Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager

Deploying OSD Task Sequence to Existing Clients Using the USMT

Brian S. Tucker — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:09:00 GMT

Having a Task Sequence that does all your work for you is a tough job at times and depending on how many hardware platforms you have will determine how long it takes to make and test your Task Sequence. In this video I demonstrate how to advertise an existing Task Sequence to a live SCCM client in the domain. The process will take you through the end users perspective of what he or she will potentially expect to see during the entire process. After the system is rebuilt, we look at the SCCM report and also view the graph to validate that the process completed successfully. Although the link to Microsoft's Library on "Task Sequence Variables" is in the other video, I have added it here as well. Also, if you have not seen the other video where I create and show the various steps in my Task Sequence, you can download the exported .XML from this location.

Using your Task Sequence for Bare Metal PXE Boot

Brian S. Tucker — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:52:00 GMT

In the previous video I show how to create a Task Sequence which will be able to be used by PXE boot for Bare Metal deployments. In this video I show what needs to be setup and running to allow the PXE boot, associating a new PC to a collection and advertising the task Sequence to the collection. I also show you all the steps you will see during the PXE boot process and each step of the TS as it's applied to our Bare Metal machine. We also take a look at how to use the commend line function to copy the log file to the server for our review and view the report that shows the status of the deployment process. After each step of the TS is processed, it's status is uploaded to the SCCM server and you can refresh at any given time to see the status. Once you have validated that your TS works on each of your systems, you can then deploy to production. Runtime for this video is approximately 28:00 minutes.

Building a Task Sequence using USMT

Brian S. Tucker — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:17:00 GMT

I know a lot of people have questions and want to know exactly HOW to make a solid Task Sequence (TS). Depending on your needs, each organizations TS will be different. The goal is to have a TS that will work in almost any situation for almost any hardware and or software platform. In the TS I build / explain in this video, you can do a lot to get yourself off the ground and running. The TS is great because you can use it for 2 types of deployment. The TS can be used for a PXE boot and also advertised to an existing client where the USMT copies the user profiles off the machine to the USMT point and then drops the profiles and files back to the new rebuilt OS. I have made a video for PXE boot with this TS and also a video on how to use the TS for an existing client using the USMT. I have exported the TS into a .XML file for you to import into your environment to play with and or use. You can find the .XML in this link. Simply click the download link and copy all the text and save as a .XML file for import. Also, there are a lot of variables that are used in my TS and ones that you will use in your own TS. Here is a link to Microsoft's Library where they explain in general detail what they are and how the variables are used in various sections of your TS. Let me know in the comments if you have questions. The video is about 41:00 minutes long, so sit back and enjoy!

SCCM Software Updates Part 3 - Deploying Updates and XP SP3

Brian S. Tucker — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:46:00 GMT

In this video we take a look at how we could deploy a large number of updates at once. However, since many of the updates are included in Windows XP SP3, we will deploy SP3 and look at the process and will cover the following topics:

· Download SP3 and create a new Deployment Package

· Advertise the package to 2 Windows XP SP2 workstations

· Based on the Deployment Template we configured in an earlier video, we can see what the end user experiences based on the configuration of the Deployment Template

· Validation of installation

SCCM Software Updates Part 2 - The Beginning Process

Brian S. Tucker — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:29:00 GMT

Now that we have learned about some of the various areas of Software Updates, now it’s time to get our hands a bit dirty and do some work. In this video I cover the following topics:

· Creating a collection structure for patching. When planning collections for application and or Operating System patches, you should consider how they will interact with your Deployment Templates.

· How to create a template. Templates determine the behavior the system receives before and after patches are delivered. Templates also determine how the end user experiences the process.

· How to create and use Search folders. These are valuable if you know how to use them correctly.

· How to select / exclude updates for download to your source directory.

· Why and how you should create a well thought out source directory structure for your updates.

· How to deal with patches that don’t download properly and re-download and associate with the original Deployment Package.

· Accepting License terms for update patches.

SCCM Software Updates Part 1 - General Overview

Brian S. Tucker — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:26:00 GMT

Since we have now configured our SUP role, it's time to learn all about Software Updates and what all the different sections mean and how they work. Here is the link to Microsoft's Library for the Software Update section to assist you even further. If you need help troubleshooting Software Updates, you can use this link here as well.

Software Updates allows you to know which computers in your organization need either application or operating system patches. This video guides you in a high level demonstration of the different sections and what each section does. There are several parts to this topic and I encourage you to start at the beginning and work your way through the following videos to see how to use this section of the SCCM admin console. Note: in this overview, we do not cover the use of SMS 2003 clients using the SCCM version of the ITMU. This will be covered in a later video. Enjoy!

Adding the SUP Role to a Primary Server without SSL in Mixed Mode

Brian S. Tucker — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:12:00 GMT

In the last video we looked at how to install the Software Update Point (SUP) role to a separate server than the primary. This is done when you have a large number of clients and you need to off-set the role to reduce the strain on the SCCM server. However, in a smaller site you may want to consolidate and have your WSUS SP1 server on the same server as SCCM. The problem that stems from that is clients can be confused when you have your MP and WSUS SP1 on the same TCP port 80 and SSL 443. If you are running in Native mode, you MUST have a certificate to use WSUS; however, if you are in mixed mode, you simply need to have the proper ports so that clients don't clash on port 80. This is the simplest way I know of to configure WSUS SP1 without SSL and a GPO template.

How to Properly Upgrade from SCCM Base to SP1

Brian S. Tucker — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:38:00 GMT

Upgrading to SCCM SP1 requires more than the expected configurations. You need to make sure you have a proper backup and have backed up some of the existing files before the upgrade. The guide shows what files to backup and the proper prerequisite checks required before upgrading the site server. The video is well in depth and runs almost 42 minutes compared to some other videos on the Internet. I have taken several steps to make sure you have all the information you need to “properly” upgrade your central server and those sites below in the SCCM hierarchy. Despite your desire or need to upgrade to SP1, the prerequisite checker will advise you on updates you may not know are available to you. I strongly advise you to follow the instructions in the video and at “minimal” install the updates required so that the base configuration of SCCM and the consoles run properly. To download SCCM SP1, Click Here to get started!

How to Setup a Package Source Directory

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:19:00 GMT

Some of you may feel this is a no-brainer, but it's important that you have a single location for you applications to be imported into SCCM. Cheating a folder structure that holds not only applications, but OSD images and drivers is an important step in the process.

How to Configure the Software Update Point (SUP) Role for Software Distribution

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:33:00 GMT

Whether you have the SUP rolls on the SCCM server or on another server, you need to properly configure the role. For Software Updates, you need a WSUS server and a SUP for every primary server in your organization. The WSUS 3.0 Level 5 IT Guide by David Stein will explain how to install WSUS. Pay strict attention to the IIS port number if you have WSUS on the same server that has the MP role. Having the MP and WSUS on the same port 80 will confuse the clients and you will have errors. If on the same server as SCCM, make sure to take the option for the SSL ports and make sure you configure those ports in the SUP role. Depending on the number of clients reporting to that SCCM primary server, you might want to have WSUS on another server to reduce the work load. The video shows everything you need to do to properly setup the SUP.

Creating Queries in SCCM that Show Various Scenarios

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 04:04:00 GMT

Queries in SCCM are very similar to making collections. However, there are a lot of modifications you can make in a query rather than a collection. In this video we show various ways to make a solid query so we can make it available to the auditors and users who have proper access.

SCCM Security & How to Manage Groups and Users

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:35:00 GMT

This is a very good example of how to determine what permissions you will grant to users and groups in SCCM. In this video we go beyond the show and tell, but we talk about why we give permissions to various users and groups. This video makes you think about the roles you grant and how to grant them.

All you need to know about Collections

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 02:09:00 GMT

Collections can be difficult and you don't have to be a SQL DBA to understand how to make quality collections. The video is almost an hour long and covers both Direct Membership and SQL queries to make the best collections you can. Once again, this is a must for anyone using SCCM!

How to Properly Add a Package / Application to Deploy with SCCM

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:54:00 GMT

There are several ways to add a package to SCCM. Adding a package is adding an application you want to deploy to your clients, such as Office 2007. In the video we discuss the differences between .exe and .msi packages and how to configure each. The same rule will apply to .bat files and other file extensions. We cover everything you need to know about packages and how to properly st them up for deployment including sending the package to the Distribution Point(s).

Exploring the SMS_DEF.MOF File

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:31:00 GMT

The .mof file determines what inventory is returned by a hardware inventory when executed on a client. The .mof file has both classes and attributes. Some classes are set to FALSE and some are set to TRUE. Anything that is set to TRUE will be returned as inventory to SCCM. However, the class header must be set to TRUE even if the attributes are set to TRUE, but the class is FALSE. watch the demonstration and you will see how you can modify the .mof and increase inventory possibilities. While not part of this specific video, the .mof can be extended to read into WMI and the registry to retrieve custom information. We will discuss this in further videos.

How to Remove the SCCM Client

Brian S. Tucker — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:01:00 GMT

While we have to know how to install the client, we also have to know how to remove the client. the video shows how to remove manually and also by making a package that you can deploy to the clients you want to be removed.

OSD DHCP Settings & PXE Role Configuration

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:30:00 GMT

In order to use OSD with PXE boot method, you have to setup WDS and DHCP properly. Depending on whether or not DHCP is on the SCCM server or on another server such as a Domain Controller, there are different settings. If you want bare metal deployments, you will have to configure these settings.

Introduction to SCCM Operating System Deployments (OSD)

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:14:00 GMT

OSD is a tremendous value to any organization where you can deploy an operating system to an existing SCCM client to upgrade, use PXE boot to upgrade or refresh the OS and even use media such as DVD and or USB to deploy the new OS. The video is a very nice overview of all the sections of OSD and what they will mean to you.

How to Enable Client Access License and Asset Intelligence in SCCM

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:42:00 GMT

I find it interesting that Microsoft did not enable this in both the .mof files. In SMS 2003 SP3 when the introduction of AI was introduced, this was enabled, but not to the extent that it is in SCCM. The video is a critical video that you need to know so that you have proper reporting when it comes to both AI and CAL reporting. Without it, you really don't know how many CAL's are being used on your servers to make sure you are in compliance with Microsoft.

How to Deploy the SCCM Client to Target Machines

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:03:00 GMT

Deploying the client is a simple task, but we look at the different configurations and ways to deploy. We also look at the log files and verify the security account we have provided has the necessary access to the Admin$ share on the target machine.

First Steps After SCCM Installation

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:29:00 GMT

Whether a clean install, In-place upgrade or a side by side install, you need to know what to setup to configure after the installation or upgrade. this video shows all the steps you need to do to get up and running for a base install. More detailed videos will be provided as needed.

Configuring PKI and Installing SCCM in Native Mode

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:03:00 GMT

This is by far the most difficult configuration to get up and running. PKI or "Certificate Authority" setup can be confusing, but is required by SCCM when running in Native mode. The video shows how to setup PKI and secure IIS on the SCCM server. After we have that running correctly, we install SCCM in native mode and validate that everything is running properly. This should be another fun video to watch and gain some great in-site to Native mode requirements. You can download the PKI scripts here: http://blogcastrepository.com/files/folders/sccm/entry42281.aspx

In-Place Upgrade of SMS 2003 SP3 with the ITMU to SCCM Mixed Mode

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:41:00 GMT

Many of you will be installing SCCM on top of your current environment rather than a side by side migration. This is a great video that shows how to make sure you are prepared to begin the upgrade. Remember, always upgrade from the top of your hierarchy, then down the chain. If you have the ITMU installed, make sure you remove any extra ITMU scan tools such as the extended scan tool and any others before the upgrade. The video also demonstrates how to enable SMS 2003 client support because by default, they are not supported. Leave your comments and let's talk about this one as I think a lot of you will have questions.

Installing SQL 2005 SP2 Local to the SCCM Primary Server

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:21:00 GMT

I find this to be the best solution in my opinion. However as mentioned in the previous video, sometimes you have to install SQL remotely due to license costs. This video will walk you through the entire installation of SQL 2005 SP2.

Installing SQL Server on a Server other than the SCCM Primary

Brian S. Tucker — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:10:00 GMT

Some organizations will need to install SQL on another server either as a requirement or company policy. This video walks you through the steps to install SQL remote to the SCCM primary server.