Installing Site System Roles : Fallback Status Point

The fallback status point role helps address today’s greater security requirements while enabling a mechanism to catch clients that are not communicating properly. When deploying clients it is critical to know if problems are being encountered. Typically these problems are reported to the management point in the form of status or state messages. When installing the client, there is a time when it is not possible to send data to the management point. In addition, there may be problems reaching the management point even after install. In such cases, if the client does not have a mechanism to notify the site of problems, it will become orphaned and unusable. The fallback status point role provides an administrator with insight into the installation and management of a client and works well because the location of the fallback status point is configurable on the command line when client installation is initiated.

A fallback status point is similar to a proxy server that proxies client status messages up to the site server. Two types of messages may occur: the normal messages that appear during client installation and assignment or those identifying unhealthy Configuration Manager 2012 R2 clients. In either scenario, the fallback status point fills the gap and shows the administrator that there are client issues that need to be addressed. 

Because of the potential security threat of an unknown client or client status, it is recommended that the fallback status point be placed outside a physical site server. It can be a low-end server, because of the relatively small number of potential requests it should receive. As in any design decision, the criteria of scale versus risk should be investigated before a decision is made.

Through detailed reporting, an administrator can gain knowledge and take proactive measures to ensure that availability remains in its highest state. These reports include detailed client information on capable and incapable client communication.

Installation of a fallback status point is not a requirement for a site but it is recommended. Typically there is one fallback status point installed per site that hosts clients.

If the fallback status point role has not yet been added, you will need to select it.
1. Choose the site where the fallback status point will be located, and select the status point in the Add Site System Roles Wizard.
2. Click Next to proceed to the Fallback Status Point page of the wizard, shown in Figure

There is little configuration to be done for the fallback status point. The only option is to configure the number of state messages that are allowed to be processed during the given time window. Typically the default values are fine.
3. Make any needed changes, and click Next to complete the wizard.