and then click OK.

  7. Click OK to close the dialog box and save the boundary group configuration.

  8. This step applies to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP2 and later:

    If you will use preferred management points, you must enable this option for the hierarchy. To do so, in the Configuration Manager console, click Administration > Site Configuration > Sites > Hierarchy Settings. Then, on the General tab of the Hierarchy Settings, select Clients prefer to use management points specified in boundary groups.

To configure a fallback site for automatic site assignment

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

  2. In the Administration workspace, expand Site Configuration and select Sites.

  3. On the Home tab, in the Sites group, click Hierarchy Settings.

  4. On the General tab, select the checkbox for Use a fallback site, and then select a site from the Fallback site drop-down list.

  5. Click OK to save the configuration.