Question about moving Content Library to a different drive on Distribution Point

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Question about moving Content Library to a different drive on Distribution Point

Sang Min RA/나상민 0

Hello,

We are currently operating a Configuration Manager Distribution Point (DP) server.

We have encountered an issue where the system drive (C:) is running out of disk space, which is causing content distribution/synchronization errors.

We would like to clarify the following regarding the Content Library:

Is it supported to configure the Content Library on a different drive (e.g. D: or E:) instead of the system drive when operating a DP?
If the DP is already installed and the Content Library is currently located on the C: drive, is it possible to change the location to another drive?
If changing the location is supported, what is the recommended method? (e.g. using Content Library Transfer tool or any other supported approach)

We want to confirm the best practice for separating the OS drive and content storage for a Distribution Point.

Thank you for your support.

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Answer 1

Yes, it is supported (and recommended) to host the Distribution Point content library on a non‑system drive such as D: or E:. When configuring a distribution point, content locations for the content library and package share can be set so that Configuration Manager uses other drives instead of the OS drive. By default, when set to Automatic, Configuration Manager selects the drive with the most free space as the primary content location and then uses additional drives as needed, keeping a configurable Drive space reserve (MB) on each drive.
If the DP is already installed and the content library is on C:, the location can be changed to another drive after installation. Drive settings cannot be changed directly in the DP properties once installation is complete, but the content library itself can be moved.
The supported and recommended method to move the content library from one drive to another on a DP is to use the Content Library Transfer tool:
- Install or identify a new drive (for example, D: or E:) with sufficient free space.
- Log on to the distribution point with an account that has administrative permissions.
- Run ContentLibraryTransfer.exe locally on the DP, specifying the source and target drives, for example:
```
     ContentLibraryTransfer.exe -SourceDrive C -TargetDrive D
```
- Ensure the tool is run only when:
  - Clients are not actively accessing the DP.
  - No new content is being distributed to that DP.
- After completion, the content library is available from the new drive without additional admin changes.

For future DPs, best practice is to:

Use non‑system drives for the content library and package share.
Use Automatic content locations or explicitly choose data drives during DP installation.
Optionally place a NO_SMS_ON_DRIVE.SMS file on drives that must never be used for the content library (for example, the OS drive) before installing the DP.

References: