
In this guide you shall learn how to install new Configuration Manager | Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager | SCCM | ConfigMgr Primary Server. Let’s dive into New ConfigMgr Primary Server Installation Step by Step Guide (LAB setup).
TL;DR
Prerequisites – ConfigMgr Primary Server Installation
The following are the prerequisites of ConfigMgr|SCCM server installation. Before the installation of the new SCCM server read more about “Prepare to install ConfigMgr sites.”
Infra Setup
- Install 2/3 servers with latest operating system – Server 2019 (recommended). More details here.
- Server 1 = Domain Controller
- Server 2 = SQL server
- Server 3 = MEMCM | ConfigMgr | SCCM Primary Server (you can install SQL server on the server 3 as well if you want). More details on ConfigMgr architecture decisions.
Active Directory Setup
- Install Active Directory for your SCCM server infrastructure. More details here.
- Extend AD Schema for SCCM | ConfigMgr. More details “Learn How to Extend AD Schema for SCCM | ConfigMgr | MEMCM.”
- Create System Management Container and grand appropriate access to SCCM primary servers. More Details “Create System Management Container for SCCM | ConfigMgr.”


User & Computer Access Rights Requirements
The user account *SCCM Admin account* that installs the site must have the following rights:
- Administrator on the following servers:
- The site server
- Each server that hosts the site database
- Each instance of the SMS Provider for the site
- Sysadmin on the instance of SQL Server that hosts the site database
- Administrator on additional servers where you install the initial management point and distribution point
NOTE! – More details are available in Microsoft documentation here.

SQL DB Setup
- Install SQL server DB for ConfigMgr | SCCM Server infrastructure. More Details “The Complete Guide for SQL 2017 Installation for SCCM.”

Firewall Ports
- Open Firewall Ports for the new infrastructure. More details about firewall port requirements for SCCM infrastructure.
Install Windows ADK
- Download and Install Windows ADK & WinPE on ConfigMgr primary server. More details “Step by Step Guide to Update Windows ADK and WinPE Versions“

Install WSUS & IIS
- Install WSUS & IIS for primary SCCM server infra. More details Install WSUS for ConfigMgr Software Update Point Role.

Install Remote Differential & BITS
- Install Remote Differential & BITS. More details Install Remote Differential Compression & BITS for ConfigMgr.

NOTE! – More details about SCCM site system related prerequisites are explained in Site system prerequisites.
Download ConfigMgr Latest Version
Download the Configuration Manager Baseline version from:
- Download SCCM Baseline version from VLSC Portal (Paid)
- Download SCCM Baseline version from Evaluation Portal (FREE Version)
- Download SCCM Baseline version from MSDN or Visual Studio (Paid)
Install New ConfigMgr Primary Server
You are ready to install current branch version of SCCM. Let’s install new SCCM primary server infrastructure now!
- Double click on Splash.exe

- Select OK from “How do you want to open this file.”

Here We GO!
- Click on INSTALL button from the following page

Confirm the Requirements Again
- Let’s start Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager | MEMCM Setup Wizard.
- Go through the verification steps again before proceeding. Most of them are listed in the Prerequisite section of this post above.
- Click on NEXT button to continue.

Lets Get Started
- I’m going to go through the standard installation process of Primary Server
- Select the option “Install a Configuration Manager Primary Site“
- Click on NEXT button to continue
NOTE! – I normally install all the other site system roles after the successful installation of Primary server.

ConfigMgr Product Key
- Select product key choice in this page.
- I have ConfigMgr product key hence I selected “Install the Licensed Edition of this product” option
- If you don’t have a product key, feel free to select “Install the Evaluation version of the product” option. This version of SCCM shall be valid only for 180 days.
- Click NEXT

Accept Product License Terms
- ACCEPT product License Terms as you can see below
- Click NEXT

Prerequisite Downloads
- Select the Prerequisite files options from the following page
- Download Required Files
- Use Previously Downloaded Files (Use this option when you don’t have internet access on SCCM server)
- Click NEXT to continue

- Let’s wait until setup finishes “Verifying downloaded prerequisite components”

Server Language Selection
- Select the Server Language
- In my scenario, it’s ENGLISH
- Click on NEXT to continue
NOTE! – You can modify the server languages if you run setup again and select the site Maintenance option.

Client Language Selection
- Select the Client Language
- It’s ENGLISH for me
- Click NEXT to continue

Site and Installation Settings
- In the Site and Installation Settings. You need to decide Site Code, Site Name and Installation Folder before proceeding.
- Site Code (Any Combination of 3 three alpha-numeric digits) = My site code name is MEM
- Don’t Use following name as site code
- AUX, CON, NUL, PRN, and SMS
- Don’t Use following name as site code
- Site Name is the name which helps to identify the site
- Site Name Example – MEMCM Standalone Primary Server for HTMD
- Installation Folder – Specify the folder where you want to store SCCM Inbox and all the other folders
- DO NOT install SCCM on C:\ Drive
- Site Code (Any Combination of 3 three alpha-numeric digits) = My site code name is MEM
- Click on NEXT button

Primary Site Installation
- Primary Server Installation Page:
- Select Install the primary site as a stand-alone site
- Click on NEXT to continue

- Click YES on the pop which provides you a message that you can expand the primary site to a hierarchy at a later time by installing CAS.

SQL Database Connection Settings
- Enter the SQL Database information in this page
- Enter the SQL Server Name (FQDN) => I’m using a Remote SQL Database
- SQLMEMCM.memcm.com
- Enter Instance name – I left it blank because I’m using the default instance of SQL
- Database Name – The DB name shall automatically get populated based on your Site Code name
- CM_MEM
- Don’t change the Service Broker port (in 99% of the Primary server installations) = 4022
- Enter the SQL Server Name (FQDN) => I’m using a Remote SQL Database
- Click on NEXT button to continue

Database Information
- Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM) populates locations for the SQL server data file and transaction log file locations
- Leave the default location already populated by setup wizard (for SQL server)
- Path to the SQL server data file
- F:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\
- Path to the SQL server log file
- F:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\
- Click on NEXT button
- Path to the SQL server data file

Select SMS Provider Server
- You get an option to select SMS Provider Server for your SCCM infra in this page
- SMS providers are used by ConfigMgr console to communicate with the site database
- You can create SMS provider on remote server if you want. For this new standalone ConfigMgr primary server installation, I’m going to with DEFAULT settings and that is the same server as the primary server.
- SMS Provider (FQDN) – CMMEMCM.memcm.com
- Click NEXT to continue

Client Computer Communication Settings
- Configure client computer communication settings
- Configure the communication method on each site system role
- HTTPS (more secure but you might need PKI infra before setting this up)
- HTTP (This is the one which I’m going to use for this installation process)
- Click on NEXT to continue

Site System Roles – MP / DP Installation Options
- I have removed site system role installation to make the primary server installation straight forward. You can install Management Point Role and Distribution Point Role after the successful installation of primary server.
- Click on NEXT to continue

Diagnostic and Usage Data
- Click on NEXT button to continue

Service Connection Point Setup
- Select the Service connection Point server for your SCCM environment. You can install this role on a remote server. But I install SCP role on the primary server it self.
- Use proxy server when synchronizing information from the internet. You can keep the proxy server details blank if the server is connected internet without proxy.
- You have an option to SKIP service connection point setup during the initial setup of Primary server. I install SCP role on the primary server.
- Click on NEXT to continue

Setting Summary
- Check and Confirm all the configuration are correct or not
- Click on NEXT to continue.

Prerequisite Check & Install
- Ignore all the warning for NOW 🙂 in this installation guide
- Click on BEGIN INSTALL button to start the installation

Progress – New ConfigMgr Primary Server Installation
- Let’s check the installation progress and wait for it to complete
- Click on View Log option to check to understand what is happening

Completed the Installation of New Primary Server
- Click on CLOSE button to complete the successful installation of ConfigMgr primary site server

Log File Reference
You can refer to the SCCM log files to understand more details of installation process. The following are the last two lines of log file (ConfigMgrSetup.log) after a successful installation of SCCM primary site server.
- INFO: Setup downloader setupdl.exe: FINISHED
- Exiting ConfigMgr Setup Bootstrapper
Results – Launch Console
- Launch SCCM Console from Start Menu
- The latest version of SCCM is available under \Administration\Overview\Updates and Servicing

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