How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint

How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint. In this post, we will see what are the possible ways to upgrade SCCM clients to the latest version of SCCM. How to perform automate the upgrade of SCCM clients to the latest version?

In this post, I’m going to walk through 3 options that may help to upgrade clients automatically.

Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients

Automatic Client Upgrade:- Following methods can be used for SCCM to automatically upgrade the SCCM Client.

I do recommend using the “Automatic Client Upgrade” option from Hierarchy Settings. This could be a bit tricky when you have a complex hierarchy with CAS + Primary servers + Different Language packs.

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How to Upgrade SCCM Clients

These are three main options as part client upgrade available. However, there are other options available such as Group Policy, Software Updates, etc. I recommend following the first option from the below list to upgrade the clients to the latest version of SCCM.

  1. Automatic Client Upgrade
  2. Client Push (Manual)
  3. Software Distribution: Create and Deploy a Package and Program

“Automatic Client Upgrade” option from Hierarchy Settings!

The Upgrade Client Automatically when new client updates are available is the best option I can suggest.

This process is improved a lot with the latest version of SCCM. This is a good method when you want to upgrade all the clients on a particular site.

This would very useful once you finish the mass upgrade of clients and there is a smaller number of clients still in the previous version. Using this option you can target those clients.

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More Details: SCCM Client Upgrade Promote Pre-Production Client to Production

How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint 1

This is more of a global setting to upgrade the SCCM client version automatically. You can follow the steps explained below to complete the process.

  • Navigate to \Administration\Overview\Site Configuration\Sites.
  • Select Standalone Primary Site and Click on Hierarchy Settings from the ribbon menu.
  • Click on the Client Upgrade tab and select the production client upgrade behavior with a specified delay as you can see in the below screenshot.
  • Enable the option Upgrade All Clients in the Hierarchy using Production Client.
  • Select the appropriate delay (in days) using the drop-down options from the Automatically Upgrade Client within days option.
How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint 2

Manual Client Push/Upgrade

Let’s understand the process of the ConfigMgr Client Push Installation Method. The installation of the client is one of the important parts of the ConfigMgr manager environment. So, client push is the easiest method to install the client.

Read More: Install ConfigMgr Client Using Client Push Installation

  • Select the two options below to install the client on Windows 10 device.
  • Enable the option called Always install SCCM client.
    • Repair or upgrade it if the client is already installed.
    • Uninstall the SCCM client before installing its option is to have a clean installation of the client.
How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint
How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint

Software Distribution: Create and Deploy a Package and Program!

How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint
How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint

(A) You must have already noticed that there is a default package called “Configuration Manager Client Package” with no Programs init. Note that we can’t use that package for Software Distribution Client Upgrade. That package is a read-only package that can only be used for OSD. When you right-click on “Configuration Manager Client Package”, you won’t be able to see “Deploy” and even “create a program” options.

(B) So you need to create a new package from a definition file (the definition file is already there in your server).

(C) Select the publisher name as “Microsoft”. You could see two definition files Device Management Client Transfer and Configuration Manager Client Upgrade. Select the second one (Configuration Manager Client Upgrade).

(D) Select the “Always Obtain Source files from a source folder” option.

(E) Type in the UNC patch “\\SERVER-FQDN\SMS_XXX\Client”. Replace Server-FQDN with your site server name and XXX with your Site Code.

(F) Click on NEXT and Finish.

(G) Once the package is created, distribute the content to all the required DPs.

(H) Create a Deployment (advertisement) for that package and target the required clients. Another tip is to change the site code in the command line if you want. The default command line in the program is “CCMSETUP.EXE /noservice SMSSITECODE=AUTO“. You can replace auto with your side code.

How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint

Resources

Free SCCM Training Part 1 | 17 Hours Of Latest Technical Content | ConfigMgr Lab HTMD Blog (anoopcnair.com)

Author

Anoop is Microsoft MVP! He is a Solution Architect in enterprise client management with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. E writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc…

2 thoughts on “How to Automatically Upgrade SCCM Clients to Newer Version Configuration Manager Endpoint”

  1. Hello,

    I cannot find any information on how many days should be calculated for the number of days to select for Automatic Upgrade. Because randomization is used I’m assuming if we have 30000 machines and I were to choose 30 days then 1000 machines would be scheduled each day to upgrade. If only 250 of those are connected to the network (VPN) then only those machines would upgrade and the remaining 750 for that day would continue to attempt the installation until the machine was connected to the network. Is this accumulative and would there be potentially thousands of machines attempting to install the client on the same day.

    Any additional documentation that you may have on the topic would be very much appreciated.

    Thank you,
    Stephen

    Reply
  2. Hi,

    I’m not finding the information on the string that is launched by the SCCM client’s auto upgrade. If the SCCM clients of the devices registered on the secondary sites are updated, is the registration maintained?

    Reply

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