Paulo Dias’s Configuration Manager Howto’s

ConfigMgr is 25 years old!

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 08:44:44 GMT

ConfigMgr is now 25 years old! I've caught the last 11 years, which is also as long as I've joined MS, so I've managed to skip SMS 2.0 :) How about you ? for how long have you been working with it? Check this awesome video from the people behind all of it : https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/enterprisemobility/2017/09/21/55447/

How to deploy OneDrive next generation sync client with SCCM

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Tue, 24 May 2016 12:31:49 GMT

Hello everyone! I've seen people having trouble while deploying the OneDrive next generation sync client with SCCM, So i've decided to create a new blog post to share same ideas of how i'm usually deploying it on our clients. On the Onedrive documentation we have the following: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Plan-to-deploy-the-OneDrive-for-Business-Next-Generation-Sync-Client-in-an-enterprise-environment-6af6d757-0a73-4fe8-99bd-14c56a333fa3

I just want to install the OneDrive.exe client on user’s machines

Maybe all you’re interested in is getting the new OneDrive for Business sync client onto your users’ machines. If all you want to do is install OneDrive.exe on a machine you can use either SCCM or a Group Policy script to execute the following: Execute \OneDriveSetup.exe /silent Result: OneDrive.exe is installed transparently on your users’ machines, but it is not automatically launched. Users can launch OneDrive.exe by opening their OneDrive folder in File Explorer, or by launching OneDrive from the start menu. Or IT administrators at any time later can run %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\OneDrive.exe through SCCM or Group Policy script to automatically open OneDrive.exe on the users machine. This new Onedrive client has some specific requirements to be created as an SCCM application as it's based on an EXE file that is installed on a user Profile. This means that we need to create an Application based on a script instead of an MSI and that we need to run it only we have an user logged on so that we can get it on the proper users profile On this post I will discuss only the installation part, you will need to run Onedrive.exe afterwards either by asking the users to do so or you can also automate the Onedrive execution with SCCM. Start by creating a simple application based on a script

Start by creating an application based on a script
Then fill out the application information

On the deployment types, add a new type of deployment of Script Installer type

Make sure you download the Onedrive client (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/p/?LinkId=248256) , get it on a folder and for the installation program just use "OneDriveSetup.exe" /silent

This is one of the most important part of this deployment, the detection method, for this specific detection as the application is always installed on the user profile, we need to scan on the current user profile for the OneDrive.exe to see if it's installed or not. We need to use the option to "use a custom script to detect the presence of this deployment type" and then use the following script:

I need to give a huge thanks to my colleague Herbert Fuchs who's an amazing SCCM PFE based in Austria and a Powershell Guru that entirely developed this detection script. Just copy & Paste the bellow into the SCCM console: # OneDriveSetup Detection in ConfigMgr # This Sample Code is provided for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended to be used in a production environment. # THIS SAMPLE CODE AND ANY RELATED INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, # INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. # We grant You a nonexclusive, royalty-free right to use and modify the Sample Code and to reproduce and distribute the object # code form of the Sample Code, provided that You agree: (i) to not use Our name, logo, or trademarks to market Your software # product in which the Sample Code is embedded; (ii) to include a valid copyright notice on Your software product in which the # Sample Code is embedded; and (iii) to indemnify, hold harmless, and defend Us and Our suppliers from and against any claims # or lawsuits, including attorneys’ fees, that arise or result from the use or distribution of the Sample Code.inst [String]$LogfileName = "OneDriveDetection" [String]$Logfile = "$env:SystemRoot\logs\$LogfileName.log" Function Write-Log { Param ([string]$logstring) If (Test-Path $Logfile) { If ((Get-Item $Logfile).Length -gt 2MB) { Rename-Item $Logfile $Logfile".bak" -Force } } $WriteLine = (Get-Date).ToString() + " " + $logstring Add-content $Logfile -value $WriteLine } $User = gwmi win32_computersystem -Property Username $UserName = $User.UserName $UserSplit = $User.UserName.Split("\") $OneDrive = "$env:SystemDrive\users\" + $UserSplit[1] +"\appdata\local\microsoft\onedrive\onedrive.exe" # Parameter to Log Write-Log "Start Script Execution" Write-Log "Logged on User: $UserName" Write-Log "Detection-String: $OneDrive" If(Test-Path $OneDrive) { Write-Log "Found DetectionFile" $OneDriveFile = Get-Item $OneDrive Write-Log "Get File Details" Write-Log "Version found:$OneDriveFile.VersionInfo.FileVersion" Write-Log "Script Exectuion End!" Write-Log "" Return $true } Else { Write-Log "Warning: OneDrive.exe not found - need to install App!" }

Also, it's very important to set User experience like this, to make sure that the application gets installed on the user profile

Now just deploy it into a computer collection!

Be advised that you have to sign this script or use Client settings and set the Powershell execution policy to bypass (use with caution!) https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg682067.aspx Hope this helps ! Cheers PS : This blog will be removed in the future, for future reference use the article https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/deploy-on-windows On that article you can also find an example that you can quickly download and import to your environment to avoid copy & paste errors and to speed up the app creation

Rollup package for Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Tue, 17 May 2016 21:30:38 GMT

https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/windowsitpro/2016/05/17/simplifying-updates-for-windows-7-and-8-1/ We've just released a new rollup package that contains almost all updates from SP1 of Windows 7 And Windows Server 2008 R2 until April 2016. These are some great news for the ones still deploying Windows 7, this will help a lot making sure you have all the machines up to date! More technical details here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3125574

My customers love this feature and so do I!

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 02:03:02 GMT

For the one who are still not on 1602 level, check this out :

https://blogs.technet.com/b/manageabilityguys/archive/2016/03/29/what-39-s-new-with-configmgr-39-s-client-notification-feature.aspx

this is really a great feature, where you can very quickly from the console check out which machines are turned on or off and quickly be able to manage them!

Free ebook: Deploying Windows 10: Automating deployment by using System Center Configuration Manager

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 02:36:24 GMT

We've just release a new free ebook made by great people!

https://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2016/02/23/free-ebook-deploying-windows-10-automating-deployment-by-using-system-center-configuration-manager.aspx

Quoting Kim Spilker:

We’re happy to announce the release of our newest free ebook, Deploying Windows 10: Automating deployment by using System Center Configuration Manager(ISBN 9781509301867), by Andre Della Monica, Russ Rimmerman, Alessandro Cesarini, and Victor Silveira.

Get a head start deploying Windows 10—with tips and best practices from experts in the field. This guide shows you how to deploy Windows 10 in an automated way without impacting end users by leveraging System Center Configuration Manager, which is the most used product to deploy Microsoft operating systems in the industry today.

Foreword

Windows 10 represents a major paradigm shift for Microsoft and the Windows ecosystem in general as we modernize the platform by introducing “as a service” capabilities. Hundreds of millions of devices are already running Windows 10 today. Businesses are beginning to evaluate the new capabilities of Windows 10, including Windows as a service, as part of their deployment plans. With Windows 7 recently transitioning into extended support, businesses need to begin planning for the future of their Windows operating system environment.

Although there are many aspects to consider in managing a Windows device, one of the essential early stages of the lifecycle is deployment. More than 70 percent of businesses use System Center Configuration Manager for PC management, and that market share continues to grow every quarter. Configuration Manager is an industry leader, and the Operating System Deployment (OSD) feature is one of the most popular and frequently used. The product supports many traditional operating system deployment methods as well as support for newer Windows 10 deployment scenarios such as in-place upgrade.

Andre, Alessandro, Victor, and Russ are seasoned Microsoft premier field engineers with deep technical product knowledge and real-world experience. In this book, they share this knowledge and experience with Windows 10 and Configuration Manager to help you get your deployment underway.

Aaron Czechowski
Senior program manager, Enterprise Client Management product team

Introduction

The world, Microsoft, and the technology industry have all changed. There is no longer a half decade, or two or even three years for operating system (OS) upgrade cycles. Companies demand a continuous flow of productivity in their businesses.

Despite all of the logistics and costs involved when upgrading to a new OS by using the wipe-and-load method, companies and enterprises often developed their own methods to upgrade their operating systems because there was not much control and predictability provided by the upgrade process.

Even though deploying Windows 10 is a fairly new task—Windows 10 was released in July, 2015—most enterprises plan to deploy Microsoft’s new revolutionary OS, which addresses the challenges of the traditional OS deployments, and it brings new features and security enhancements, to name but a few of the new capabilities of Windows 10.

As the authors of this book, we have called upon our real-world field experience to provide you with insights and tips on why and how to implement Windows 10 and its deployment using System Center Configuration Manager.

Here’s what the book contains:

Chapter 1 provides highlights of what’s new in Windows 10 and why you should implement it.

Chapter 2 familiarizes you with the Windows 10 deployment options as well as with some tips about which deployment methods to use when planning to upgrade to Windows 10.

Chapter 3 examines the Operating System Deployment (OSD) concepts to prepare you for deployment when using System Center Configuration Manager.

Chapter 4 is intended to be a walk-through—a tour of how to deploy Windows 10 using System Center Configuration Manager and its details.

Now Generally Available: System Center Configuration Manager and Endpoint Protection (Version 1511)

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 01:23:00 GMT

Finally! The new System Center Configuration Manager version that replaces Configuration Manager 2012 is here!

https://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrteam/archive/2015/12/08/system-center-configuration-manager-ga.aspx#pi168308=2

This release provides key new capabilities:

Comprehensive support for Windows 10:

Windows 10 is the best Windows ever and has been designed with the enterprise in mind. System Center Configuration Manager was designed to work with Windows 10 and gives you multiple options to deploy, update, and manage Windows 10 in the way that makes sense for your business.

Deploy/upgrade/provision Windows 10: ConfigMgr supports a variety of fast, efficient ways to deploy or upgrade devices to Windows 10. ConfigMgr enables “in-place upgrade” to move systems from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 directly to Windows 10 much faster than before. New Windows 10 devices can be quickly made enterprise-ready with provisioning packages and profiles.
Keep Windows 10 up-to-date: Once devices are running Windows 10, enterprises must keep them up-to-date to ensure they are properly secured. ConfigMgr enables IT to keep Windows 10 devices up-to-date and get a better insight into the Windows 10 deployments with new configurable deployment rings and the servicing dashboard as well as identify devices that are managed via Windows Update for Business.
More frequent and easier to install updates: ConfigMgr is now designed to make it easier to update without going through complex individual upgrades. Moving forward you will see updates several times a year - to support new Windows, Configuration Manager, and mobile device management capabilities, at a much faster pace. In fact, we are already working on the next update and can’t wait to share some of the functionality with you in upcoming technical previews.
Manage Windows 10: ConfigMgr enables more choice for managing Windows devices. You can manage devices using the traditional ConfigMgr agent and, when integrated with Microsoft Intune, also via cloud or on-premises MDM. Now, you can use ConfigMgr to manage Windows 10 devices via MDM directly, without needing to store data in the cloud.

Improved unified device management:

ConfigMgr provides an improved unified device management platform for customers using System Center Configuration Manager integrated with Microsoft Intune to manage PCs, servers, and mobile devices. This release enables faster updates to bring new Intune features to your hybrid deployments. Some of the new hybrid features that you can expect to see in this release are support for Mac OS X MDM, Windows 10 Edition Upgrade, customized terms of use, and more.

Below are a few additional links that you may find helpful as you begin to explore this release:

ConfigMgr 2012 Software update scan uses lots of memory and takes too long

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 02:31:39 GMT

Hi all,

We've been running into an issue where machines use lots of memory and take a while to scan for software updates.

Software updates scan runs inside svchost.exe which means that you can see that process use up to 1,5gb of memory and taking up to 30 minutes.

This happens more on machines with only 2 Gb of Ram and with 32 bits operating systems and mostly Windows 7.

For more details check :

https://blogs.technet.com/b/configurationmgr/archive/2015/04/15/support-tip-configmgr-2012-update-scan-fails-and-causes-incorrect-compliance-status.aspx

Following the above article and cleaning you're wsus is a best practice and will improve all your clients performance!

Beside that we have released the Windows Update Agent fix under the following:
3050265, Windows Update Client for Windows 7: June 2015, https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3050265/EN-US

Cheers

System Center Configuration Manager and System Center Endpoint Protection Technical Preview

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Mon, 04 May 2015 08:33:54 GMT

Just released! System Center Configuration Manager Technical preview with full windows 10 support!

https://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrteam/archive/2015/05/04/announcing-support-for-windows-10-management-with-system-center-configuration-manager.aspx

New features in today’s Technical Preview include:

Support for Windows 10 upgrade with OS deployment task sequence – In addition to providing support for existing wipe-and-load (refresh) scenarios, the ConfigMgr Technical Preview includes enhanced upgrade support with in-place upgrade to Windows 10.
Support for installing Configuration Manager on Azure Virtual Machines – Similar to how you can install ConfigMgr on Hyper-V today, you can now run ConfigMgr in Azure VMs. This provides flexibility to move some or all of your datacenter server workloads to the cloud with Azure.
Ability to manage Windows 10 mobile devices via MDM with on-premises Configuration Manager infrastructure – With this new option, you can manage Windows 10 mobile devices using ConfigMgr integrated with Microsoft Intune (hybrid) without the need to store your data in the cloud. This is especially helpful for managing devices that are unable to connect to the Internet such as Windows IoT/Embedded devices. So go ahead and try it out – you can enroll devices, set policies, and wipe/retire devices today with more functionality to be added in the future to manage all of your Windows 10 devices with MDM.

and for the current ConfigMgr 2012 customers:

Next week, we will also be releasing service packs for Configuration Manager 2012 and 2012 R2 customers. These will deliver full compatibility with existing features for Windows 10 deployment and management as well as several other features, including:

App-V publishing performance – Improved performance that reduces the time required for apps to display after the first logon for non-persistent VDI environments.
Scalability improvements – Increased hierarchy scale to 600K and primary/standalone site scale to 150K.
Content distribution improvements – Improved data transfer reliability for slow and latent networks, and also improved scale and performance for pull distribution points (DP).
Native support for SQL Server 2014 – Added native support for SQL Server 2014 to enable site installation and recovery using SQL Server 2014.
Hybrid features – Added a large number of hybrid features for customers using ConfigMgr integrated with Microsoft Intune (hybrid). Some of the features that you can expect to see in this release include conditional access policy, mobile application management, and support for Apple Device Enrollment Program (DEP).

SoftwareUpdates.ps1

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 08:05:00 GMT

Hello everyone!

Just coming back from a Customer that had an interesting question which in reality just makes all the sense.

So they have a pre production environment where they test out all Windows patches before going into production.

They just asked me how could they easily move their Update groups from their pre to their production environment, makes a whole lot of sense, right?

Out of the box this is not possible, I mean using the console! But once again, Powershell comes to our rescue and handles this with easy and perfectly.

I’ve just created a script which I’ve named as ‘softwareupdates.ps1’ and that should be run in your origin and then on your destination server.

It will basically create a .csv file with a list of all software updates contained in a specific software update group.

Be advised that:

THIS SAMPLE CODE AND ANY RELATED INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT

WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT

LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS

FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

This was created for sample purposes only and posted as a sample, you could use at as a basis for your own script but it's mandatory to change it to fit your needs and environment.

Adapt all the required variables and run it!

You will be asked if you want to ‘Export’ or ‘Import’

You should run Export first on the origin server which will create a file called ‘updates.csv’ which will contain all the updates contained inside your origin update group.

And the result file should be something like this:

"LocalizedDisplayName","CI_ID"

"Security Update for Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2 (KB2917500)","16781437"

"Update for Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems (KB3012199)","16812802"

"Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool for Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows Server 2012, 2012 R2 x64 Edition - January 2015 (KB890830)","16813718"

Then just go to your destination server and run the script again, now choose the “Import” option:

And it’s done!

You now have 2 Update groups in 2 different ConfigMgr servers which have the same name and the same updates inside.

Just be sure you have the catalog properly update and you can see all the updates on both sides so this works.

Paulo

softwareupdates.ps1

Automate and manage Windows operating system deployments

Paulo Jorge Morais Dias — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 02:04:11 GMT

Ever wondered what was the best way to deploy and manage operating systems?

Following our Microsoft recommendations ?

check this out !

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn818437.aspx