Extending the Active Directory Schema

When you are migrating from Configuration Manager 2007 and you already have extended the Active Directory schema, you do not have to extend it again. The Active Directory schema of Configuration Manager 2007 is the same for Configuration Manager 2012. The schema extensions for Configuration Manager 2012 are unchanged.

When planning the extension of the Active Directory schema for Configuration Manager 2012, you need to take into account that several site roles require the extension.

Extending Active Directory is not part of the installation process; when extending you can publish the Configuration Manager site information into Active Directory automatically. Extending the Active Directory schema is done by executing a separate executable; 

Extending the Active Directory schema is optional, but for some features extending it is required. Table  provides the list of Configuration Manager 2012 features that require an extended Active Directory schema or need it optionally.

Feature	Schema	Extension Description
Client installation	Optional	When installing or pushing a new Configuration Manager client, the client will default search Active Directory for information about the Configuration Manager 2012 environment. Searching Active Directory provides such information as where the management point resides and the Configuration Manager site name. If you don’t want to extend Active Directory, you can install the client with installation parameters such as SMSMP, or you can publish the management point in DNS and in WINS.
Automatic site assignments/ global roaming	Optional	If you don’t want to extend Active Directory, you need to publish the management point in WINS.Otherwise, the Configuration Manager client won’t find the management point and cannot communicate with the site servers.
TCP port configuration for client-to-server communication	Optional	When you install a Configuration Manager client, it is configured with information about the TCP ports that are used to communicate with the site servers.
Network Access Protection	Required	Configuration Manager publishes health state information to Active Directory; this way the system health validator point can validate whether a client is healthy.

Microsoft best practice is to extend Active Directory with the Configuration Manager schema. Also be sure that the primary site servers have access to the Systems Management container in Active Directory.