Microsoft has just released this very handy utility for SCCM 2007. It previously was released for SMS 2003.
Imagine this scenario. You’ve got a HQ running System Center Configuration Manager 2007. You’ve got a series of branch offices with limited bandwidth and local distribution points. You want to deploy your latest build of Office 2007. Now that is a big package. You could let it replicate over the WAN at the weekend but maybe your business is open 7 days a week. I’ve seen this scenario where SMS controlled the PC’s in a retail operation whose market was 7 days a week. Using this tool, you could conceivably distribute the package via DVD and manually load it into your distribution points. Sure, this is manual work but it’s meant to be used in only those exceptional circumstances where there are huge packages to replicate. Once you’ve imported the package on the distribution point, you add the site to the package properties in the SCCM console.
Here’s how MS describes it:
"When software distribution packages are created, information about them is sent to child sites in the hierarchy. If a child site has a distribution point installed that is listed in the package properties to host the content, the content is transferred over the network and uses available network bandwidth sending compressed copies of all required package source files. To avoid using network bandwidth, the Preload Package Tool can be used to copy compressed software distribution package source files to the remote child site before assigning the child site distribution point to host the package source files".