Why this post? I often get questions on requirement rules and global expressions, so I thought I’d make a blog post to explain some of the things you might need to consider, before you choose what strategy and method you want use, and also what kind of reporting you need. Introduction When deploying applications in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (SCCM 2012), requirement rules are often used to determine what deployment type are to be used in the current scenario. But even if the application only have a single deployment type, I still recommend to use requirement rules to reduce the risk…
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One of the new feature that has been added in ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 (and updated to support 32-bit in CU1), is support for deploying Windows to computers that are configured to use UEFI. I’m currently working on a Windows 8 deployment project, where one of the requirements was to support Windows 8 deployment to UEFI enabled devices. At this customer, we also integrated MDT 2012 with ConfigMgr 2012. The configuration was easy, and PXE boot worked like a charm. But after the OS Image was downloaded the Task Sequence failed, and after a few minutes we found the problem. The…
Last week I attended the Microsoft Management Summit 2013 in Las Vegas, and as always this was a great event. But to me this year was extra special. I’ve always wanted to speak at MMS, but I never signed up. I guess I was nervous about doing a full 75 minutes presentation in English in front of +500 attendees. But last year when Wally Mead was visiting our System Center User Group, he asked me if I’d like to do a joined session (A lab) with him at MMS, and somehow he managed to to make it sound so simple…
Right now, I’m sitting in the SAS Business Lounge at Copenhagen Airport, waiting to leave for the Microsoft Management Summit 2013 (MMS) in Las Vegas. This is one of the biggest Management events in world for IT Pro’s. At MMS some of the most skilled IT Professionals from around the world meet to increase their technical expertise through deep hands-on technical training, sharing of best practices and interaction with innovators and pioneers in desktop and device management, datacenter, and cloud technologies. As a Configuration Manager MVP, I’m always looking forward to this event. This year my main focus will still…
Installing SCCM 2012 SP1 CU1 is a simple process, but before you start, you should always check the health of the system, very the backup etc. Just like any other service pack or update. Update the Site Server In this example, I’ll just show you how to update an environment with a single standalone primary site server (that should cover +95% of all ConfgMgr Customers on the planet ). First, we need to download the setup file here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2817245 Run ConfigMgr2012-SP1-CU1-KB2817245-X64-ENU.exe from the site server, and follow the wizard. All default settings should be ok, for most customers. The Welcome…
Cumulative Update 1 (CU1) for SCCM 2012 SP1 is now available. Download and list of issues that are fixed: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2817245/ Please note that to apply this update, you must have System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 installed first. See my “Quick Start” guide here: https://www.ronnipedersen.com/2013/03/installing-sccm-sp1-cu1/ Enjoy. +Ronni Pedersen
As a SCCM guy, I spend a lot of time creating and managing collections. In SCCM 2012 I’ve reduced the time, but a day where I don’t spend time in the collection node, is still a rare day… One of the new features in SCCM 2012 that I use a lot is the Include/exclude collection rules. It’s really handy if you want to target a large group except all “X” systems. But what happens if you rename the collection that you’ve used as an include/exclude rule. Well… Not much, as the rules are based on the Collection ID and not…
Most SCCM customers uses some kind of 3rd party tool or add-on (Like SCUP) when it comes to patch management of 3rd party tool, like adobe, java, etc. But what if you don’t have access to all these fancy tools? This is a guide to how you can prepare, deploy and upgrade previous versions of Java using the Application model in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. Get the Source Files: Download: http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp If you use a 64-bit version of Windows, you still need the 32-bit version. You should only use the 64-bit version if you plan to use the 64-bit…
Role Based Administration is a really great feature in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, and to make it easy for us, Microsoft has prepared 14 built-roles. But if we use the the built-in role for “Software Update Manager”, the option to create folders and move objects to these folders are not available by default. Not sure if this is by design or just a minor bug. Full Administrator: Software Update Manager: To fix this small issue we need to create a new custom role. Just right-click the built-in Software Update Manager role, and click Copy. Give the new security role…
Today I’m leaving for the 2013 MVP Global Summit in Bellevue and Redmond. The MVP Summit is a great week with lots of technical breakout sessions and a variety of networking opportunities. At the Summit I can connect with fellow MVPs, build relationships with Microsoft program managers, and provide feedback on Microsoft products and technologies. What more can you ask for? So expect either blog silence or multiple blog posts about my week in Seattle. Either way I will enjoy the week.