Do not move the clients until you know whether the primary site can be recovered. If the original site database, site identity and (for the documented reinstall path) the original server name can be restored, recover that same Configuration Manager site. Clients normally keep their assignment and policies. Build a new primary site only when the old hierarchy is genuinely unrecoverable; then recreate or migrate the required objects and reassign or reinstall clients in controlled waves.
Decide: recovery or migration?
| Situation | Correct approach |
|---|---|
| Site server crashed, database and site identity are recoverable | Recover the existing primary site; do not bulk-move clients. |
| A supported Configuration Manager site-server backup exists | Use Setup’s Recover a site workflow and restore the backup. |
| Site server is gone but the site database is intact and no site-server backup exists | Use Reinstall the site server with the original site identity and database. |
| SQL database was lost but a valid SQL backup exists | Restore the database first, then complete site recovery. |
| Standalone primary site and both server and database are irrecoverable | Build a new hierarchy and migrate or reinstall clients. |
| Primary site is under a CAS and its database was lost | Use the supported CAS recovery path, then check replication and policy health. |
| Only a management point or distribution point failed | Rebuild or add that site-system role; do not change every client’s site assignment. |
Microsoft’s recovery procedure is documented at Recover a Configuration Manager site. Migration planning and client-version rules are covered in Microsoft’s client migration strategy.
What to collect before rebuilding anything
- The original three-character site code.
- The original site-server hostname and fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
- SQL Server name, site-database name and the latest SQL backup.
- Configuration Manager version and latest cumulative update.
- An offline copy of the old site’s matching
CD.Latestfolder. - Site backup location, backup date and restore credentials.
- Management-point, distribution-point and software-update-point names.
- Boundaries, boundary groups and site-assignment relationships.
- PKI certificates and private keys when HTTPS is used.
- Trusted root key, site-signing material, service accounts, SQL permissions, firewall rules and network ports.
- CAS relationship, if present, plus the client installation source and deployment method.
The recovery source must match the site’s installed version and update level. Microsoft recommends keeping CD.Latest outside the Configuration Manager installation directory.
Scenario A: recover the original primary site
Recovery preserves the original site code, database, configuration and client authority. If only the site server failed and the separate SQL database is healthy, rebuilding the site server may be all that is required.
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Server and identity requirements
Provision a supported Windows Server, install prerequisites and SQL connectivity components, and restore the replacement computer’s administrator and computer-account permissions. For Microsoft’s documented Reinstall the site server option, the replacement computer must use the original hostname and FQDN. If that name cannot be reused, do not treat a differently named installation as an equivalent recovery: clean up DNS and Active Directory only as part of an approved identity-restoration plan, or open a Microsoft support case. A new installation with another name is a migration.
Run the recovery wizard
- Use the matching source and start
<CD.Latest>SMSSETUPBINX64Setup.exe. - Choose Recover a site.
- Select Recover the site server using an existing backup when a valid site-server backup is available.
- Choose Reinstall the site server when the database is intact but the server itself was lost.
- Choose database recovery when the SQL database must be restored; skip database recovery only when it is known to be intact and the selected scenario permits that choice.
- Enter the original site code and database name when Setup requests them.
- Restore or validate management points, distribution points and other site-system roles.
- Confirm SQL connectivity, component status, management-point registration and replication.
- Test policy retrieval on a small client sample before declaring recovery complete.
The exact wizard choices depend on whether the site server, database or both were lost; there is no single recovery path for every crash.
CAS-specific policy issue
After recovering a primary site from a CAS, clients can fail to receive policy if the Object Replication Manager or Policy Provider registry “Last Row Version” is ahead of the database rowversion. Microsoft’s advanced procedure uses select min(rowversion) from CI_CIAssignments and then corrects the relevant registry value after stopping the specified services. Follow the procedure at Clients don’t receive policy data after primary-site recovery; it is not a routine client-migration step.
Scenario B: build a new primary site
A new primary site is a new management authority, even if it uses a similar server name. It does not inherit the old database, deployments or client identities automatically.
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Recreate the destination foundation
- Primary site, management point and distribution point.
- Software update point, products, classifications and synchronization.
- Boundaries, boundary groups and site-assignment rules.
- Client communication ports, certificates, trusted root and HTTPS configuration.
- Client settings, discovery methods, collections and collection memberships.
- Applications, packages, task sequences, boot images and PXE.
- Baselines, compliance settings, software updates and deployments.
- Reporting services point, cloud management gateway and state migration point where used.
Use Microsoft’s migration planning checklist to identify objects that must be migrated or recreated. Inventory and compliance history is not transferred wholesale; clients submit fresh data after registering with the destination hierarchy.
Distribution-point caveat
If a distribution point is also a Configuration Manager client, reassign that client to the destination primary site. This is especially important for pull-distribution points. See Microsoft’s distribution-point installation guidance.
Reassign or reinstall Windows clients
Client movement is necessary only when devices will be managed by a different primary site or hierarchy. A recovered site with the same identity normally needs no bulk reassignment. Roaming to another network does not change site assignment.
Same supported client version
Use the destination site’s current Client folder and run:
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CCMSetup.exe SMSSITECODE=ABCReplace ABC with the real destination site code. The code must exist; a nonexistent code causes assignment to fail.
Specify installation source and initial management point
CCMSetup.exe /mp:mp01.contoso.com SMSMP=mp01.contoso.com SMSSITECODE=ABC/mp:tellsCCMSetup.exewhere to find client-installation content.SMSMP=sets the installed client’s initial management point.SMSSITECODE=assigns the client to the destination primary site.
Place CCMSetup.exe parameters before client MSI properties, and do not use an arbitrarily old client package.
Different version, damaged client or hierarchy change
- For compatible hierarchy versions, reassignment can generally occur without a full uninstall; a required version change may perform an upgrade or reinstall.
- For a damaged or noncommunicating client, use
CCMSetup.exe /forceinstall SMSSITECODE=ABC. This does not repair DNS, certificates, boundaries or firewall access. - When crossing hierarchies, remove an obsolete trusted root only when required:
CCMSetup.exe RESETKEYINFORMATION=TRUE. - Uninstall explicitly with
CCMSetup.exe /uninstallonly when troubleshooting or a documented migration design requires it.
Microsoft documents these properties in CCMSetup client installation properties and version compatibility in its migration strategy guidance.
Automatic assignment
CCMSetup.exe SMSSITECODE=AUTO SITEREASSIGN=TRUEAUTO depends on correctly published discovery information, boundaries, boundary groups, management points and fallback behavior. Overlapping or incorrect boundaries can assign a client to the wrong site. Do not combine this approach with CCMHOSTNAME for internet-based clients; assign those devices directly and validate CMG, PKI or Microsoft Entra authentication requirements.
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For assignment behavior, see Microsoft’s Assign clients to a site and its notes on Active Directory-published installation properties.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Deploy the change in controlled waves
- Test with IT-owned devices.
- Move one boundary group or office.
- Expand to a small production collection.
- Continue in regional or business-unit waves.
- Keep an exception collection for inactive, failed or duplicate records.
Use client push, Group Policy startup scripts, software distribution, software-update-based installation, an RMM tool or a scheduled task. Manual execution is suitable for a small emergency population. Phasing limits management-point load, bandwidth spikes and simultaneous inventory or compliance submissions.
Verify that a client is really managed
- In the Configuration Manager Control Panel applet, confirm Client: Yes and the destination Site Code.
- Confirm a management point is listed and that Actions populate.
- Request machine policy, then test an application and software-update deployment.
- In the console, confirm the device is active in the destination site.
- Review
ccmsetup.logfor installation or reassignment,LocationServices.logfor management-point location,ClientLocation.logfor site assignment,CcmExec.logfor client activity, andPolicyAgent.log/PolicyEvaluator.logfor policy processing.
Troubleshoot clients that do not move
Old site code remains
Check that the command ran, the code is correct and exists, and ccmsetup.log completed. Review Active Directory-published properties and old policy that may be overwriting installation settings. For a hierarchy move, check trusted-root information and management-point reachability.
Client is installed but unmanaged
Installation alone is not assignment. Check DNS, boundary membership, boundary-group site assignment, HTTP/HTTPS reachability, firewall ports, client certificates and the trusted root. Use LocationServices.log and ClientLocation.log to identify the failed link.
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Policy is blank after recovery
Verify SQL, replication and management-point health first. If the primary was recovered from a CAS, use Microsoft’s row-version troubleshooting procedure rather than repeatedly reinstalling clients.
Duplicate devices appear
A new client identity can create a second console record. Do not delete records indiscriminately; first confirm that the replacement client has registered and decide which record is authoritative.
HTTPS or internet clients fail
Validate certificate subject/SAN, issuing CA trust, private keys, HTTPS ports, CMG settings and the appropriate internet properties. Do not switch to HTTP merely to bypass an unassessed certificate problem.
Content cannot be located
Check distribution-point health, boundary-group content associations and package distribution. A successful site assignment does not restore missing content.
Quick Recap
Prevent the next outage
- Schedule Configuration Manager site backups and separate SQL backups.
- Store copies off the site server, with immutable or otherwise protected retention.
- Document site code, hostnames, FQDNs, database names, certificates, trusted-root material and service accounts.
- Keep an offline, version-matched
CD.Latestcopy. - Maintain redundant management points and distribution points where practical.
- Monitor component status, SQL health, replication, client activity and backup success.
- Perform a recovery exercise periodically, including client policy and deployment tests.
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