• Article

How to Manage Multicast 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

Use the procedures in this topic to support multicast in your System Center 2012 Configuration Manager environment. These procedures configure the distribution point to support multicast and configure the operating system image for multicast.

Configuring a Distribution Point to support Multicast

Before you deploy the operating system, you must configure a distribution point to support multicast. Use the following procedure to modify an existing distribution point to support multicast. For more information about how to create a new distribution point, see the Install and Configure the Distribution Point section in the Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager topic.

To enable multicast for a distribution point

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

  2. In the Administration workspace, expand Overview, and then select the Distribution Points node.

  3. Select the distribution point that you want to use to multicast the operating system image.

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

  5. Select the Multicast tab, and configure the following options:

    - **Enable Multicast**: You must select this option for the distribution point to support multicast.

- **Multicast service point connection account**: Specify an account to connect to the database if you cannot use the computer account of the distribution point.

- **Multicast address settings**: Specify the IP addresses to send data to the destination computers. By default, the IP address is obtained from a DHCP server that is enabled to distribute multicast addresses. Depending on the network environment, you can specify a range of IP addresses between 239.0.0.0 and 239.255.255.255.

  <div class="alert">


  > [!IMPORTANT]
  > <P>These IP addresses must be accessible by the destination computers that request the operating system image. This means that routers and firewalls in between the destination computer and the site server must be configured to allow multicast traffic.</P>


  </div>

- **UDP Port Range**: Specify the range of UDP ports to send data to the destination computers.

  <div class="alert">


  > [!IMPORTANT]
  > <P>These ports must be accessible by the destination computers that request the operating system image. This means that routers and firewalls in between the destination computer and the site server must be configured to allow multicast traffic.</P>


  </div>

- **Enabled scheduled multicast**: Specify how Configuration Manager controls when to start deploying operating systems to destination computers. Click **Enabled scheduled multicast**, and then select the following options.

  In the **Session start delay** box, specify how many minutes that Configuration Manager waits before it responds to the first deployment request.

  In the **Minimum session size** box, specify how many requests must be received before Configuration Manager starts to deploy the operating system.

- **Transfer rate**: Select the transfer rate to download data to the destination computers.

- **Maximum clients**: Specify the maximum number of destination computers that can download the operating system from this distribution point.

  6. Click OK.

Configuring the Operating System Image for Multicast Deployments

Before you distribute the operating system image to a multicast-enabled distribution point, you must configure the operating system image package to support multicast. Use the following procedure to set the multicast options for an existing operating system image package. For information about how to capture an operating system image package from a reference computer, see the How to Build a Reference Computer section in the How to Deploy Operating Systems in Configuration Manager topic.

To modify an operating system image package to use multicast

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, click Software Library.

  2. In the Software Library workspace, expand Operating Systems, and then click Operating System Images.

  3. Select the operating system image that you want to distribute to the multicast-enabled distribution point.

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

  5. Select the Distribution Settings tab, and configure the following options:

    - **Allow this package to be transferred via multicast (WinPE only)**: You must select this option for Configuration Manager to simultaneously deploy operating system images.

- **Encrypt multicast packages**: Specify whether the image is encrypted before it is sent to the distribution point. Use this option if the package contains sensitive information. If the image is not encrypted, the contents of the package will be visible in clear text on the network and might be read by an unauthorized user.

- **Transfer this package only via multicast**: Specify whether you want the distribution point to deploy the image only during a multicast session.

  If you select **Transfer this package only via multicast**, you must also specify **Download content locally when needed by running task sequence** as the deployment option for the operating system image. You can specify the deployment options for the image when you deploy the operating system image, or you can specify them later by editing the properties of the deployment. The deployment options are on the **Distribution Points** tab of the **Properties** page of the deployment object.

  6. Click OK.