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Features in Configuration Manager technical preview version 2112

  • Article

Applies to: Configuration Manager (technical preview branch)

This article introduces the features that are available in the technical preview for Configuration Manager, version 2112. Install this version to update and add new features to your technical preview site.

Review the technical preview article before installing this update. That article familiarizes you with the general requirements and limitations for using a technical preview, how to update between versions, and how to provide feedback.

The following sections describe the new features to try out in this version:

Customize maximum run time for other software update types

Previously, software updates that didn't belong to the following update categories defaulted to a maximum run time of 60 minutes (or 10 minutes prior to version 2103):

  • Windows feature updates
  • Windows non-feature updates
  • Office 365 updates

Starting in this technical preview, you can customize the maximum run time for all other software updates, which includes third-party updates.

Try it out!

Try to complete the tasks. Then send Feedback with your thoughts on the feature.

Change the maximum run time for all other software updates:

  1. Go to Administration > Overview > Site Configuration > Sites then select the top-level site.

  2. From the ribbon, select Settings > Configure Site Components > Software Update Point to open the Software Update Point Component Properties.

  3. In the Maximum Run Time tab, change the following property to a value between 5 and 9999:

    Maximum run time for all other software updates outside these categories, such as third-party updates (minutes)

Note

The new run time for these updates only applies to updates that are newly synchronized after the change. Existing updates that have already been synchronized will not use this value.

Console and user experience improvements

Based on your feedback, we’ve made a few improvements to the console and user experience.

  • When using temporary device nodes, right-click device actions like Run Scripts are now available to make the experience in the console consistent
    • For example, if you're in the Client Health Dashboard then select a specific version from the Client Versions chart, you're taken to a temporary node. The temporary node now has additional actions available from the right-click menu
  • Copy/paste is available for more objects from details panes.
    • Added the Name property in the details pane for configuration items, configuration item related policies, and applications
  • Company portal no longer displays an available package as a featured application
  • Software update search results and the search criteria are now cached when you navigate to another node. When you navigate back to the All Software Updates node, your search criteria and results are preserved from your last query.

Exclude data warehouse reporting tables from synchronization

When you install the data warehouse, it synchronizes a set of default tables from the site database. These tables are required for data warehouse reports. While troubleshooting issues, you may want to stop synchronizing these default tables. Starting in this release, you can exclude one or more of these required tables from synchronization.

Try it out!

Try to complete the tasks. Then send Feedback with your thoughts on the feature.

  1. When you install or configure the properties of the data warehouse, on the Synchronization settings page, choose Select tables.

  2. In the Database tables window, deselect one or more tables of type Required.

  3. The console will prompt you to confirm the change, since some reports may no longer work correctly.

A new remote assistance tool

As announced at Microsoft Ignite 2021, a public preview of the new remote assistance solution is now available in the Microsoft Intune admin center. This cloud-based tool can help you more securely support users of Windows devices.

This new tool will be the solution for remote control of remote devices. While you can't currently start this tool from the Configuration Manager console, tenant attach provides the mechanism to eventually provide these Remote Help capabilities.

With the release of this new tool, the Configuration Manager feature for remote control anywhere using cloud management gateway (CMG) won't be available in the next technical preview release.

For more information, see the following resources:

General known issues

Unable to install an existing console extensions after site upgrade

After a site upgrade, console extensions that aren't built into Configuration Manager won't install for new consoles. If the extension was already installed on a console, that console may continue to use the extension.

Workaround

To work around this issue, delete the extension from the Console Extensions node. Redownload the extension from Community hub or reimport the extension and enable notifications for it as needed.

Next steps

For more information about installing or updating the technical preview branch, see Technical preview.

For more information about the different branches of Configuration Manager, see Which branch of Configuration Manager should I use?.