making applications available to all users

[curns]

Hi All,

 

Please excuse my lack of understanding, I have a question regarding application deployment and removal using sccm 2012 sp1. I want to make available an application to all users, so if they want it, they can simply browse to the application catalog and install it. For example, Visio 2010. To do this, I know I can simply create a deployment to the all users collection.

 

Lets say I have 100 Visio licenses, and after an audit we find there are 105 installs. I want to uninstall the application (using sccm) from 20 machines that don't need it anymore. So what I thought I could do was create a new collection called 'visio uninstall', and then manually add the machines to this collection. Create a new deployment and select the uninstall option and target it to this collection.

 

When I tested this scenario the uninstall did not run because of "Rule is in conflict with other rules". It conflicts with my visio install deployment which is targeted at all users.

 

So my question is, what is the best way to tackle this? Is it even possible?

 

I would prefer to deploy to "users" rather than devices so they can use the application catalog. Am I better to deploy applications to devices only and create 2 collections, one for install and one for uninstall. The problem I have with this is every time a new machine is joined to the domain I have to add the machine to the collection, or have a membership rule which automatically adds it. But then I've gone full circle because it is a member of the install group

 

Thanks,

Curns.

 

 

[Peter33]

We are using AD Groups to cover this scenario. The AD groups are filled with the machine accounts by a 3rd party Asset/Shop Software.

The installation collections are simply mirrors of the AD groups.

For the uninstall we have seperate collections which query machines which have the software installed but are not memebr of the corresponding AD Group.

[curns]

Hi Peter,

 

Thanks for the reply. I understand that I can use AD groups and target the machines, however to use the application catalog website the application must be deployed to users, not devices.

 

Thanks,

Curns.

 

[Peter33]

I guess your in "trouble" then. I don't like the application catalog too much, because it's still too basic, to be a real asset manager. The approval workflow is even less than basic.

There is no licensing logic behind, which is probably good for the company selling the licenses.

The whole user centric thing is a rip off as long you have to pay device based licenses.

I know this is no help to you with your problem. Just a lil rant by myself regarding the concept