Henk's blog: High Availability (HA) in ConfigMgr 2007

In ConfigMgr 2007 it is difficult to have a true High Availability (HA) solution. This because it isn't supported yet in ConfigMgr 2007; we must wait for ConfigMgr 2012 for that. There are possibilities however with dividing roles on multiple servers, or install it on a Virtual Machine. Then there will be possibilities with VMware ESX (VMotion) or Microsoft Hyper-V (Live Migration) to create a HA environment. ConfigMgr 2007 is not HA then, but the platform on which it's running is.

First have a look at the roles/components available:

SMS Provider: The interface between the Configuration Manager console and the site database;

Management Point (MP): The site system role that serves as the primary point of contact between Configuration Manager clients and the Configuration Manager site server;

Proxy Management Point (PMP): A management point residing in a secondary site that proxies most MP data between clients within that site and the primary site where they are assigned;

Server Locator Point (SLP): A site system role that locates management points for Configuration Manager clients;

Fallback Status Point (FSP): A site system role that gathers state messages from clients that cannot install properly, cannot assign to a Configuration Manager site, or cannot communicate securely with their assigned management point;

Reporting Point (RP): A site system role hosts the Report Viewer component for Web-based reporting functionality;

Reporting Services Point (RSP): A site system role assigned to a computer running SQL Server Reporting Services. It provides tools and resources that enable advanced report generation from the Configuration Manager console;

Software Update Point (SUP): A site system role that is used to integrate with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS);

Distribution Point (DP): A site system role that stores package source files for deployment to clients;

Protected Distribution Point (PDP): A Configuration Manager distribution point that has boundaries configured to prevent clients outside the boundaries from retrieving packages;

Branch Distribution Point (BDP): A Configuration Manager site system that stores package source files and is designed to be located in a distributed location with limited network bandwidth or a limited number of clients;

Asset Intelligence Synchronization Point (AISP): A site role that is used to connect to System Center Online to manage Asset Intelligence catalog information updates;

System Health Validator Point (SHV): Used with Network Access Protection to provide remediation;

Out of Band Service Point (OoBSP): A site system role that discovers, provisions, and manages desktop computers that have management controllers (Intel Active Management Technology (AMT)-based computers);

PXE Service Point (PSP): A site system role that has been configured to respond to and initiate operating system deployments from computers whose network adapter is configured to allow PXE boot requests;

State Migration Point (SMP): A site system role that stores user state data when a new system is built for that user.
Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT): Have a look at this for the possibilities: MDT integration in ConfigMgr 2007

It's also good to know that large environments needs a Central Site for managing other ConfigMgr Sites:

A Central Site is a ConfigMgr Primary Site that resides at the top of the ConfigMgr hierarchy. All Database information rolls from the child to the parent and is collected by the Central Site’s ConfigMgr Database. The Central Site can administer any site below it in the hierarchy and can send data down to those sites as well.

When setting up a new ConfigMgr-HA environment, think about this:

If a Central Site is needed, then use it only for the SUP role and maybe the SLP role. It's a best practice not to use the Central Site server to manage clients. Rather, use the Central Site server as an empty root with a Child Primary beneath it to manage any clients within the same site location or site boundary;

If a Primary Site server is needed, devide the ConfigMgr setup and ConfigMgr database on different servers. Install the RSP role on the ConfigMgr database server then;

SMS Provider: Can be installed on the Central Site server and/or Primary Site server. It cannot be installed on a clustered SQL server database server or on the same computer as the SMS Provider for another site. There can be only one SMS Provider installed per site;

Management Point: Must be installed on the Primary Site server, not on the Central Site server. It is possible to use Network Load Balancing (NLB) for this role, if they are in the same subnet;

Reporting Services Point: Instead of installing the RP role on the ConfigMgr server, the RSP role can be installed on the (clustered) SQL server;

Software Update Point: Can be installed on the Central Site server and/or Primary Site server. It is possible to use NLB for this role, if they are in the same subnet;

Distribution Point: Can be installed on the Primary Site server, but don't use it on the Central Site server. Most of times installing multiple DP's is the best option, because NLB is not supported for this role;

PXE Service Point: Can be installed on the Primary Site server, but don't use it on the Central Site server. There can be only one PSP role installed per site.