Microsoft has released Configuration Manager 2603, the latest Current Branch version of Microsoft Configuration Manager.
SCCM 2603 was made globally available on May 27, 2026 and is available directly from the Updates and Servicing node in the Configuration Manager console.
This post is a complete step-by-step SCCM 2603 upgrade guide. If you’re planning to upgrade your existing SCCM environment to version 2603, we’ll cover the preparation, prerequisite check, installation, console upgrade, client upgrade, and post-upgrade validation.
To install SCCM 2603 as an in-console update, your site must currently be running Configuration Manager 2409 or later.
As always, keeping your Configuration Manager infrastructure current is recommended. Version 2603 continues Microsoft’s focus on security, quality, and infrastructure modernization.
Configuration Manager 2603 isn’t a feature-heavy release. The main focus is security, reliability, and modernization of the underlying Configuration Manager infrastructure.
Some of the more important changes in SCCM 2603 include:
One change deserves particular attention before upgrading.
Starting with Configuration Manager 2603, the Management Point uses Microsoft Identity Service Essentials (MISE) for Microsoft Entra token validation.
If your environment supports Microsoft Entra joined users or devices, your Management Point must be able to communicate with Microsoft Entra authentication endpoints.
At minimum, verify access to:
https://login.microsoftonline.comhttps://sts.windows.netThis connectivity must work from the Local System context of the Management Point. This is particularly important in environments where Configuration Manager servers have restricted Internet access or must communicate through a proxy.
If this connectivity isn’t available, you may see errors similar to MISE12034 in your Configuration Manager logs.
Microsoft.Identity.ServiceEssentials.Exceptions.MiseAuthenticationTicketProviderException: MISE12034: AuthenticationTicketProvider Name:AuthenticationTicketProvider
System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it
We strongly recommend validating this requirement before upgrading to SCCM 2603.
Before upgrading, make sure your existing Configuration Manager version supports a direct upgrade to 2603.
To install Configuration Manager 2603, you must be running SCCM 2409 or later.
If you’re running an older version, you’ll need to upgrade to a supported version first.
All sites in a hierarchy must also be running the same Configuration Manager version before starting the 2603 upgrade.
Before installing SCCM 2603, make sure your site servers and site system roles meet Microsoft’s currently supported prerequisites.
Pay particular attention to:
Configuration Manager requires .NET Framework 4.8 for site servers, specific site systems, and the Configuration Manager console. If you need to update .NET, do it before starting the SCCM upgrade and reboot the server before proceeding.
The Microsoft ODBC Driver for SQL Server is also a Configuration Manager prerequisite.
If you’re using Operating System Deployment, verify that your installed Windows ADK version is supported by Configuration Manager 2603.
If an ADK upgrade is required, we recommend updating the ADK before upgrading Configuration Manager. This allows the default boot images to be updated with the appropriate Windows PE components during the site upgrade.
The SCCM 2603 update is downloaded and installed directly from the Configuration Manager console. There’s no standalone download required for an existing Current Branch site. The update is downloaded through the Service Connection Point.
If your Service Connection Point is configured in offline mode, use the Service Connection Tool to download and import the update.
If you’re running a hierarchy, always start with the top-level site:
After the CAS upgrade completes, child Primary Sites will automatically begin their upgrade based on their configured service windows.
Secondary Sites must be upgraded manually after their parent Primary Site has successfully upgraded.
Before starting the upgrade, we recommend:
If you’re using SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, configure failover to Manual before starting the upgrade.
Once you’re ready:
If the update doesn’t appear, right-click Updates and Servicing and select Check for Updates.
You can monitor the download process using Dmpdownloader.log
You can also navigate to Monitoring / Updates and Servicing Status
Select the Configuration Manager 2603 update and choose Show Status.
If the update remains stuck in a Downloading state, also review hman.log
Before launching the update, we recommend launching the prerequisite check first. To see the prerequisite checklist, see the Microsoft Documentation
We are now ready to launch the SCCM 2603 update. At this point, plan about 45 minutes to install the update.
The whole process took a minute, but the installation begins on the back end.
Unfortunately, the status is not updated in real-time. Use the Refresh button to update the view.
We’ve done numerous SCCM upgrades. Some installations start a couple of minutes after you complete the wizard but we’ve seen some installation starts after a 10-minute delay. Do not reboot or restart any services during this period or your update can be stuck in the “Prerequisite check passed” status. There are actually no officially documented methods by Microsoft to fix that. Patience is the key!
As a previous update, the console has an auto-update feature. At the console opening, if you are not running the latest version, you will receive a warning and the update will start automatically.
After setup is completed, verify the build number of the console. If the console upgrade was successful, the build number will be 9146 and the version is now Version 2603.
The client version will be updated to 5.00.9146.x (after updating, see the section below)
You’ll see that the 2 client packages are updated:
Boot images will automatically update during setup. See our post on upgrade consideration in a large environment to avoid this if you have multiple distribution points.
Our preferred way to update our clients is by using the Client Upgrade feature: (You can refer to our complete post documenting this feature)
To complete SCCM 2603 Upgrade Guide, if you use an availability group, reset the failover configuration to automatic. For more information, see SQL Server AlwaysOn for a site database.
If you disabled database maintenance tasks at a site before installing the update, reconfigure those tasks. Use the same settings that were in place before the update.
You can see our SCCM Client version reports to give detailed information about every client version in your environment. It’s the easiest way to track your client updates.
In conclusion, you can create a collection that targets clients without the latest client version because is very useful when it comes to monitoring a non-compliant client.
Here’s the query to achieve this: (You can also refer to our Set of Operational Collection Powershell Script, which contains this collection)
select SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceID,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceType,SMS_R_SYSTEM.Name,SMS_R_SYSTEM.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_SYSTEM.Client from SMS_R_System where SMS_R_System.ClientVersion != '5.00.9146.1000'
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