Configuration - Creating Shares for DP's

*** This should be done before ANY roles are assigned. ***

Go to the largest drive on the server where you wish to have a DP. Create a folder and name it whatever you want. I prefer to name them in the following fashion:

[Location Code]_DP_Share_[Physical Location]$ ($ so you get a hidden share)

(Remember, you can create a share DP on any server - it doesn't have to be an SMS box... a good way to distribute loads.)

So... for a box for Location Z13, on the server named PHData01, the name of the DP share would be:

Z13_DP_Share_PHData01$

Bring up the properties of this folder, click the [Sharing] tab and then click the [Permissions] button. Default is "Everyone" having "Read" permissions. Remember that SMS 2003 really likes the "Everyone" account. Give it full rights. (These are share permissions so don't freak out - check your SMS main folder and you will see that the installation sets all the shares up this way.) Click [OK] and then [Apply].

Now click on the [Security] tab. For a distribution point on a site server, you will need to add in the "SMS_SiteSystemToSiteServerConnection_[LOC CODE]" local account to this list with "Full Control" permissions. For a Distribution Point on a server share, I've found you can get away with just adding your site server account to the local admins group and it will work fine. Remember that one of the prerequisites for a Distribution Point is IIS with BITS enabled. This MUST be present on a server on which you plan to house a DP share.

Now, open up the SMS Administrator Console and expand Site Database > Site Hierarchy > [Location] > Site Settings and click on Site Systems to see current sites. For a new site you should only see the box holding the SMS instance on which you are currently working.

Right click on Site Systems, select New and Server Share. Click on the [Set] button and input your share's information as indicated on that dialog box. Click [OK]. Click on the [Distribution Point] button and check the box "Use this site system as a distribution point." If you are using BITS (and I suggest you do) check that box also. Click [Apply] and [OK].

That's the basics on how to do this. There are other things you can do, so read about them!

Reporting - Charts

FYI.

If you want to utilize the charting functions within the SMS 2003 reporting module, you must load the Microsoft Office Web Components onto the machine hosting the reports.

You can download it here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7287252C-402E-4F72-97A5-E0FD290D4B76&displaylang=en

Share Accounts - "Everyone"

OH MY......

SMS 2003 LOVES the "Everyone" account.

Don't try applying the control of "least privileges" when creating shares that need to be accessed by SMS. It doesn't like them....

When assigning permissions to shares which must be accessed by SMS, be sure to model them after the shares which the application creates on its own - mainly... give "Everyone" full permissions in the share tab. (Mind you, this does NOT mean the Security tab.)

You will have much more hair left if you do.

Exception 04/14/2005: Through some testing, I have found that you can assign "Everyone" "Read" permissions for shares assigned for backup puposes.

Configuration - DP Shares

OMG....

Okay, so one thing that seems to be missing from a lot of SMS 2003 documentation (or it is quite buried) is the way SMS treats Distribution Points:

If you set your DP's to reside on any site system, SMS will check the available space on that systems available drives. It then picks which drive has the most available space and creates the DP share there... wonderful, right?

Nope.....

As you fill that share with packages, SMS is continually tracking the available space and comparing it to other drives on the same system. (Well.... it's not really buried or hidden, the ramifications of what actually happens is just NOT spelled out.)

Should the originally selected drive become smaller than another drive on the system, SMS will find the "new" drive with the most available space and create a share there also....

Result: Your packages will be all over the place, instead of in one central location. Nice huh?

Solution: Create a share on your largest drive and declare that a DP.

How to do this in another post......