SCCM Distribution Point Setup: A PowerShell Prerequisite Script

Checking Distribution Point Prerequisites with PowerShell

Before promoting a server to a Configuration Manager Distribution Point role, it’s worth confirming the server actually has every prerequisite Windows feature and firewall port in place — a failed or partial DP install because of a missing IIS component or BITS feature is a common, avoidable source of wasted time. Rather than manually checking each requirement (IIS with the right role services, BITS Server Extensions, WebDAV where required, and the correct inbound firewall rules for HTTP/HTTPS and the content transfer ports), a PowerShell script that checks and reports on all of them in one pass saves a lot of back-and-forth, especially if you’re standing up several new DPs at once. Grab the pre-requisite check script from the link below, run it on the target server before you attempt the DP role install in the Configuration Manager console, and fix anything it flags as missing first. It’s far quicker to resolve a missing Windows feature up front than to troubleshoot a half-installed Distribution Point role afterwards.

Still Current on Configuration Manager 2603 (Updated for 2026)

The prerequisite list here (IIS with the correct role services, BITS Server Extensions, WebDAV where required, and the matching firewall rules) is unchanged for a Distribution Point role install on the current Configuration Manager release (2603). One thing worth checking that’s easy to miss on a freshly-built current-generation server: confirm the .NET Framework version required by your specific Configuration Manager build is already installed before running the pre-req script, since a missing .NET component can produce IIS role-service errors that look unrelated to their actual cause.

Resources

• Download SCCM Distribution Point Pre-Req Script
• guide