SCCM CB

How to Deploy Dell Bios Firmware Updates Via SCUP and SCCM CB 1

How to Deploy Dell Bios Firmware Updates Via SCUP and SCCM CB

SCUP 2017 has four 3rd party software update catalogs. Dell, HP, Fujitsu, and Adobe are those four 3rd party software update catalog providers in SCUP 2017 Preview version. I have explained about installation, configuration and integration process of SCUP with SCCM in the previous blog posts and video tutorial. In this post, we will see how to “How to Deploy Dell Bios Firmware Updates Via SCUP and SCCM CB”. We need to follow the same process for publishing HP and Fujitsu software updates as well. The video tutorial available here.

  • How to Install, Configure and Integrate with SCUP 2017 and SCCM CB here
  • How to Publish 3rd Party Abode Acrobat Patches via SCCM SCUP 2017 here

How to Add Dell Software Update Catalog to SCUP

Open the SCUP 2017 console. You can navigate to “Update Workspace – Overview” and click Add Partner Software Updates catalogs. Select Dell and click on button Add. This will add the Dell updates to SCUP database. Dell updates include Dell Bios updates, Drivers updates, Dell Applications updates and Dell Firmware updates.

How to Deploy Bios, Drivers and Applications, Firmware

How to Publish Dell Software Updates to SCUP, WSUS, and SCCM CB?

Dell Software updates Catalog (Bios, Drivers and Applications, Firmware) are added to SCUP console. Click on Dell Folder. Expand the Dell folder to see subfolders. Select the updates from the right pane of the SCUP console that you want to publish to SCCM CB.

Specify the publish option – There are 3 options while publishing updates.  Automatic, Full content and Metadata Only. I normally recommend selecting the Automatic option. The reasons for selecting automatic option are given below. This has been shown in the video here.

Click Automatic to all updates publisher to query SCCM to determine whether the selected software updates are published with full content or only metadata. In this mode, software updates are only published when they meet the client request count and package source size thresholds that are specified on SCCM server page of the options dialog box. Automatic is available only when SCCM integration is selected on SCCM server page.

How to Publish Dell Bios Firware Updates Via SCUP and SCCM CB

Make sure you select the checkbox on the bottom of the SCUP publish wizard. The checkbox is to sign all software updates with a new publishing certificate when published software updates have not changed, but their certificate has changed.

How to Select Dell Products from SUP component Properties in SCCM?

Once the updates are published from SCUP console then, you can go to SCCM CB console to configure rest of the things. Navigate SCCM console – \Administration\Overview\Site Configuration\Sites.

Click on Settings – Configure Site Components – Software Update point component – Properties. Go to Products tab and Select Dell, Bios, Drivers and Applications, Firmware. Same thing I have shown in the video here.

How to Deploy Dell Bios Firmware Updates Via SCUP and SCCM CBOnce the appropriate products are selected, navigate \Software Library\ Overview\Software Updates in SCCM CB console. Right click on Software Updates node & select synchronize software updates. This will help to sync and get the Dell updates to SCCM CB console. WsyncMgr.log will provide you the details about Dell updates.

How to Deploy Dell updates via Software Updates Deployment method?

I have already blogged about the SCCM Software Update process in the following post “Step by Step Guide SCCM ConfigMgr CB Software Update Patching Process“. The process of deploying Dell software updates to Windows 10 devices are similar to any other software update deployment.

Select all the Dell Bios and Firmware updates you want to deploy from All Software Updates node as I shown in the video here. Once selected, right click those updates and click on Deploy.

Deploy Dell Bios Firmware Updates Via SCUP and SCCM CB

You have to provide Deployment name, Software update group name for Dell Software updates. On the next screen, you have to select the collection name from the list. The members of that collection will get the Dell software updates deployment. Schedule the deployment and make sure you set proper user experience.

Also, provide new Dell software update package name and the shared folder location to store the Dell software updates. You also need to select the DPs to distribute this package. To download the Dell updated from Dell, you need the internet connection to the server. Otherwise, you must have already downloaded the binaries from Dell and stored in a shared location as you can see in the video here.

Do you want to download different languages of this Dell software updates? If so, Language Selection is the page where you can select different languages.

Example of the Dell Software Update deployment via SCUP and SCCM

• Dell Latitude 10 ST2 System BIOS,A09 0XM7C(Article ID)
• Dell Latitude 10 ST2e System BIOS,A07 T47W6(Article ID)
• Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme 7204 System BIOS,A11 J6PG2(Article ID)
• Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet,A15 X2GXX(Article ID)
• Dell Latitude 3180/3189 System BIOS,1.1.1 M6HF7(Article ID)
• Dell Latitude 3330 System BIOS,A08 800F5(Article ID)
• Dell Latitude 3340 System BIOS,A13 48CH6(Article ID)
• Dell Latitude 3350 System BIOS,A09 0468G(Article ID)
 Success: General: 
• Deployment Name: 3rd Party Updates SCUP - Dell Software Updates
• Collection: All Desktop and Server Clients
 Deployment Settings: 
• Send wake-up packets: No
• Verbosity Level: Only success and error messages
 Scheduling: 
• Deployment schedules will be based on: Client local time
• Available to target computers: 23-09-2017 07:25:00
• Deadline for software update installation: 30-09-2017 07:23:00
• Delayed enforcement on deployment: False
 User Experience: 
• User Notifications: Display in Software Center and show all notifications
• Install software updates outside the maintenance window when deadline is reached: No
• Restart system outside the maintenance window when deadline is reached: Suppressed
• If a restart is required it will be: Allowed
• Commit changes at deadline or during a maintenance window (requires restarts): Yes
• If any update in this deployment requires a system restart, run updates deployment evaluation cycle after restart: No
 Alerts: 
• On software update installation error generate a Window Event: No
• Disable Window Event while software updates install: No
 Download Settings: 
• Computers can retrieve content from remote distribution points: No
• Download and install software updates from the fallback content source location: Yes
Package:
 Success: The software updates were placed in a new package:
• 3rd Party Updates SCUP - Dell Software Updates
 Success: Content (1):
• SCCMTP1.INTUNE.COM
Software updates downloaded from the internet
 Success: Dell Latitude 10 ST2 System BIOS,A09
 Success: Dell Latitude 10 ST2e System BIOS,A07
 Success: Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme 7204 System BIOS,A11
 Success: Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet,A15
 Success: Dell Latitude 3180/3189 System BIOS,1.1.1
 Success: Dell Latitude 3330 System BIOS,A08
 Success: Dell Latitude 3340 System BIOS,A13
 Success: Dell Latitude 3350 System BIOS,A09
Language Selection:
 English

References :-

Feature Comparison Video Between SCCM ConfigMgr CB 1610 and 1606 2

Feature Comparison Video Between SCCM ConfigMgr CB 1610 and 1606

SCCM ConfigMgr current branch (CB) 1610 has released on last Friday (18th Nov 2016). SCCM CB 1610 comes with loads of features and upgradation process via updates and servicing channel is very easy. It’s just couple of clicks and you are done with SCCM CB 1610 upgrade. You can directly upgrade your SCCM CB 1511 server to 1610. No need to go through all the other upgrades (1602/1606) available in your SCCM CB console. More details are available in the blog post here. The SCCM CB 1610 upgradation process is straight forward as I explained in the previous blog post video here.

Feature Comparison Video Between SCCM ConfigMgr CB 1610 and 1606 3

In this post, I’m sharing a comparison video of features between SCCM CB 1606 and 1610. These features discussed in the below video is very important for upcoming changes to SCCM ConfigMgr CB. If you are using hybrid version of SCCM CB to manage mobile devices and domain joined machines then the configuration and compliance policy updates are very important. I think, SCCM team invested loads of time improving the features of their product. SCCM CB is moving away from old fashion boundary setting like fast and slow boundaries. Rather investing more on current and neighbour boundary groups. This will help to evolve the product further in upcoming versions.

What is New in Version of SCCM 1610 feature comparison includes Boundary groups – current and neighbour boundary groups, Improvements on Windows Store for business, Cloud Management Gateway (internet client management), Immediate Policy sync for Intune-enrolled devices, Changes in Configuration and compliance policies, Lookout integration with SCCM CB 1610, Client Peer cache settings – client peer cache dashboard, enforcement of grace period, Content size filter in Software update ADR and monitoring of loads of components have been updated and new dashboards have been included.

Summery of features which I covered/compared in the following video :-

  1. New Features as part of SCCM CB 1610 updates and servicing
  2. Boundary Changes – Improvements for boundary groups – current boundary group vs neighbour boundary groups
  3. Improvements Windows Store for Business  – Modify the client secret key and delete a subscription to the store from SCCM Console
  4. Cloud management gateway for managing Internet-based clients – Cloud management gateway provides a simple way to manage Configuration Manager clients on the Internet.
  5. Immediate Policy sync for MDM channel Intune-enrolled devices
  6. Configuration policies – New policies included in SCCM CB 1610 – Android (23), iOS (4), Mac (4), Windows 10 desktop and mobile (37), Windows 10 Team (7), Windows 8.1 (11), and Windows Phone 8.1 (3).
  7. Compliance Policies settings improvements -Lookout integration compliance Policies
  8. Windows 10 Edition Upgrade Policy can be applied for SCCM CB 1610 – Now available for Intune and SCCM clients
  9. Client Agent – Client Peer Cache helps you manage deployment of content to clients in remote locations. Peer Cache is a built-in SCCM solution for clients to share content with other clients directly from their local cache. Enable Configuration Manager client in full OS to share content to Yes.
  10. Customizable Branding is also included in the SCCM CB 1610
  11. Enforcement grace period is one of the nice feature included in SCCM CB 1610
  12. Another nice feature included in SCCM CB 1610 Software Update ADR is Content Size
  13. Monitoring – Compliance policies Dash board and Client Data Source Dashboard
How to Expand SCCM CB Standalone Primary server with CAS server 7

How to Expand SCCM CB Standalone Primary server with CAS server

How can we expand the SCCM CB stand-alone primary server?  In this post, we will see how to expand the stand alone primary server and attach that server to CAS. We need to install a SCCM CB CAS server from the latest source files, we can get the latest source files from the stand alone primary server’s CD.Latest folder. More details about CD.Latest folder in my previous blog here. When do you want to covert/expand your SCCM CB stand-alone primary server to a hierarchy and install SCCM CB CAS?

The only one reason for this activity is “If your SCCM CB stand alone primary server and it is going out of support in terms of maximum number of supported clients”. As per the latest documentation from Microsoft, a stand alone primary server can support up to 175K clients. In case you have exceeded this magical number then you need to expand your stand-alone primary server to SCCM CB hierarchy with CAS.

I’ve created a video tutorial to explain the process of SCCM CB stand-alone primary server expansion. There are some important prerequisites we need to take into consideration before starting the expansion activity.

1) We have to install the new SCCM CB CAS server from the installation media (source files) -CD.Latest Folder- that matches the version of the stand-alone SCCM CB primary site.
2) The SCCM CB stand-alone primary site cannot be configured to migrate data from another SCCM hierarchy. Remove all those migration configuration before expansion.
3) The computer account of the SCCM CB CAS server must be a member of the Administrators group on the stand-alone primary site. You may or can remove this acount after the expansion.
4) The user account that runs setup to install SCCM CB CAS server must have FULL Admin or Infra Admin permissions at the stand-alone primary site.
5)We have to uninstall the following site system roles from the SCCM CB stand-alone primary site before you can expand the site :- Asset Intelligence synchronization point, Endpoint Protection point and Service connection point.
6) The port for the SQL Server Service Broker(4022) must be open between SCCM CB CAS and stand alone primary server.
Snippets from ConfigMgrSetup.log which may help you to trace the installation of CAS and connectivity between SCCM CB primary server:-
INFO: Registering SQL connection to primary site's SQL server BLRITPROCM.BLRITPRO.COM.
INFO: checking whether BLRITPROCM.BLRITPRO.COM is a standalone site and whether it has the matched version
INFO: Creating sender address on primary site BLRITPROCM.BLRITPRO.COM to access CAS site BLREMSCAS.BLRITPRO.COM.
INFO: Creating sender address on CAS site BLREMSCAS.BLRITPRO.COM to access primary site BLRITPROCM.BLRITPRO.COM.
INFO: Stored SQL Server computer certificate for Server [BLREMSCAS.BLRITPRO.COM] successfully on [BLRITPROCM.BLRITPRO.COM].
Successfully bulk copied file [C:\SEDO_LockableObjectTypes_bcp.bcp] into table [SEDO_LockableObjectTypes] with rows [20]. Configuration Manager Setup 17-08-2016 15:37:58 3936 (0x0F60)
Creating Service Broker routes for site BLR on SQL server BLREMSCAS.BLRITPRO.COM. ConfigurationManager Setup 17-08-2016 15:38:43 3936 (0x0F60)
INFO: RCM received a message from "BLRITPROCM.BLRITPRO.COM", BCP initialization has started. Configuration Manager Setup 17-08-2016 15:47:36 3576 (0x0DF8)
References :-
Expand the standalone primary server here
Installation of CAS server here
+ More