What is Secondary Sites in SCCM?

As we know, in Configuration Manager 2012, Central Administration site is the top most sites used for administration and reporting purposes. Primary site is next level in the hierarchy for managing devices and users. Primary site can be extended by installing secondary sites for managing devices in the locations having slow network bandwidth to the primary site.

Each primary site can support up to 250 secondary sites. The number of secondary sites per primary site is based on network connection reliability.  

Each secondary site supports up to 250 distribution points.

Always remember that the clients must always be assigned to a primary site. Although we can deploy a secondary site to manage the client information from clients at remote locations, but the clients should be assigned to a primary site as clients obtain their policies from the primary site.

Secondary sites in Configuration Manager 2012 have the following differences from secondary sites in Configuration Manager 2007:

·         SQL server should be installed for secondary site and SQL Server Express can be installed during site installation if required. SQL Server is required to support database replication with the parent primary site.

·         A distribution point (MP) and management point (MP) is automatically installed during the site installation.

·         Secondary sites can send content distribution to other secondary sites.

·         Secondary site participates in the database replication.

Secondary site can only be installed as a child of primary site that automatically configure databasereplication with its parent site.

Note: Secondary site can only be installed by using the System Center 2012 Configuration ManagerConsole.

In case secondary site is not installed, clients will submit inventories and download policies to the primary site that may be located in the remote location on a slow link. Other solution could be to use Windows BranchCache or distribution points that are enabled for bandwidth control and scheduling.

Secondary site is recommended if remote location has more than 500 clients but less than 5000. Also, secondary site is required if you require a local management point (MP), software update point (SUP) and state migration point.

Note: Secondary site support only one management point. We can’t have more than one management point support in secondary site. And that management point doesn’t support mobile devices enrolled by the Configuration Manager.

Limitations:

There are few limitations associated with the secondary site. Do remember these limitations while installing secondary site in your network:

·         Only one management point is support in secondary site

·         Secondary sites don’t provide any fault tolerance as the main objective of installing primary site is if you are concerned about the upward traffic that originates from clients to the primary site.

·         Secondary site can’t be upgraded to a primary site.

·         Internet connection to a secondary site is not supported.

·         Auto-remediating a failed secondary site is not possible.

·         Secondary sites do not support SQL Server and SMP Provider on another server