How SCCM Site Backup Works

How SCCM Site Backup Works, A Complete Guide for SCCM backup and recovery Options that are available

A complete backup for a ConfigMgr site consists of data, files, registry on the Site Server as well as SQL Database. As per the predefined schedule, Backup ConfigMgr Site Server maintenance task captures and copies the required data (Site Database, Registry Keys, and specific files and folders) automatically to a predefined backup location. An AfterBackup.bat file can be used to automate post-backup tasks once the backup maintenance task runs successfully.

 

Figure How Site Backup works

 

Backup Site Server maintenance task can be used to automatically backup Configuration Manager site. When the Configuration Manager backup service runs, it follows the instructions defined in the backup control file (<ConfigMgrInstallationFolder>\Inboxes\Smsbkup.box\Smsbkup.ctl). Backup control file can be modified to change the behavior of the backup service. Site backup status information is written to the Smsbkup.log file. This log file is created in the destination folder that is specified in the Backup Site Server maintenance task properties.

 

Backup / Recovery procedures

Most important is the Backup Site Server Maintenance task. This is by default disabled and must be enabled manually.

Backup Maintenance Task

In this link http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx backup and recovery is described in detail. Make sure that the SCCM Backup Maintenance Task runs every night to produce a backup snapshot of the database AND that the backup snapshot produced is copied over to more secure media, e.g tape, that is stored over a period of time.

 

 

Each time the SCCM Backup Maintenance Task is run it overwrites the previous backup snapshot.

 

From time to time it is a good practice to verify it is possible to restore the backup. This must be done in an offline environment where the servername, sitename and so on can be copied without disturbing the production environment.

 

Volume Shadow Copy Service in SCCM 2012

Configuration Manager backup task uses Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to create backup snapshot. VSS is essentially a framework which facilitates communication between applications, storage subsystems, and storage management applications (including backup applications) in order to define point-in-time copies of storage data. These point-in-time copies, or shadow copies, of site server and site database information are used to backup and restore Configuration Manager sites. By using VSS shadow copies, the Backup ConfigMgr Site Server maintenance task is able to minimize off-line times for site servers.

 

What is SMS Writer Service in SCCM 2012 ?

 

The SMS Writer is a service that interacts with the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) during the backup process. The SMS Writer service must be running for the Configuration Manager site back up to successfully complete.

For more information about SMS Writer Service, follow the Technet Article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_SMSWriterService

 

What is included in the SCCM 2012 backup?

 

A complete backup of a Configuration Manager site server includes the following

1.   The Configuration Manager site database (SQL)

2.   <Installation Folder>\Bin

3.   <Installation Folder>\Inboxes

4.   <Installation Folder>\Logs

5.   <Installation Folder>\Data

6.   <Installation Folder>\srvactt

7.   <Installation Folder>\install.map

8.   HKLM\Software\Microsoft\SMS registry key

 

What is NOT included in the SCCM 2012 backup?

The Backup ConfigMgr Site Server maintenance task does not backup all Configuration Manager files.

·         Some Configuration Manager 2012 site systems contain site data that is easily recreated if the site fails and are not backed up during the site backup process. For example, there is no need to backup data from site systems such as Distribution Points and Management Points.

Note: Depending on the SLA’s, it may be necessary to backup all the Distribution Points in order to get the site up and running in a faster manner.

·         It is not necessary to back up the SQL Server master database when backing up the Configuration Manager Site Database. The Backup ConfigMgr Site Server maintenance task backs up all of the required information for restoring the site from the SQL Server hosting the site database as part of the backup process. The original SQL Server master database is not required for restoring the site database on a new SQL database server.

·         Custom Reporting Services reports are not backed up by the Backup ConfigMgr Site Server maintenance task. Custom reports must be backed up using Reporting Services and Report Server Database files.

·         Content Library must be restored before content is redistributed to distribution points.

·         Package Source Files (including packages for Software Updates) must be restored before the content is updated on distribution points.

·         WSUS doesn’t get backed up using ConfigMgr Site Server maintenance task.

For more information, follow the TechNet article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_SupplementalBackup

How can I Archiving the Backup Snapshot using AfterBackup.bat

The first time the Backup Site Server maintenance task runs, it creates a backup snapshot, which can be used to recover the site server in case of a failure. When the backup task runs again during subsequent cycles, it creates a new backup snapshot that overwrites the previous snapshot. It is recommended to use AfterBackup.bat file for archiving backup snapshot. For more information, follow the TechNet article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_UsingAfterBackup

Where can I Configuring Backup Site Server maintenance task

Backup Site Server maintenance task must be enabled and configured to backup Configuration Manager site automatically as per pre-defined schedule. It copies the backup to a pre-defined location.

For more information about enabling site backup maintenance task, the following TechNet article can be followed: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_BackupMaintenanceTask

How can I Performing Unscheduled Backup in SCCM 2012 ?

It is recommended to perform unscheduled backup of the ConfigMgr site whenever changes are made to the ConfigMgr hierarchy. Unscheduled Backup can be performed by starting the SMS_SITE_BACKUP service on the site server.

How to verify SCCM Backup completed status ?

 

Backup Site Server maintenance task should be verified to see if it is running successfully to ensure that there is enough preparation to recover the site if it fails, and also to help plan for disaster recovery. To do so, check that the time stamps on the files in the backup destination folder created by the Backup Site Server maintenance task match the last time that the maintenance task should have run.

If the time stamps on the files in the backup destination folder do not match the last time that the Backup Site Server maintenance task was scheduled to run, review the SMS_SITE_BACKUP component for warnings and errors. For more information, follow the TechNet article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_BackupMaintenanceTask

Note: After each backup cycle, it is recommended to verify and ensure that backup completed successfully as part of your Daily checks

 

What are the SCCM 2012 Recovery Options available ?

Configuration Manager 2012 recovery is now integrated in the ConfigMgr Setup Wizard. There are multiple options available for recovering

Recovery option for	Recovery option available
Site Server	Recover the site server from a backup Reinstall the site server
Site Database	Recover the site database from a backup Create a new site database Use a site database that has been manually recovered Skip database recovery

Above is the Recovery options Table

 

For more information about Recovery options, follow the TechNet article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_DetermineRecoveryOptions

What are the Post Recovery Tasks to be done in SCCM 2012

What are the Post Recovery checks for SCCM 2012

After the site has been recovered, there are few post-recovery tasks that must be performed to complete the site recovery.

Re-enter User Accounts Passwords: User account passwords for the user accounts specified in the site must be re-entered, because all the passwords are reset during site recovery.

Reinstall Hotfixes: Any hotfixes which were applied to the site server must be reinstalled.

Recover Custom Reports: All the custom reports need to be re-imported.

Recover Content Files: Content library and package source files must be restored on the original locations.

For more information, follow the Technet Article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_PostRecovery

 

What are the Scenarios for SCCM infrastructure recovery was tested by myself

What are the SCCM Recovery options available or situations that may encounter

There are few things to keep in mind while planning Backup and Recovery procedures for SCCM infrastructure.

1.     Disaster Recovery has only been tested in a “Single Server – Single Primary” scenario. This includes ConfigMgr 2012 Primary Site and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP1 R2 CU6 running on same server(in my test Case).

2.     The following table lists the disaster recovery scenarios have been successfully tested

S. No	Scenario	Recovery Process	Wizard Selection	Result
1	SCCM: Running SQL: Down	SCCM: None SQL: SCCM Site Maintenance Backup	SCCM: None DB: Recover the site database from a backup	Success
2	SCCM: Running SQL: Down	SCCM: None SQL: Manual SQL Backup	SCCM: None DB: Use a site database that has been manually recovered	Success
3	SCCM: Down SQL: Running	SCCM: SCCM Site Maintenance Backup SQL: None	SCCM: Recover the site server from a backup SQL: Skip database recovery	Success
4	SCCM: Down SQL: Down	SCCM: Site Maintenance Backup SQL: Manual SQL Backup	SCCM: Recover the site server from a backup SQL: Use a site database that has been manually recovered	Success
5	SCCM: Down SQL: Down	SCCM: New Site SQL: Manual SQL Backup	SCCM: Reinstall the site server SQL: Use a site database that has been manually recovered	Success
6	SCCM: Down SQL: Down	SCCM: New Site SQL: Site Maintenance Backup	SCCM: Reinstall the site server SQL: Recover the site database from a backup	Success
7	SCCM: Down SQL: Down	SCCM: Site Maintenance Backup SQL: New DB	SCCM: Recover the site server from a backup SQL: Create a new site database	Not Possible
8	SCCM: Down SQL: Down	SCCM: Site Maintenance Backup SQL: Site Maintenance Backup	SCCM: Recover the site server from a backup SQL: Recover the site database from a backup	Success

Tested scenarios of SCCM 2012

 

The options mentioned in the Wizard selection can be seen in the following screenshot. Detailed description about each option is available at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712697.aspx#BKMK_DetermineRecoveryOptions

 

The above would be mostly covered the SCCM 2012 Back and Recovery

SCCM 2012 Client Settings – Explained

SCCM 2012 Client Settings – Explained

Use client settings in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager to configure user and device settings for the hierarchy. Client settings include configuration options such as the hardware inventory and schedule, and the polling schedule for client policy.

All Configuration Manager clients in the hierarchy use the Default Client Settings that are automatically created when installing Configuration Manager. However, modification to the default client settings can be done and custom client settings can be created to override the default client settings for specific users or devices.

When creating a set of custom client settings, it must be assigned to one or more collections for the settings to be applied to the collection members. If applying multiple sets of custom client settings to the same user or device, the order in which these settings are applied can be configured according to the order that is specified. Custom device or user settings with an Order value of 1 are always processed last and will override any other configurations. The Default Client Settings has a permanent order of 10,000, which ensures it is always applied before any custom settings are applied. When there is a conflict of settings, the client setting that was applied last (with the lower order value) overrides any previous settings.

Custom client settings can be created at the central administration site or from any primary site in the hierarchy. Custom settings replicate to all sites in the hierarchy.

For information about how to configure client settings see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682067

Below a very short summary is shown.

Figure Client Settings

 

See the below only as proposals, each value should be evaluated at each account.

Configuration Manager Activity	Frequency	Comment
Background Intelligent Transfer	N/A	Specifies if clients should be limited when using BITS to download software
Cloud Services	N/A	Not used in my case, as I my client requirements I should follow :(
Client Policy	Default to 60 minutes, lower this for better response times	Specifies how often clients should check for new policies at their MP
Compliance settings	Default to 7 days, reduce if needed	See document CCM42-164 Compliance Settings Configuration.docx
Computer Agent	N/A	See the specs here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682067#BKMK_ComputerAgentDeviceSettings
Computer Restart	N/A	When you specify these computer restart settings, ensure that the value for the restart temporary notification interval and the value for the final countdown interval are shorter in duration than the shortest maintenance window that is applied to the computer.
Endpoint Protection	Disabled	Not used in my case, as I my client requirements I should follow :(
Hardware Inventory	Default to 7 days	Recommended to set 3 days or less
Metered Internet Connections	N/A	Not used in my case, as I my client requirements I should follow :(
Enrollment	N/A	Not used in my case, as I my client requirements I should follow :(
Network Access Protection		Not used in my case, as I my client requirements I should follow :(
Power Management		See doc CCM42-197 Power Management.docx
Remote Tools		Not used in my case, as I my client requirements I should follow L
Software Deployment	Default to 7 days, can be reduced if needed	Specify at what schedule clients re-evaluates its deployments.
Software Inventory	Default to 7 days	Recommended to set 3 days or less
Software Metering	Default to 7 days
Software Updates	Default	See doc CCM42-084 Patch Management.docx
State Messaging	Default 15 minutes	Specifies the schedule for when state messages is forwarded in the hierarchy
User and Device Affinity		Not used in my case, as I my client requirements I should follow :( at moment, described here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682067#BKMK_UserDeviceAffinityDeviceSettings

Above are configuration for my one of client as Examples on Client settings

How to Configure Request Filtering for IIS in SCCM 2012

How to Configure Request Filtering for IIS in SCCM 2012

By default, IIS blocks several file name extensions and folder locations from access by HTTP or HTTPS communication. If package source files contain extensions that are blocked in IIS, these must configure in the request Filtering section of the applicationHost.config file on distribution point /Points Server.

The following file name extensions are used by SCCM / Configuration Manager for packages and applications. Allow the following file name extensions on distribution points:

·         .PCK

·         .PKG

·         .STA

·         .TAR

For example, there might be source files for a software deployment that include a folder named bin, or that contain a file with the .mdb file name extension. By default, IIS request filtering blocks access to these elements. When using the default IIS configuration on a distribution point, clients that use BITS fail to download this software deployment from the distribution point. In this scenario, the clients indicate that they are waiting for content. To enable the clients to download this content by using BITS, on each applicable distribution point, edit the requestFiltering section of the applicationHost.config file to allow access to the files and folders in the software deployment.

Important: Modifications to the requestFiltering section apply to all websites on that server. This configuration increases the attack surface of the computer. The security best practice is to run Configuration Manager on a dedicated web server. If other applications must run on the web server, use a custom website for Configuration Manager.

Configure request filtering for IIS on distribution points if required

1.     On[SL1]  the distribution point computer, open the applicationHost.config file located in the %Windir%\System32\Inetsrv\Config\ directory

2.     Search for the <requestFiltering> section

3.     Determine the file name extensions and folder names that will be in the packages on this distribution point. For each extension and folder name required, perform the following steps

·         If it is listed as a fileExtension element, set the value for allowed to true

For example, if content contains a file with an .mdb extension, change the line <add fileExtension=".mdb" allowed="false" /> to <add fileExtension=".mdb" allowed="true" />

Note: Allow only the file name extensions required for content

·         If it is listed as a <hiddenSegments> element, delete the entry that matches the file name extension or folder name from the file

For example, if content contains a folder with the label of bin, remove the line <add segment=”bin” /> from the file

4.     Save and close the applicationHost.config file to complete the configuration

Allow Double Spacing if Required

1.     Launch Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager and navigate to Default Web Site

2.     In the middle section, scroll down to Management section and double click on Configuration Editor

3.     In the Section drop down list select system.webServer/security/requestFiltering and change allowDoubleEscaping to True

4.     In the Actions pane click Apply then close IIS

 

---

 [SL1]This can be done from the GUI and set on a particular site. Should we describe that inste

ad?

Disk Space considerations for SCCM 2012

Disk Space considerations for SCCM 2012

What should be the SCCM 2012 Disk Space

Because disk allocation and configuration contributes to the performance of System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, disk space requirements can be greater than for previous product versions. In general I follow this as base line information or guidelines that determine the amount of disk space System Center Configuration Manager 2012 requires.

Note:- Because each Configuration Manager environment is different, these values can vary from the following guidance.

For the best performance, place each object on a separate, dedicated RAID volume. For all data volumes (Configuration Manager and its database files), use RAID 10 for the best performance.

 

Data usage	Minimum disk space1	25,000 clients	50,000 clients	100,000 clients
Operating system	See guidance for the operating system.	See guidance for the operating system.	See guidance for the operating system.	See guidance for the operating system.
Configuration Manager Application and Log Files	25 GB	50 GB	100 GB	200 GB
Site database .mdf file	75 GB for every 25,000 clients	75 GB	150 GB	300 GB
Site database .ldf file	25 GB for every 25,000 clients	25 GB	50 GB	100 GB
Temp database files (.mdf and .ldf)	As needed	As needed	As needed	As needed
Content (distribution point shares)	As needed	As needed	As needed	As needed

 

1 The minimum disk space does not include the space required for source content that is located on the site server.

In addition to the preceding guidance, consider the following general guidelines when you plan for disk space requirements:

·       Each client requires approximately 3 MB of space in the database

·       When planning for the size of the Temp database for a primary site, plan for a size that is 25% to 30% of the site database .mdf file. The actual size can be significantly smaller, or larger, and depends on the performance of the site server and the volume of incoming data over both short and long periods of time.

 

This information is gathered from here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh846235.aspx