In the first part of this blog series on how to deploy Windows 10 with SCCM, we will prepare our environment for Windows 10. If you’re already deploying other operating systems with SCCM 1511, adding Windows 10 is just a matter of adding a new WIM (which our post covers in part 4). If you’re new to deploying operating system with SCCM, follow this post which will covers all steps needed before you can deploy your first systems. Overview SCCM Windows 10 Deployment Upgrade to SCCM 1511 Enable PXE Support Prepare your boot image Prepare your Operating Systems Create your SUG USMT Packages Upgrade to SCCM 1511 It’s possible to manage Windows 10 with SCCM 2012 but when it comes to deploying Windows 10, if you want to use the full features, you need SCCM 1511 and further. Follow our guide to upgrade your SCCM server and make sure that you … Read More
Pull DP Upgrade Consideration in Large Environment
Many challenges come with managing and maintaining System Center Configuration Manager in large environment. In previous posts, we covered how to limit Pull DP bandwidth and How to manage Pull DP with collections to ease management in large environment. Probably the biggest challenge with large environment, is to keep SCCM up to date. In this post, we will provide in depth details, considerations and useful tips on Pull DP upgrade for large SCCM environment. The goal is to provide ways to prevent upgrades of SCCM to become a nightmare by taking more time than planned and/or heavy hit on the network. We will cover theses subjects : Automatic package update and distribution How to work around automatic package update and distribution Pre-requisite checker Upgrade time lapse Distribution point and PullDP upgrade ratio What happen while Distribution point/ Pull DP upgrade Note that all details and considerations are regarding major upgrade like service pack upgrades and major … Read More
How to perform a Testdbupgrade before SCCM Installation
Before upgrading to SCCM 1511, it’s recommended to perform a test upgrade on a copy of your production database. We briefly cover the topic in our SCCM Upgrade post but we wanted to provide a step-by-step procedure. This procedure is not mandatory but gives you head-ups on installation errors you may encounter before your upgrade. Step 1 | Prepare your environment for SCCM Installation Testdbupgrade To test the database for an upgrade, you must copy the site database to a SQL instance that does not host SCCM. The SQL version must run the same edition and version of your production SQL. Start by creating a new VM or connecting to an existing SQL server that can host your SCCM database. Install the right SQL version. Follow our post on how to install SQL Server if needed. Step 2 | Backup your database Once your SQL server is ready to receive the database copy, browse to … Read More
Upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 with SCCM
Last week, Microsoft announced the end of support for older version of Internet Explorer . Many organisations will need to upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 soon. This post will describe how to upgrade to Internet Explorer 11 with SCCM. There’s multiple ways to upgrade your Internet Explorer : Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) Software Update with SCCM Standard Package with SCCM Task sequence with SCCM All of theses options were tested and the fastest installation is by using Task sequence because of the ability to manage restart and multiple consecutive steps to get everything installed in one deployment. IEAK could also do that, but we never had much success with it. Task sequence are made for OS Deployment, but they can be very useful with complex application deployment. In this post, we will cover : How to update to Internet Explorer 11 with SCCM using a task sequence … Read More
Step-by-Step SCCM 1511 Upgrade Guide
Microsoft has just announced the release of SCCM 1511. Before performing your SCCM 1511 upgrade, we recommend that you read all the available resources and carefully plan the upgrade process throughout your SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 hierarchy. The good news is that our SCCM 1511 Upgrade Guide will list everything you need to know before applying this major upgrade to your existing SCCM 2012 installation. We’ve got you covered ! In this blog post, we will guide you through the whole upgrade process to bring your existing SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 to SCCM 1511. See our complete installation guide if your starting from scratch. New Features SCCM 1511 brings a whole new set of features. Don’t get surprised, the gap isn’t as big as 2003 to 2007 or 2007 to 2012. The console has the same look and concepts are the same. If you’re upgrading from 2012, the upgrade process is similar as applying a Service Pack. No need … Read More
Step-by-Step SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 CU2 Installation Guide
Cumulative Update 2 (CU2) for SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 and SCCM 2012 SP2 is now available. This post is a complete step-by-step SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 CU2 Installation guide. If you’re looking for a complete SCCM 2012 installation guide, see our blog series which covers it all. Installing SCCM cumulative updates is very important to your infrastructure. It fix lots of issues, which some of them are important. Microsoft recommends installing Cumulative Updates if you are affected by a resolved issues. If you are not on SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 or SCCM 2012 SP2, the latest CU is Cumulative Update 5. As this is a cumulative update, you don’t have to install prior CU(1) before installing CU2. CU2 contains all the fixes included in previous CU. Improvements/Fixes There’s no new major functionality in CU2. This update contains fixes for issues in various areas including software distribution and content management; operating system deployment; site systems and mobile device management. … Read More
Managing Windows 10 with SCCM 2012
Since Windows 10 is out, there’s been a ton of information coming out from the SCCM product group. Many people gets confused at what’s needed for managing Windows 10 with SCCM 2012. The goal of this post is to centralize all those information so you can reach out when your organisation will be ready for managing Windows 10 with SCCM 2012. [Updated 12/21/2015] – For complete Windows 10 support, upgrade to SCCM 1511 or perform a complete SCCM 1511 installation Requirement for Managing Windows 10 with SCCM 2012 Before you can manage and deploy Windows 10 in your organisation, you need to update your SCCM infrastructure. Your site servers needs to be updated to SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 or SCCM 2012 SP2. Refer to our installation guide if it’s not the case. You need to apply R2 SP1 Cumulative Update 1. Refer to our installation guide if it’s not the case. You need to update your boot images to Win PE version 10. Refer to the Deployment section of … Read More
Windows 10 Error Code 80240020
Windows 10 has just been released, Microsoft is calling it the biggest software update in history. With massive installations at the same time, many users has been reporting errors when upgrading. The most common error is Windows 10 error code 80240020. Microsoft explains this error in the following statement: This is an expected message indicating that when installation begins it may require user interaction. This is the largest software upgrade event ever and we’re managing it so everyone has a great experience. We recommend waiting until your PC receives a notification to upgrade, and then following the instructions provided. Please note that there is no problem with your reservation or upgrade download. The upgrade download is not corrupt as some have stated, and you will be notified in the coming days or weeks when your device is ready to upgrade. How to fix Windows 10 error code 80240020 Method 1 – Download folder Go … Read More
Our favorite SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 New Features
Microsoft announced the release of SCCM 2012 SP2 and SCCM 2012 R2 SP1. This service pack includes tons of new features. We covered the complete installation, now we decided to compile a list of our favorite SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 new features and we’ll be describing how to enable them and explain why they made the cut. Preferred Management Points Official description from Technet : Preferred management points enable a client to identify and prefer to communicate with a management point that is associated with its current network location or boundary. When configured, a client attempts to use a preferred management point from its assigned site before using a management point from its assigned site that is not configured as preferred. Basically it means that you can assign your clients to a preferred management points like you did in the past for content (Distribution Points) using boundary groups. Cumulative Update 3 had a similar concept of Management Point affinity but it was not configurable … Read More
Step-by-Step SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 Upgrade Guide
Microsoft has recently announced the release of SCCM 2012 SP2 and SCCM 2012 R2 SP1. Before performing an SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 upgrade, we recommend that you read carefully all the available resources and carefully plan the upgrade process throughout your SCCM 2012 R2 hierarchy. The good news is that our SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 Upgrade Guide will list everything you need to know before applying this major upgrade to your existing SCCM 2012 installation. We’ve got you covered ! What’s new The main reason you’ll want to upgrade to SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 is probably for Windows 10 support. No plan for Windows 10 deployment in your organisation? There’s interesting new features and a lots of bug fixes (thousands, which are not fully documented) in this release that are worth it. Do I still need to perform the SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 upgrade? See the full list of features on this Technet Article to figure it out. Naming … Read More