Distribution Point stores files needed to install any packages advertised for the clients. Whenever any package is advertised, files needed to install those packages are stored on the distribution point to run on client computers. Therefore, while deploying any package, you should specify at least one distribution point for each site so that clients could download those files to run packages. When a Configuration Manager client receives an advertisement, it contacts Management Point (MP). The MP provides the list of preferred DPs to the client. Client uses one of the preferred DPs on the list as the file source location for content. When the content is not available on a preferred DP, the management point sends a list of distribution points that have the content available. The client uses one of the distribution points as content source location.
Note: No need to specify the distribution point if package doesn’t contain any files.
Fallback can be configured on the distribution point for deployment type or package. If fallback is not enabled, and a preferred distribution point does have the content, the client will fail to download the contents, and the deployment will fail.
There should be at least one distribution point at each site in the Configuration Manager hierarchy. By default, distribution point is automatically configured on the primary and secondary site server during installation. Microsoft always recommends installing distribution point on a remote server, instead on the site server for better performance and assisting in the load balancing. Distribution role is not required at the secondary site. Clients connect to distribution point at the primary site if one is not available at the secondary site.
Configuration Manager 2007 supported three different types of distribution points; PXE service point, Distribution point and Branch Distribution points. Each of these roles served different benefits, but none of them could meet all of the requirements. Configuration Manager 2012 has removed all of these roles and consolidated them into one, known as Distribution Points.
Consider deploying a Distribution point instead of installing a new site if remote location has sufficient bandwidth for its clients to download policies from the management point, and send discovery information and reporting status.
We can have DPs directly connected to the Primary site. Decision to have a DP or secondary site varies on case basis. We should understand that DPs only deliver contents to clients- packages, applications etc. Secondary sites enable location aware management points (and SUPs and DPs) for the clients to retrieve policy and submit inventory information.
Without a secondary site, clients will connect to an MP at the primary site for downloading policies and submitting inventories. This traffic is minimal but could cause performance issues in case, number of clients are more and have limited bandwidth at that location.
Locations having sufficient bandwidth between them, consider using deploying only DP instead of secondary site. In this scenario, we can place multiple MPs in our primary site to provide high availability for client communication.
In Configuration Manager 2012, distribution point role can now be installed on client and server operating systems.
Each Primary and Secondary site supports up to 250 distribution points, and each distribution point can support up to 4,000 clients.
Note: For locations having less than 500 clients, consider deploying a deployment point instead of a secondary site. If remote locations have more than 500 and fewer than 5000 clients, consider installing a secondary site.
While calculating the number of clients supported by each distribution point, do consider the speed of you network, application and package size and the disk performance of the distribution point server.
Note: Each distribution point supports a combined total of up to 10,000 packages and applications.
Distribution role can be installed on limited 32-bit operating system versions. But all other Configuration Manager 2012 roles could only be installed on 64-bit operating system
BranchCache Vs Distribution Points
In other scenarios, BranchCache can also be used instead of deploying distribution points in the remote location. BranchCache allow clients to download the contents from a distribution point and cache it. The first Branch-cache enabled client computer request contents from the remote distribution point that has been configured as a BranchCache server. Once the contents aredownloaded to this client, same contents will be available for download to other clients on the same subnet. Other clients need not to request the same contents from the distribution point as this contents will be available for download from one of the client on the same subnet.
With Configuration Manager Service Pack 1, Windows Azure service can be used to host a distribution point.
How packages are deployed by the Distribution Point
As we know, packages contain the file that will be downloaded by the client, often application files taken from the original source media. Each package contains one or more programs. A program is the actual command that will be execute on the client after package is downloaded. An easy example of a program is the “setup” utility that installs the application contained in the package.
Some source media contains package definition files that can be used to create packages and programs with less intervention and efforts.
Packages are placed on the distribution point so that it could be deployed to the target collections.
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