Deploy Application

  • Article

Applies To: System Center 2012 - Orchestrator, System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator, System Center 2012 SP1 - Orchestrator

The Deploy Application activity is used to create new application deployments and assign them to collections. This activity uses the new Configuration Manager application model and relies on applications rather than packages and programs.

To deploy a legacy application (package/program), use the Deploy Program activity. To deploy a task sequence, use the Deploy Task Sequence activity. To deploy software updates in an update group, use the Deploy Software Update activity. To get status on deployments you’ve created, use the Get Deployment Status activity.

For the procedure to configure this object, see: Configuring the Deploy Program Activity.

Properties and Published Data

The following tables list the properties and published data for this activity. The activity publishes all the data from the required and optional properties into published data.

Deploy Application Properties

Element Description

Deployment Name

The desired name for the new deployment that will be shown in the Configuration Manager console

Application

The display name or ID of an existing application.

Note

When you use the browse feature to look up an application name, or enter an application name manually or from published data, you must set the Application Value Type property to Name or the activity will fail.

Application Value Type

Specifies whether the value in the Application property is a name or an application ID. Options are:

  • ID (default): the value is an application ID

  • Name: the value is an application name

Collection

The display name or ID of an existing collection.

Note

When you use the browse feature to look up a collection name, or enter a collection name manually or from published data, you must set the Collection Value Type property to Name or the activity will fail.

Collection Value Type

Specifies whether the value in the Collection property is a name or a collection ID. Options are:

  • ID (default): the value is an collection ID

  • Name: the value is an collection name

Purpose

The deployment intent or purpose. Options are:

  • Required (default): the application is mandatory to be installed or uninstalled

  • Available: the application is made available but not mandatory

Action

The action to be performed with the application. Options are:

  • Install (default): the application will be installed on the device

  • Uninstall: the application will be uninstalled from the device

Note

If Uninstall is selected, the Purpose property will be set to Required regardless of the setting you provide.

User Notification

Determines how the user sees the application and its notifications. Options are:

  • Show all notifications (default): the application is listed in the Software Center and all notifications are displayed to the user.

  • Show only restart notifications: the application is not listed in the Software Center, but notifications about a required reboot are displayed to the user.

  • Hide all notifications: the application is not listed in the Software Center, and notifications about a required reboot are not displayed to the user.

Note

If you set this property to Hide all notifications and the Purpose property is set to Available, this property will automatically be reset to Show only restart notifications because Configuration Manager disallows that setting.

Distribution Point

The name of a distribution point to where the content for this deployment will be distributed. The name is typically in a UNC format, such as: “\\server1.contoso.com”

Note

If there are no default distribution point groups associated with the collection, and the content is not already distributed, this property or the Distribution Point Group property must have a value or the activity will fail.

Distribution Point Group

The name of a distribution point group to where the content for this deployment will be distributed.

Warning

If there are no default distribution point groups associated with the collection, and the content is not already distributed, this property or the Distribution Point property must have a value or the activity will fail.

Deploy Application Optional Properties

Element Description

Schedule Activity

By default, the deployment is made immediately available. If you wish to define a future date or time to make this deployment available, set date and time manually.

Installation Deadline

The date/time to use for the installation deadline for this deployment.

Note

If you set Purpose to Required, this property defaults to As soon as possible unless set to a specific date/time.

Allow Software Install Outside of Maintenance Windows

True or False (Default = False) Allows the application to install even if the installation would occur outside of a maintenance window

Allow System Restart Outside of Maintenance Windows

True or False (Default = False) Allows the advertised program to restart the client even if the restart would occur outside of a maintenance window

Comment

An optional comment associated with the deployment

Send Wake-up Packets

True or False (Default = False) Specifies whether the Configuration Manager server will send a Wake On LAN packet to the computer prior to the advertised program.

Note

This setting applies only if the Purpose is set to Required.

Require administrator approval

True or False (Default = False) Specifies whether the administrator will receive an alert and must approve before the installation occurs.

Warning

This setting applies only if the Purpose is set to Available and the collection specified is a user collection.

Use default distribution point groups

True or False (Default = False) If distribution point groups are already associated with this collection, the content associated with this deployment will automatically be distributed to those distribution point groups without having to specify individual distribution points or groups.

Deploy Application Published Data

The following values are published in addition to the input values above:

Element Description

Connection

Specifies the name of the connection to the Configuration Manager server

Collection ID

Provides the Collection ID value for the collection targeted for this activity (in case the collection name was specified for the input property).

Configuring the Deploy Application Activity

To configure the Deploy Application activity

  1. From the Activities pane, drag a Deploy Application activity to the active runbook.

  2. Double-click the Deploy Application activity icon. The Properties dialog box opens.

  3. Configuring the Details tab:

    1. In the Connection section, click the ellipsis button (...), and then select the Configuration Manager server connection that you want to use for this activity. Click OK.

    2. In the Fields section, enter a value for each of the required properties. If the property is Lookup-enabled, you can click the ellipsis (…) button next to the text box to browse for a value.

      You can also use published data to automatically populate the value of the property from the data output by a previous activity in the runbook.

  4. For information about the settings on the General and Run Behavior tabs, see Common Configuration Instructions for all Activities.

  5. Click Finish.

Other Activities

The Integration Pack for System Center Configuration Manager contains the following additional activities: