System requirements for System Center Service Management Automation
Important
Service Provider Foundation (SPF) is discontinued from System Center 2025. However, SPF 2022 will continue to work with System Center 2025 components.
This article provides details of the system requirements for System Center 2025 - Service Management Automation (SMA).
System requirements for Service Management Automation 2025
The following sections describe the minimum hardware and software configurations that are required for a full installation of Service Management Automation (SMA).
Hardware requirements
The following configurations should be used.
| Performance component | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Virtual machines | Three, each with a runbook worker and web service installed Load-balanced incoming traffic Minimum of two cores and 4 GB of RAM for each virtual machine 60 GB of available disk space |
| SQL Server | One computer with 8 GB of RAM and eight cores Note: One month of data under heavy load (12 jobs per minute for a month) results in 20 GB of disk space usage. Job purging should be used to keep this usage from growing beyond this amount. |
Software requirements
The following software must be installed for each role.
| Role | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | Windows Server 2025 Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
| Automation web service | Windows Server 2025 Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 or above (hosts the web service) IIS Basic Authentication IIS Windows Authentication IIS URL Authorization ASP.NET 4.5 .NET Framework 3.5 (for the Setup program) .NET Framework 4.5 WCF HTTP Activation |
| Windows PowerShell module | Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
| SQL version | Supported |
|---|---|
| SQL Server 2019 | Y |
| SQL Server 2017 | Y |
Before installing the web service, ensure you've installed the .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation on Windows Server 2025:
Install .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation
On the Windows Start screen, select the Server Manager tile.
On the Manage menu in the Server Manager console, select Add Roles and Features.
Follow the wizard until you reach the Features page.
Expand .NET Framework 4.5 Features.
Select .NET Framework 4.5, if it isn't already selected.
Expand WCF Services.
Select HTTP Activation, if it isn't already selected.
Select Next, and follow the prompts to finish the installation.
Run Service Management Automation on Microsoft Azure virtual machines
Service Management Automation runs on Microsoft Azure just as it does on physical computer systems.
Service Management Automation was tested by Microsoft by installing and using it in a Microsoft Azure virtual machine. The testing concluded that Service Management Automation was fully functional and operated exactly the same as it does on physical hardware. Stability and performance benchmarks inside a Microsoft Azure virtual machine were at a level where no special considerations were needed.
Security Requirements
The following ports must be opened for each role.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | Default value: 9090. Configurable at install time port defaults to 9090. The installation program for Service Management Automation automatically opens the web service port on the local firewall. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |
The following certificates are required for each component.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | A certificate that can be used for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption over HTTPS. The installation program for Service Management Automation can be used to generate a self-signed certificate. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |
This article provides details of the system requirements for System Center 2022 - Service Management Automation (SMA).
System requirements for Service Management Automation 2022
The following sections describe the minimum hardware and software configurations that are required for a full installation of Service Management Automation (SMA).
Hardware requirements
The following configurations should be used.
| Performance component | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Virtual machines | Three, each with a runbook worker and web service installed Load-balanced incoming traffic Minimum of two cores and 4 GB of RAM for each virtual machine 60 GB of available disk space |
| SQL Server | One computer with 8 GB of RAM and eight cores Note: One month of data under heavy load (12 jobs per minute for a month) results in 20 GB of disk space usage. Job purging should be used to keep this usage from growing beyond this amount. |
Software requirements
The following software must be installed for each role.
| Role | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | Windows Server 2022 Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
| Automation web service | Windows Server 2022 Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 or above (hosts the web service) IIS Basic Authentication IIS Windows Authentication IIS URL Authorization ASP.NET 4.5 .NET Framework 3.5 (for the Setup program) .NET Framework 4.5 WCF HTTP Activation |
| Windows PowerShell module | Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
| SQL version | Supported |
|---|---|
| SQL Server 2019 | Y |
| SQL Server 2017 | Y |
Before installing the web service, ensure you've installed the .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation on Windows Server 2022:
To install .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation
On the Windows Start screen, select the Server Manager tile.
On the Manage menu in the Server Manager console, select Add Roles and Features.
Follow the wizard until you reach the Features page.
Expand .NET Framework 4.5 Features.
Select .NET Framework 4.5, if it isn't already selected.
Expand WCF Services.
Select HTTP Activation, if it isn't already selected.
Select Next, and follow the prompts to finish the installation.
Running Service Management Automation on Microsoft Azure virtual machines
Service Management Automation runs on Microsoft Azure just as it does on physical computer systems.
Service Management Automation was tested by Microsoft by installing and using it in a Microsoft Azure virtual machine. The testing concluded that Service Management Automation was fully functional and operated exactly the same as it does on physical hardware. Stability and performance benchmarks inside a Microsoft Azure virtual machine were at a level where no special considerations were needed.
Security Requirements
The following ports must be opened for each role.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | Default value: 9090. Configurable at install time port defaults to 9090. The installation program for Service Management Automation automatically opens the web service port on the local firewall. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |
The following certificates are required for each component.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | A certificate that can be used for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption over HTTPS. The installation program for Service Management Automation can be used to generate a self-signed certificate. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |
This article provides details of the system requirements for System Center 2019 - Service Management Automation (SMA).
System requirements for Service Management Automation 2019
The following sections describe the minimum hardware and software configurations that are required for a full installation of Service Management Automation (SMA).
Hardware requirements
The following configurations should be used.
| Performance component | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Virtual machines | Three, each with a runbook worker and web service installed Load-balanced incoming traffic Minimum of two cores and 4 GB of RAM for each virtual machine 60 GB of available disk space |
| SQL Server | One computer with 8 GB of RAM and eight cores Note: One month of data under heavy load (12 jobs per minute for a month) results in 20 GB of disk space usage. Job purging should be used to keep this usage from growing beyond this amount. |
Software requirements
The following software must be installed for each role.
| Role | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | Windows Server 2016 or above Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
| Automation web service | Windows Server 2016 or above SQL Server 2012 SP4 (minimum) Note: Supports SQL 2017 Expand 2016 service packs that are in support by Microsoft. Here are the supported service packs for 2016. Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 or above (hosts the web service) IIS Basic Authentication IIS Windows Authentication IIS URL Authorization ASP.NET 4.5 .NET Framework 3.5 (for the Setup program) .NET Framework 4.5 WCF HTTP Activation |
| Windows PowerShell module | Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
Before installing the web service, ensure you've installed the .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation on Windows Server 2016/2019:
To install .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation
On the Windows Start screen, select the Server Manager tile.
On the Manage menu in the Server Manager console, select Add Roles and Features.
Follow the wizard until you reach the Features page.
Expand .NET Framework 4.5 Features.
Select .NET Framework 4.5 if it isn't already selected.
Expand WCF Services.
Select HTTP Activation if it isn't already selected.
Select Next, and follow the prompts to finish the installation.
Running Service Management Automation on Microsoft Azure virtual machines
Service Management Automation runs on Microsoft Azure just as it does on physical computer systems.
Service Management Automation was tested by Microsoft by installing and using it in a Microsoft Azure virtual machine. The testing concluded that Service Management Automation was fully functional and operated exactly the same as it does on physical hardware. Stability and performance benchmarks inside a Microsoft Azure virtual machine were at a level where no special considerations were needed.
Security Requirements
The following ports must be opened for each role.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | Default value: 9090. Configurable at install time port defaults to 9090. The installation program for Service Management Automation automatically opens the web service port on the local firewall. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |
The following certificates are required for each component.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | A certificate that can be used for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption over HTTPS. The installation program for Service Management Automation can be used to generate a self-signed certificate. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |
This article provides details of the system requirements for System Center 2016 - Service Management Automation (SMA).
System requirements for Service Management Automation 2016
The following sections describe the minimum hardware and software configurations that are required for a full installation of Service Management Automation in System Center 2016.
Hardware requirements
The following recommended configurations should be used.
| Performance component | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Virtual machines | Three, each with a runbook worker and web service installed Load-balanced incoming traffic Minimum of two cores and 4 GB of RAM for each virtual machine 60 GB of available disk space |
| SQL Server | One computer with 8 GB of RAM and eight cores Note: One month of data under heavy load (12 jobs per minute for a month) results in 20 GB of disk space usage. Job purging should be used to keep this usage from growing beyond this amount. |
Software requirements
The following software must be installed for each role.
| Role | Prerequisites |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | Windows Server 2012 R2 or above Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
| Automation web service | Windows Server 2012 R2 or above SQL Server 2012 SP4 (minimum) Note: Supports SQL 2012, 2014, and 2016 service packs that are in support by Microsoft. Here are the supported service packs for 2012, 2014, and 2016. Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 or above (hosts the web service) IIS Basic Authentication IIS Windows Authentication IIS URL Authorization ASP.NET 4.5 .NET Framework 3.5 (for the Setup program) .NET Framework 4.5 WCF HTTP Activation |
| Windows PowerShell module | Windows PowerShell 4.0 or above |
Install .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation
Before installing the web service, use the following procedure to install .NET Framework 4.5 and HTTP Activation:
On the Windows Start screen, select the Server Manager tile.
On the Manage menu in the Server Manager console, select Add Roles and Features.
Follow the wizard until you reach the Features page.
Expand .NET Framework 4.5 Features.
Select .NET Framework 4.5 if it isn't already selected.
Expand WCF Services.
Select HTTP Activation if it isn't already selected.
Select Next, and follow the prompts to finish the installation.
Run Service Management Automation on Azure VMs
Service Management Automation runs on Microsoft Azure just as it does on physical computer systems.
Service Management Automation was tested by Microsoft by installing and using it in a Microsoft Azure virtual machine. The testing concluded that Service Management Automation was fully functional and operated exactly the same as it does on physical hardware. Stability and performance benchmarks inside a Microsoft Azure virtual machine were at a level where no special considerations were needed.
Security requirements
The following ports must be opened for each role.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | Default value: 9090. Configurable at install time port defaults to 9090. The installation program for Service Management Automation automatically opens the web service port on the local firewall. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |
The following certificates are required for each component.
| Role | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Runbook worker | None |
| Automation web service | A certificate that can be used for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption over HTTPS. The installation program for Service Management Automation can be used to generate a self-signed certificate. |
| Windows PowerShell module | None |