Anoop C Nair

Anoop is Microsoft MVP! He is a Solution Architect on enterprise client management with more than 17 years of experience (calculation done in the year 2018) in IT. He is Blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, Intune. He writes about technologies like SCCM, SCOM, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, RMS, Hyper-V etc...

Learn How to Upgrade SCUP Environment SCCM System Center Updates Publisher

Let us learn about How to Upgrade SCUP Environment SCCM System Center Updates Publisher. The new version of SCUP has released a few weeks back. This is the post where you will get answers to the following questions related to SCUP Upgrade.

I have also created a video tutorial to help us understand how to upgrade the SCUP version to the latest one. Download the latest version of SCUP 6.0.278.0.

Do we need to uninstall the existing version of SCUP to install the new version? Do we lose all the configurations and data as part of the upgrade? 

What is Microsoft SCUP?

System Center Updates Publisher (SCUP) is a stand-alone tool that enables independent software vendors (third party -3rd – applications) or line-of-business application developers to manage custom updates.

  • Version: 6.0.278.0
  • File Name:- UpdatesPublisher.msi

SCUP Related Posts

You wanted to know more about SCUP and its functionality via video tutorials. I would recommend reading the previous SCUP posts to get more details on this topic.

Features of SCUP?

SCUP is the tool that helps to import updates from external catalogs (non-Microsoft update catalogs). SCUP enables to modify update definitions, including applicability and deployment metadata.

SCUP is the tool used to export updates to external catalogs. Using SCUP, we can publish updates to a WSUS server.

SCUP Upgrade Experience 

SCUP Upgrade
Learn How to Upgrade SCUP Environment SCCM System Center Updates Publisher 1

As I showed in the SCUP Upgrade video tutorial, the SCUP upgrade process is straight forward and smooth. You won’t lose any of your existing configuration.

As per my experience, everything configured in the existing version of SCUP will remain the same. Following is the high-level process which I followed to upgrade the SCUP environment.

Download the latest version of SCUP from Microsoft Download Center. The size of the MSI file is not big. It’s only ~5 MB.

The old version of SCUP is installed and configured on the server. There is no need to remove the previous version of SCUP before installing the new one. The latest version will upgrade the previous version of SCUP.

Once the SCUP is installed successfully on the server, we can launch the SCUP from the start menu. It will take time when you launch SCUP for the first time.

This is because all the configuration options will happen in the background once we launch SCUP for the first time.

I will give share my details review of SCUP in a different post. I’m interested to see the changes as Microsoft promised in their SCUP release blog post.

SCUP Prerequisites or Requirements

Following are the prerequisites for the new version of SCUP.

Supported Operating System

  • Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016
  • A supported Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) console. On Windows Server, install the default Administration Console to meet this requirement.
  • For Windows 10, install the Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows operating systems.

SCCM Dependency

SCCM 2012 R2 SP2
SCCM 2012 R2 SP1
A supported version of SCCM CB.
SCCM LTSB version 1606

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNn77zOSiBo

Resources

SCCM CB 1803 Review of Upgrade and Features Configuration Manager ConfigMgr

SCCM CB 1803 preview version is released a few weeks back. I was busy with SCCM CB 1802 production posts, so I couldn’t get time to install SCCM 1803 preview version. In this post, we will review my SCCM CB 1803 upgrade experience.

What is the SCCM CB Preview Version

If you have not installed the SCCM preview version in the lab, I recommend downloading and installing the latest preview baseline version, SCCM CB 1711. The above download link should be used ONLY when you want to test the Preview version in your LAB environment.

The SCCM CB Preview version is valid only for 90 days or 3 months. This version should NOT be installed in the production environment. The SCCM preview version supports a maximum of TEN(10) clients.

SCCM CB 1803 Video Tutorial

I have created a video tutorial to provide a real experience of the SCCM CB 1803 upgrade process.

Also, this video tutorial helps to give a real experience of new features included in the 1803 preview version of SCCM CB. Subscribe to the YouTube channel to get the latest SCCM/Intune video tutorial updates.

Watch SCCM 1803 step by step upgrade video and features review!

SCCM CB 1803
SCCM CB 1803 Review of Upgrade and Features Configuration Manager ConfigMgr 1

SCCM CB 1803 – List of Features

Microsoft’s SCCM team was kind of busy during the 1802 production release. The preview version 1803 doesn’t have loads of new features as expected.

I could see only 21 features available under SCCM 1803 console “\Administration\Overview\Updates and Servicing\Features.”

  1. Add a passive primary site server.
  2. Approve Application requests for Users per Device
  3. Client Peer Cache
  4. Cloud Management Gateway
  5. Conditional Access for Managed PCs
  6. Create and Run Scripts
  7. Data Warehouse Service Point
  8. Device Health Attestation assessment for compliance
  9. Enable third (3rd) party update support on clients
  10. OMS Connector
  11. Passport for Work
  12. PFX Create
  13. Phased Deployments
  14. Run Task Sequence Step
  15. Server Groups
  16. Support for Cisco AnyConnect 4.0..7x and later for iOS
  17. Surface Driver Updates
  18. Task Sequence Content Pre-Caching
  19. VPN for Windows
  20. Windows Defender Application Control
  21. Windows Defender Exploit Guard Policy

High-Level Description of New Features

Custom tab for Web Page in Software Center

Once you have upgraded the SCCM client and Server to 1803, you can now create a customized tab to open a web page in Software Center.

  • Create Custom Tab in SCCM Software Center – In Client Settings, select the Software Center group. Specify a tab name and content URL for the customized tab.
  • Upgrade the SCCM CB client to 1803 and launch the Software center.

Enable copy/paste of asset details from SCCM Monitoring WorkSpace

  • Enable copy/paste functionality in the asset details pane in deployment and distribution status monitoring views.

Enable 3rd software update support on SCCM CB clients

You can now enable the configuration of the ‘Allow signed updates from an intranet Microsoft update service location policy and installation of Windows Server Update Services code signing certificate on clients.

I have posted about this feature. I would recommend reading that post-SCCM CB 1802 Enable Third-Party Software Update Support.

  • Enable third party software updates in Software Update Point top-level site component configuration
  • Configure (default) Software Updates client agent settings to enable third party software updates on clients
  • Deploy custom Software Updates client agent setting to enable third party software updates on clients
  • Successfully import third-party software updates signing certificate from Windows Software Update Services.

Improvements to PXE-enabled distribution points

The WDS requirement is removed from PXE-enabled DPs. This is possible if you are NOT using the multicast feature. Configure a PXE-enabled distribution point to use a PXE responder service that supports IPv6 and does not require Windows Deployment Services (WDS).

  • On the PXE tab of the distribution point properties, check “Enable a PXE responder without Windows Deployment Service” and click OK.

Maintenance windows Details in Software Center

Maintenance windows details are displayed in the software center of the client machine. This is useful in troubleshooting scenarios for the help desk.

  • Software Center displays the next scheduled maintenance window on the Installation Status tab.

Partial download support in client peer cache to reduce WAN utilization

SCCM Client Peer cache is improving with every release of SCCM CB. Client peer cache sources can now divide content into parts. These parts minimize the network transfer to reduce WAN utilization.

Pull DP support Cloud DPs as a source.

You can set a cloud distribution point as a source for a pull distribution point.

Management Insights – SCEP for Mac and Unix Depreciation

I could see a new management insight option in SCCM 1803 console “\Administration\ Overview \ Management Insights\All Insights\MacOS and Unix.” It seems that SCEP for Mac and Unix will be depreciated by the last release of SCCM CB in the year 2018.

Resources

  1. SCCM CB 1803 Microsoft Documentation
  2. Know more about the SCCM Technical Preview Version 

Microsoft Intune Training Course Intune Certification | Free training Videos

Microsoft Intune training course from Microsoft learning is free of cost. But if you need a verified certificate, you need to pay around USD 99$. 

Microsoft Course Number INF260x – Microsoft Azure Security Services includes one module on the Microsoft Intune device management solution. If this is your first edX course, I recommend you check out DemoX.

Updated Intune training – 63 Episodes Of Free Intune Training For Device Management Admins HTMD Blog (anoopcnair.com)

Learn Microsoft Intune – Microsoft Intune Starters Kit to start learning Intune.

Video experience of Intune training course and certification

The Content of the Intune Training Course Module

I have gone through the content of the Intune module, and it’s exciting and useful. One of the topics is How Intune Works? And the answer to that is “Intune device management works by using the protocols or APIs available in the mobile operating systems.”

Microsoft Intune for Windows, iOS, and Android devices
Device Health Attestation
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Mobile Application Management (MAM)
Data governance with GDPR
Security aspects of AutoPilot

How to Enrol in Intune Training Course

You have four (4) options to enroll in the EdX training course. You can use either of the following options to start the training course.

1.Facebook
2. Google
3. Microsoft
4. Create New Account

Review of Intune Training Course Content

Overall Intune training course content is good. This course is more into security aspects of Microsoft Intune. But I agree that this covers Intune basics and design considerations. So Intune topics are helpful.

General Data Protect Regulation (GDPR) will take effect in May 2018. More details about GDPR and Privacy are available in the Intune module of this course.

But I also think the Microsoft learning team needs to update the content for some parts of the Intune training course. For example – there is a reference to Mobile Device Management Design Considerations Guide v2 in the Intune training module.

And the TechNet gallery PDF document is pretty old (updated back in 2015). It talks about Intune hybrid (with SCCM) architecture consideration which is not relevant in 2018.

More details on the first topic of Intune Training Course Module

Intune module starts with a necessary explanation of Intune technology. It’s nicely explained.

What is Microsoft Intune
How Intune Works
Azure Active Directory integration with MDM Intune
MDM (Intune?) Design Considerations
   Identify your mobile device management requirements.
   Plan for mobile device management
   Plan for enhancing mobile devices protection
   Plan for SaaS mobile device management
Application Management with Intune
General Data Protect Regulation with Intune

How is the Intune Training Course Placed?

To get the verified Certificate, you need to complete all the modules of the course INF260x. But in this post, I covered only Intune module in detail.

You have three(3) months to complete this course, and I think that is more than enough to finish the course.

One module will be released each week with a moderated discussion board. Students will complete hands-on labs in an online virtual environment. A Verified Certificate is available after obtaining 70% of the course graded events.

Start the Microsoft Azure Security Services training course

Resources