System Center: Where to start?

[alan-d]

I'm sure I'm missing something but can't seem to get my head around collections at the moment

 

When setting up collections, does this have to be done manually or does SCCM pull it from AD?

 

For example my AD looks something like;

 

Computer Rooms

---- Workstations

---------------- Room 1

----------------------- PC1

----------------------- PC2

---------------- Room 2

----------------------- PC1

----------------------- PC2

---- Laptops

---------------- Room 1

----------------------- Laptop 1

----------------------- Laptop 2

----------------------- Laptop 3

---------------- Room 5

----------------------- Laptop 31

----------------------- Laptop 32

----------------------- Laptop 33

 

Can this be replicated in SCCM automatically or have I got to recreate each OU as a collection manually?

[tmcd35]

Well I'm currently sitting here watching the Assessment and Deplyment Kit install as it seems it's a pre-requisite that Windows-Noob didn't mention. Otherwise the I don't think I would have got this far without the Windows-Noob site. Researching into App-V, the next part of my project, suggests it too relies on SCCM to push packages. So SCCM does seem pretty central to everything.

 

All I can say is thank god for virtual machines! I wasn't expecting the hardware requirements - min 4 cores, 8-16Gb ram, 500gb hard drive! Ouch! Still dynamically allocated ram and expanding VHD's means I don't really care what the requirements are - it can take what it needs...

[Theblacksheep]

I'm sure I'm missing something but can't seem to get my head around collections at the moment

 

When setting up collections, does this have to be done manually or does SCCM pull it from AD?

 

Can this be replicated in SCCM automatically or have I got to recreate each OU as a collection manually?

 

Collections are manual. You can make a collection based on AD, but its not needed.

 

I only have a few collections based on AD, for instance optional install software for teachers laptops targeted to OU groups. They can then use software center and install what they want.

 

I use collections for application counts (each app and version) for update targeting. OS versions for update targeting. Then some large groups (use % wildcards) for large scale deployments. Break away from AD and target what you need.

[alan-d]

Collections are manual. You can make a collection based on AD, but its not needed.

 

I only have a few collections based on AD, for instance optional install software for teachers laptops targeted to OU groups. They can then use software center and install what they want.

 

I use collections for application counts (each app and version) for update targeting. OS versions for update targeting. Then some large groups (use % wildcards) for large scale deployments. Break away from AD and target what you need.

 

Many thanks

[sparkeh]

The way I structure things now is to have AD set up in the most convinient way for GPOs and SCCM set up for things like app deployment and OSD, for me they don't look similar at at all.

SCCM collections are awesome, especially as they can be dynamic

[sonofsanta]

On the other hand, my collections are broadly similar to my OUs, just a more generalised version thereof - so (for example) instead of the individual languages rooms listed in AD, my CM collection is just "MFL". Software tends to be common to departments so this is most useful to me. The collections are populated by querying AD.

 

The more I use CM though, the more I drift away from that and start using collections for specific software created by querying for AD groups e.g. AppDeploy - Adobe CS5. I've ultimately settled on preferring my collections page to be messy and overlong in favour of keeping my software deployment monitoring page neat and easily readable.

Edited January 30, 2013 by sonofsanta
ARGH I CANNOT WRITE TOO GOOD TODAY

[synaesthesia]

Ours are similar. Our collections mirror our AD structure, but with additions: for instance we've got an OU for each ICT suite and therefore a collection for each, but a collection also called "ICT Suites" which has them all in. Also have some collections for random bits of software that might need to go to random machines and add those random machines to that collection. There's no limit.

[deano]

I use the different approach and use WMI queries to setup my collections. We have three promary schools within our AD structure and machines are named using a two letter prefix for the school. So in my queries, i just look for the prefix with a wildcard.

ICT rooms follow process by using the room name in the machines netbios name.

[Eben]

Tired a few times to install SCCM 2012 SP1 on 2012 (server and sql) and the updates fails and becomes a bother.

 

Would like to role out SCCM and SCEP but from previous trials have not managed to get it working out of the box.

 

Are they any good guides available for SCCM / FEP

[CAWJames]

Windows-noob.com do a excellent line in guides, covering most aspects, System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Guides - Configuration Manager 2012 - www.windows-noob.com

 

James

[clareq]

SCCM is in my long term plan, so a quick question - can a machine be in more than one collection? For example I would want a collection for IWB workstations, with the IWB software and SIMS in particular, but I would also want the IWB machine to exist within, for example, a Science Dept collection, so it could receive the subject specific software.

[sparkeh]

SCCM is in my long term plan, so a quick question - can a machine be in more than one collection?

Absolutely, that's part of the genius of it

Also collections can be dynamic so can change based on certain criteria!

[sonofsanta]

SCCM is in my long term plan, so a quick question - can a machine be in more than one collection? For example I would want a collection for IWB workstations, with the IWB software and SIMS in particular, but I would also want the IWB machine to exist within, for example, a Science Dept collection, so it could receive the subject specific software.

 

Absolutely. You can do collections by querying OU, group membership, as a collection of other collections, or even just as direct includes (although the last is ugly). I have dozens of collections, because I'd rather have a messy collections page, with a collection created for each application I want installed, so that my deployments monitoring is neat and simple

[TheScarfedOne]

I use the different approach and use WMI queries to setup my collections. We have three promary schools within our AD structure and machines are named using a two letter prefix for the school. So in my queries, i just look for the prefix with a wildcard.

ICT rooms follow process by using the room name in the machines netbios name.

 

This is what I do too, as well as query by ad group membership

[mrbios]

I've finally got my head around SCCM this week after realizing i hadn't installed SP1, and wow what a difference SP1 makes!!!!

 

Luckily while looking for an issue deploying SP1 i found lots of "known issues" so as soon as i got it installed i fixed all the known issues in quick time and now that it's up and running it feels so much quicker than it ever did before!

 

My question for this thread, I have app-v 4.6 running nicely, i've ported over all my Apps to v5 and only just noticed that SCCM has an App-V section within it since the upgrade. Now i have an App-V 5 server up and running but i just haven't deployed the app-v 5 client yet (planned for summer)......do i need to stick with that option or can i implement app-v 5 entirely through SCCM using the apps i've already got?

 

Sorry to hijack the thread but i saw it as relevant to the OPs requirement for running app-v, and may even provide useful infromation. I don't really understand what the intention is behind App-V inside SCCM yet.

 

EDIT: I tell you what, to all the nay sayers, it's not as clunky and problematic as you might think. Once you get your head around certain aspects things start to click and make soooo much sense! I hated SCCM when i first started, it confused the hell out of me, but now everythings coming together nicely and I understand the relationship between each section and all its settings.

Edited May 17, 2013 by mrbios

[Arthur]

can I implement App-V 5 entirely through SCCM

Yes. Your App-V server is no longer required.

 

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with Service Pack 1 has built-in support for App-V 4.6 SP1 and newer, up to App-V 5.0. Providing a comprehensive deployment and update service for virtual applications that is built for enterprise deployments. Service Pack 1 for Configuration Manager 2012 reduces the App-V infrastructure to the App-V Sequencer and Client and takes the place of the management, publishing, and streaming components in a typical App-V full infrastructure. Integrating Configuration Manager with App-V consolidates application delivery into one infrastructure and provides additional benefits over the App-V infrastructure.

Integration of App-V 5.0 with Configuration Manager 2012 SP1 supports the following App-V 5.0 features:

 

• Virtual Application Connections: Enables grouping together one or more virtual application packages to provide communication, while maintaining isolation from other virtual applications and the operating system.
  
• Virtual Application Extensions: Enable specific well-defined application extensions between physical-and-virtual and virtual-to-virtual applications. Some extensions are shortcuts, file type associations, and protocol handlers (URL redirection).
  
• Dynamic Configuration Files: Enable configuration of specific extensions on a per-target basis. With dynamic configuration files, different settings like database connectivity, shortcuts, File Type Associations, and protocol handlers can be defined so the application only has to be sequenced once, and can be deployed to different users or systems with a configuration customized specifically for them.
  

App-V 5.0 continues to provide the isolation and virtualization features that have provided benefits to organizations. Please read the documentation listed in the Introduction section to find out more about App-V 5.0.

 

Source: Integrating Virtual Application Management with App-V 5 and Configuration Manager 2012 SP1

[mrbios]

That's fantastic, this is going to be an interesting summer, i'm effectively going to be able to delete 8 of my 32 virtual machines!!!! dayummmmmmmm! (3 proxy servers, 1 isa server, 1 WDS server, 1 appv server, 2 mail filters and maaaybe 1 more but i'm not certain)

 

EDIT: any links to configuring app-v through SCCM? I've had a brief look but couldn't find anything comprehensive

Edited May 17, 2013 by mrbios