# MECM Architecture

## Site Hierarchy

### Central Administration Site (CAS)

The Central Administration Site sits on top of the MECM hierarchy and is used in very large environments that have multiple primary sites. Its role includes:

* Providing centralized administration across multiple primary sites
* Allowing global configuration and policy management

### Primary Site

The Primary Site contains all the [Core Components](#core-components) that will be covered below. Most organizations operate with just one site, but larger organizations with multiple remote locations may have Secondary Sites.

### Secondary Site

The Secondary site is used to improve MECM performance in remote locations.

Note that Secondary Sites do not have their own Site Database - they rely on the primary site's database.

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## Core Components

### Site Server

The Site Server is the control center of MECM. Its role includes:

* Processing administrative actions from the MECM console (a management app installed on a workstation/server)
* Creating policies for clients
* Coordinating communication between MECM components
* Interacting with the SCCM database

### Site Database

The Site Database is a Microsoft SQL database that stores all of MECM's data. All SCCM components read and write from/to this database. It stores info such as:

* Device and user inventory
* Software deployment information
* Configuration policies
* Status and reporting data

### Management Point (DP)

The Management Point is the server that manages communication between clients and MECM. Its role includes:

* Sending policies and instructions to clients
* Receiving inventory and status messages from clients
* Tells clients which Distribution Point to download content from

A site can contain more than one Management Point.

### Distribution Point (DP)

The Distribution Point stores and distributes content that clients need to download. Its role includes:

* Hosting software packages and applications
* Storing operating system images for deployment
* Distributing updates and configuration packages
* Providing content for client downloads during deployments

A site can contain more than one Distribution Point.