using SCCM 2012 beta 2 in a LAB - Part 4. Application Installation

[anyweb]

In Part 1. of this series we Installed vNext, in Part 2 we started to configure it. In Part 3, we configed Beta 2 some more by enabling Active Directory discovery methods, adding some site system roles, configuring the computer client agent and client push settings and finally doing a manual client installation to verify it all worked, now we will look at Application Installation and the Software Catalog and Software Center features of SCCM 2012.

 

Application Management documentation is available already on Technet however not all the content is complete so some blank parts may appear - http://technet.micro...y/gg699373.aspx

 

Heres a summary (from Technet) of whats new in Application Management in ConfigMgr 2012.

 

Applications are new in Configuration Manager 2012 and have the following characteristics:

 

• Applications contain the files and information necessary to deploy a software package to a computer or a mobile device. Applications contain multiple deployment types that contain the files and commands necessary to install the software. For example, an application could contain deployment types for a local installation of a software package, a virtual application package or a version of the application for mobile devices.
  
• Requirement rules define conditions that specify how an application is deployed to client devices. For example, you can specify that the application should not be installed if the destination computer has less than 2GB RAM or you could specify that a virtual application deployment type is installed when the destination computer is not the primary device of the user.
  
• Global conditions are similar to requirement rules but can be reused with any deployment type.
  
• User device affinity allows you to associate a user with specified devices. This allows you to deploy software to a user rather than a device. For example, you could deploy an application so that it only installs on the primary device of the user. On devices that are not the primary device of the user, you could deploy a virtual application that is removed when the user logs out.
  
• Deployments are used to distribute applications. A deployment can have an action which specifies whether to install or uninstall the application and a purpose which specifies whether the application must be installed or whether the user can choose to install it.
  
• Configuration Manager 2012 can use detection methods to determine if a deployment type has already been installed on a device by using product information, or a script.
  
• Application management supports the new monitoring features in Configuration Manager 2012. The status of an application deployment can be monitored directly in the Configuration Manager console.
  
• Packages and programs from Configuration Manager 2007 are supported in Configuration Manager 2012 and can use some of the new deployment and monitoring features.
  
• Software center is a new client interface that allows users to request and install applications, control some client functionality and to access the application catalog which contains details about all available applications.
  

Planning for Application Management in Configuration Manager<p class="MTPS_CollapsibleRegion">

 

 

The following topics help you plan for application management in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager:

• Prerequisites for Application Management in Configuration Manager
  
• Best Practices for Application Management in Configuration Manager
  
• Administrator Checklists for Application Management in Configuration Manager
  

 

 

Perform the following on the vNext server as SMSadmin

 

We want to verify that our Software Catalog is showing correctly so on the vNext server, start Internet Explorer and browse to http://vnext/CMSoftwareCatalog replace vnext with your server name, you should see the following

 

 

If it does not appear like so verify the address is the same as the one you configured in Step 4 of Part 3.

 

As you can see the Software Catalog allows a user to browse available Applications (remember Applications, not Packages, Packages won't be listed here..) so lets get started with adding an application.

 

 

Step 1. Adding an Application

 

We will download a simple MSI application called XML Notepad 2007. Save the application in your package sources share (I have shared a root folder on D:\ called Sources with sub folders within, one is called Applications). Copy the downloaded XML Notepad 2007 MSI file to a subdirectory of your sources\applications share just like I have done in the screenshot below.

 

 

Open the ConfigMgr console and browse to Software Library, click on Appliction Management and finally click on Applications. In the Ribbon (top left) click on Create Application,

 

 

the create application wizard appears, browse to the UNC of where we copied our XML 2007 application and select the MSI file (\\vnext\sources\applications\xml notepad 2007\xmlnotepad.msi)

 

 

click next, review the Import Information screen, click next

 

 

the next screen needs some input, fill in some details to make it meaningful and change the drop down menu to Install for System (default is Install for User)

 

 

Click next at the summary and next again to confirm, click close to exit the wizard

 

 

 

 

Step 2. Distribute Content

 

Now that we've created our first application, let's distribute it to our DP, click on our listed application and in the ribbon above, click on Distribute Content (you can right click the application and select the same option from the choices listed).

 

 

The distribute content wizard appears, click next

 

 

review the content to distribute

 

 

and for the next screen click on the drop down menu for Content destination, select Distribution Point

 

 

select our vnext DP and click ok

 

 

click next

 

 

review the summary and click next, then you'll see the completion page

 

 

click close

 

In the console, select the line above your application, click it and drag up so you can see more info about your application

 

 

In Distribution Point Status, our application should be listed as installed, if not click on Refresh in the Ribbon above.

 

[anyweb]

Step 3 Deploy your application

 

Select your application and in the ribbon, click on Deploy

 

 

when the wizard appears click on browse beside Collection, and choose Device Collections and then All Systems

 

Note: We are doing this to show what works (in relation to applications showing up in the Software Catalog), and what doesn't.

 

 

click ok and then click next (notice our distribution point we added above is listed)

 

 

leave the Deployment Settings as they are (we want it to be optional so Available is the choice we need)

 

 

leave all the remaining screens as they are (next), below is scheduling

 

 

the User Experience

 

 

you can configure alerts based on failure or success

 

 

review the summary then proceed to the completion screen, click close.

 

 

after a while you should see a new icon appear in the system tray, notifying you of new software available

 

 

double click on it and it will open the Software Center, if you want a nice summary of what the software center does (it replaces RAP, remember RAP ?) then look here (thanks Trevor)

 

 

If you open the Software Catalog, you will not see your application as we targetted it to All Systems (device collections).

 

So let's create a new deployment using our guide above, except on the first step, lets choose User Collections and All Users as the target, click next to proceed through the wizard..

 

 

Open the Software Catalog, and refresh the page, notice anything

 

 

Click on Install to install the application

 

 

the software installs...

 

 

job done !

 

 

Congratulations, you've installed your first application using SCCM 2012 beta 2 and the Software Catalog.

[ramlan]

Wonderful tutorial.

 

Was able to create,distribute and deploy xml notepad and 7-zip to all systems and all users. The apps got installed successfully.

 

My question - How to get rid of the message "New Software is available" on the task bar (a small icon). When, I open the small icon - Open Software Center opens up and it show installation status, installed apps, date and time.

 

Appreciate, if you guys can help me.

 

By the way I am in no hurry. This is a test lab, I am working on with the hope of learning sccm 2012. Have completed part 1 to part 6. Few more parts to go.

 

Tks / Ram

[johan.tingstedt]

Wonderful tutorial.

 

Was able to create,distribute and deploy xml notepad and 7-zip to all systems and all users. The apps got installed successfully.

 

My question - How to get rid of the message "New Software is available" on the task bar (a small icon). When, I open the small icon - Open Software Center opens up and it show installation status, installed apps, date and time.

 

Appreciate, if you guys can help me.

 

By the way I am in no hurry. This is a test lab, I am working on with the hope of learning sccm 2012. Have completed part 1 to part 6. Few more parts to go.

 

Tks / Ram

 

Was wondering the same thing, but I THINK that only deploying to users instead of machines did the trick!

BTW! How does that "my software requests" thingy work?

Is it possible to enable that in Beta 2 ?

[Peter van der Woude]

BTW! How does that "my software requests" thingy work?

Is it possible to enable that in Beta 2 ?

That's for Application which are Deployment with the setting Require administrator approval if users request this application checked.

[dipalma]

Hi!

 

I have everything setup in my environment. Add users to my AD group, getting the group to SCCM 2012 and query it to a collection. And the application ends up on the users Software center web site. :-)

 

I have one thought. When creating applications, and you add them to a categorize? Let say I create a few, and the a few applications to each. Can I use them from within a Task Seqeunce? Or whats the plans with this?

 

Regards,

Mikael

[anyweb]

adding categories makes it easier for the end user to find the app they want in the Software Catalog, it's not intended to be used during the task sequence

[dipalma]

Ok. I see. Thanks for the quick answer.

 

So, if you dont wanna be using the MDT 2012 and all the roles - How will you do this in SCCM 2012?

 

I know a few ways of doing it, but maybe in the RTM of SCCM 2012..

 

Mikael

[johan.tingstedt]

Piece of cake creating applications from an msi, but if we use exe files?

Is it only possible to create those via "packages" instead of "applications".

Also, when creating from exefiles, the "require administrator approval..." is grayed out. Why is that?

 

and last:

when deploying (i tried visio 2010, which is an exe) on a client, the installations stops and complaints that the user is not an adminsitrator??

when deploying applications that are MSI's it works perfect. Why ist hat?

[Peter van der Woude]

Here is a nice example with Office 2010: http://blogs.technet.com/b/mniehaus/archive/2011/08/13/deploying-office-2010-with-configuration-manager-2012-beta-2.aspx