Enterprise Microsoft Q&A: Hello for Buttprint

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > Enterprise Microsoft Q&A: Hello for Buttprint

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

We started using SCCM recently and I've found it pretty neat to work with.

For OS deployment I installed Win 7 on a PC, then ran a capture of that image (tried earlier using the .WIM image on the Win7 install DVD but that defaulted to D: as system drive and you can't change that). That's your base image. You do installation through a "task sequence", which is a set of commands, like "format this drive, apply this image to system drive, add these drivers, install these programs".

So when software in your "image" (task sequence) needs to be updated, you just update the software packages and don't touch the image.

There's a separate "folder" in the CM console for Drivers and you can just drop new drivers in there to be part of the install.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2010 08:52

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# ¿ Apr 23, 2024 19:31

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Just go to Software Distribution -> Advertisements, you'll find your advertised task sequences there. Delete it. Task Sequence is still alive (under Operating System Deployment -> Task Sequences), advertisement is gone.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2010 14:24

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Drighton posted:

Will do! But seriously, thread title should indicate we have a new Megathread to attract other admins.

Supporting this.

Anyway,

I'm experimenting with using SCCM to push out Windows Updates. We have a WSUS server we used for this before getting into SCCM and I've added that server as a Software Update Point in SCCM and configured everything else in SCCM. I'm abit confused when it comes to client configuration though.

As far as I've gathered from various google searches, you're supposed to have "Configure Automatic Updates" set to "Disable" in your GPOs and to remove the intranet server (can't remember the policy name right now) and it will be added back as a local policy by SCCM.

I've done this, and communication with the server seems ok. However, I never get the Software Update Agent UI showing up. I've checked the WindowsUpdates.log file in %WinDir% on clients, and it correctly checks for updates from the correct intranet server, except it never starts actually deploying the updates.

If I remove the "Disable" policy and set it to automatically install updates, it still goes to the intranet server and downloads updates - then installs them, but via the Windows Update UI and that's not what I want.

Any tips?

# ¿ Jul 23, 2010 21:05

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

FISHMANPET posted:

I don't want to put an explicit "install this package" for each of our 10 basic packages into each task sequence (I'm going to have a task sequence for each hardware models) because that makes it a huge pain in the rear end when a new version of Firefox comes out.

Wouldn't you just update your "Firefox" package and not have to do anything with task sequences since they would just include the updated package?

# ¿ Jul 23, 2010 22:37

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Won't Windows be installed on D: if you use the default image? I thought that's why you had to capture a new image.

# ¿ Feb 24, 2011 14:27

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Bedevere posted:

I am sorry if soemone hit this over the last 15 pages....

Thanks for answering

I kind of abandoned SUP and I'm back to running Windows updates semi-manually.

However, I'm attending a masterclass in Config Manager 2012 Beta 2 this week, with Johan Arwidmark and Kent Agerlund. Looks like there are quite some improvements coming soon. The whole software update deployment can be automated, no more update lists to manually update every month etc.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2011 18:43

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

skipdogg posted:

No, he's talking about actually making the photos a part of Active Directory.

Actually, isn't this what Sharepoint does? User uploads their profile picture in Sharepoint, it gets replicated (User Profile Synchronization) into the thumbnailPhoto attribute in Active Directory. You can then use this photo in Lync, Outlook, etc.

All users that have profile pictures in Sharepoint has data in the thumbnailPhoto attribute in our AD.

# ¿ May 25, 2012 09:10

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

I'm still kind of unsure about Config Manager 2012 licensing for servers.

We have 4 ESX hosts with about 100 server VMs. We need either 50*$1323=$66k Standard Server MLs or 4*$3607=$14k Datacenter Server MLs in order to use SCCM to control windows updates on servers (which is pretty much the only thing we used SCCM2007 for)?

# ¿ May 29, 2012 18:13

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Short question, in Config Manager 2012, you can set up subscriptions to reports. How do I create and use a shared schedule for these?

# ¿ Jun 20, 2012 12:44

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

"[oMa posted:

Whackster" post="411401784"]
Just a heads up - although Microsoft haven't announced it yet, SCCM 2012 SP1 RTM is finally available for download on VLSC, and I expect TechNet too. You'll need to install the Windows 8 ADK on your server before upgrading.

Welp, looks like we're gonna have to install SP1 right away, since all our clients are getting corrupted by a Windows patch...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2796086

# ¿ Jan 30, 2013 14:47

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

I don't know if this is the right thread, but I'll try:

I have a bunch of Windows Servers and I want to get an email alert whenever they reboot/shutdown.

I've set up Event Forwarding to one server and subscribe to the USER32 1074 event.

First problem:

Most of the events forwarded give me stuff like this:

code:

The description for Event ID 1074 from source USER32 cannot be found.
Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted.
You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

On some events I get some information at the bottom of the event, others give no extra information. Is there an easy fix for this that does not involve installing hundreds of components on the event subscriber computer?

2. How do I set up an email alert on that event, that sends the event text in the email. Jesus you'd think that when they made the "attach task to event" and "send e-mail" they would maybe think of having an option to include event text?

I know there are workarounds like creating batch files that queries the last specific event of that type and copies it to a file and attaches and all that, but seriously is there no easier way? I'd even use a third party program..

# ¿ Feb 28, 2013 11:17

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

dotalchemy posted:

http://www.zabbix.com/

Open Source and will literally monitor for anything that you want it to monitor for, including reboots and shutdowns.

While I'm sure Zabbix is great for monitoring everything, I'm specifically looking for a non-agent based way of emailing the shutdown reason written to the event log on a windows server. It seems abit overkill to setup Zabbix for something that is (albeit half-assed) implemented in Windows Server already.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2013 09:53

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

dotalchemy posted:

If the server shuts down, how do you expect to get the info in the event log for it or have it send an email?

We have network monitoring software that alerts us when hosts go down and if they come back up. What they won't do is say why if it was a valid restart (like a scheduled software update or another sysadm rebooting). This is more like a "nice to have" thing.

dotalchemy posted:

Alternatively, http://blogs.technet.com/b/jhoward/archive/2010/06/16/getting-event-log-contents-by-email-on-an-event-log-trigger.aspx

This is what I've been doing in some other cases, and I guess it's the best way for now.

We are actually paying for the SCOM license but it just seems like such a bloated beast that I haven't started looking at implementing it.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2013 09:07

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

dotalchemy posted:

Ah, I think we are. Thanks!

This might avoid us paying out of the arse for a Remedy replacement. Anyone using System Center Service Manager as a ticketing / helpdesk / CMDB solution? Is it worth exploring?

We have enterprise cals so I played around with the idea of testing Service Manager. Watched a video of some guy going through basic functions and "how easy it is to do x and y", and he ended up with alot of "ok this should have worked" "we have to wait a while for this to work" "i'll just skip this because it takes a while". Not very impressed. I could have the wrong impression though, but I just don't have the time to fight with another half-assed Microsoft product in production, I do enough of that with Sharepoint.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2013 09:54

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Demie posted:

The best way to stay out of trouble is download all drivers for your model from the OEM, unpack them, then import them into a new driver package for that model. Take them at face value, the OEM says you should use those files for that model, and you can waste lots of time by second-guessing them. Then test deploy that model. If they work, call it done.

Lenovo has "SCCM packages" of drivers for most of their models, which is a nice thought. Except they have a bunch of "gotcha"s where you have to install one driver before the other etc. And the touchpad driver made OSD crash.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2014 22:29

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Hi, I'm having some problems with Internet Based Client Management in SCCM 2012 R2.

I have a single SCCM server in the LAN. I've set up PKI and traffic seems to go on https on intranet clients.

Next step is to get clients on the internet to talk to the server. I have forwarded https in the firewall and added a public DNS entry the internet based management point FQDN points to in the client.

On a test client it says "Connection type: Currently Internet" with the correct site code, but there doesn't seem to be alot of communication going on.

In ClientLocation I don't really see any error messages, but stuff like:

code:

Domain joined client is in Internet
Current internet management point is the only internet management point.
Getting Assigned Site
Assigned Site is TST

LocationServices:

code:

Executing Task LSSiteRoleCycleTask
1 internet MP errors in the last 10 minutes, threshold is 5.
Executing Task LSSiteRoleCycleTask
2 internet MP errors in the last 10 minutes, threshold is 5.
Executing Task LSSiteRoleCycleTask
3 internet MP errors in the last 10 minutes, threshold is 5.
Executing Task LSSiteRoleCycleTask
4 internet MP errors in the last 10 minutes, threshold is 5.
Executing Task LSSiteRoleCycleTask
Internet MP error threshold reached, moving to next MP.

Am I missing a step? I can't really get a clear answer from the logs where or what the problem is.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2014 11:34

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# ¿ Apr 23, 2024 19:31

zapateria: Feb 16, 2003

Is Microsoft 365 licensing crazy expensive or am I just totally wrong about what we need?

Right now we have on premise Exchange, SharePoint and Lync with Enterprise Voice, so we pay about $140 in Enterprise CALs per user.

The server licenses are pretty insignificant, something like $1500 for each server.

If we want to move to hosted services, we need an E4 plan, which is $264 per user, but we either need to keep all ECALs or buy a "CAL bridge suite" which is $1000 per user??

How do you guys license users for hybrid deployments?

# ¿ May 30, 2014 11:45

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