How to Enable Site Server High Availability in SCCM

In this video guide, we will be covering how to configure site server high availability in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch. We will cover the prerequisites to install a passive site server, how to perform the installation, and how to fail over to the passive server.

Topics in Video

Introduction – (0:00)
Review Basic’s of the Site Server and what actions it performs and impacts of it being down – (0:27)
Basic’s of High Availability of the Site Server –(2:14)
Review the lab setup and the current site server and site systems in the environment – (4:27)
Add the computer account of the new Passive site server to the Site Servers AD Security Group so it has permissions to the Systems Management container – (7:10)
Add the Computer Account or Security Group of the new passive site server to the Local Admins on the SQL Server and SysAdmin rights to the SQL Instance – (8:38)
Install .NET 3.5 SP1 on the new passive site server – (11:09)
Install WSUS (API’s) on the new passive site server – (12:08)
Install-WindowsFeature -Name UpdateServices-API
Get-WindowsFeature -Name UpdateServices*
Install Remote Differential Compression role – (13:35)
Install-WindowsFeature RDC
Install the Windows 10 ADK (WinPE, Deployment Tools, and USMT) – (14:20)
Add Site Servers AD Security Group that contains Site Server Computer Accounts to Local Administrators on the new passive site server – (15:33)
Move ContentLibrary from a local path on the active site server to a remote network share – (16:49)
Go through the wizard in the console to add a new “Site System Server” and choose the “Site server in passive mode” – (21:49)
Review the site server prerequisites check in the “Site Server Status” node in the console – (24:10)
Installing the SMS_Provider on the new passive site server so the console could still connect is the active site server goes down – (29:38)
Review process to promote site server in passive mode to active mode – (34:13)

Helpful Resources:

#SCCM #ConfigMgr #HighAvailibility

[SaadFazalAyub]

Thank you for just getting straight to the point!

[hypervmckinney]

Thanks- It so nice to have updated video!!!

[ParmodKumar-wili]

Awesome..I just implemented in my lab. Worked like charm. Thanks Justin. Superb job as always!

[JackyTran]

Another great addition to the series. Thank you Justin

[lexd]

Hi Justin, as always your videos are great!

I'm in a situation thinking if setting a passive site server is worth doing.. as you mentioned, say if I have multiple SUP, DP and MP.. and I can go about having some downtime accessing SCCM console.. would you still recommend setting up a passive mode site server? (knowing that the MP can cache the client data)

also what if I am required to restore the site server from backup due to a very bad failure.. will everything just go back to normal as the other MP is caching all the client data?

thanks!

[HeyRadu]

Hi Justin, thank you for taking your time to create and share such a great tutorial ! I would like to ask one question: What is the preferred order, Co-Management first and then HA or it really doesn't matter ? Greetings.

[santhoshsanurs]

Hello Justin, Thank you for your Video and details. I am in the planning process for creating SCCM High availability. I have few of questions like 1. Do you have any Checklist for this process 2. Is SQL "Always On" should be made available before we start this process if we do not, have it? 3. Is having MP DP servers mandatory? Since we have few servers with mixed roles running MP and 20 specific DP's.

[vishalnavgire]

Hi Justin,

Thanks for recording a new session on HA in SCCM Current Branch.

Have got a question about NO_SMS_ON_Drive.SMS file saved on Disk D of the Passive Site server.

What is it for ? and does it impact while Configuring Passive site server, thanks

[soumenbhattachryya]

You really want sone to learn from your video. Keep up the good wark. Can you plz do some video on MBAM ?

[sRocking]

Great video. I'm looking to upgrade to server 2019 and sccm 1910 from server 2012 and 1806. This looks like a great method for that. Can I do this with 1806? Or should I update to 1810 first then setup HA.

[Sabs]

hello Justin, what do you believe is better: has a SCCM with high availability like this tutorial or just have a full backup scheduled of the SCCM and when something bad happen to the main sccm server, just to restore the backup?

greetings from Monterrey México.

[ehabgalal]

Hi
Thank you so much for these videos
I have question
If i have sup run above primary site server and we enable third party update. if we need to install another sup on passive site server for high availability in that case we must confgure sup with ssl because it considered remote? ?

[sumitkharkar]

Hello Justin, thank you for this wonderful tutorial. Just wanted to know once we make New Passive site server as Active whether we able to install same site system roles of old site server on it. like MP, SUP and Endpoint Protection point and Service Connection Point. Please suggest.

[ogandos]

Thanks for your great and informative videos. Do you know if it is supported to move the remote content library to a DFS service (DFS-R and/or DFS Naming spaces)

[jesselovicott]

I started working on upgrading our current environment and could use some guidance. I went the HA route. I moved the DB to its own server. Now I am at the point where I will be moving the Content Library to a separate server and then adding the second primary. We are going from 1 server to possibly 3. 1 Primary, 1 Roles, and 1 DB. I am not a huge fan of this. Can anyone tell me if, after the second primary is up and we fail over to it, can we start consolidating the roles back to the Pri? Can anyone offer some direction? Do you run with 3 servers, one being a roles server?

[abndrew]

Great video an information on setting up HA, but have a question on one part you mentioned. It seemed you stated that if a server is offline for 30 minutes it will auto fail-over and think you tried to demo that. But so far in my testing this does not seem to be the case and Microsoft documentation states that there is no automatic fail-over just manual. Can you verify your experience with this.