SCCM Preserving Bandwidth

If preserving bandwidth becomes a constraint to address when designing a distribution infrastructure solution, then with SCCM you can use the On-Demand Package Distribution and the Prestage features.

In SCCM , by default, branch distribution point receive package in the same way that standard distribution point do. However, the administrator can specify that the package should not be downloaded from the standard distribution point to the branch distribution point until it is requested by the client computer.

The package is not transferred to the branch office until at least one client requests the package. This option is called on-demand package distribution and is set on a package-by-package basis. On-demand package distribution is available only for protected branch distribution point and for these clients within the protected boundaries.

If a package has been set to allow on-demand package distribution, the client that wants to receive the advertisement program sends a standard request for the program to its branch distribution point. If the branch distribution point ha downloaded the program already, it will be provided to the client, otherwise the package will start downloading from the standard distribution point to the branch distribution point first and then to the client.

The process requires that the client asks the management point for content and its location. The management point will sent the list of the branch distribution point but indicates that the content is pending. The pending designation creates an advertisement to send the package to the distribution point, but like any advertisement, the branch distribution point does not receive the advertisement until the next polling interval. After the branch distribution point receives the package then it is ready to be downloaded by the client.

If you use a long polling interval for client retrieval, you can enable a collection-specific polling interval on a collection and add your branch distribution points to that collection.

The other means useful to minimize bandwidth, otherwise necessary to download the package, is to prestage packages on a branch distribution point. This is done as part of the branch distribution point maintenance task. When initiated, this task will verify the prestaged package and download any package that do not exist on the branch distribution point.

To prestage a package on a branch distribution point it is necessary to create, if one does not already exist, an SMSPKG<driveletter>$ directory and share it. Using the standard distribution point as the original source for the package, copy the package into the directory above described. To complete the process, on the branch distribution point Configuration Manager in Control Panel, go to the Action tab and initiate the Branch Distribution Point Maintenance action.

Brach distribution points are perfect for these small branch offices made of small number of client computers and where the WAN connection to the SCCM Core Site is low.