• To start off you’ll need to have admin rights to your machine
• You’ll need to know the name of site server you’re going to connect to
• Navigate to <SCCM site server installation path>\Tools\ConsoleSetup

In my case, PAC-SCCM01 is my primary server and the installation path is “E:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager”

Install SCCM Admin Console On Windows 10

Once you’re in that folder follow these steps to install the SCCM administrative console on your Windows 10 machine.

• Double click on ConsoleSetup.exe
• Click Next and follow prompts
• Enter in your Primary Server name e.g. PAC-SCCM01
• Finish installation and open application

So hopefully you were able to install the admin console on your Windows 10 machine and have it work like a charm. It’s great knowing that you can connect locally without having to RDP into a different machine.

If you’re interested in more content like this, be sure to check out our SCCM category and SCCM playlist on YouTube.

The post Install SCCM Admin Console On Windows 10 appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

Connect To SCCM Powershell

If you’re doing this on a computer that’s NOT the SCCM site server, you’re going to need to install the SCCM admin console so you can install the binaries needed to connect. However, let’s take look at the different paths for different machine types.

SCCM Site Server PSD1 Module Location:

(Assuming the install dir is on the E Drive)

Windows 10 PSD1 Module Location:

(Under the default install location)

Once you’ve imported the SCCM module you can now change directory into the Primary Site Code.
cd PAC:\

Create Device Collection Using Powershell

In our example we’re going to create a device collection for Windows 10 that needs to be patched. Since we’re now on our way to becoming Powershell Wizards we’ll also create the collection in Powershell.

PS PAC:\> New-CMDeviceCollection -Name "Windows 10 Patch Devices" -LimitingCollectionName "All Systems" 

Add Multiple Computers To SCCM Collection Using Powershell

To add a device to a group we’ll leverage the Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule cmdlet from the SCCM module. Next up we’ll run the little code snippet to execute the job.

foreach ($Computer in $ComputerList) {
	Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule -CollectionName "Windows 10 Patch Devices" -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $Computer).ResourceID 
}

That’s it! The great thing is that we can reuse that code to add more and more machines as needed. I hope this article was able to help you with your SCCM administration as much as it helped it.

Finally, don’t forget to check out our SCCM Playlist on YouTube for more SCCM tips and tools.

The post Add Multiple Computers To SCCM Collection Using Powershell appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

There are times when an SCCM administrator would need to quickly restart a remote machine’s sync cycle in order to have it talk back to the SCCM server and get whatever update you’re trying to push out. While there are ways to do in the GUI, it can also become very useful to have this accomplished using Powershell. The best thing about the Restart-SCCMSyncCycle script is that you can dynamically add multiple computers either from the pipeline or an array variable. Here is the script to remotely Restart-SCCMSyncCycle using Powershell.

Restart-SCCMSyncCycle Powershell Script

Function Restart-SCCMSyncCycle {
<#
.Synopsis
    Remotely restarts sccm service cycles.


.DESCRIPTION
    This function restarts all sccm policies on a remote client so that the client can immediately get any pending software updates or inventory.


.NOTES   
    Name: Restart-SCCMSyncCycle
    Author: theSysadminChannel
    Version: 1
    DateCreated: 2017-02-09


.LINK 
    https://thesysadminchannel.com/remotely-restart-sccmsynccycle-using-powershell -


.PARAMETER ComputerName
    The computer to which connectivity will be checked


.EXAMPLE
    Restart-SCCMSyncCycle -Computername Pactest-1

    Description:
    Will restart all sccm services on a remote machine.

.EXAMPLE
    Restart-SCCMSyncCycle -ComputerName pactest-1, pactest-2, pactest-3

    Description:
    Will generate a list of installed programs on pactest-1, pactest-2 and pactest-3

#>


    [CmdletBinding()]
        param(
            [Parameter(
                ValueFromPipeline=$true,
                ValueFromPipelineByPropertyName=$true,
                Position=0)]
            [string[]] $ComputerName = $env:COMPUTERNAME

        )

    Foreach ($Computer in $ComputerName ) {
        try {

            Write-Host "====================================================================="
			Write-Output "$Computer : Machine Policy Evaluation Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000022}" -ErrorAction Stop | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null 


			Write-Output "$Computer : Application Deployment Evaluation Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000121}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : Discovery Data Collection Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : File Collection Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000010}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : Hardware Inventory Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : Machine Policy Retrieval Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000021}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : Software Inventory Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : Software Metering Usage Report Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000031}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : Software Update Deployment Evaluation Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000114}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			#Write-Output "$Computer : Software Update Scan Cycle"
			#Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000113}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : State Message Refresh"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000111}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			#Write-Output "$Computer : User Policy Retrieval Cycle"
			#Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000026}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			#Write-Output "$Computer : User Policy Evaluation Cycle"
			#Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000027}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null


			Write-Output "$Computer : Windows Installers Source List Update Cycle"
			Invoke-WMIMethod -ComputerName $Computer -Namespace root\ccm -Class SMS_CLIENT -Name TriggerSchedule "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000032}" | select -ExpandProperty PSComputerName | Out-Null

			sleep 1
        }

        catch {
            Write-Host $Computer.toUpper() "is not online" -ForegroundColor:Red
            Write-Host
            Write-Host

        }
    }
}

The output when ran on multiple computers looks something like the image below.

 

Hopefully you can find some use out of this Restart-SCCMSyncCycle script to manage your SCCM clients. I know during my time as an SCCM administrator it has helped me tons.

Also don’t forget to check out our SCCM Playlist on YouTube for more SCCM tips and tools.

The post Remotely Restart-SCCMSyncCycle Using Powershell appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

Available Deployment in SCCM

The available option in SCCM grants the user the choice of installing a certain software. If they don’t want it installed on their machine, they don’t necessarily have to have it. The option is left entirely up to the user and it will be up to you to notify them as well as train them on how to access it.

Required Deployment in SCCM

The required option in SCCM forces the deployment without any option for the user. If an SCCM administrator decides they need a machine to have a software installed, they will choose the required option. As an SCCM administrator myself, I rarely leave the option up to the user, but that’s because most time they don’t know what to do or where to look. I make an effort to make it as easy and seamless as possible so I don’t disturb their workflow. This also means that all my deployments are automated with zero interaction from the user. It takes a little time setting up but once it’s up and running it’s like a well lubed machine.

Available vs Required in SCCM Conclusion

Available – If the application is deployed to a user, the user sees the published application and can request it on demand. If the application is deployed to a device, the user will see it in the Software Center and can install it on demand. Basically meaning Available applications mean that users can choose to install the software when they want.

Required – If the application is deployed it will automatically send it to their computer. A user can track the application deployment status if it is not hidden, and can install the application before the deadline by using the Software Center. Required applications have an installation schedule and automatically install if they are not already installed by a defined deadline.

Note – When the deployment action is set to Uninstall, the deployment purpose is automatically set to Required and cannot be changed.

The post Available vs Required in SCCM: What You Need To Know appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

How to Upgrade SCCM Evaluation Version

In my example I have SCCM installed on “E:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager” so we’ll use that path as the %InstallPath%.

If you have any questions, be sure to leave them down in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. Otherwise let’s convert your SCCM eval version to a licensed version.

• Navigate to %InstallPath%\bin\x64\setup.exe on your site server.
• Click next on the ‘Before you Begin” screen.


Don’t run the installation media because the option to perform maintenance will be greyed out.

 

• Select Perform site maintenance or reset this site and click Next.



 

• Select the option Upgrade the evalutation edition to a licensed edition. Enter the 25 character product key.



 

• Accept the Terms of agreement and click Next



 

• If the configuration completes successfully, click close.



 

You now have a fully functional, licensed version of SCCM. Hopefully this article was easy to understand how to upgrade sccm version to a licensed version. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our Youtube Page @theSysadminChannel for more awesome video content.

The post Upgrade SCCM Evaluation Version To A Licensed Version appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> https://thesysadminchannel.com/upgrade-sccm-evaluation-version-to-a-licensed-version/feed/ 0 934 https://thesysadminchannel.com/sccm-wsus-sup-failing-to-sync-with-windows-updates/ https://thesysadminchannel.com/sccm-wsus-sup-failing-to-sync-with-windows-updates/#respond Thu, 06 Dec 2018 19:48:13 +0000 https://thesysadminchannel.com/?p=1130 SUP Failing to Sync Errors You might have noticed your SCCM Software Update Point Syncronization Status has been failing over the course of the last couple of days. When I look at the SCCM console under Monitoring -> Software Update… Continue Reading →

The post SCCM: WSUS/SUP Failing to Sync with Windows Updates appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> SUP Failing to Sync Errors

You might have noticed your SCCM Software Update Point Syncronization Status has been failing over the course of the last couple of days. When I look at the SCCM console under Monitoring -> Software Update Point Syncronization Status I see that there is a Last Synchronization Error Code status Error 0X80131500.


 

When I look at the WSyncMgr.log I see that there are a whole lot of errors piling up. The errors are shown below.

Sync failed: UssInternalError: SoapException: Fault occurred~~at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.ReadResponse(SoapClientMessage message, WebResponse response, Stream responseStream, Boolean asyncCall). Source: Microsoft.SystemsManagementServer.SoftwareUpdatesManagement.WsusSyncAction.WSyncAction.SyncWSUS

STATMSG: ID=6703 SEV=E LEV=M SOURCE="SMS Server" COMP="SMS_WSUS_SYNC_MANAGER" SYS=PAC-SCCM01.AD.THESYSADMINCHANNEL.COM SITE=PAC PID=2388 TID=6712 GMTDATE=Thu Dec 06 06:02:27.002 2018 ISTR0="Microsoft.SystemsManagementServer.SoftwareUpdatesManagement.WsusSyncAction.WSyncAction.SyncWSUS" ISTR1="UssInternalError: SoapException: Fault occurred~~at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.ReadResponse(SoapClientMessage message, WebResponse response, Stream responseStream, Boolean asyncCall)" ISTR2="" ISTR3="" ISTR4="" ISTR5="" ISTR6="" ISTR7="" ISTR8="" ISTR9="" NUMATTRS=0

Sync failed. Will retry in 60 minutes

 

When I check the logs of within the WSUS console, I am getting the error:

SoapException: Fault occurred
at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.ReadResponse(SoapClientMessage message, WebResponse response, Stream responseStream, Boolean asyncCall)
   at System.Web.Services.Protocols.SoapHttpClientProtocol.Invoke(String methodName, Object[] parameters)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.ServerSyncWebServices.ServerSync.ServerSyncProxy.GetUpdateData(Cookie cookie, UpdateIdentity[] updateIds)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.ServerSync.CatalogSyncAgentCore.WebserviceGetUpdateData(UpdateIdentity[] updateIds, List`1 allMetadata, List`1 allFileUrls, List`1& updatesWithSecureFileData, Boolean isForConfig)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.ServerSync.CatalogSyncAgentCore.GetUpdateDataInChunksAndImport(List`1 neededUpdates, List`1 allMetadata, List`1 allFileUrls, Boolean isConfigData)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.ServerSync.CatalogSyncAgentCore.GetAndSaveUpdateMetadata(List`1 updates)
   at Microsoft.UpdateServices.ServerSync.CatalogSyncAgentCore.ExecuteSyncProtocol(Boolean allowRe


 

Conclusion

There are a few threads on Reddit and on Microsoft Technet saying that this is an issue on Microsoft’s end. Other people with Premier Support have also confirmed that it’s a bug on their end. No ETA yet on a resolution.

The post SCCM: WSUS/SUP Failing to Sync with Windows Updates appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> https://thesysadminchannel.com/sccm-wsus-sup-failing-to-sync-with-windows-updates/feed/ 0 1130 https://thesysadminchannel.com/get-sccm-software-update-status-powershell/ https://thesysadminchannel.com/get-sccm-software-update-status-powershell/#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2018 21:59:14 +0000 https://thesysadminchannel.com/?p=1101 I created an SCCM Software Update Status script because very recently I wanted to check the status of my Software Update Deployments within SCCM and quickly found out that there was no easy way of exporting the data I needed.… Continue Reading →

The post Get SCCM Software Update Status using Powershell appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> I created an SCCM Software Update Status script because very recently I wanted to check the status of my Software Update Deployments within SCCM and quickly found out that there was no easy way of exporting the data I needed. For example, I wanted to export all of the computers that were in progress or pending a reboot so I can run another script and possibly reboot them during off hours. I also wanted to check to see which computers had errors or failed updates so I can quickly run a remote scan cycle and see if that remediates the problem.

I was able to identify the problem, now it was time to create a solution. So with a little bit of Google searching and some knowledge from ol’ trusty Learn Powershell In a Month Of Lunches Book I was able to create Get-SCCMSoftwareUpdateStatus.ps1

Script Requirements

If you’re using the DeploymentIDFromGUI parameter you will need to have the SCCM Configuration Module installed on your computer. Otherwise, this script uses WMI to gather the data. If you’re running the script remotely, you will need to have access to the SCCM server, although that should be a given.

Script Parameters

• DeploymentIDFromGUI: A grid view of your current Software Update deployments will pop up. Select the update you want to query and click OK.


 

• DeploymentID: Manually enter in a DeploymentID. To get the DeploymentID, go to Monitoring -> Deployments -> Right Click the column header and select AssignmentID


 

• Status: This parameter allows you to filter by status. Only Success, InProgress, Error and Unknown are valid.



Get SCCM Software Update Status Powershell Script

function Get-SCCMSoftwareUpdateStatus {
<#
.Synopsis
    This will output the device status for the Software Update Deployments within SCCM.
    For updated help and examples refer to -Online version.
 

.DESCRIPTION
    This will output the device status for the Software Update Deployments within SCCM.
    For updated help and examples refer to -Online version.


.NOTES   
    Name: Get-SCCMSoftwareUpdateStatus
    Author: The Sysadmin Channel
    Version: 1.0
    DateCreated: 2018-Nov-10
    DateUpdated: 2018-Nov-10

.LINK
    https://thesysadminchannel.com/get-sccm-software-update-status-powershell -


.EXAMPLE
    For updated help and examples refer to -Online version.

#>

    [CmdletBinding()]

    param(
        [Parameter()]
        [switch]  $DeploymentIDFromGUI,

        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
        [Alias('ID', 'AssignmentID')]
        [string]   $DeploymentID,
        
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
        [ValidateSet('Success', 'InProgress', 'Error', 'Unknown')]
        [Alias('Filter')]
        [string]  $Status


    )

    BEGIN {
        $Site_Code   = 'PAC'
        $Site_Server = 'PAC-SCCM01'
        $HasErrors   = $False

        if ($Status -eq 'Success') {
            $StatusType = 1 
        }

        if ($Status -eq 'InProgress') {
            $StatusType = 2
        }

        if ($Status -eq 'Unknown') {
            $StatusType = 4
        }

        if ($Status -eq 'Error') {
            $StatusType = 5
        }

    }

    PROCESS {
        try {
            if ($DeploymentID -and $DeploymentIDFromGUI) {
                Write-Error "Select the DeploymentIDFromGUI or DeploymentID Parameter. Not Both"
                $HasErrors   = $True
                throw
            }

            if ($DeploymentIDFromGUI) {
                $ShellLocation = Get-Location
                Import-Module (Join-Path $(Split-Path $env:SMS_ADMIN_UI_PATH) ConfigurationManager.psd1)
                
                #Checking to see if module has been imported. If not abort.
                if (Get-Module ConfigurationManager) {
                        Set-Location "$($Site_Code):\"
                        $DeploymentID = Get-CMSoftwareUpdateDeployment | select AssignmentID, AssignmentName | Out-GridView -OutputMode Single -Title "Select a Deployment and Click OK" | Select -ExpandProperty AssignmentID
                        Set-Location $ShellLocation
                    } else {
                        Write-Error "The SCCM Module wasn't imported successfully. Aborting."
                        $HasErrors   = $True
                        throw
                }
            }

            if ($DeploymentID) {
                    $DeploymentNameWithID = Get-WMIObject -ComputerName $Site_Server -Namespace root\sms\site_$Site_Code -class SMS_SUMDeploymentAssetDetails -Filter "AssignmentID = $DeploymentID" | select AssignmentID, AssignmentName
                    $DeploymentName = $DeploymentNameWithID.AssignmentName | select -Unique
                } else {
                    Write-Error "A Deployment ID was not specified. Aborting."
                    $HasErrors   = $True
                    throw   
            }

            if ($Status) {
                   $Output = Get-WMIObject -ComputerName $Site_Server -Namespace root\sms\site_$Site_Code -class SMS_SUMDeploymentAssetDetails -Filter "AssignmentID = $DeploymentID and StatusType = $StatusType" | `
                    select DeviceName, CollectionName, @{Name = 'StatusTime'; Expression = {$_.ConvertToDateTime($_.StatusTime) }}, @{Name = 'Status' ; Expression = {if ($_.StatusType -eq 1) {'Success'} elseif ($_.StatusType -eq 2) {'InProgress'} elseif ($_.StatusType -eq 5) {'Error'} elseif ($_.StatusType -eq 4) {'Unknown'}  }}

                } else {       
                    $Output = Get-WMIObject -ComputerName $Site_Server -Namespace root\sms\site_$Site_Code -class SMS_SUMDeploymentAssetDetails -Filter "AssignmentID = $DeploymentID" | `
                    select DeviceName, CollectionName, @{Name = 'StatusTime'; Expression = {$_.ConvertToDateTime($_.StatusTime) }}, @{Name = 'Status' ; Expression = {if ($_.StatusType -eq 1) {'Success'} elseif ($_.StatusType -eq 2) {'InProgress'} elseif ($_.StatusType -eq 5) {'Error'} elseif ($_.StatusType -eq 4) {'Unknown'}  }}
            }

            if (-not $Output) {
                Write-Error "A Deployment with ID: $($DeploymentID) is not valid. Aborting"
                $HasErrors   = $True
                throw
                
            }

        } catch {
            
        
        } finally {
            if (($HasErrors -eq $false) -and ($Output)) {
                Write-Output ""
                Write-Output "Deployment Name: $DeploymentName"
                Write-Output "Deployment ID:   $DeploymentID"
                Write-Output ""
                Write-Output $Output | Sort-Object Status
            }
        }
    }

    END {}

}

SCCM Software Update Status Video Demo

Finally, If this article helped you out, feel free to subscribe to our Youtube Channel for more awesome sysadmin content. If you want to further your SCCM knowledge, be sure to check out our recommended SCCM books:
 
System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed
Learn SCCM in a Month of Lunches Book

The post Get SCCM Software Update Status using Powershell appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> https://thesysadminchannel.com/get-sccm-software-update-status-powershell/feed/ 2 1101 https://thesysadminchannel.com/when-to-use-a-secondary-site-in-sccm/ https://thesysadminchannel.com/when-to-use-a-secondary-site-in-sccm/#respond Wed, 07 Nov 2018 06:15:46 +0000 https://thesysadminchannel.com/?p=1093 When To Use A Secondary Site in SCCM A lot of SCCM administrators often ask the question, should I create a secondary site for my SCCM environment? The answer to that question can depend on many factors however, a good… Continue Reading →

The post When To Use A Secondary Site in SCCM appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> When To Use A Secondary Site in SCCM

A lot of SCCM administrators often ask the question, should I create a secondary site for my SCCM environment? The answer to that question can depend on many factors however, a good general rule of thumb is to use a secondary site if the site is on a slow WAN link and there are many clients in the remote site. Think more than 1000.

I should mention that in many cases a Distribution Point would be preferred and should suffice. Adding a secondary site increases the complexity of the infrastructure and from my testing I found that it is actually not worth it. Many clients had problems communicating with the site server and the effort just wasn’t worth the hassle. As such, I would highly recommend adding an extra DP before adding the unnecessary complexity of a secondary site.

Why To Use A Secondary Site in SCCM

As noted above, it might be best to consider a secondary site if the remote site is going over a slow WAN link. Exactly what is a slow WAN link you ask? Well, a slow Wide Area Network link would be something much slower than T1 connection (1.544 Mbps). If you have less than 500 clients on the remote site, I would recommend just setting up an extra DP.

If you do decide to setup a secondary site, be sure to setup the proper boundaries and boundary groups. Be sure that the clients are successfully talking to the correct Management Point (MP). Finally, be sure to test in an environment that is not production.

When you install a secondary site, SCCM will automatically create a SQL express database to host the data needed for the new site. It will also create a Management Point and a Distribution Point on the site server you added. However, like I said earlier, this setup creates some added complexities and it might be worth it to just setup another DP.

Conclusion or TLDR

The Too Long Didn’t Read portion of this article is if you have slow WAN links that have over 1000 end points in a distant site, it might be worth considering adding a secondary site. Otherwise, you would be better off just adding a Distribution Point and save yourself the hassle and headache of a unnecessary more complex environment.

Finally, don’t forget to check out our Youtube Channel for more awesome sysadmin content and fun learning and if you want to further your SCCM knowledge, be sure to check out our recommended SCCM books:
 
System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed
Learn SCCM in a Month of Lunches Book

The post When To Use A Secondary Site in SCCM appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> https://thesysadminchannel.com/when-to-use-a-secondary-site-in-sccm/feed/ 0 1093 https://thesysadminchannel.com/deploy-microsoft-office-2019-sccm-step-by-step-guide/ https://thesysadminchannel.com/deploy-microsoft-office-2019-sccm-step-by-step-guide/#respond Fri, 02 Nov 2018 00:09:09 +0000 https://thesysadminchannel.com/?p=1059 Deploy Microsoft Office 2019 With the recent release of Office 2019, people around the globe are looking to upgrade to the latest version to get a feel for the latest suite. If you’re looking to see what’s new, be sure… Continue Reading →

The post Deploy Microsoft Office 2019 using SCCM | Step by Step Guide appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> Deploy Microsoft Office 2019

With the recent release of Office 2019, people around the globe are looking to upgrade to the latest version to get a feel for the latest suite. If you’re looking to see what’s new, be sure to check out our What’s new with Microsoft Office 2019. Otherwise we can continue with the Step by Step Guide to Deploy Microsoft Office 2019. In order to continue, you will need to download the Office Deployment Kit directly from Microsoft. Once you have that, let’s move on.
Note: I have gotten errors when trying to use the above setup with a Volume license key. If you’re getting errors saying the channel is not correct, use the Setup_VolumeLicense.7z I downloaded from Volume License Service Center. For your safety and reassurance, I’ve included the SHA256 hash so you can make sure you’re not getting an untainted file.

#Setup_VolumeLicense.7z SHA256 Hash

Get-FileHash C:\Setup_VolumeLicense.7z | fl

Algorithm : SHA256
Hash      : 9964C03B4D146D7E03BC2B67EA1405F07A3A2EDF526BAFED911417511056B69F
Path      : C:\Setup_VolumeLicense.7z



Office 2019 Config.XML Sample

After you’ve extracted the setup and config files you’ll want to copy the following lines into a new config (or replace one of the pre-existing ones). These options illustrate a 64bit version of Office along with the source files being downloaded and deployed from a file server. This config file will also remove all previous MSI versions from your system, and it is strongly recommended that all previous versions should be removed to avoid any inconsistencies.

<Configuration>
	<Add SourcePath="\\PAC-FS01\Apps\Office2019\Source" OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="PerpetualVL2019">
		<Product ID="ProPlus2019Volume" PIDKEY="XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" >
			<Language ID="en-us" />
		</Product>
		<Product ID="ProofingTools">
			<Language ID="en-us" />
		</Product>
	</Add>

	<RemoveMSI All="True" />
	<Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" />
	<Property Name="AUTOACTIVATE" Value="1" />
</Configuration>



Download Office 2019 Source Files

In order to deploy the latest office suite, you will need to download the source files to a central location (source location is added in the config-64.xml sample above.) In order to download the source files, open an administrative command prompt and type in the following:

Z:\Office2019\Deploy>setup.exe /download config-x64.xml

The .xml file is the one with the code above. In my setup I have also mapped a drive to the Office2019 location on my PAC-FS01 file server.

Deploy Microsoft Office 2019 using SCCM and PSADT Video Demo

Once you have the source files downloaded the next step is to deploy the software. If you’re doing a one off deployment, the command used to deploy it is going to be:

Z:\Office2019\Deploy>setup.exe /configure config-x64.xml.

However, the point of this article is to show you how to mass deploy it to users across your organization. The below video will go over the SCCM portion of the install.

So that’s how you would Deploy Microsoft Office 2019 using SCCM and Powershell App Deployment Toolkit. If you liked the video, be sure check out our YouTube Channel for more awesome sysadmin related content. And if you’re looking to further your Powershell or SCCM knowledge, be sure to check out Learn Powershell In a Month Of Lunches Book for Powershell and Learn SCCM in a Month of Lunches Book for System Center Configuration Manager.

Source File Downloads

As mentioned in the video, here is the complete zip for all the source files. (3GB install source files are not included and will need to be downloaded from Microsoft)

theSysadminChannel-Office2019.7z

The post Deploy Microsoft Office 2019 using SCCM | Step by Step Guide appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> https://thesysadminchannel.com/deploy-microsoft-office-2019-sccm-step-by-step-guide/feed/ 0 1059 https://thesysadminchannel.com/deploying-laps-sccm-local-administrator-password-solution/ https://thesysadminchannel.com/deploying-laps-sccm-local-administrator-password-solution/#respond Wed, 24 Oct 2018 22:09:50 +0000 https://thesysadminchannel.com/?p=1045 What is LAPS? Deploying LAPS (Local Administrator Password Solution) is probably one of the best things you can do for your organization. LAPS is a Microsoft solution to change the local administrator password on every single machine you have it… Continue Reading →

The post Deploying LAPS via SCCM | Local Administrator Password Solution appeared first on the Sysadmin Channel.

]]> What is LAPS?

Deploying LAPS (Local Administrator Password Solution) is probably one of the best things you can do for your organization. LAPS is a Microsoft solution to change the local administrator password on every single machine you have it applied to. The best part, is that it’s very dynamic. This means that you can set one Organizational Unit, such as your Servers OU, to 20 character local admin passwords, while keeping your desktop OU, 14 characters. By default, Active Directory changes the passwords every 30 days, and it also has the option to manually reset the password on whatever date you to want to set it to.

Powershell Commands to Deploy LAPS

The deployment of LAPS is pretty simple and straight forward. However, I’ll go over some bullet points to give you a broad overview in Powershell.

• Download the LAPS files from Microsoft’s office Site.
• Install LAPS on an admin PC/Server and install all options. (In my example, I installed it on my Windows 10 PC).
• Import LAPS Module. (Import-Module AdmPwd.PS)
• Extend Active Directory Schema. (Update-AdmPwdADSchema)
• Allow Computers to publish passwords to AD. (Set-AdmPwdComputerSelfPermission -OrgUnit $YourOU)
• Grant Permissions to Groups. (Set-AdmPwdReadPasswordPermission -OrgUnit $YourOU -AllowedPrincipals ‘AD\GroupToReadPasswords’).

You can choose how you want to get the client deployed to machines but in my case I’m going to use SCCM to deploy LAPS. I’ll let the video go over the exact details.

Deploying LAPS via SCCM Video Demo

And that about covers how you can deploy LAPS in your domain using SCCM. You can also deploy the LAPS client through GPO, PDQ or any other means. If you want more awesome sysadmin content, don’t forget to check out theSysadminChannel on Youtube for video demos and how-tos. Also, if you want to further your SCCM knowledge, check out System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed

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