CapnPugwash Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Hi, This might seem like a really noddy post but .... in a nutshell... What can I do with SCCM? We run Ghost on an old Server 2003 box that needs to be replaced - I think SCCM could be the solution? I want to centrally manage apps such as flash so that all machines have the latest version - I think SCCM could be the solution? I know it can handle windows updates / WSUS tasks But what else??
tmcd35 Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 (edited) In really simplified terms it's WDS + WSUS with a pretty (not very) UI. WDS being the built in free to use Windows version of Ghost. It can also deploy software, not just MSI's, but .exe's and app-v packages as well which is really useful when you haven't got an msi available. (App-v is an addition virtualised application installer and requires Software Assurance + MDOP added to your desktop licencing). The other thing it has, which can save money, is a built in Anti-Virus program - Endpoint Protection. Also, the version of WDS used in SCCM includes MDT - which basically means you can script OS deployments and better target drivers and apps, so you only need one or two core images and then target the drivers for auto install, instead of having 1 image per machine/room/use. Edited June 4, 2015 by tmcd35 1
peterp Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 SCCM needs some VERY hefty backend servers. It is VERY VERY powerful, it can inventory your systems, and handle software deployments, and everything from User controlled re-builds to zero-touch rebuild. It is also VERY hard to configure correctly. Out NM sent me and another tech on a week long course to learn SCCM and a week really wasn't long enough to cover everything. In the end we went with our existing WDS/MDT for light-touch builds, and something called PDQDEPLOY and PDQINVENTORY for inventory and software deployment.
CapnPugwash Posted June 4, 2015 Author Posted June 4, 2015 Thanks for that. We get Symantec Endpoint Protection bundled with our broadband connection (from the LEA) so am not sure if the Microsoft AV program will be of much use. Whenever I read about SCCM, people talk about it being a beast and that some sort of training is advised. What's so beastly about it?! Again, I know it sounds a noddy question but I may get a chance to pitch for it (and some training) and I need to be able to explain myself super clearly to the powers that be Also, why I'm here, what SCCM book/s would people recommend to get someone up and running?
CapnPugwash Posted June 4, 2015 Author Posted June 4, 2015 SCCM needs some VERY hefty backend servers. In the end we went with our existing WDS/MDT for light-touch builds, and something called PDQDEPLOY and PDQINVENTORY for inventory and software deployment. I've had a quick look at PDQDEPLOY and PDQINVENTORY & the problem I will have is that with EES, it comes in as nearly double the cost.
peterp Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 SCCM is very very configurable. As such, there are many right ways to do things, some of which are not so right :-) The books we have are very good, take your right through installing and configuring to different use cases. Mastering System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager - Santos Martinez, Peter Daalmans, Brett Bennett. Published by Sybex. (isbn: 987-1-118-82170-155999) A lot of SCCM assumes that users control their own installs, SCCM just provides them with a database of allowed packages for them, and then installs them on whichever computer they login on. (applications tend to live with the user rather than the computer). You can configure it to do per/computer installs though, and even set up which programs a user CANNOT have installed. Typically though, it's easy to push a program out for install. but there is no automatic uninstall. If you want to remove a package, you need to write an un-install and install that to the machine.
markwilfan Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Sccm rocks. Best thing ever. Just set it up right.
mdrabble Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Just started using sccm and it is very good as mentioned it is very configurable. Only problem I am having is really slow pxe boots.
markwilfan Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 How big is your boot image @mdrabble? No need to put all drivers in. Just network ones, try to keep x64 to x64 boot and x86 to x86 boot too
markwilfan Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Make sure you install right click tools too. Makes sccm 100 times more usuable
mdrabble Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Boot image has about 6 network drivers. Have even tried using a newly created boot image with no drivers.
synaesthesia Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 SCCM needs some VERY hefty backend servers. It is also VERY hard to configure correctly. I have to disagree. It doesn't need THAT much juice at all, at least not for a typically sized school. If you're running 100,000 workstations and twice as many users, yes it will need something appropriately sized, but that will just be SQL needing that, not SCCM itself. Our SCCM server is a guest on a VM with 16gb ram and a single CPU on it. It works just fine; so well that I downsized the initial setup from something twice as powerful and 2 of them at that, one being a software distribution and PXE boot point. And yes, it looks daunting, however with the right amount of planning and testing, it's not much worse than fiddling with Exchange as an example. There are plenty of great guides to help you through it, and the windows-noob site does a great job at putting it in relatively simple terms. However it's not the only option; if you're a primary school or special school then just using WDS and MDT would suit that just fine.
markwilfan Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 What @synaesthesia said Ours is running on an old dell server as a hyper-v vm with only 8gb ram and works sweeeeet. All roles on one box managing around 800 devices
markwilfan Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 Almost forgot about cmtrace. Brilliant for debugging sccm and so good it's my default log viewer
Arthur Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 App-V is an additional virtualized application installer and requires Software Assurance + MDOP added to your desktop licensing). Not quite true any more. App-V is awesome, although its integration with SCCM could be better. 1
mcrompton01 Posted June 4, 2015 Posted June 4, 2015 When setting up our SCCM server I found this resource the best thing since sliced bread: Step By Step Guides - System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager - Configuration Manager 2012 - www.windows-noob.com
tmcd35 Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 Not quite true any more. App-V is awesome, although its integration with SCCM could be better. Damn, that is good news!
Sagima Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 I use SCCM for Remote Assistance Deploying/Updating/Removing Software Imaging Computers AntiVirus Monitoring Software Usage Software /Hardware Inventory/Interrogation After the summer I will also be using it for WSUS
mdrabble Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 Ok...... turns out I may be an idiot!! My googlefu has left me! Where can I find either CU3 or SP1 for SCCM 2012 R2? Answers by way of links please :-)
Fazza Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 When setting up our SCCM server I found this resource the best thing since sliced bread: Step By Step Guides - System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager - Configuration Manager 2012 - www.windows-noob.com That's what I used too, very helpful. SCCM isnt perfect, well actually it's the Driver manufacturers that aren't perfect especially on the cheaper models of computers the drivers tend not to get injected correctly. If you buy a business grade computer from the likes of Dell or Lenovo they actually have SCCM driver packs ready for you to import in to your SCCM server. If not you may have to mess about with silent install .exe files which are hit and miss sometimes. It's not as quick as Ghost, but then that is by design so it doesnt grind your network to a halt. It's less interaction from a techie point of view as once youve set up your Task Sequences you either PXE boot and run them or you can use the Software Center that it installs in to Windows and then you leave it along to do its magic and then they're all ready to go!
mdrabble Posted June 5, 2015 Posted June 5, 2015 Never mind......... mounted the iso and click on the link to download lastest updates. Banging headache...... SCCM doesnt help!
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