System Center 2012 Configuration Manager clients can be assigned to only one site. When automatic site assignment is used to assign clients to a site during client installation and more than one boundary group includes the same boundary, and the boundary groups have different assigned sites, the actual site assignment of a client cannot be predicted.

If boundaries overlap across multiple System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and Configuration Manager 2007 site hierarchies, clients might not get assigned to the correct site hierarchy or might not get assigned to a site at all.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager clients check the version of the Configuration Manager site before they complete site assignment and cannot assign to a Configuration Manager 2007 site if boundaries overlap. However, Configuration Manager 2007 clients do not check for the site version and can incorrectly assign to a System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site.

To prevent Configuration Manager 2007 clients from unintentionally assigning to a System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site when the two hierarchies have overlapping boundaries, configure Configuration Manager 2007 client installation parameters to assign clients to a specific site.

The following table contains information about the number of clients supported at each site type and by each client-facing site system role. This information is based on the recommended hardware for site systems. For information about the recommended hardware for Configuration Manager sites, see Planning for Hardware Configurations for Configuration Manager. For information about the minimum required hardware to run a Configuration Manager site, see Minimum Hardware Requirements for Site Systems, in this topic.

Site or site system role	More information
Central administration site	A central administration site can support up to 25 child primary sites. When using SQL Server Enterprise or Datacenter for the site database at the central administration site, the shared database and hierarchy supports up to 400,000 clients. The maximum number of supported clients per hierarchy depends on the SQL Server edition in the central administration site, and is independent of the SQL Server edition at primary or secondary sites. Note Configuration Manager supports up to 400,000 clients per hierarchy when you use the default settings for all Configuration Manager features. When you use SQL Server Standard for the site database at the central administration site, the shared database and hierarchy supports up to 50,000 clients. This is because of how the database is partitioned. After you install Configuration Manager, if you then upgrade the edition of SQL Server at the central administration site from Standard to Enterprise or Datacenter, the database does not repartition and this limitation remains. Note You cannot assign Configuration Manager clients to a central administration site. Support for clients applies to clients that are assigned to child primary sites in the hierarchy.
Primary site	Each primary site can support up to 250 secondary sites. Note The number of secondary sites per primary site is based on well connected and reliable wide area network (WAN) connections. For locations that have fewer than 500 clients, consider a distribution point instead of a secondary site. A stand-alone primary site always supports up to 100,000 clients. A child primary site that uses SQL Server installed on the same computer as the site server can support up to 50,000 clients. When you use SQL Server that is installed on a computer that is remote from the site server, the child primary site can support up to 100,000 clients. Note In a hierarchy with a central administration site that uses a standard edition SQL Server, the total number of clients supported in the hierarchy is limited to 50,000. In this hierarchy, a child primary site that uses a remote installation of SQL Server cannot support more clients than is supported by the hierarchy. The version of SQL Server that is used by a secondary site does not affect the number of clients that the primary site supports. Unlike a central administration site, the edition of SQL Server you use for the primary site database does not affect the maximum number of clients the primary site supports. This is true for both child primary sites, and stand-alone primary sites.
Secondary site	Each secondary site can support communications from up to 5,000 clients when you use a secondary site server computer with the recommended hardware and that has a fast and reliable network connection to its primary parent site. A secondary site might be able to support communications from additional clients when its hardware configuration exceeds the recommended hardware configuration. For information about the recommended hardware for Configuration Manager sites, see Planning for Hardware Configurations for Configuration Manager.
Management point	Primary site: Each primary site management point can support up to 25,000 computer clients. To support 100,000 clients you must have at least four management points. Note Do not place management points across a slow link from their primary site server or from the site database server. Each primary site can support up to 10 management points. Note When you have more than four management points in a primary site, you do not increase the supported client count of the primary site beyond 100,000. Instead, any additional management points provide redundancy for communications from clients. Secondary site: Each secondary site supports a single management point that must be installed on the secondary site server. The secondary site management point supports communications from the same number of clients as supported by the hardware configuration of the secondary site server.
Distribution point	Individually, each primary site supports up to 250 distribution points and each distribution point can support up to 4,000 clients. Individually, each secondary site supports up to 250 distribution points and each distribution point can support up to the same number of clients as supported by the hardware configuration of the secondary site server, up to a maximum of 4,000 clients. Each primary site supports a combined total of up to 5,000 distribution points. This total includes all the distribution points at the primary site and all distribution points that belong to the primary site’s child secondary sites. Note The number of clients that one distribution point can support depends on the speed of your network, the disk performance of the distribution point computer, and the application or package size.
Software update point	Each site supports one active software update point for use on the intranet, and optionally, one software update point for use on the Internet. You can configure each of these software update points as a Network Load Balancing (NLB) cluster. You can have up to four software update points in the NLB cluster. A software update point that is installed on the site server can support up to 25,000 clients. A software update point that is installed on a computer that is remote from the site server can support up to 100,000 clients. Note For more information, see Planning for Software Updates in Configuration Manager.
Fallback status point	Each primary site supports one fallback status point. Each fallback status point can support up to 100,000 clients.
Application Catalog website point	Each instance of this site system role supports up to 400,000 clients, providing service for the entire hierarchy. You can install multiple instances of the Application Catalog website point at primary sites. For improved performance, plan to support up to 50,000 clients per instance. Tip As a best practice, install the Application Catalog website point and Application Catalog web service point together on the same site system when they provide service to clients that are on the intranet.
Application Catalog web service point	Each instance of this site system role supports up to 400,000 clients, providing service for the entire hierarchy. You can install multiple instances of the Application Catalog web service point at primary sites. For improved performance, plan to support up to 50,000 clients per instance. Tip As a best practice, install the Application Catalog website point and Application Catalog web service point together on the same site system when they provide service to clients that are on the intranet.
System Health Validator point	Each System Health Validator point can support up to 100,000 clients.

Each System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site system server must use a 64-bit operating system. The only exception to this is the distribution point site system role which can be installed on limited 32-bit operating system versions.

Limitations for site systems:

• Site systems are not supported on Server Core installations of the Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2008 Foundation or Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation operating systems.
  
  
• It is not supported to change the domain membership or computer name of a Configuration Manager site system after it is installed.
  
  
• Site system roles are not supported on an instance of a Windows Server cluster. The only exception to this is the site database server.
  
  

The following sections list the hardware requirements and operating system requirements for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager sites, typical site system roles, and function-specific site system roles.

 Prerequisites for Site System Roles

The following table identifies prerequisites that are required by Configuration Manager for each site system role. Some prerequisites, such as SQL Server for the site database server, or Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) for the software update point, might require additional prerequisites that are not directly required by the site system role.

For site system roles that require Internet Information Services (IIS), use a version of IIS that the computer supports that runs the site system role. For information, see the following sections, Operating System Requirements for Typical Site System Roles and Operating System Requirements for Function-Specific Site System Roles, in this topic.

 

Site system role	.NET Framework version1	Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) activation2	Role services for the web server (IIS) role	Additional prerequisites
Site server	Requires the following: 3.51 SP1 4.0	Not applicable	Not applicable	Windows feature: Remote Differential Compression By default, a secondary site installs a management point and a distribution point. Therefore secondary sites must meet the prerequisites for these site system roles.
Database server	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	A version of SQL Server that Configuration Manager supports must be installed on this computer. When you install SQL Server Express as part of a secondary site installation, the secondary site server computer must meet the requirements for SQL Server Express.
SMS Provider Server	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
Application Catalog web service point	Requires the following: 3.51 SP1 4.0	Requires the following options for WCF activation: HTTP Activation Non-HTTP Activation	Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions: Application Development: ASP.NET (and automatically selected options) IIS 6 Management Compatibility: IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility	Not applicable
Application Catalog website point	Requires the following: 4.0	Not applicable	Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions: Common HTTP Features: Static Content Default Document Application Development: ASP.NET (and automatically selected options)3 Security: Windows Authentication IIS 6 Management Compatibility: IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility	Not applicable
Asset Intelligence synchronization point	Requires the following: 4.0	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
Distribution point4	Not applicable	Not applicable	You can use the default IIS configuration, or a custom configuration. To use a custom IIS configuration, you must enable the following options for IIS: Application Development: ISAPI Extensions Security: Windows Authentication IIS 6 Management Compatibility: IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility IIS 6 WMI Compatibility When you use a custom IIS configuration you can remove options that are not required, including the following: Common HTTP Features: HTTP Redirection IIS Management Scripts and Tools	Windows feature: Remote Differential Compression BITS Server Extensions (and automatically selected options), or Background Intelligent Transfer Services (BITS) (and automatically selected options) To support PXE or multicast, install the following Windows role: Windows Deployment Services
Endpoint Protection point	Requires the following: 3.5 SP1	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
Enrollment point	Requires the following: 3.5 SP1	Requires the following options for WCF activation: HTTP Activation Non-HTTP Activation	Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions: Application Development: ASP.NET (and automatically selected options)	Not applicable
Enrollment proxy point	Requires the following: 3.5 SP1	Requires the following options for WCF activation: HTTP Activation Non-HTTP Activation	Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions: Application Development: ASP.NET (and automatically selected options)	Not applicable
Fallback status point	Not applicable	Not applicable	Requires the default IIS configuration with the following additions: IIS 6 Management Compatibility: IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility	Not applicable
Management point	Requires the following when configured to support mobile devices: 3.5 SP15	Not applicable	You can use the default IIS configuration, or a custom configuration. To use a custom IIS configuration, you must enable the following options for IIS: Application Development: ISAPI Extensions Security: Windows Authentication IIS 6 Management Compatibility: IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility IIS 6 WMI Compatibility When you use a custom IIS configuration you can remove options that are not required, including the following: Common HTTP Features: HTTP Redirection IIS Management Scripts and Tools	Windows feature: BITS Server Extensions (and automatically selected options), or Background Intelligent Transfer Services (BITS) (and automatically selected options)
Out of band service point	Requires the following: 4.0	Requires the following options for WCF activation: HTTP Activation Non-HTTP Activation	Not applicable	Not applicable
Reporting services point	Requires the following: 4.0	Not applicable	Not applicable	SQL Server Reporting Services installed and configured to use at least one instance for the reporting services point.
Software update point	Requires the following: 3.51 SP1 4.0	Not applicable	Requires the default IIS configuration	Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 SP2 must be installed on this computer.
State migration point	Not applicable	Not applicable	Requires the default IIS configuration	Not applicable
System Health Validator point	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	This site system role is supported only on a NAP health policy server.

1 Install the full version of the Microsoft.NET Framework before you install the site system roles. For example, see the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Stand-Alone Installer).

Important
The Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile is insufficient for this requirement.

2 You can configure WCF activation as part of the .NET Framework Windows feature on the site system server. For example, on Windows Server 2008 R2, run the Add Features Wizard to install additional features on the server. On the Select Features page, expand NET Framework 3.5.1 Features, then expand WCF Activation, and then select the check box for both HTTP Activation and Non-HTTP Activation to enable these options.

3 In some scenarios, such as when IIS is installed or reconfigured after the .NET Framework version 4.0 is installed, you must explicitly enable ASP.NET version 4.0. For example, on a 64-bit computer that runs the .NET Framework version 4.0.30319, run the following command: %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe –i –enable

4 You must manually install IIS on computers that run a supported version of Windows Server 2003. Additionally, to install IIS and configure the additional Windows features, the computer might require access to the Windows Server 2003 source media.

5 By default, a management point does not require the .NET Framework. However, each management point that you enable to support mobile devices does require the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.

 Minimum Hardware Requirements for Site Systems

This section identifies the minimum required hardware requirements for Configuration Manager site systems. These requirements are sufficient to support all features of Configuration Manager in an environment with up to 100 clients. This information is suitable for testing environments. For guidance about the recommended hardware for Configuration Manager in full-scale production environments, see Planning for Hardware Configurations for Configuration Manager.

The following minimum requirements apply to all site types (central administration site, primary site, secondary site) when you install all available site system roles on the site server computer.

 

Hardware component	Requirement
Processor	Minimum: AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64, Intel Xeon with Intel EM64T support, Intel Pentium IV with EM64T support Minimum: 1.4 GHz
RAM	Minimum: 2 GB
Free disk space	Available: 10 GB Total: 50 GB

 Operating System Requirements for Site Servers, Database Servers, and the SMS Provider

The following tables list the supported operating systems for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site servers, the database server, and the SMS Provider site system role.

 

Operating system	System architecture	Central administration site	Primary site	Secondary site	Site database server1	SMS Provider
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x64	√	√	√2	√2	√
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (without service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (without service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (without service pack, or with SP1)	x64	√	√	√2	√2	√

1 For more information about the versions of SQL Server that Configuration Manager supports, see Configurations for the SQL Server Site Database in this topic.
2 Site database servers and secondary site servers are not supported on a computer that runs Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 when that computer uses a read-only domain controller (RODC).

 Operating System Requirements for Typical Site System Roles

The following table specifies the operating systems that can support multi-function site system roles.

 

Operating system	System architecture	Distribution point3	Enrollment point and enrollment proxy point	Fallback status point	Management point
Windows Vista Business Edition (SP1) Enterprise Edition (SP1) Ultimate Edition (without service pack, or with SP1)	x64	√1, 2	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows 7 Professional (without service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Editions (without service pack, or with SP1) Ultimate Editions (without service pack, or with SP1)	x86, x64	√1, 2	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition Enterprise Edition	x86, x64	√2	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x86, x64	√2	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition (SP2) Storage Server Edition (SP2)	x86	√2	Not supported	Not supported	Not supported
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x64	√2	√	√	√
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (without service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition(without service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (SP1)	x64	√	√	√	√

1 Distribution points on this operating system are not supported for PXE.

2 Distribution points on this operating system version do not support Multicast.

3 Unlike other site system roles, distribution points are supported on some 32-bit operating systems. Distribution points also support several different configurations that each have different requirements and in some cases support installation not only on servers, but on client operating systems. For more information about the options available for distribution points, see Prerequisites for Content Management in Configuration Manager in the Deploying Software and Operating Systems in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager guide.

 Operating System Requirements for Function-Specific Site System Roles

The following table specifies the operating systems that are supported for use with each feature-specific Configuration Manager site system role.

 

Operating system	System architecture	Application Catalog webservice point and Application Catalog website point	Asset Intelligence synchronization point	Endpoint Protection point	Out of band service point	Reporting services point	Software update point	State migration point	System Health Validator point
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2)	x64	√	√	√	√	√	√	√	√
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (without service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition(without service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (SP1)	x64	√	√	√	√	√	√	√	√

The following sections describe the operating systems and hardware supported for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager computer client installation. Ensure that you also review Prerequisites for Client Deployment in Configuration Manager for a list of dependencies for the installation of the Configuration Manager client on computers and mobile devices.

 Computer Client Hardware Requirements

The following are minimum requirements for computers that you manage with Configuration Manager.

 

Requirement	Details
Processor and memory	Refer to the processor and RAM requirements for the computers operating system. Note An exception to this is Windows XP and Windows 2003 which both require a minimum of 256 MB of RAM.
Disk space	500 MB available disk space, with 5 GB recommended for the Configuration Manager client cache.

The following are additional hardware requirements for optional functionality in Configuration Manager.

 

Function	Minimum hardware requirements
Operating system deployment	384 MB of RAM
Software Center	500 MHz processor
Remote Control	Pentium 4 Hyper-Threaded 3 GHz (single core) or comparable CPU, with at least an 1 GB RAM for optimal experience.
Out of Band Management	Desktop or laptop computers must have the Intel vPro Technology or Intel Centrino Pro and a supported version of Intel AMT.

 Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Client Installation

The following table specifies the operating systems supported for Configuration Manager client installation. For server platforms, client support is independent of any other service that runs on that server unless noted otherwise. For example, the client is supported on domain controllers and servers that run cluster services or terminal services.

 

Operating system	System architecture	System Center 2012 Configuration Manager
Windows XP Professional (SP3)	x86	√
Windows XP Professional for 64-bit Systems (SP2)	x64	√
Windows XP Tablet PC (SP3)	x86	√
Windows Vista Business Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Ultimate Edition (SP2)	x86, x64	√
Windows 7 Professional (without service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Editions (without service pack, or with SP1) Ultimate Editions (without service pack, or with SP1)	x86, x64	√
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition (SP2)	x86	√
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition1 (SP2)	x86, x64	√
Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 Standard Edition Enterprise Edition Datacenter Edition1	x86, x64	√
Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 SP2	x86, x64	√
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (SP2) Enterprise Edition (SP2) Datacenter Edition (SP2) 1	x86, x64	√
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 (SP2)	x86, x64	√
Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Standard Enterprise	x64	√
Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition (without service pack, or with SP1) Enterprise Edition (without service pack, or with SP1) Datacenter Edition (without service pack, or with SP1)1	x64	√
The Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 (without service pack, or with SP1)	x64	√
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP2 Standard Edition Enterprise Edition Datacenter Edition1	x64	√

1 Datacenter releases are supported but not certified for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. Hotfix support is not offered for issues specific to Windows Server Datacenter Edition.

 Embedded Operating System Requirements for Configuration Manager Clients

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager supports clients for integration with Windows Embedded. Support limitations for Windows Embedded:

• All client features are supported natively on supported Windows Embedded systems that do not have write filters enabled. For Windows Embedded systems that do have write filters enabled, the client features must be accomplished through the use of task sequences.
  
  
• The Application Catalog is not supported for any Windows Embedded system.
  
  
• Endpoint Protection in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager is not supported with versions of Windows Embedded that are based on Windows XP.
  
  

Configuration Manager supports the following Windows Embedded versions.

 

Windows Embedded operating system	Base operating system	System architecture
Windows Embedded Standard 2009	Windows XP SP3	x86
Windows XP Embedded SP3	Windows XP SP3	x86
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP)	Windows XP SP3	x86
Windows Embedded POSReady 2009	Windows XP SP3	x86
WEPOS 1.1 with SP3	Windows XP SP3	x86
Windows Embedded Standard 7 with SP1	Windows 7	x86, x64
Windows Embedded POSReady 7	Windows 7	x86, x64
Windows Thin PC	Windows 7	x86, x64

The following sections describe the hardware and operating systems that are supported for managing mobile devices in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

Note
The following mobile device clients are not supported in the Configuration Manager hierarchy: Device management clients from System Management Server 2003 and Configuration Manager 2007 Windows CE Platform Builder device management client (any version) System Center Mobile Device Manager VPN connection

 Mobile Devices Enrolled By Configuration Manager

The following sections describe the hardware and operating systems that are supported for the mobile devices enrolled by System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

 Enrolled Mobile Device Client Language and Operating System Requirements

The following table lists the platforms and languages that support Configuration Manager enrollment.

 

Operating system	Supported Languages
Windows Mobile 6.1	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows Mobile 6.5	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Nokia Symbian Belle	Arabic Basque (Basque) Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Hong Kong SAR) Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English (UK) English (US) Estonian Farsi Finnish French (Canada) French (France) Galician German Greek Hebrew Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Italian Kazakh Korean Latvian Lithuanian Malay Norwegian Polish Portuguese (Brazil) Portuguese (Portugal) Romanian Russian Serbian (Latin/Cyrillic) Slovak Slovenian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Spain) Swedish Tagalog (Filipino) Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese

 Mobile Device Support by Using the Exchange Server Connector

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager offers limited management for mobile devices when you use the Exchange Server connector for Exchange Active Sync (EAS) capable devices that connect to a server running Exchange Server. For more information about which management functions Configuration Manager supports for mobile devices that the Exchange Server connector manages, see Determine How to Manage Mobile Devices in Configuration Manager.

The following table lists the platforms that support the Exchange Server connector.

 

Version of Exchange Server	Supported
Exchange Server 2010 SP1	√
Exchange Online (Office 365) 1	√

1 Includes Business Productivity Online Standard Suite.

 Mobile Device Legacy Client

The following sections list the hardware and operating systems that are supported for the mobile device legacy client in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

 Mobile Device Legacy Client Hardware Requirements

The mobile device client requires 0.78 MB of storage space to install. In addition, logging on the mobile device can require up to 256 KB of storage space.

 Mobile Device Legacy Client Operating System Requirements

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager supports management for Windows Phone, Windows Mobile, and Windows CE when you install the Configuration Manager mobile device legacy client. Features for these mobile devices vary by platform and client type. For more information about which management functions Configuration Manager supports for the mobile device legacy client, see Determine How to Manage Mobile Devices in Configuration Manager.

The mobile device legacy client is supported on the following mobile device platforms:

 

Operating system	Supported
Windows CE 5.0 (Arm and x86 processors)	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows CE 6.0 (Arm and x86 processors)	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows CE 7.0 (Arm and x86 processors)	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)
Windows Mobile 6.0	Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) English (US) French (France) German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Spain)

The Configuration Manager console is supported on the operating systems that are listed in the following table. Each computer that installs the Configuration Manager console requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.

It is supported to install the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager console on the same computer with the Configuration Manager 2007 console. However, you cannot use the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager console to manage Configuration Manager 2007 sites, and vice versa.

The requirements in the following table apply to each computer that runs Configuration Manager console.

The following sections identify the upgrade options for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, the operating system version of site servers and clients, and the SQL Server version of database servers.

 Site Upgrade

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager is available in the following releases.

 

Configuration Manager version	Release options	More information
System Center 2012 Configuration Manager	An evaluation release, which expires 180 days after installation. A complete release, to perform a new installation.	You can install System Center 2012 Configuration Manager as either a full installation, or as a trial installation. If you install Configuration Manager as a trial installation, after 180 days you can only connect a read-only Configuration Manager console and Configuration Manager functionality is limited. At any time before or after the 180 day period, you have the option to upgrade the trial installation to a full installation. System Center 2012 Configuration Manager supports migration of your Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure but does not support an in–place upgrade of sites from Configuration Manager 2007. However, migration supports the upgrade of a Configuration Manager 2007 distribution point, or secondary site that is co-located with a distribution point, to a System Center 2012 Configuration Manager distribution point. For more information about migrating to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager from Configuration Manager 2007, see Migrating from Configuration Manager 2007 to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

 Upgrade of the Site Server Operating System

Configuration Manager supports an in-place upgrade of the operating system of the site server in the following situations:

• In-place upgrade to a higher Windows Server service pack so long as the resulting service pack level remains supported by Configuration Manager.
  
  

Configuration Manager does not support the following Windows Server upgrade scenarios.

• Any version of Windows Server 2008 to any version of Windows Server 2008 R2.
  
  

When a direct operating system upgrade is not supported, perform one of the following procedures after you have installed the new operating system:

• Install System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with the service pack level that you want, and configure the site according to your requirements.
  
  
• Install System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with the service pack level that you want and perform a site recovery. This scenario requires that you have a site backup that was created by using the Backup Site Server maintenance task on the original Configuration Manager site, and that you use the same installation settings for the new System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site.
  
  

 Client Operating System Upgrade

Configuration Manager supports an in-place upgrade of the operating system for Configuration Manager clients in the following situations:

• In-place upgrade to a higher Windows Server service pack so long as the resulting service pack level remains supported by Configuration Manager.
  
  

 Site Database Server Upgrade Considerations

Configuration Manager supports an in-place upgrade of SQL Server on the site database server in the following situations:

• In-place upgrade of SQL Server to a higher service pack so long as the resulting SQL Server service pack level remains supported by Configuration Manager.
  
  

To upgrade SQL Server on the site database server:

1. Stop all Configuration Manager services at the site.
   
   
2. Upgrade SQL Server to a supported version.
   
   
3. Restart the Configuration Manager services.
   
   

The following are required configurations for each database server with a full SQL Server installation, and on each SQL Server Express installation that you manually configure for secondary sites. You do not have to configure SQL Server Express for a secondary site if SQL Server Express is installed by Configuration Manager.

Configuration	More information
Database collation	The instance of SQL Server in use at each site must use the following collation: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS.
SQL Server features	Only the Database Engine Services feature is required for each site server. Note Configuration Manager database replication does not require the SQL Server replication feature.
Windows Authentication	Configuration Manager requires Windows authentication to validate connections to the database.
SQL Server instance	You must use a dedicated instance of SQL Server for each site.
SQL Server memory	When you use a database server that is co-located with the site server, limit the memory for SQL Server to 50 to 80 percent of the available addressable system memory. When you use a dedicated SQL Server, limit the memory for SQL Server to 80 to 90 percent of the available addressable system memory. Configuration Manager requires SQL Server to reserve a minimum of 8 gigabytes (GB) of memory in the buffer pool used by an instance of SQL Server for the central administration site and primary site and a minimum of 4 gigabytes (GB) for the secondary site. This memory is reserved by using the Minimum server memory setting under Server Memory Options and is configured by using SQL Server Management Studio. For more information about how to set a fixed amount of memory, see How to: Set a Fixed Amount of Memory (SQL Server Management Studio).

Optional SQL Server Configurations

The following configurations either support multiple choices or are optional on each database server with a full SQL Server installation.

Configuration	More information
SQL Server service	You can configure the SQL Server service on each database server to run by using a domain local account or the local system account of the computer running SQL Server. Use a domain user account as a SQL Server best practice. This type of account can be more secure than the local system account but might require you to manually register the Service Principle Name (SPN) for the account. Use the local system account of the computer running SQL Server to simplify the configuration process. When you use the local system account Configuration Manager automatically registers the SPN for the SQL Server service. Using the local system account for the SQL Server service is not a SQL Server best practice. For information about SQL Server best practices, see the product documentation for the version of Microsoft SQL Server that you are using. For information about SPN configurations for Configuration Manager, see How to Manage the SPN for SQL Server Site Database Servers. For information about how to change the account in use by the SQL Service, see How to: Change the Service Startup Account for SQL Server (SQL Server Configuration Manager).
SQL Server Reporting Services	Required to install a reporting services point that allows you to run reports.
SQL Server ports	For communication to the SQL Server database engine, and for intersite replication, you can use the default SQL Server port configurations or specify custom ports: Intersite communications use the SQL Server Service Broker, which by default uses port TCP 4022. Intrasite communication between the SQL Server database engine and various Configuration Manager site system roles by default use port TCP 1433. The following site system roles communicate directly with the SQL Server database: Management point SMS Provider computer Reporting Services point Site server When a SQL Server hosts a database from more than one site, each database must use a separate instance of SQL Server, and each instance must be configured with a unique set of ports. Warning Configuration Manager does not support dynamic ports. Because SQL Server named instances by default use dynamic ports for connections to the database engine, when you use a named instance, you must manually configure the static port that you want to use for intrasite communication. If you have a firewall enabled on the computer running SQL Server, ensure that it is configured to allow the ports in use by your deployment, and at any locations on the network between computers that communicate with the SQL Server. For an example of how to configure SQL Server to use a specific port, see How to: Configure a Server to Listen on a Specific TCP Port (SQL Server Configuration Manager) in the SQL Server TechNet library.

For devices that run the Windows Mobile operating system, Configuration Manager only supports the Uninstall action for applications on Windows Mobile 6.1.4 or later.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager supports out of band management for computers that have the following Intel vPro chip sets and Intel Active Management Technology (Intel AMT) firmware versions:

• Intel AMT version 3.2 with a minimum revision of 3.2.1
  
  
• Intel AMT version 4.0, version 4.1, and version 4.2
  
  
• Intel AMT version 5,0, and version 5.2 with a minimum revision of 5.2.10
  
  
• Intel AMT version 6.0, and version 6.1
  
  

The following limitations apply:

• AMT provisioning is not supported on AMT-based computers that are running any version of Windows Server, Windows XP with SP2, or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
  
  
• Out of band communication is not supported to an AMT-based computer that is running the Routing and Remote Access service in the client operating system. This service runs when Internet Connection Sharing is enabled, and the service might be enabled by line of business applications.
  
  
• The out of band management console is not supported on workstations running Windows XP on versions earlier than Service Pack 3.
  
  

For more information about out of band management in Configuration Manager, see Introduction to Out of Band Management in Configuration Manager.

The Configuration Manager remote control viewer is not supported on Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 operating systems.

Configuration Manager Active Directory schema extensions provide benefits for Configuration Manager sites, but they are not required for all Configuration Manager functions. For more information about Active Directory schema extension considerations, see Determine Whether to Extend the Active Directory Schema for Configuration Manager.

If you have extended your Active Directory schema for Configuration Manager 2007, you do not have to update your schema for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. You can update the Active Directory schema before or after you install Configuration Manager. Schema updates do not interfere with an existing Configuration Manager 2007 sites or clients. For more information about how to extend the Active Directory schema for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, see the Prepare Active Directory for Configuration Manager section in the Prepare the Windows Environment for Configuration Manager topic.

With the exception of out of band management, Configuration Manager supports installing site systems and clients in a domain that has a disjoint namespace.

Note
For more information about namespace limitations for when you manage AMT-based computers out of band, see Prerequisites for Out of Band Management in Configuration Manager.

A disjoint namespace scenario is one in which the primary Domain Name System (DNS) suffix of a computer does not match the Active Directory DNS domain name where that computer resides. The computer with the primary DNS suffix that does not match is said to be disjoint. Another disjoint namespace scenario occurs if the NetBIOS domain name of a domain controller does not match the Active Directory DNS domain name.

The following table identifies the supported scenarios for a disjoint namespace.

To allow a computer to access domain controllers that are disjoint, you must modify the msDS-AllowedDNSSuffixes Active Directory attribute on the domain object container. You must add both of the DNS suffixes to the attribute.

In addition, to ensure that the DNS suffix search list contains all DNS namespaces that are deployed within the organization, you must configure the search list for each computer in the domain that is disjoint. Include in the list of namespaces the primary DNS suffix of the domain controller, the DNS domain name, and any additional namespaces for other servers with which Configuration Manager might interoperate. You can use the Group Policy Management console to configure the Domain Name System (DNS) suffix search list.

Important
When you reference a computer in Configuration Manager, enter the computer by using its Primary DNS suffix. This suffix should match the Fully Qualified Domain Name registered as the dnsHostName attribute in the Active Directory domain and the Service Principal Name associated with the system.

With the exception of out of band management, Configuration Manager supports site systems and clients in a single label domain when the following criteria are met:

• The single label domain in Active Directory Domain Services must be configured with a disjoint DNS namespace that has a valid top level domain.
  
  For example: The single label domain of Contoso is configured with a disjoint namespace in DNS of contoso.com. Therefore, when you specify the DNS suffix in Configuration Manager for a computer in the Contoso domain, you specify Contoso.com and not Contoso.
  
  
• DCOM connections between site servers in the system context must be successful using Kerberos authentication.
  
  

Note
For more information about namespace limitations for when you manage AMT-based computers out of band, see Prerequisites for Out of Band Management in Configuration Manager.

Configuration Manager supports Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) in addition to Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4). The following table lists the exceptions.

Configuration Manager works with any hardware that is certified on the Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for the version of the operating system that the Configuration Manager component is installed on. Site Server roles require NTFS file systems so that directory and file permissions can be set. Because Configuration Manager assumes it has complete ownership of a logical drive, site systems that run on separate computers cannot share a logical partition on any storage technology, but each computer can use a separate logical partition on the same physical partition of a shared storage device.

Support considerations for the listed storage technologies:

• Storage Area Network: A Storage Area Network (SAN) is supported when a supported Windows-based server is attached directly to the volume that is hosted by the SAN.
  
  
• Single Instance Storage: It is not supported to configure distribution point package and signature folders on a Single Instance Storage (SIS)-enabled volume.
  
  Additionally, the Configuration Manager clients cache is not supported on a SIS-enabled volume.
  
  

  Note
  Single Instance Storage (SIS) is a feature of the Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 operating system.

• Removable Disk Drive: It is not supported to install Configuration Manager site system or clients on a removable disk drive.
  
  

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager provides support for clients in workgroups. It is also supported for a client to be moved from a workgroup to a domain or from a domain to a workgroup. For more information, see How to Install Configuration Manager Clients on Workgroup Computers

All System Center 2012 Configuration Manager site systems must be members of a supported Active Directory domain. This requirement includes site systems that support Internet-based client management in a perimeter network (also known as DMZ, demilitarized zone, and screened subnet).

Configuration Manager supports client installation and all site server roles in the following virtualization environments:

• Windows Server2008
  
  
• Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 R2
  
  
• Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2
  
  

Each virtual computer you use must meet or exceed the same hardware and software configuration you would use for a physical Configuration Manager computer.

You can validate that your virtualization environment is supported for Configuration Manager by using the Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP) and its online Virtualization Program Support Policy Wizard. For more information about the Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP), see Windows Server Virtualization Validation Program.

Note
Configuration Manager does not support Virtual PC or Virtual Server guest operating systems running on Macintosh.

Configuration Manager cannot manage virtual machines unless they are running. An offline virtual machine image cannot be updated nor can inventory be collected by using the Configuration Manager client on the host computer.

No special consideration is given to virtual machines. For example, Configuration Manager might not determine that an update has to be re-applied to a virtual machine image if it is stopped and restarted without saving the state of the virtual machine to which the update was applied.

Network Address Translation (NAT) is not supported in Configuration Manager, unless the site supports clients that are on the Internet and the client detects that it is on the Internet. For more information about Internet-based client management, see the Planning for Internet-Based Client Management section in the Planning for Communications in Configuration Manager topic.

Configuration Manager supports the DirectAccess feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 for communication between site system servers and clients. When all the requirements for DirectAccess are met, by using this feature Configuration Manager clients on the Internet can communicate with their assigned site as if they were on the intranet.

For server-initiated actions, such as remote control and client push installation, the initiating computer (such as the site server) must be running IPv6, and this protocol must be supported on all intervening networking devices.

Configuration Manager does not support the following over DirectAccess:

• Deploying operating systems
  
  
• Communication between Configuration Manager sites
  
  
• Communication between Configuration Manager site system servers within a site
  
  

Windows BranchCache has been integrated in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. You can configure the BranchCache settings on a deployment type for applications, on the deployment for a package, and for task sequences.

When all the requirements for BranchCache are met, this feature enables clients at remote locations to obtain content from local clients that have a current cache of the content.

For example, when the first BranchCache-enabled client computer requests content from a distribution point that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 and that has also been configured as a BranchCache server, the client computer downloads the content and caches it. This content is then made available for clients on the same subnet that request this same content, and these clients also cache the content. In this way, subsequent clients on the same subnet do not have to download content from the distribution point, and the content is distributed across multiple clients for future transfers.

Configuration Manager supports BranchCache with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 clients that are configured in BranchCache distributed cache mode. Support is extended to clients running a supported version of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 with SP1, and Windows Server 2008 with SP2 by using the BITS 4.0 release. However, on these operating systems, the BranchCache client functionality is not supported for software distribution that is run from the network or for SMB file transfers. You can install the BITS 4.0 release on Configuration Manager clients by using software updates or software distribution. For more information about the BITS 4.0 release, see Windows Management Framework.

To support BranchCache with Configuration Manager, add the BranchCache feature to the Windows Server 2008 R2 site system server that is configured as a distribution point. System Center 2012 Configuration Manager distribution points on servers configured to support BranchCache require no further configuration.

To use BranchCache, the clients that can support BranchCache must be configured for BranchCache distributed mode, and the operating system setting for BITS client settings must be enabled to support BranchCache.

For more information about BranchCache, see BranchCache for Windows in the Windows Server documentation.

Fast User Switching, available in Windows XP in workgroup computers, is not supported in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. Fast User Switching is supported for computers that are running Windows Vista or later.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager cannot manage more than one operating system on a single computer. If there is more than one operating system on a computer that must be managed, adjust the discovery and installation methods that are used to ensure that the Configuration Manager client is installed only on the operating system that has to be managed.