Deploy a ConfigMgr Secondary Site with SCCM 1906

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to provide guidance for scaling an existing Configuration Manager environment using a secondary site.

Secondary sites are required when:

• The WAN link back to the primary site server is slow or unreliable
• Content needs to be distributed at specific times of the day

Overview

The example secondary site in this blog will utilise a colocated SQL Server Standard instance and provide the Management Point, Distribution Point and Software Update Point roles. This secondary site could be used to manage clients at the end of a slow or unreliable WAN link.

Stand up a new Windows Server VM running at least Server 2016 Standard, configure the drives as follows (or match your standard) then install SQL Server Standard.

C: System drive

D: SQL Data

F: SCCM Installation

G: SQL Installation

P: SCCM Content

L: SQL Logs

T: Temp DB & Logs

Prerequisites

The user account being used to install WSUS and the primary site server computer account needs to be sysadmin on the SQL Server instance.

Add the primary site server computer accounts to the local administrator group.

1. Right click on the Start button
2. Select Computer Management
3. Open Local Users and Groups
4. Open Groups

5. Open the Administrators group
6. Click Add
7. Click Object Types, tick Computers and click OK

8. Enter primary site server into the name box, click OK and close computer management

Create no_sms_on_drive.sms file on all volumes except the Configuration Manager content volume. 

Install Windows Features and Roles

Run the following commands in an elevated PowerShell window

Import-Module ServerManager

Install-WindowsFeature Net-Framework,BITS,RDC,Web-ASP-Net,Web-ASP,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-WMI,Web-Metabase

Install and Configure WSUS

1. Run the following command in an elevated PowerShell window to install WSUS

Install-WindowsFeature UpdateServices-Services,UpdateServices-UI, UpdateServices-DB -Restart

2. Create the following directory: P:\WSUSContent

3. Run the following command in an elevated Command Prompt window from the directory c:\program files\update services\tools

wsusutil.exe postinstall SQL_INSTANCE_NAME={SQLINSTANCE} CONTENT_DIR=P:\WSUSContent

4. Open IIS, expand the server and select Application Pools

5. Right click the WsusPool and choose Advanced Settings

6. Change Private Memory Limit to 0

7. Change Queue Length to 30,000

8. Change Service Unavailable Response to TCPLevel

9. Restart IIS (run command: iisreset)

Install Secondary Site

Install the secondary site using the Configuration Manager console

1. Navigate to Administration -> Site Configuration -> Sites

2. Right click on the Primary Site and select Create Secondary Site

3. On the General screen, choose a site code, enter the server FQDN, add a site name and ensure the installation drive is set to F:\

4. On the Installation Source Files screen leave as default

5. On the SQL Server Settings screen, if SQL Server isn’t co-hosted on the secondary site server leave defaults to install SQL Server Express. Otherwise, enter the local SQL Server instance details.

6. On the role selection screen, select Distribution Point and next

7. Enter a description

 8. At the Drive Settings screen, choose the P:\ as the primary content and package location

9. On the Boundary Groups screen, add or create a boundary group which represents the IP ranges or subnets from which the clients will be communicating with the DP

10. Complete the wizard to initiate the installation of the secondary site.

The secondary site will appear in the console as pending until installation of the components completes. You can view installation status from the right click menu.

Install Software Update Point

 1. Navigate to Administration -> Site Configuration -> Servers and Site System Roles
2. Right click on the secondary site server and select Add Site System Roles
3. On the role selection screen, select Software Update Point and next

4. On the Software Update Point screen, select WSUS is configured to use ports 8530 and 8531

5. Complete the wizard with the remaining defaults to initiate the installation of the software update point.