System-Center-Configuration-Manager on Janik von Rotz

Configuration Manager - Configure requirement rules for deployment types with PowerShell

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 09:49:46 +0000

Configuration Manager applications can be equipped with powerful requirement rules. For example an application must be installed only if there is enough disk space on the target device or only if the device is the users primary device. The second example is an important requirement rule when working with user device affinity. Configuring this kind of rule is done in a few seconds using the management console. However, scripting the rule with PowerShell is much more difficult. As of today the cmdlets provided by Microsoft for automating Configuration Manager assets do not support building requirement rules for deployment types. But as always there is a workaround. In my case I’ve decided to create an application template containing all requirement rules and copy specific rules from there to other applications.

SCCM 1702 increase client log size and retention

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 13:46:41 +0000

With additional steps in an image deployment task sequence the log files will grow quite big. By default the Configuration Manager client keeps a log history of 0 and a size limit of 2 MB for each log file. In result you’ll find yourself missing important details when trying to debug a failed operating system deployment. At some point the log files will be cut off. In order to increase the log size and retention, parameters must be configured in two places.

Remove provisioned appx packages from Windows image for operating system deployment

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 09:51:20 +0000

While preparing a Windows image for SCCM deployment I looked for a viable solution to remove Windows apps from the image. SCCM offers a lot options to execute this kind of action such as running a task sequence or install an application. But none of the options worked out for me. Either they were too complicated to configure or simply didn’t work as expected. Today I’ve found a script on TechNet seemed to a good solution. This script showed me how easy it is to mount a windows image and remove the app packages directory from it. However, the script was outdated and didn’t offer the option to remove only selected apps. That’s why I’ve created my own remix of the script.

Manage the life cycle of your SCCM applications with PowerShell - Part 4 Remove Applications

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 08:32:11 +0000

“Manage the life cycle of your SCCM applications with PowerShell” is a short post series where I share my PowerShell experience with System Center Configuration Manager. In my last post I’ve shown you a script to distribute application content and deploy an application to its collections. In my final post I’ll show you the last part of the app life cycle - the termination.

Manage the life cycle of your SCCM applications with PowerShell - Part 3 Deploy Applications

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 09:00:58 +0000

“Manage the life cycle of your SCCM applications with PowerShell” is a short post series where I share my PowerShell experience with System Center Configuration Manager. In my last post I’ve shown you a script that creates applications and all assets required to deploy it. This time I have a script to distribute the application content and deploy the application to its collections.

Manage the life cycle of your SCCM applications with PowerShell - Part 2 Create Applications

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 15:07:47 +0000

“Manage the life cycle of your SCCM applications with PowerShell” is a short post series where I share my PowerShell experience with System Center Configuration Manager. In my last post I’ve showed you a script that creates the package source folder structure and another that adds the service users for SCCM. As mentioned these scripts have only been published for a better understanding of the follow-up scripts.

Manage the life cycle of your SCCM applications with PowerShell - Part 1 Service Accounts and Package Source

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 12:19:29 +0000

I’m currently planning and building a System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) infrastructure for a local hospital. SCCM is a complex system composed of various components to make the client and software life cycle management feasible. While configuring SCCM is a tedious job which is done once, managing applications is a recurring process. That’s why the application life cycle is the perfect candidate for scripted automation. With the most recent SCCM release Microsoft made it a lot easier to use the power of PowerShell. I’ve developed a few scripts which help creating, deploying and deleting SCCM applications. Configuring applications manually can be very bothersome and is always at risk for misconfiguration. The benefit for automation is huge.