Announcement: Configuration Manager Documentation Library Update for June 2013

[Yvette O'Meally]

First published on CLOUDBLOGS on Jun 27, 2013

The Documentation Library for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager has been updated on the web and the latest content has Updated: June 1, 2013 at the top of the topic.

This month’s update sees the first installment of our prerelease documentation for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, to support the Preview release.  However, remember that we write for the release version rather than any prerelease-specific versions, and we will be adding to this documentation on a regular basis.  For a summary of changes and new functionality, be sure to check out What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager .

The Configuration Manager cmdlet help files were also updated for System Center 2012 R2 Preview. To install the updated help, type the following in a Windows Powershell console that you have opened as administrator: Update-Help –Module ConfigurationManager

In addition, we updated the documentation for the release of cumulative update 1 for the Configuration Manager client for Linux and UNIX.  Several topics have been updated to reflect the changes in this client release.  For more information, see the Documentation Updates for the Cumulative Update 1 Release of the Client for Linux and UNIX section in this blog announcement.

We value customer feedback and try to incorporate it when possible.  Although we can’t promise to make the docs perfect for everybody, we are committed to continual improvement.  So, keep that feedback coming, and feel free to contact us about anything related to the documentation by using our usual address of SMSDocs@Microsoft.com .

What's New in the Documentation Library for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, June 2013

The following information lists the topics that contain significant changes since the May 2013 update.

Supported Configurations for Configuration Manager

- Updated for new support statements to support System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager:

• The addition of Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1.  Where applicable, these new operating systems are supported for site system roles and site severs, for Configuration Manager clients, for Configuration Manager consoles, and for mobile devices.


• The prerequisites for Configuration Manager are updated with the new System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager site system role, the certificate registration point.


• Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit 8.1 has been added as a requirement for installing System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager sites and the SMS Provider.

What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

- New topic that provides a rollup of summarized changes and new functionality in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager.

Fundamentals of Configuration Manager

- Updated for the following:

• The addition of the certificate registration point in the table of additional site system roles and in the picture in the Site System Servers and Site System Roles section.  This site system role is new in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager.


• As a result of customer feedback, each section now provides links to more information.

Planning for Site Systems in Configuration Manager

- Updated for the following:

• Where you can install the new site system role, the certificate registration point.


• The new prerequisite of Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit 8.1 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager as an SMS Provider requirement.  This is in addition to this requirement on the site server, and for when you deploy operating systems.

Install Sites and Create a Hierarchy for Configuration Manager

- Updated for the following:

• A new section, What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager , lets you know that during installation of a System Center 2012 Configuration Manager central administration site or primary site, you can now specify alternate, non-default, locations for the site database files.


• The procedures for installing a central administration site or primary site installation are updated to identify when you can specify alternate file locations for the site database. This information also appears as an update in the Configure Custom Locations for the Site Database Files section of the Manage Site and Hierarchy Configurations topic.

Configuring Settings for Client Management in Configuration Manager

- Updated the Important callout in the procedure to configure wake-up proxy client settings in the Configure Wake on LAN section.  If you are running System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, you no longer have to manually configure Windows Firewall to allow the inbound ICMP ping commands that are required for wake-up proxy.  This update is also reflected in the Windows Firewall and Port Settings for Client Computers in Configuration Manager topic.

Technical Reference for Ports Used in Configuration Manager

- Updated to include the ports required for the new site system role, the certificate registration point.

Technical Reference for Log Files in Configuration Manager

- Updated to include a new section for Certificate Enrollment, to list log files for the certificate registration point.

Introduction to Migration in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

- Updated for the new migration scenario: System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager to System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager. Updates for this scenario can also be found in Migrating Hierarchies in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager and in Prerequisites for Migration in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager .

Operations for Migrating to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

- Updated for a new section “Migrate Clients in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager” in response to customer feedback that they were looking for information about how to migrate clients. Although you can migrate client data, you don’t migrate clients. Instead, you uninstall them from the source hierarchy and reinstall them from the destination hierarchy. You can find more information in Planning a Client Migration Strategy in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager .

How to Install Clients on Mac Computers in Configuration Manager

- Updated with a procedure to restrict the client certificate to the Configuration Manager client, by using the Keychain Access dialog box. If you have already deployed the client by using Configuration Manager SP1, as a security best practice, perform this additional configuration.

How to Manage Mobile Devices by Using Configuration Manager and Exchange

- Updated for the following:

• A tip that if you try to install or use the Exchange Server connector without the required cmdlets, you will see an error logged with the message Invoking cmdlet <cmdlet> failed in the EasDisc.log log file on the site server computer.


• Information about using a Client Access Server array if you use an on-premises Exchange Server, and the Configuration Manager retry behavior and associated logging information.

Windows Firewall and Port Settings for Client Computers in Configuration Manager

- Updated for the information that if you have System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, you no longer have to manually configure Windows Firewall for TCP/IP ping commands if you want to use wake-up proxy and enable the Power Management client setting, Windows Firewall exception for wake-up proxy.

Introduction to Content Management in Configuration Manager

– Updated for the System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Configuration Manager performance improvement that Distribution Manager validates up to 50 files at one time when it queries WMI on the distribution point to validate content.  In previous versions, this validation was limited to 1 file per WMI call.

Planning for Content Management in Configuration Manager

- Updated for the following:

• A new section, Plan for Distribution Point Priority , explains how System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager determines which distribution points it will transfer content to first, and how it then self-tunes this process to decrease the time it takes to get content deployments to more distribution points than in previous product versions.


• The section Planning for Pull-Distribution Points is updated to explain how pull-distribution points now support prioritization of their source distribution points. This provides a method to better manage the sequence in which a pull-distribution point contacts its source distribution points to obtain content.


• With System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager the Configuration Manager console now identifies when a distribution point is configured as a pull-distribution point.

Configuring Content Management in Configuration Manager

- Updated with the information that with System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, you can now configure multiple Network Access Accounts for each site.

Operations and Maintenance for Content Management in Configuration Manager

- Updated for the information that with System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, there are new options in content status monitoring to help you manage content distributions:

• While viewing the status of a deployment in the Monitoring node of the Configuration Manager console, you can cancel a deployment to a distribution point that remain in progress.


• While viewing status for a failed deployment you can choose to redistribute that deployment to the distribution point.


• You will also find additional details about the progress of deployment that are not complete, and details about when the next automatic retry will be attempted for deployments that failed to reach a specific distribution point.

How to Create Applications in Configuration Manager

- Updated to add information about the new web app deployment type in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager. Similar information is also added to How to Create Deployment Types in Configuration Manager .

Task Sequence Built-in Variables in Configuration Manager

- Updated for the following built-in variables that were added for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager:

• _TSAppInstallStatus


• SMSTSDownloadRetryCount


• SMSTSDownloadRetryDelay


• TSErrorOnWarning

Task Sequence Steps in Configuration Manager

- Updated to include the following task sequence steps that were added for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager:

• Check Readiness


• Run PowerShell Script


• Set Dynamic Variables

Remote Connection Profiles in Configuration Manager

- New section for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager to help you create, deploy, and monitor remote connection settings to devices in your organization.

Company Resource Access in Configuration Manager

- New section for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager that contains information about how you can minimize the end-user configuration required to connect to resources on the company network. To support this scenario, you can create and deploy certificates, and configure Wi-Fi settings and VPN connection details. By using profiles to deploy these certificates and settings, you can configure mobile devices that are managed by Windows Intune or devices that have the Configuration Manager client installed. For more information, see the following topics:

• Certificate Profiles in Configuration Manager


• VPN Profiles in Configuration Manager


• Wi-Fi Profiles in Configuration Manager

How to Provision the Endpoint Protection Client in a Disk Image in Configuration Manager

- New topic that helps you to install the Endpoint Protection client on a computer that you intend to use as a disk image source for Configuration Manager operating system deployment.

Documentation Updates for the Cumulative Update 1 Release of the Client for Linux and UNIX

The following information lists what’s new or changed for the client for Linux and UNIX with cumulative update 1. This information also appears in the Deploying the Configuration Manager Client to Linux and UNIX Servers section in the Introduction to Client Deployment in Configuration Manager topic.

Cumulative update 1 adds support for several new Linux and UNIX operating systems. For more information see the Supported Distributions of Linux and UNIX section in the Supported Configurations for Configuration Manager topic. In addition, the following topics have received updates related to the new supported operating systems:

• The Prerequisites for Client Deployment to Linux and UNIX Server section in the Planning for client Deployment for Linux and UNIX Servers topic contains new information about the Linux and UNIX operating system and package file dependencies.


• The Technical Reference for the Configuration Manager client for Linux and UNIX topic contains updated information about the component services of the client.

The Universal Agent is a new client installation package that simplifies the process to install the client on Linux computers. The Universal Agent replaces the use of a separate client installation package for each different version of Linux you use, with one installation package that you use to install the client on any of the supported versions of Linux. For more information see the About Client Installation Packages and the Universal Agent section in the How to Install Clients on Linux and UNIX Computers in Configuration Manager topic.

The CIM Server on the client now uses omiserver from the Open Group. The new CIM Server supports custom hardware inventory for Linux and UNIX computers. For more information see Hardware Inventory for Linux and UNIX in Configuration Manager .

Clients support communication with fallback status points when you install the client using the new –fsp command line option. For more information, see the Command Line Properties for Installing the Client on Linux and UNIX Servers section in the How to Install Clients on Linux and UNIX Computers in Configuration Manager topic.

Clients support throttling to control the network bandwidth that is used to download software from the distribution point. For more information see the Manage Network Bandwidth for Software Downloads from Distribution Points section in the Deploying Software to Linux and UNIX Servers in Configuration Manager topic.

The following are enhancements for client log files:

• You can view logs by using the Configuration Manager log file tool, CMTrace.


• Clients have improved support for log rotation. For more information, see the Client for Linux and UNIX Client section in the Technical Reference for Log Files in Configuration Manager topic.

-- The Configuration Manager Writing Team

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights.