What’s coming in SCCM 2012 R2 and Windows Intune

Microsoft TechEd North America 2013 in New Orleans has kicked off, and the sessions has started to show up on Channel 9, where most sessions and PowerPoint slides will be available 24 hours after the presentation.

I’ve just watched the WCA-B328 Microsoft System Center 2012 SP1 – Configuration Manager Overview session by Jason Adams and Dilip Radhakrishnan. And even if it the session title says SCCM 2012 SP1, lots of the new R2 stuff was covered. Truly a great overview session.

View online session: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2013/WCA-B328

Download PowerPoint: http://video.ch9.ms/sessions/teched/na/2013/WCA-B328.pptx

Here are my notes from the session:
(The R2 screenshots are from the recording available on Channel 9, so the quality is not perfect).

Update #1: This post has been updates with content from the “WCA-B348 Microsoft System Center 2012 SP1 – Configuration Manager Infrastructure Improvements and Hierarchy Design” session.

 

Cloud Services

In SCCM 2012 SP1, the Windows Intune Subscriptions and Cloud (Cloud Distribution Point) was directly under the Hierarchy Configuration node.

In SCCM 2012 R2 we have a new group where these cloud services are now located.

The Windows Intune connector is been updated with some nice branding options

• Company Name
• URL to company privacy documentation
• Color scheme for the Company Portal (RBG)
• Company Logo (400 x 100 pixels)
• IT department information:
• Contact Name
• Phone Number
• E-mail address
• Support Website (and friendly name)
• Additional Information

The Windows Intune Connector supports the following mobile platforms:

• Andriod
• iOS
• Windows RT
• Windows Phone 8

Self Service Portals

With the release of SCCM 2012 R2, Microsoft will release a native “Self Service Portal” app for the following platforms:

• Windows x86
• iOS
• Andriod

Support for Work folders in Windows 8.1

• Configure sync of work folders
• Access the work folders from the Windows 8.1 Self Service Portal

 

Windows Portal:

iPad Portal:

 

Managing Windows platform with SCCM 2012 R2

The following will be supported by SCCM 2012 R2 and the next major Windows Intune release:

• Support for Windows 8.1
• Support for the “Lightweight Management Agent” (built-in to the operating system)
• Enhanced features in the lightweight Management Agent:
• Push Software Distribution
• Selective Wipe
• Support for “Workplace join” (New feature in Windows Server 2012 R2 Active Directory)
• Can register with both Azure Active Directory and “On-Premise Active Directory”
• Feature supported by Windows 8.1 and iOS.

Resource Access

Many of the following features can be configured by Group Policies, by as a ConfigMgr Guy I’m really excited about these new configuration options.

• Configuration of VPN Profiles
• (Supports Microsoft, Cisco, Jniper, SonicWall, F5 and CheckPoint)
• App triggered VPN (VPN on demand)
• WiFi Profiles
• Certificate Management

Supported platform for these new features are:

• Windows 8.1
• Windows RT 8.1
• iOS
• Andriod

 

Selective Wipe

Not all features are supported by all platforms, but here is some of the supported features:

• Email
• Apps
• Profiles (VPN/WiFi)
• Certificates
• Corp App Data
• + more…

Supported Platforms:

• Windows 8.1
• Windows RT 8.1
• iOS
• Android

Mac OS X

• Support for 10.8 Mountain Lion (up to 10.8.3 with CU1)
• User Enrollment in the client UI

Infrastructure Enhancement

• SQL Server Flexibility In Setup
• Specify locations for database and transaction log
• Restore to a different SQL Server instance
• Requires same SQL Server version

 

• Multiple Network Access Accounts
• Scenario: multiple untrusted domains
• Supports backward compatibility for SP1 clients
• Flexible hierarchy management (Easy Client Mobility)
• Client can now be reassigned to other site in the hierarchy
• Supports single or multi-select client reassignment
• Note: This will not work for disaster recovery scenarios.
• Content distribution changes
• Improved In-console monitoring
• Pull DP on par with standard DP
• Clearer and more detailed messages
• Cancel/Redistribute
• General content improvements
• Content download optimizations (client side) for superseded applications
• Content distribution optimizations (priority, send requests in SQL, versioning auto-cancel)
• New report: Distribution Point Usage

 

• Replication Traffic Reports

 

 

PowerShell

• 64-bit native PowerShell module

Operating System Deployment

• Support for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
• Import WinPE 3.1 boot images
• VHD actions
• Create
• Modify
• Upload to VMM
• Integrate key MDT ZTI tasks to native ConfigMgr OS Deployment
• Run PowerShell Script
• Set Dynamic Variables
• Check Readiness
• Prestage media
  – Bulk USB media creation from ISO

 

Role Based Administration

• With SCCM 2012 R2, all reports updated to use RBA configuration
• Control access to specific reports
• Enabled by default in R2 via registry/WMI setting
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS\SRSRP
  “EnableRbacReporting”

 

More details on many of these new features will be covered by other session during the week.

Enjoy.

+Ronni Pedersen