Let’s understand how to use the SCCM Content Library Cleanup Tool (ContentLibraryCleanup.exe). The SCCM DP content library cleanup is to help the admin to remove the orphaned content. This tool helps to avoid hacking around WMI to remove orphaned content.
Well, ContentLibraryCleanup.exe is NOT a GUI-based tool instead it’s a command-line tool. I don’t like command-line tools because it’s easy to make mistakes. So, you need to be a very clear understanding of the parameters of the ConfigMgr Content Library Cleanup Tool.
Related Post – How To Use ConfigMgr Content Library Explorer Tool and How to Monitor SCCM DP using Job Queue Manager Tool
Requirements
Let’s me put the warning (This tool should be run with care) as part of the prerequisite because it contains details of permissions required to run the Content Library Cleanup Tool.
The following are some of the critical requirements/prerequisites to run this tool.
- Administrative access to the distribution point.
- “Full Administrator” RBAC role.
- “All” scope.
- If you are running the tool remotely, please ensure your network is secure.
- The tool is running in What-If mode and will not alter the content library.
- The tool doesn’t support removing content from the site server, which has a single content library.
- The tool doesn’t support a content-enabled cloud management gateway or a cloud-based distribution point.
Where is ContentLibraryCleanup.exe
The Content Library Cleanup Tool command-line tool is part of the CD.latest folder.
- F:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\cd.latest\SMSSETUP\TOOLS\ContentLibraryCleanup\ContentLibraryCleanup.exe
How to Use SCCM Content Library Cleanup Tool
You can copy the ContentLibraryCleanup.exe from the site server to the remote DP. Once copied to a remote distribution point you can run the tool from that DP server.
The following are some of the examples that you can use:
| Scenario | Command Line Example | Details |
|---|---|---|
| What-If @ DP | ContentLibraryCleanup.exe /dp DPserver1.MEMCM.com | DP Server FQDN |
| What-If @ Secondary server DP | ContentLibraryCleanup.exe /dp DPserver1.MEMCM.com /ps PrimaryMEMCM.com /sc ABC | Primary Server FQDN and Primary server site code |
| Deletion @ DP | ContentLibraryCleanup.exe /dp DPServer.MEMCM.com /delete | Remote DP FQDN |
| Silent Switch to Delete @ DP | ContentLibraryCleanup.exe /q /dp DPServer.MEMCM.com /delete | /q silent switch |
| Enable Logging with What-If | ContentLibraryCleanup.exe /dp DPServer.MEMCM.com /log C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop | /log to enable logging |
| Enable Logging with Deletion | ContentLibraryCleanup.exe /dp DPServer.MEMCM.com /delete /log C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop | /Log /Delete deletion with logging |
What if Option with Content Cleanup Tool
First, we need to analyze the content from the DP to reduce the risk. You can use the What-if mode to identify the orphaned content that would be deleted from the distribution point.
I recommend running the what-if mode of the Content Library Cleanup tool before doing the actual deletion. The following are the steps completed by the content library cleanup tool with the What-If parameter:
- Are you sure you want to proceed (What-If mode)? ‘y’ = yes / ‘n’ = no :: Y
- Gathering information…
- Loading information from distribution point…
- Analyzing local files, 0.00% complete…
- Analyzing local files, 100.00% complete…
- Loading package data from provider…
- Loading local package data…
- Loading distributed packages from provider…
- System.InvalidOperationException: This content library cannot be cleaned up right now because package MEM00020 is not fully installed.
Errors with Content Library Cleanup Tool
There is an error with What-If mode as you can notice in the above screenshot. You need to complete the package distribution before you can proceed with the use of the SCCM DP content library cleanup tool. One more error is shown in the screenshot below.
NOTE! – If any of the package distribution is failed, then you can’t run this tool. You need to fix the package distribution to the DP and then you can run the cleanup tool.
Content Library Cleanup Tool Error – System.InvalidOperationException: This content library cannot be cleaned up right now because package MEM00020 is not fully installed.
Primary and DP on same server Error – Approximately 0 bytes would have been freed if this tool was run in delete mode. Because this distribution point is co-located with its site server, packages may correctly exist in the content library that is not distributed to the distribution point. Package deletion has been disabled.
Resources
SCCM package distribution failed to remote DP
Author
Anoop C Nair is Microsoft MVP! He is a Device Management Admin with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. He writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc.