System Center Guide

There are many occassions where we want to install software on only particular platforms such as desktops, laptops or servers. By using a combination of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, we can make this happen. Sadly, however, this hasn’t been very well documented and put into a step-by-step guide, so I’ve done that here.

The following 20 steps are what it takes to get Configuration Manager to use the MDT variables isDesktop, isLaptop, and isServer during an operating system deployment task sequence. If I’ve missed anything, please let me know.

1.  Download Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) 2008, Update 1.
2.  Install MDT to site server.
3.  From the Start menu, select Microsoft Deployment Toolkit | Configure ConfigMgr Integration.
4.  Create a package for the toolkit using the “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Deployment Toolkit \Templates\Distribution” folder as the package source. No program needed - just create the package.
5.  Configure your packages distribution points, as normal.
6.  In the Task Sequence Editor, click Add | MDT | Use Toolkit Package. Select the package that you created in step 4.
7.  Move this task between Install Operating System and Setup Operating System.
8.  Again, click Add | MDT | Gather.
9.  Choose the radio button for “Gather only local data (do not process rules). 
10.  Move this new task beneath the Use Toolkit Package task.
11.  From the Task Sequence Editor Install Software section, select the software package you like to have installed only on laptops (VPN software for example).
12.  Click the Options tab.
13.  Click Add Condition.
14.  Select If Statement.
15.  In the If Statement Properties page, select All Conditions.
16.  Highlight the line you just added beneath the “This group/step will run if the following conditions are met:”.
17.  Click “Add Condition” again.
18.  Choose Task Sequence Variable.
19.  In the Task Sequence Variable properties page, type isLaptop for the Variable, leaving the Condition set to equals and type TRUE for the Value.Remember, you also have isDesktop and isServer options to use as well.
20.  Save your Task Sequence.

I hope you’ll find this useful. Enjoy!

While attempting to install the User State Migration Toolkit on a Windows Server 2008 system, you will be presented with an error stating that “There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. A program run as part of setup did not finish as expected. Contact your support personnel or package vendor.”

This problem has been noted on the USMT team blog.

When you click the OK button on the error message the USMT301 folder will be erased. However, as a workaround to obtaining the source files to build a USMT package for operating system deployment with Configuration Manager, you can keep the error message up, copy the source files from the C:\Program Files\USMT301 folder to another destination. Just make sure to do this prior to clicking OK. Otherwise, they’re gone!

While recently testing Desired Configuration Management features of System Center Configuration Manager with a client, we ran into an issue with the DCM baselines coming down but not actually running or creating the client-side reports. After reviewing the DCMAgent.log file, it was determined that we were missing the  appropriate .NET framework version on the client.

The following article specifies that .NET framework version 2.0 or later is required for this feature to work.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb680801.aspx

The first public beta of SCCM Client Center V2.0 is online at: http://smsclictr.sourceforge.net/smsclictrv2/ 

This beta version is for testing only and should not be used in a productive environment. Feature-Requests and Issues should be reported on the smsclictrv2 Tracker (NOTE: a Sourceforge Account is required!).

Tip:

You must enable each program that is associated with a Task Sequence application installation (including the SCCM client) to be available during Task Sequence execution without an Advertisement. To do so, just select the properties for the appropriate program (most commonly Per System Unattented Installation) and tick the checkbox at the bottom of the resulting tab.

If this item isn’t selected, all applications intended to be installed during the Task Sequence will fail. No Microsoft Updates will be installed and the User State will not be migrated as the Configuration Manager client will not be present.

USMT GUI is “just” a user interface for Microsofts User State Migration Tool. 
 

Features: 

- Simple backup of userdata from Windows 2000 SP4, XP and Vista.
- Restore to XP and Vista and also restore Vista backup to XP (making a Vista to XP downgrade easier than ever!)
- Selection of what filetypes to migrate and where to restore.
- Possible to generate and use customized Config.xml file.
- Script builder that creates the scripts needed for automatic migrates.

Download from: http://usmtgui.ehler.dk/

Immediately after resolving the 0×00004005 error, I ran into another one: 0×80070002. While this one proved to be a bit more challenging, I managed to resolve the matter by restoring the MigUser.xml file to the version included with USMT 3.0.1. Apparently, my additions to include PDF and GRV files didn’t take. I’ll look into this further, but for now I’m back in business!

You may receive a 0×00004005 error during the capture user state task during an operating system deployment using SCCM. If so, check the properties of your State Migration Point (SMP) to ensure that the “Enable restore-only mode” option isn’t selected. If that box is checked then the SMP will reject any new store requests.

In short, yes. But, when I recent customer requested documented reference to that fact prior to canceling a subscription to another inventory solution, I had to go digging - deep!

What I was able to find is the True Up Guide on Microsoft’s website.

Page 3 of the document confirms that indeed you may use several of the built-in reports to support your True Up efforts. While it’s a little dated and references SMS and SCE, it’s well understood that it naturally would cover ConfigMgr as an inventory method as well.

Here’s a link to the guide for your reference:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/5/b/85b71ce5-2f4a-4984-a021-a24df9814b71/TrueUp_brochure_letter.pdf

P.S. Make sure you’re using a service packed version of ConfigMgr as the their were issues with the RTM release that showed free Office viewers programs as the full products in the earlier reports. This issue has been resolved in SP1.

Dear Configuration Manager Open Beta Participants,

We are pleased to announce that the Release Candidate (RC) build of Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) is now available for download on Microsoft Connect. Please proceed to the following link for more information:

https://connect.microsoft.com/content/content.aspx?ContentID=8163&SiteID=16