How to Build Configuration Manager Technical Preview LAB Baseline version of SCCM

Lets’ build first Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager Technical Preview LAB. In this post, you shall How to Build Configuration Manager Technical Preview LAB. The ConfigMgr team released the baseline version of TP ConfigMgr 2106.

Why do you need Technical Preview LAB? If you are a technology enthusiast and you love to test new features of ConfigMgr, then YES go for the Technical Preview LAB.

Introduction

The Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager Technical Preview is supported for use in a lab environment only.

NOTE! – Technical Preview version of ConfigMgr is not supported for use in a production environment.

• Upgrading to ConfigMgr technical preview branch version 2002 from a previous version of ConfigMgr PRODUCTION version is not supported.
• Upgrading from ConfigMgr technical preview branch – version 2002 to a later version of ConfigMgr PRODUCTION version is also not supported.
• Only up to 10 clients can be managed with SCCM Technical Preview version.
• Only a standalone primary site is supported.
• Secondary sites are not supported.
• A product key is not required for the ConfigMgr Technical Preview.

NOTE! – For additional details, please review documentation here. 

Setup Prerequisites for Technical Preview LAB

The following steps help to you to prepare for technical preview LAB. The following steps are applicable if you are building a Technical Preview LAB from ground up.

NOTE! – When you already have an SCCM LAB with production version, you can skip Active Directory Related steps mentioned below.

• Prerequisites – ConfigMgr Primary Server Installation Infra Setup
• Active Directory Setup
• User & Computer Access Rights Requirements
• SQL DB Setup
• Firewall Ports
• Install Windows ADK
• Install WSUS & IIS
• Install Remote Differential & BITS

Download Technical Preview

Microsoft released the latest version of Technical Preview baseline version called 2002.2. You can download all the technical preview version from Microsoft Evaluation center.

DOWNLOAD – Microsoft Endpoint Manager Configuration Manager Technical Preview

Install New ConfigMgr Preview

• Let’s start Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager Technical Preview | MEMCM Setup Wizard.
• Go through the verification steps again before proceeding. Most of them are listed in the Prerequisite section of this post above.
• Click on NEXT button to continue.
• I’m going to go through the standard installation process of Primary Server. NO Option to install CAS in Technical Preview world
• Select the option “Install a Configuration Manager Primary Site“
• Click on NEXT button to continue
• ACCEPT product License Terms as you can see below
• Click NEXT

Prerequisite files

• Select the Prerequisite files options from the following page for Technical Preview version of SCCM
  • Download Required Files
  • Use Previously Downloaded Files  (Use this option when you don’t have internet access on SCCM server)
• Click NEXT to continue

Language Selection

• Select the Server Language
  • In my scenario, it’s ENGLISH
• Click on NEXT to continue
• Select the Client Language
  • It’s ENGLISH for me
• Click NEXT to continue

Primary Server Site Details

• In the Site and Installation Settings. You need to decide Site Code, Site Name and Installation Folder before proceeding.
  • Enter the Site Code (Any Combination of 3 three alpha-numeric digits) = My site code name is TP4
    • Don’t Use following name as site code
      • AUX, CON, NUL, PRN, and SMS
• Enter the Site Name is the name which helps to identify the site
  • Site Name Example – Build Configuration Manager Technical Preview LAB
• Select the Installation Folder – Specify the folder where you want to store SCCM Inbox and all the other folders
  • DO NOT install SCCM on C:\ Drive for production setup
• Click on NEXT button

SQL Configuration

• Enter the SQL Database information in this page
  • Enter the SQL Server Name (FQDN) => I’m using same server as SQL Database server
    • SCCMTP2002.Intune.com
  • Enter Instance name – I left it blank because I’m using the default instance of SQL
  • Database Name – The DB name shall automatically get populated based on your Site Code name
    • CM_TP4
  • Don’t change the Service Broker port (in 99% of the Primary server installations) = 4022
• Click on NEXT button to continue

• Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM) technical preview 2002.2 populates locations for the SQL server data file and transaction log file locations
  • Automatically populate log files
• Click NEXT button to continue

SMS Provider

• You get an option to select SMS Provider Server for your SCCM Technical Preview LAB infra in this page
  • SMS providers are used by ConfigMgr console to communicate with the site database
• Click NEXT button to continue

NOTE! – You can have only limited numbers of clients in ConfigMgr Technical Preview versions.

Client Communication

• Configure the communication method on each site system role
  • HTTP (This is the one which I’m going to use for this installation process for Technical Preview version of SCCM)
• Click on NEXT to continue

• Specify whether to have setup install Site System Roles
  • Install a Management point – Install Management Point Role
  • Install a Distribution Point – Install Distribution Point Role 

• Click on NEXT button to continue from Diagnostic and Usage Data page
• Select the Service connection Point server for your SCCM TP environment
• Click NEXT to continue

Prerequisites Checks

• Check and Confirm all the configuration are correct or not from Setting Summary
• Click on NEXT to continue.
• Ignore all the warning for NOW 🙂 in this installation guide from Prerequisite Check & Install page
• Click on BEGIN INSTALL button to start the installation ConfigMgr Technical Preview LAB primary server

Install Preview LAB

• Check the Progress bar of the ConfigMgr Preview version primary server and wait for it to complete
• Click on VIEW Log button (ConfigMgrSetup.log) to open the log file to check the progress

Results

So this was the guide to Build Configuration Manager Technical Preview LAB setup. This setup is completed successfully now.

• Let’s launch Configuration Manager Console 2002.2

ConfigMgr Version Details

• Configuration Manager 2002.2 Console 5.2002.1052.100
• Configuration Manager 2002.2 Site Version 5.0

Resources

• Technical preview for Configuration Manager – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/configmgr/core/get-started/technical-preview
• ConfigMgr 2002 Technical Preview Console Startup Time