New SCCM Server Installation Step by Step Guide|ConfigMgr

This post is the New SCCM Server Installation Step by Step Guide that will cover end-to-end scenarios. SCCM team recently released the latest baseline version of the current branch.

Introduction

What is the importance of the baseline version? SCCM CB baseline version is the version you can download directly from Eval Center/MSDN/VLSC and install on a new SCCM server. Also, SCCM 1702 version can be used to upgrade SCCM 2012 infra. SCCM CB versions are getting updated via in-console servicing, and it gets to the latest version of SCCM.

• Pre Requisite – Server Roles and Features
• Pre Requisite – Installation of SQL 2014
• Pre Requisite – ADK for Windows 10 P
• Pre Requisite – AD Schema Extension
• Install – SCCM/ConfigMgr Baseline version Standalone Primary

Prerequisites

You can’t install SCCM/ConfigMgr baseline version if your server’s OS is Windows 2008 R2 server. The minimum OS requirement for SCCM server installation is Windows Server 2012 and Later. More details here.

You need to make sure that you have a supported version of SQL installed on the server where you are planning to install the SCCM baseline version. SQL 2008 R2 SP3 is not supported, and it should have a minimum SQL 2012 R2.

IIS BITs .NET

Pre Requisite – Server Roles and Features (Video tutorial here)

I have added the following roles and Features – IIS (for MP/DP), BITs (for MP) .NET Framework 3.5, Remote Differential Compression, and AD DS and AD LDS Tools. I didn’t add WSUS because I’m planning to add the SUP role later. But I would recommend to WSUS role if you are planning to install the SUP role on the primary server itself or install the WSUS console if you are planning to install the SUP role on a remote server.

DotNET Framework 3.5 SP1 is still required? Yes! Specify an alternate path for .Net D:\Sources\sxs for installing .NET on Server 2016. Specify the location of the files that are required.

NOTE! – If you are getting this error “The request to add or remove features on the specified server failed.” Restart the server and give it a try with the alternate path “D:\Sources\sxs” and that is my experience on Windows server 2016.

Install SQL DB for SCCM Server

Pre Requisite – Installation of SQL 2014 (Video tutorial here)

I installed SQL 2014, and you don’t worry about those “.Net” warnings. As you can see in the video tutorial for SQL setup, I have selected only the following features and I think these are the required ones for SCCM CB.

1. Database Engine Services 2. Reporting Services 3. Management tools

I installed SQL on the default Instance, and the services configuration was done as you can in the video tutorial for ConfigMgr SCCM baseline version installation. Microsoft recommends using a separate account for each SQL Server service. However, I used the same account because this is my lab environment.

SQL Server Agent, SQL Server Database Engine, and SQL Server Reporting Services

I selected the required Collation for SCCM|ConfigMgr baseline version :- sql_latin1_general_cp1_ci_as

Install Windows ADK

Pre Requisite – ADK for Windows 10 (Video tutorial here) 

Installed ADK for Windows 10 and during the installation, I selected only Deployment Tools, Windows Preinstallation Environment (Windows PE), and User State Migration Tools (USMT).

Pre Requisite – AD Schema Extension (Video tutorial here)

AD Schema Extension has to be extended if you have not done the extension for the previous versions of SCCM. AD schema extension is not mandatory but, my recommendation is to extend the schema to make SCCM management easy.

Extend AD Schema

Executed extadsch.exe from SCCM|ConfigMgr baseline version primary server. The user must have schema admin rights to complete the AD SCHEMA extension successfully. In the second part of this update, we need to Create a System Management container under systems using ADSIEDIT. The primary server should have full access to the System Management container.

Install New SCCM Server

SCCM Baseline version Installation (Video tutorial here)

The installation is straightforward once all the prerequisites are in place. Make sure you have already downloaded the pre-requisite file of the SCCM baseline version. Also, make sure you selected the online service connection point to have a better experience and automation.

References

• Supported operating systems for SCCM Baseline Version servers – here
• Site and site system prerequisites for SCCM Baseline Version – here
• Supported OS versions for clients and devices for the SCCM Baseline version – here
• Supported SQL Server versions for SCCM Baseline version – here

Author

Anoop is Microsoft MVP! He is a Solution Architect in enterprise client management with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. E writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc…