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SCCM Deployment

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In this section, we will discuss in detail the SCCM deployment process of SCCM 2016. Before SCCM deployment, you should have good knowledge about the SCCM configuration of various components and the SCCM installation process.

SCCM Deployment - 2016

1. Introduction:

SCCM 2016 deployment is one of the easiest deployments ever but in order to achieve that, there are a certain number of things that need to be done before the deployment process is initiated.

This section explains more in detail the prerequisites to carry forward with the SCCM installation without any hassles.

The setup wizard is pretty straightforward and is easy to follow through without any guidance at all. This section would, however, detail the ways and means to configure the SCCM server to avoid any further errors during the set.

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2. SQL Server Considerations:

  • SCCM 2016 runs on the SQL Server database, just as the other System Center products or Microsoft products per se.
  • It is of utmost importance for us to choose the version of the SQL Server that is used in conjunction with SCCM 2016 as not all the versions of SQL Server are supported with SCCM 2016.
  • SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2016 SP1, SQL Server 2014 SP2, SQL Server 2014, SQL Server 2012 SP3, and SQL Server 2008 R2 SP3 supports Central administration site which can either be a primary site or a secondary site.
  • In addition to that, SQL Server 2016 Express edition SP1, SQL Server 2016 Express, SQL Server 2014 Express edition SP2, SQL Server 2014 Express edition SP1 and SQL Server 2012 Express edition SP3 supports secondary sites alone.
  • SQL Server instance that would be used in conjunction with SCCM 2016 should comply with the 64-bit architecture and it should also be using Windows Server authentication as well.
  • Database Engine is the basic service that is required from the bigger list of features from SQL Server anyway.

There aren’t many things to take care of SQL Server as such, but the following points should never be missed

  • SQL Server must be installed locally on the server, should you decide to go for a standalone primary site.
  • SQL Server needs to be configured using the domain account as it would be configured as a service account
  • TCP protocol needs to be enabled on the SQL Server Configuration Manager for the SQL Server instance as such.

3. Windows Assessments and Deployment Kit:

There are various prerequisites that need to be installed even before attempting to install SCCM and out of a lot, ADK is the first one that needs to be installed by Windows 10 version and also this can be downloaded from the Microsoft website.

It is a combination of various components and is made available based on the version of ADK that gets installed. Following is the figure depicting the feature selection screen:

MindMajix Youtube Channel

Related Article: Frequently Asked SCCM Interview Questions

4. Windows Server roles and features:

Once the prerequisites mentioned above are done, then the next step is to install the Windows Server roles and features.

Installing IIS (Internet Information Server) on your SCCM server should be the ideal start that you should be looking at.

This can be achieved with the use of the Server Manager in order to add the Web Server (IIS) role. In addition to this, you will also need the following role services as well:

  • Common HTTP Features (Static Content)
  • Common HTTP Features (Default Document)
  • Application Development (ASP.NET 3.5 & 4.6)
  • Application Development (.NET Extensibility 3.5 & 4.6)
  • Application Development (ISAPI Extensions)
  • Security, Windows Authentication
  • IIS 6 Management Compatibility IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
  • IIS 6 Management Compatibility IIS Management Console
  • IIS 6 Management Compatibility IIS Management Scripts and Tools
  • IIS 6 Management Compatibility IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

Finally, you will have to install the Windows Server Update role.

5. Prepare the Active Directory (AD):

  • The last of the prerequisites to complete is the AD setup. You will have to specifically create a System Management container and in addition to that, also need to extend the AD schema.
  • In order to create the required container, you will have to open the Server Manager and choose the ADSI Edit command from the menu bar -> to right-click ADSI Edit container and select ‘Connect to Command’.
  • Sample ADSI Edit screen has been shown below.
  • Once the process above is done, you will have to grant your SCCM Server (site server) permission to make use of this container for the processes further.
  • In order to do this, you will have to open the AD Users and Computers console -> View menu -> Advanced Features. Under that, expand the System Container menu -> System Management -> Delegate Control option.
  • This will load the screen shown below (Delegation of Control Wizard).
  • The other thing that you will have to do in order to prepare the Active Directory is to extend the AD schema.
  • To do that, insert your SCCM installation media into your domain controller, and then navigate to SMSSETUPBINX64.
  • Next, hold down your shift key and right-click on the Extadsch.exe file -> Copy as Path command from the shortcut menu.
  • The Copy as Path command will not come into existence if you do not hold down the shift key. Now, open an administrative Command Prompt window, paste the clipboard contents, and press Enter. The AD will be extended, just as shown in the figure below.
  • This step should conclude with all the needed steps to deploy SCCM. Needless to say, the SCCM setup will anyway run a readiness check on all the prerequisites required when initially triggered.

SCCM 2016 Deployment in Windows 10

This section of the article focuses on the instructions required to install or configure System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).

Using this we can finally deploy a Windows 10 image. Based on the configuration of your Hyper V host, the following process to install or configure your SCCM instance would require close to 10 hours.

The whole process is divided into logical sections to provide the best understanding that one would require for this process as such.

Install prerequisites:

Following are the installation prerequisites that need to be met:

  • Before installing SCCM at all, you will need to install the prerequisite services and features. On an elevated PowerShell prompt on SRV1, you will have to run the following command:
Install-WindowsFeature Web-Windows-Auth,Web-ISAPI-Ext,Web-Metabase,Web-WMI,BITS,RDC,NET-Framework-Features,Web-Asp-Net,Web-Asp-Net45,NET-HTTP-Activation,NET-Non-HTTP-Activ
  • Download SQL Server 2014 SP2 as a .iso file on the Hyper V host and save it in a directory of your choice.
  • On an elevated PowerShell prompt of the Hyper V host, run the following command next.
Set-VMDvdDrive -VMName SRV1 -Path C:VHDSQLServer2014SP2-FullSlipstream-x64-ENU.iso
  • The following command when executed on an elevated PowerShell prompt will install the SQL Server instance on the provided Hyper V host
D:setup.exe /q /ACTION=Install /ERRORREPORTING="False" /FEATURES=SQLENGINE,RS,IS,SSMS,TOOLS,ADV_SSMS,CONN /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /INSTANCEDIR="C:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL Server" /SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT AUTHORITYSystem" 
/SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="BUILTINADMINISTRATORS" /SQLSVCSTARTUPTYPE=Automatic /AGTSVCACCOUNT="NT AUTHORITYSYSTEM" /AGTSVCSTARTUPTYPE=Automatic 
/RSSVCACCOUNT="NT AUTHORITYSystem" /RSSVCSTARTUPTYPE=Automatic /ISSVCACCOUNT="NT AUTHORITYSystem" /ISSVCSTARTUPTYPE=Disabled /ASCOLLATION="Latin1_General_CI_AS" /SQLCOLLATION="SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS" /TCPENABLED="1" /NPENABLED="1" /IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms
  • In the step above, once the SQL Server instance is successfully installed, we will have to run the following commands on an elevated PowerShell prompt again.
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “SQL Server” -Direction Inbound –Protocol TCP –LocalPort 1433 -Action allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “SQL Admin Connection” -Direction Inbound –Protocol TCP –LocalPort 1434 -Action allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “SQL Database Management” -Direction Inbound –Protocol UDP –LocalPort 1434 -Action allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “SQL Service Broker” -Direction Inbound –Protocol TCP –LocalPort 4022 -Action allow
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName “SQL Debugger/RPC” -Direction Inbound –Protocol TCP –LocalPort 135 -Action allow
  • The last of the prerequisites is to download and install the Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) using the default settings for installation on SRV1.

2. Install System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM):

  • On SRV1, you would have to disable the IE Enhanced Security Configuration temporarily for Administrators, and this can be achieved by the following command on an elevated          PowerShell prompt:
$AdminKey = "HKLM:SOFTWAREMicrosoftActive SetupInstalled Components{A509B1A7-37EF-4b3f-8CFC-4F3A74704073}"
Set-ItemProperty -Path $AdminKey -Name “IsInstalled” -Value 0
Stop-Process -Name Explorer
  • In this step, download SCCM and Endpoint protection on SRV1 and extract to a folder location of your choice.
  • Before we trigger the installation, we will need to run a check whether the WMI service is working fine on SRV1. This can be checked by using the WMI Console (wmimgmt.msc). Right-click on WMI Control (Local) in the console tree and then click on Properties.
  • The following command should be used to extend the Active Directory schema on an elevated PowerShell prompt:
cmd /c C:configmgrSMSSETUPBINX64extadsch.exe
  • Switch to DC1 VM and run the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt (on DC1)

adsiedit.msc

  • Once this is done, you will have to right-click on ADSI, Edit -> Connect to -> Default under Computer and say OK.
  • Click to expand the Default naming context>DC=contoso, DC=com, and on the available console tree, you will have to right-click on CN=System and then click on New -> Object.
  • Click the container and click on the button Next.
  • Adjacent to Value, key in System Management and click on the Next and Finish buttons.
  • On the Properties tab, click on the Security tab, click Add -> Object Types -> Computers, and click on the OK button.
  • When prompted to Enter the object names to select a section, key in SRV1 and say OK.
  • On the highlighted SRV1 computer account, select Allow for Full Control.
  • Click on Advanced then select SRV1 (CONTOSOSRV1$) and then Edit.
  • Adjacent to Applies to, select This object and all descendant objects and say OK on three different panels that are further to come.
  • Close ADSI Edit console and put this back to SRV1.
  • To initiate the Configuration Manager installation process, you will have to execute the following command on an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt and that too on SRV1:
cmd /c C:configmgrSMSSETUPBINX64extadsch.exe
  • In the System Center Configuration Manager setup wizard you will have to provide the following input parameters (as required):
    • On the Before You Begin screen, read the text available on the screen, and click on the Next button.
    • On the Getting Started screen, you need to select Install a Configuration Manager primary site and then choose the Use typical installation options for a stand-alone primary site checkbox. Click Yes on the popup window that comes up now.
    • On the Product Key screen, select Install the evaluation edition of this Product.
    • On the Microsoft Software License Terms screen, you will need to read all the terms mentioned there and then choose the I accept these license terms checkbox to proceed further.
    • On the Prerequisite Licenses screen, you will have to review the license terms and then choose all three checkboxes on the page to proceed further.
    • On the Prerequisite Downloads screen, you will have to choose the Download required files option and then enter c:windowstemp adjacent to Path.
    • On the Site and Installation Settings screen, you will have to provide the Site code as PS1 and the Site name as Contoso. Apart from that, the rest of them would be just the default options that come up on the screen.
    • On the Usage Data screen, you will have to go through the text on the screen and say Next.
    • On the Service Connection Point Setup screen, you will have to accept the default settings as is.
    • On the Settings Summary screen, you can review all the settings that were made on the earlier screens, and then on validating these, you can click Next.
    • On the Prerequisite Check screen, there shouldn’t be any failures listed. If there are any warnings, you can anyhow proceed further with the installation.
  • If it is really required, then you can re-enable the IE Enhanced Security Configuration at this time on the SRV1 instance with the command below:
Set-ItemProperty -Path $AdminKey -Name “IsInstalled” -Value 1
Stop-Process -Name Explorer

3. Download MDOP and Install DaRT:

  • For this step, you will have to download the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2015 to the host which has Hyper-V. This process should be done via an account that has MSDN subscriptions. Download the necessary ISO file to a directory on the Hyper-V host machine
  • You will have to run the following commands on a Hyper-V host that runs an elevated PowerShell prompt:
Set-VMDvdDrive -VMName SRV1 -Path c:VHDmu_microsoft_desktop_optimization_pack_2015_x86_x64_dvd_5975282.iso
  • Once the step above command is executed, then you will have to run the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt.
  • cmd /c "D:DaRTDaRT 10Installersen-usx64MSDaRT100.msi"
  • Now you can install DaRT 10 using just the default settings without making any further modifications.
  • You will have to run the last set of commands on an elevated PowerShell prompt to conclude the DaRT installation on the Hyper-V machine.
Copy-Item "C:Program FilesMicrosoft DaRTv10Toolsx64.cab" -Destination "C:Program FilesMicrosoft Deployment ToolkitTemplatesDistributionToolsx64"
Copy-Item "C:Program FilesMicrosoft DaRTv10Toolsx86.cab" -Destination "C:Program FilesMicrosoft Deployment ToolkitTemplatesDistributionToolsx86"

4. Prepare for zero-touch installation:

This part of the article deals with the support towards ZERO Touch installation with System Center Configuration Manager and this can be done in several ways. Here we describe the best method to do so:

  • Create the necessary folder structure:

You will have to run the following commands on an elevated PowerShell prompt to create the necessary folder structure for this process to conclude.

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:SourcesOSDBoot"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:SourcesOSDOS"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:SourcesOSDSettings"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:SourcesOSDBranding"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:SourcesOSDMDT"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:Logs"
New-SmbShare -Name Sources$ -Path C:Sources -ChangeAccess EVERYONE
New-SmbShare -Name Logs$ -Path C:Logs -ChangeAccess EVERYONE
  • Enable MDT ConfigMgr integration: 

    • On the SRV1 machine click on Start, and key in ConfigMgr, and later click Configure ConfigMgr Integration.
    • Provide values PS1 for Site code, and click Next to proceed further.
    • You will have to check and verify for the following message The process completed successfully to display and then click Finish.
  • Configure the Client settings:

    • On the SRV1 machine click on Start, and key in ConfigMgr, and later right-click Configuration Manager Console -> Pin to Taskbar.
    • Launch the Configuration Manager console from the taskbar.
    • If in case the console displays anything on the updates being available, just click OK as it is really not necessary to install any updates at this stage.
    • On the console tree, open the Administration workspace -> click Client Settings.
    • Double-click the Default Client Settings on the display pane
    • Click on Computer Agent, and adjacent to Organization name displayed in Software Center console key in Contoso, and click OK.
  • Configure the Network Access account:

    • In the Administration workspace, you will have to expand Site Configuration and later click on Sites.
    • Click Configure Site Components -> Software Distribution.
    • On the Network Access Account tab -> select Specify the account that access network locations.
    • You will have to click on the yellow starburst and later click on New Account.
    • Click on the Browse button and then Enter the object name to select the field, you will have to key in CM_NAA and then click on the OK button.
    • Key in pass@word1 for both Password and Confirm Password sections and then click on the OK button twice.
  • Configure a boundary group:

    • In the Administration workspace, you will have to expand the Hierarchy Configuration, and then right-click on b
    • Adjacent to the Description field, key in b, and adjacent to the Type field you may select the Active Directory Site. Later, click on the Browse button and choose Default-First-Site-Name. Click on the OK button two times.
    • In the Administration workspace, right-click on Boundary Groups ->  Create Boundary Group.
    • Adjacent to the Name field, key in PS1 Site Assignment and Content-Location. Once this is done, you might require to click on Add and select Default-First-Site-Name boundary and then click on the OK button.
    • You will have to select Use this boundary group for site assignment checkbox under Create Boundary Group window -> References tab.
    • The last and final step that will conclude this subsection is to Click on Add and then select the SRV1.contoso.com checkbox, and then click on OK two times.
  • Add the state migration point role:

    • On the Home ribbon on Administration workspace -> Site Configuration -> Sites, you will have to click on b
    • On the Add Site System Roles Wizard that opens up now, you will need to click on the Next button two times. On the Specify roles for this server page, the State migration point checkbox should be selected.
    • Next, you will have to click on the Next button and then click on the yellow starburst, type C: MigData for Storage folder, and then click on the OK button to proceed further.
    • Next again, you’ll need to click on the Next button and verify whether PS1 Site Assignment and Content-Location is displayed under Boundary groups.
    • Finally, you will be able to conclude this subsection by clicking on the Next button two times and then on Close.
  • Enable PXE on the distribution point:

Before we go forward in this section, you will have to ensure that no prior installations of WDS cause any conflicts in enabling the PXE on Configuration Manager.

Configuring WDS service in a way is done to handle or manage PXE requests, which are handled automatically by Configuration Manager.

In order to disable an already existing installation, you will need to execute the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt on SRV1:

WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AnswerClients:None

In order to determine the MAC address of the SRV1’s internal network adapter, you will have to type the following command on an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt:

WDSUTIL /Set-Server /AnswerClients:None
  • On the SCCM console click as mentioned: Administration workspace -> Distribution Points.
  • Right-click on SRV1.CONTOSO.COM that is available on the display pane and then click on Properties.
  • On the PXE tab you will have to make the following settings/selections:
    • Click Yes on the popup that appears when we enable the option Enable PXE support for clients.
    • Check the checkbox Allow this distribution point to respond to incoming PXE requests.
    • Click OK on the popup that appears on allowing Enable unknown computer support.
    • Check the checkbox Require a password when computers use PXE.
    • Provide the password pass@word1 for both Password and Confirm password.
    • For Network interfaces, firstly you will have to choose to Respond to PXE requests on specific network interfaces. Click on the yellow starburst button to key in the MAC address that we were able to determine in the very first step of this subsection.
SRV1.CONTOSO.COM Properties
  • Click on the OK button to proceed further.
  • Once the above process is done, you can give it a delay of 1 minute and then run the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt on SRV1. Once the command is executed you will have to verify whether the following files (displayed below) are present or not.
cmd /c dir /b C:RemoteInstallSMSBootx64
abortpxe.com
bootmgr.exe
bootmgfw.efi
pxeboot.n12
pxeboot.com
wdsmgfw.efi
wdsnbp.com

If you find that these files are not available in the C: RemoteInstall directory, then you will have to verify whether the REMINST share is configured properly as C: RemoteInstall. Use the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt to open the Configuration Manager Trace Log Tool, on which File -> Open -> Open distmgr.log which shows any errors (if present) in red.

Invoke-Item 'C:Program FilesMicrosoft Configuration Managertoolscmtrace.exe'

This file will be getting update constantly if the Configuration Manager is running. You can wait for the Configuration Manager to repair its issues on itself and then you can periodically check for the log files being present in the REMINST share location. Once this is done, the tool can be closed. If the distmgr.log log file contains the following line then it indicates that the REMINST share is getting populated with all the necessary files:

Running: WDSUTIL.exe /Initialize-Server /REMINST:"C:RemoteInstall"
  • Creating a branding image file:

    • If there is a bitmap image that you want to use for the branding, then this image can be copied to C: SourcesOSDBranding folder on SRV1. 
    • As an alternate, you can use the command below to copy the branding image to the desired location by executing the command on an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt:
copy "C:ProgramDataMicrosoftUser Account Picturesuser.bmp" "C:SourcesOSDBrandingcontoso.bmp"
    • The branding image that you choose can be opened in MSPaint, just in case you want it to be customized further.

5. Create a boot image for the configuration manager:

  • On Configuration Manager console, click Software Library workspace -> Operating Systems -> right-click Boot Images -> Create Boot Image using MDT.
  • On the Package Source page of the SCCM console, under the Package source folder to be created (UNC Path): type SRV1Sources$OSDBootZero Touch WinPE x64, and then click Next.
  • The folder mentioned above won’t have its existence as of now and will be created at a later point in time.
  • On the General Settings page of the SCCM console, key in Zero Touch WinPE x64 for the field Name, and then click on Next.
  • On the Options page -> Platform, you will have to choose x64 and then click on the Next button.6
  • On the Components page, besides the default selection of Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC/ADO) support, you will also need to select the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolkit (DaRT) checkbox and then click on the Next button.
  • On the Customization page, you will have to choose the Use a custom background bitmap file checkbox, and for the UNC path, key in the following path SRV1Sources$OSDBrandingcontoso.BMP. You will have to click on the Next button two times. 
  • Click on the Finish button.
  • On the Console display pane -> right-click Zero Touch WinPE x64 boot image -> click Distribute Content.
  • In the Distribute Content Wizard, click on the Next button and then click on the Add -> select Distribution Point -> select SRV1.CONTOSO.COM checkbox and click on the OK button. You will have to click on the Next button two times, and then finally you will have to click on the Close button.
  • You can now use the CMTrace application to preview the distmgr.log file. Here you need to check whether the boot image generated has been distributed or not. You will have to execute the following command to open the CMTrace application on an elevated PowerShell prompt on SRV1:
Invoke-Item 'C:Program FilesMicrosoft Configuration Managertoolscmtrace.exe'

6. Creating a Windows 10 reference image:

If in case you have completed the steps in Deploy Windows 10 on a test lab using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT), then, in that case, you would have already successfully created a Windows 10 reference image file. If that is the case, then you will have to move to the next step by skipping this procedure. The next step would be to add a Windows 10 Operating System image. If in case, that you have not completed this step then it is time that you refer to this section and complete all the below-mentioned ones without fail.

  • In the step by step guide that we have followed from the earlier sections, you would have saved a .iso file to the C: VHD directory with the name W10-enterprise.iso. The very first step starts with mounting this file on SRV1.
  • In order to mount the Windows 10 Enterprise DVD on SRV1, you would need to open an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt on the SRV1 computer and run the following command:
Set-VMDvdDrive -VMName SRV1 -Path c:VHDw10-enterprise.iso
  • You will have to verify whether the Windows Enterprise installation DVD that is mounted on SRV1 as the drive letter D.
  • Using the MDT deployment workbench, Windows 10 Enterprise installation files are used to generate the deployment share on SRV1. 
  • On the Deployment Workbench console, you will have to right-click on Deployment Shares -> select New Deployment Share.
  • In order to proceed with the installation process, you will have to use the settings as mentioned on the New Deployment Share Wizard:
    • Provide the Deployment share path like C: MDTBuildLab
    • Provide the Share name as MDTBuildLab$
    • Provide the Deployment share description as MDT build a lab
    • On the Options screen, do nothing but just click on the Next button to accept the default settings that are applied.
    • On the Summary screen, do nothing but just click on the Next button.
    • On the Confirmation screen, click on the Finish button.
  • Click to open the Deployment Shares node, and then click again to open the MDT build the lab.
  • You will have to right-click the Operating Systems node, and click on New Folder and name it Windows 10. You can complete the wizard with all the default provided values and later click on Finish to conclude the process.
  • Right-click on the folder that we created in the previous step and click on Import Operating System.
  • On the Import Operating System wizard, you will have to go with these selections or values for the rest of the selections:
    • For the OS Type, you can select a Full set of source files.
    • For the Source field, provide the value D:
    • For the Destination field, provide the value W10Ent_x64.
    • On the Summary page, you will just have to review the details provided earlier and then click on the Next button.
    • On the Confirmation screen, click on the Finish button to conclude this subsection.
  • Here we are not going to add any applications such as Microsoft Office to the deployment share but if you need such information then you can refer to the Add an application section of Create a Windows 10 reference image topic.
  • After all the steps that we have concluded above, the next one is to create a task sequence to point to the Operating System that we have imported earlier. On the Task Sequences node -> click New Task Sequence. Follow the settings for each of the fields specifically to proceed further:
    • Provide the value REFW10X64-001 for Task Sequence ID.
    • Provide the value Windows 10 Enterprise x64 Default Image for the field Task Sequence Name.
    • Provide the value Reference Build for the Task Sequence Comments field.
    • Choose the template as Standard Client Task Sequence.
    • On the Select OS section, just click on Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation in W10Ent_x64 install.wim.
    • Don’t specify any product keys at this point in time for the Specify Product Key section.
    • Provide the value Contoso for both Full Names and also for Organization.
    • Provide the value http://www.contoso.com for the Internet Explorer home page section
    • For the Admin Password section as well, don’t specify an Administrator password at this point in time.
    • Click on the Next button on the Summary page and then click on Finish in the Confirmation pages respectively.
  • Many applications required Microsoft NET framework 3.5 and here we might have to edit the task sequence to add it as well.
  • To edit an existing task sequence, you should be double-clicking the Windows 10 Enterprise x64 Default Image created in the step earlier.
  • You will now have to click on the Task Sequence tab, click Add, and select New Group.
  • On the newly created Group’s Properties tab, you must change the Name to Custom Tasks (Pre-Windows Update) and say Apply.
  • Click on the group that we have edited earlier, click Add -> Roles -> Install Roles and Features.
  • You need to select .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0) under Select the roles and features that should be installed and then click on the Apply button.
  • You should enable the Windows update in the task sequence. This can be done by clicking on the Windows Update (post-application Installation) step -> Options -> clear the Disable this step checkbox.
  • Click on the OK button to conclude editing the task sequence created earlier.
  • Once the above thing is done, the next thing to do is to configure the MDT deployment share rules. In order to configure rules in the Deployment Workbench, you must right-click the MDT build lab (C:MDTBuildLab) -> Properties -> Rules.
  • We can replace all the default rules with the rules as provided below:
[Settings]
Priority=Default
[Default]
_SMSTSORGNAME=Contoso
UserDataLocation=NONE
DoCapture=YES
OSInstall=Y
AdminPassword=pass@word1
TimeZoneName=Pacific Standard TimeZoneName
OSDComputername=#Left("PC-%SerialNumber%",7)#
JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP
HideShell=YES
FinishAction=SHUTDOWN
DoNotCreateExtraPartition=YES
ApplyGPOPack=NO
SkipAdminPassword=YES
SkipProductKey=YES
SkipComputerName=YES
SkipDomainMembership=YES
SkipUserData=YES
SkipLocaleSelection=YES
SkipTaskSequence=NO
SkipTimeZone=YES
SkipApplications=YES
SkipBitLocker=YES
SkipSummary=YES
SkipRoles=YES
SkipCapture=NO
SkipFinalSummary=NO
  • The next step is to click Apply and then to click on Edit Bootstrap.ini. You must replace the contents of the file mentioned above with the text that is mentioned as below, and save the file:
[Settings]
Priority=Default
[Default]
DeployRoot=SRV1MDTBuildLab$
UserDomain=CONTOSO
UserID=MDT_BA
UserPassword=pass@word1
SkipBDDWelcome=YES
  • Clicking on OK concludes the deployment share configuration.
  • Right-click MDT build lab (C:MDTBuildLab) and click Update Deployment Share.
  • There is nothing that we have to change in the Update Deployment Share wizard and say Next. The whole update process takes about 10 minutes and when completed, you can click on Finish.
  • You need to copy the LiteTouchPE_x86.iso file from C: MDTBuildLabBoot location to C: VHD on the SRV1 Hyper-V host.
  • On an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt, you should execute the following command:
New-VM –Name REFW10X64-001 -SwitchName poc-internal -NewVHDPath "c:VHDREFW10X64-001.vhdx" -NewVHDSizeBytes 60GB 
Set-VMMemory -VMName REFW10X64-001 -DynamicMemoryEnabled $true -MinimumBytes 1024MB -MaximumBytes 1024MB -Buffer 20
Set-VMDvdDrive -VMName REFW10X64-001 -Path c:VHDLiteTouchPE_x86.iso
Start-VM REFW10X64-001
vmconnect localhost REFW10X64-001
  • In the Windows Deployment Wizard, select Windows 10 Enterprise x64 Default Image, and say Next.
  • There are no changes required in the Capture Image page and you should be good to go by clicking on Next. It takes about 10 minutes to conclude with the Operating system installation and then the VM goes for a restart automatically.
  • It might have to restart the system more than once to conclude updating and also preparing the Operating System for our use. The setup should also complete the procedures listed below
  • Additional system restarts will occur to complete updating and preparing the operating system.
    • Installs the Windows 10 Enterprise OS.
    • Install the mentioned applications, roles, and also features.
    • If there are any further updates to the Operating System then those would be patched using the Windows Update.
    • Stage Windows PE on the local disk.
    • Run System Preparation (Sysprep) and reboot into Windows PE.
    • Capture the installation to a Windows Imaging (WIM) file.
    • Turn off the virtual machine after the whole process.

7. Add a windows 10 operating system image:

  • On an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt on 6SRV1, execute the following command:
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:SourcesOSDOSWindows 10 Enterprise x64"

cmd /c copy /z "C:MDTBuildLabCapturesREFW10X64-001.wim" "C:SourcesOSDOSWindows 10 Enterprise x64"
  • In the Configuration Manager console, Software Library workspace -> Operating Systems -> right-click Operating System Images -> Add Operating System Image.
  • On the Data Source page, key in the following details for the Path field. SRV1Sources$OSDOSWindows 10 Enterprise x64REFW10X64-001.wim, and then click on the Next button.
  • On the General page, provide Windows 10 Enterprise x64 for the Name field and then click on the Next button two times and then on the Close button respectively.
  • We can distribute the OS image to the SRV1 distribution point by right-clicking the Windows 10 Enterprise x64 -> Distribute Content.
  • In the Distribute Content Wizard, click Next -> Add -> Distribution Point -> SRV1.CONTOSO.COM distribution point. Now click on OK and then on the Next button two times and finally on the Close button.
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8. Create a task sequence:

You are suggested to go with this subsection with a little patience as there is a larger number of settings that are pretty similar to which you are supposed to choose.

  • On the Configuration Manager console -> Software Library workspace click and open Operating Systems -> right-click Task Sequences -> Create MDT Task Sequence.
  • In the Choose Template page, you are supposed to select the Client Task Sequence template and then click on the Next button.
  • On the General page, you are supposed to key in Windows 10 Enterprise x64 for the Task Sequence name, and then you must click on the Next button.
  • On the Details page, you are supposed to provide the following settings as shown below:
    • Provide the value contoso.com for Join a domain field.
    • Provide the value Set for the Account field.
      • Provide the value contosoCM_JD for the field User name.
      • Provide the password as pass@word1.
      • Confirm the password as provided earlier as pass@word1.
      • Click on the OK button to conclude this section
    • Provide the following values on the Windows settings screen:
      • Provide the value Contoso for the User name field.
      • Provide the value Contoso for the Organization field.
      • You can leave the Product Key field blank as of now.
    • On the Administrator Account screen, you must Enable the account and specify the local administrator password. Provide the password as pass@word1 in both the Password and Confirm Password sections.
    • Click on Next to continue with the process after the above selections.
  • In the Capture Settings page, you must accept the default settings as is and then click on the Next button.
  • On the Boot Image page, you must browse and choose the Zero Touch WinPE x64 boot image package and then you must click on OK and then on Next buttons.
  • On the MDT Package page, you must choose to Create a new Microsoft Deployment Toolkit Files package and then key in the following SRV1Sources$OSDMDTMDT and then further click on the Next button.
  • In the MDT Details page, provide MDT as the Name and then click on the Next button.
  • On the OS Image page, you must browse and choose Windows 10 Enterprise x64 package and then click on OK and then on Next buttons respectively.
  • On the Deployment Method page, you must accept all the default settings as-is for the Zero Touch Installation and then you must click on Next.
  • On the Client Package page, you must browse and choose Microsoft Corporation Configuration Manager Client package and then click on the OK and the Next buttons respectively.
  • On the USMT Package page, you must browse and choose Microsoft Corporation User State Migration Tool for Windows 10.0.14393.0 package and then click on OK and then on Next buttons respectively.
  • In the Settings Package page, you should be selecting Create a new settings package -> Package source folder provide the UNC Path as follows: SRV1Source$OSDSettingsWindows 10 x64 Settings and then click on the Next button.
  • In the Settings Details page, provide the value Windows 10 x64 Settings for the Name field and then click on the Next button.
  • On the Sysprep Package page, there is nothing to change and click on the Next button two times.
  • On the Confirmation page, click on the Finish button to conclude this process altogether.

9. Finalize the operating system configuration:

  • On the SRV1 machine and in the MDT deployment workbench, right-click Deployment Shares -> New Deployment Share.
  • You should be using the following settings on the New Deployment Share wizard:
    • Provide the value C: MDTProduction for the Deployment share path.
    • Provide the value MDTProduction$ for the Share name field.
    • Provide the value MDT Production for the Deployment Share description field.
    • Click on Next to accept all the default settings as-is on the Options screen.
    • Click on Next on the Summary screen and then click on Finish on the Confirmation screen to conclude this subsection.
    • Right-click MDT Production deployment share -> Properties -> Monitoring tab -> select Enable monitoring for this deployment share checkbox and then click on the OK button.
  • On an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt, you will need to execute the following command:
notepad "C:SourcesOSDSettingsWindows 10 x64 SettingsCustomSettings.ini"
  • You will need to replace the contents of the above file with the content mentioned below and then save it as well:
[Settings]
Priority=Default
Properties=OSDMigrateConfigFiles,OSDMigrateMode
[Default]
DoCapture=NO
ComputerBackupLocation=NONE
OSDMigrateMode=Advanced
OSDMigrateAdditionalCaptureOptions=/ue:** /ui:CONTOSO*
OSDMigrateConfigFiles=Miguser.xml,Migapp.xml
SLSHARE=SRV1Logs$
EventService=http://SRV1:9800
ApplyGPOPack=NO
  • On the Configuration Manager console -> Software Library workspace -> Application Management -> Packages -> right-click Windows 10 x64 Settings -> Update Distribution Points. There will be a popup that appears on the above selection, just click OK here.
  • In the Software Library workspace -> Operating Systems -> Task Sequences -> right-click Windows 10 Enterprise x64 -> Distribute Content.
  • In the Distribute Content Wizard, you should click on the Next button two times. Click on Add -> Distribution Point -> select SRV1.CONTOSO.COM distribution point and click on OK and then on Next two times and finally on Close button respectively.
  • Key in MonitoringOverviewDistribution StatusContent StatusWindows 10 Enterprise x64 on the location bar and then double-click on Windows 10 Enterprise x64, and monitor that this process succeeds.

10. Deploy Windows 10 using PXE and Configuration Manager:

In this deployment scenario, we will deploy a Windows 10 image using PXE. This will create a new computer that doesn’t have any of the migrated users or settings on it.

  • Run the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt on the intended Hyper-V host:
New-VM –Name "PC4" –NewVHDPath "c:vhdpc4.vhdx" -NewVHDSizeBytes 40GB -SwitchName poc-internal -BootDevice NetworkAdapter -Generation 2
Set-VMMemory -VMName "PC4" -DynamicMemoryEnabled $true -MinimumBytes 512MB -MaximumBytes 2048MB -Buffer 20
Start-VM PC4
vmconnect localhost PC4
  • You may have to give your consent by clicking on ENTER when prompted to restart the network boot service.
  • Provide the password as pass@word1 in the Task Sequence Wizard, and later click on Next.
  • Press F8 before clicking on the Next button in the Task Sequence Wizard, which will open up a Windows command prompt.
  • Key in explorer.exe on the opened Windows command prompt and review the Windows PE file structure.
  • One of the prerequisites for troubleshooting any of the installation issues is the smsts.log files and depending on the deployment phase where the installations fail, the file locations also vary:
    • This is the location when it is before the disks are formatted. (X:windowstempSMSTSLogsmsts.log).
    • This is the location when the disks are already formatted (X:smstslogsmsts.log).
    • This is the location before the SCCM client is installed (C:SMSTaskSequenceLogsSmstslogsmsts.log).
    • This is the location after the SCCM client is installed (C:windowsccmlogsSmstslogsmsts.log).
    • This is the location when the task sequence is completed (C:windowsccmlogsmsts.log).
  • On the Explorer window, click on Tools -> Map Network Drive.
  • You don’t really have to map a network drive at this point in time, but should you observe the necessity of capturing the smsts.log files - then you can map it to a file location on SRV1 using this method.
  • Close all the windows - Map Network Drive window, Explorer window, and also the Command prompt.
  • On the Task Sequence Wizard, select Windows 10 Enterprise x64 and then click on Next to continue with the actual deployment process.
  • The installation process is a time-consuming process and monitoring the progress of the installation can be done using the MDT Deployment Workbench under Deployment Shares -> MDTProduction -> Monitoring. The actual list of sequential tasks would be as follows:
    • Install Windows 10
    • Install the Configuration Manager Client and any hotfixes
    • Add the computer to the contoso.com domain
    • Install any other applications which were mentioned in the specified image.
  • Once the Windows 10 installation is concluded, you will need to login into PC4 with Contoso administrator account credentials.
  • Right-click on Start and then click on Run, key in appwiz.cpl, and then press ENTER.
  • Click Turn Windows features on or off and then verify that .NET framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0) is already installed as it is a feature included in the reference image.
  • The final step is to shut down the PC4 VM.

11. Replace a client with Windows 10 using Configuration Manager:

Before even starting with the activities that are included in this section of the article, you will have to clean up the Active Directory objects that were created in the previous steps (just to clean off the clutter). Focus that there should be at least two computer accounts present in the Contoso.comComputers container - one for SRV1 and the other one for the hostname of PC1.

In the replacement procedure, the computer PC1 won’t be migrated to a newer operating system as it's simpler to perform replace before performing the refresh procedure. After refreshing PC1, the operating system will be new.

  • Create a replace task sequence:

    • In the Configuration Manager console on SRV1, navigate to the Software Library workspace, then expand the Operating Systems menu, right-click on Task Sequences, and then click Create MDT Task Sequence to create a new sequence.
    • Choose Client Replace Task Sequence on the Choose Template page and then click Next.
    • On the General page, provide Replace Task Sequence for the Task Sequence Name and USMT backup only for the Task Sequence Comments.
    • On the Boot Image page, you will need to click on Next. Then choose Zero Touch WinPE x64 boot image package and click OK and then Next to carry forward.
    • On the MDT Package page, you will need to browse and select the MDT package and click OK and then Next to carry forward.
    • On the USMT Package page, you will need to browse and select the Microsoft Corporation User State Migration Tool (USMT) for the Windows package. Click OK and then Next to carry forward.
    • On the Settings Package page, you will need to browse and select the Windows 10 x64 Settings package. Click OK and then Next to carry forward.
    • On the Summary page, you can review all the details provided previously and then click Next.
    • On the Confirmation page, click the Finish button to complete the process.
  • Deploy PC4:

In this step, you should be able to create a VM with the name PC4 to receive the applications and settings from the VM PC1. This is going to be the VM that should represent the VM that replaces PC1. In order to create the VM you should execute the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt on the Hyper-V host:

New-VM –Name "PC4" –NewVHDPath "c:vhdpc4.vhdx" -NewVHDSizeBytes 60GB -SwitchName poc-internal -BootDevice NetworkAdapter -Generation 2

Set-VMMemory -VMName "PC4" -DynamicMemoryEnabled $true -MinimumBytes 1024MB -MaximumBytes 2048MB -Buffer 20

Set-VMNetworkAdapter -VMName PC4 -StaticMacAddress 00-15-5D-83-26-FF
  • Install the Configuration Manager client for PC1:

    • Before we start to follow any of the steps of this subsection, you must verify if the PC1 VM is running or not. If it is in its original state then we might have to check for the last time when a checkpoint has been saved and restored back again in Deploy Windows 10 using MDT.
    • If there is not a checkpoint saved or available for PC1 VM, then a checkpoint can be saved by running the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt on Hyper-V host:
Checkpoint-VM -Name PC1 -SnapshotName BeginState
    • In the Configuration Manager console on SRV1 machine, Administration workspace -> Hierarchy Configuration -> Discovery Methods.
    • Double-click on the Active Directory System Discovery -> General -> choose Enable Active Directory System Discovery checkbox.
    • Click on the yellow starburst and then click on Browse -> select contosoComputers, and then you will have to click on the OK button 3 times.
    • On the popup dialog box that appears asking if you want to run a full discovery, you would need to click on Yes.
    • In the Assets and Compliance workspace -> Devices to check whether the computer account names for SRV1 and PC1 are displayed correctly or not. You can refer to the following screenshot for the same.
    • Login to PC1 using the Contoso administrator account credentials and also key in the following on an elevated command prompt to eliminate any prior existing client configuration.
sc stop ccmsetup

"SRV1c$Program FilesMicrosoft Configuration ManagerClientCCMSetup.exe" /Uninstall
    • On the PC1 system you will have to temporarily stop the Windows Update service from queuing items for download and also at the same time also clear all BITS jobs from the queue. The following command does this:
net stop wuauserv

net stop BITS
    • On successfully verifying that these two services are stopped, you can now run the following command on an elevated command prompt. Once the command is executed, verify that the BITSAdmin displays 0 jobs on the queue.
del "%ALLUSERSPROFILE%Application DataMicrosoftNetworkDownloaderqmgr*.dat"

net start BITS

bitsadmin /list /allusers
    • You can run the following command on an elevated command prompt to install the Configuration Manager client as a standalone process:
"SRV1c$Program FilesMicrosoft Configuration ManagerClientCCMSetup.exe" /mp:SRV1.contoso.com /logon SMSSITECODE=PS1
    • During the client installation as initiated in the step above, the required files are all downloaded to this location (C: Windowsccmsetup).
    • Installation progress will be captured in the following log file(C:windowsccmsetuplogsccmsetup.log).
    • Monitor the installation progress by running the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt.
Get-Content -Path c:windowsccmsetuplogsccmsetup.log -Wait
    • You can open the Configuration Manager by running the Windows command on PC1:
control smscfgrc
    • Click on the Site tab -> Configure Settings -> Find Site. The client installation will identify that the PS1 site is found after this step. Refer to the sample screenshot below:
    • On SRV1, click on Assets and Compliance workspace -> Device Collections -> double-click All Desktop and Server Clients, it will be added under Devices.
    • Click on All Desktop and Server Clients to check whether the computer account for PC1 is displayed properly and shown as Active.
  • Create a device collection and deployment:

    • In the Configuration Manager console on SRV1 VM, traverse to the Asset and Compliance workspace, right-click Device Collections -> Create Device Collection.
    • We can provide the following values/settings in the Create Device Collection Wizard:
      • In the General screen, provide Install Windows 10 Enterprise x64 as value for Name and All Systems for Limiting collection field.
      • In the Membership Rules screen, provide the value Direct Rule for the field Add Rule.
      • In the Create Direct Membership Rule Wizard there opens, click Next
    • Search for Resources > Resource class: System Resource
    • Search for Resources > Attribute name: Name
    • Search for Resources > Value: %
    • Select Resources > Value: Select the computer name associated with the PC1 VM
    • Click Next twice and then click Close in both windows (Next, Next, Close, then Next, Next, Close)
    • Double-click the Install Windows 10 Enterprise x64 device collection and verify that the PC1 computer account is displayed.
    • In the Software Library workspace, expand Operating Systems, click Task Sequences, right-click Windows 10 Enterprise x64, and then click Deploy.
    • Use the following settings in the Deploy Sofware wizard:
    • General > Collection: Click Browse and select Install Windows 10 Enterprise x64
    • Deployment Settings > Purpose: Available
    • Deployment Settings > Make available to the following: Configuration Manager clients, media and PXE
    • Scheduling > Click Next
    • User Experience > Click Next
    • Alerts > Click Next
    • Distribution Points > Click Next
    • Summary > Click Next
    • Verify that the wizard completed successfully and then click Close
  • Associate PC4 with PC1:

    • In the Configuration Manager console on SRV1, traverse to the Assets and Compliance workspace, right-click Devices -> Import Computer Information.
    • On the Select Source page, you will have to select Import single computer and proceed by clicking Next.
    • On the Single Computer page, you should be providing the Computer Name as PC4, MAC Address as 00:15:5D:83:26:FF, and Source Computer as the hostname of PC1 (an alternate way is to click Search twice and then click on the Hostname and click OK).
    • Once the above step is done, click Next to proceed to the User Accounts page where we select Capture and restore specified user accounts where we have to click on the yellow starburst besides User accounts to migrate.
    • Click Browse to provide the object name to select type user1 and further to that, click on OK twice to proceed further.
    • Repeat the same step as above by clicking the yellow starburst to enter the Contoso administrator account details as well.
    • Further to the previous step, you will have to click Next 2 times and then you will land on to Choose Target Collection page where we need to select Add computers to the following section.
    • Click Next twice, and on the Choose Target Collection page, choose Add computers to the following collection. Click on Browse and from the selections available, select Install Windows 10 Enterprise x64, and then click OK. Once this is done, we will have to click on the Next button 2 times and then click on Close.
    • In the Assets and Compliance workspace, you will have to click on User State Migration and then review the details as like computer association in the provided screen. The Source computer will be the hostname or the computer name of PC1 and the destination computer will be PC4. Having said that, the migration type will be side-by-side.
    • Right-clicking the association shown on the display pane, you can click Specify User Accounts to add or remove user accounts from here. Click OK to close this screen.
    • Right-clicking the association shown on the display pane, click on View Recovery Information to verify that a key has been assigned but not a user state store location has been specified. Click Close to close this screen.
    • Click on Device Collections -> Install Windows 10 Enterprise x64 to verify whether PC4 has been displayed in the collection or not. As mentioned earlier, do not proceed further until you find PC4 is available in the collection. You can refer to the following screenshot for any further references.
  • Create a device collection for PC1:

    • In the Configuration Manager console on SRV1, traverse to Assets and Compliance workspace, then right-click Device Collections ->  Create Device Collection.
    • We can use the following settings to provide values wherever necessary in the Create Device Collection Wizard:
      • In the General screen, provide the value USMT Backup (Replace) for Name and All Systems for Limiting collection.
      • In the Membership Rules screen, provide the value Direct Rule for the Add Rule field.
      • Click Next on the Create Direct Membership Rule Wizard.
      • Mention the value System Resource for Resource class and Name for Attribute name and % for Value in Search for Resources screen.
      • Select the computer name which is linked with PC1 VM for the Value column in the Select Resources screen.
      • You will need to click Next 2 times and then click Close on both the windows.
    • Click on the Device Collections screen and then double-click the USMT Backup (Replace). It is also necessary that you verify the computer name and the hostname details associated with PC1, and alongside that, it should be displayed in the collection. Refrain from proceeding further until you see and confirm that these details are displayed on the screen.
  • Create a new deployment:

    • In the Configuration Manager console, traverse to the Software Library workspace under Operating Systems -> Task Sequences ->  Replace Task Sequence -> Deploy, and use the following examples for the settings:
      • On the General screen provide the value USMT Backup (Replace) for Collection.
      • On the Deployment Settings screen provide the value Available for Purpose and provide the value Available for Only Configuration Manager Clients.
      • On the Scheduling screen, there is nothing that has to be provided. Click Next here.
      • On the User Experience screen, there is nothing that has to be provided. Click Next here.
      • On the Alerts screen, there is nothing that has to be provided. Click Next here.
      • On the Distribution Points screen, there is nothing that has to be provided. Click Next here.
      • Click Next and Close, to conclude this process.
  • Verify the backup:

    • Open Configuration Manager control panel on PC1 using the following command:
    • control smscfgrc
    • Click on Actions -> Machine Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle -> Run Now and then click on OK twice. This is a method that can be run a task sequence besides Client Notification method, and this is demonstrated in the Computer refresh procedure later.
    • Key in the following command on an elevated PowerShell prompt to open up the Software Center application:
C:WindowsCCMSCClient.exe
    • In the Software Center application, click on the Available Software -> Replace Task Sequence checkbox as shown below:
    • Click on INSTALL SELECTED and later click on INSTALL OPERATING SYSTEM.
    • You will now have to wait and allow the Replace Task Sequence to conclude, and later you can verify that the C: MigData folder on the SRV1 machine holds the USMT backup or not.
  • Deploy the new computer:

    • Start PC4 and click on ENTER when a networking booth is prompted for. The following commands can be run on an elevated PowerShell prompt to start the PC4 machine
Start-VM PC4
vmconnect localhost PC4
    • Key in the password pass@word1 in the Welcome to the Task Sequence Wizard, and click Next.
    • Select the Windows 10 Enterprise X64 image.
    • The setup will install the OS using the Windows 10 Enterprise x64 reference image, and installs the Configuration Manager client, adds PC4 to the domain, and also restores all the users and settings from PC1 automatically.
    • Though it is not required it is good to save checkpoints for all VMs. This will help review the statuses at a later point in time.
    • Key in the following commands to save checkpoints for all the available VMs. These commands need to be executed on an elevated Windows PowerShell prompt on the Hyper-V host:
Checkpoint-VM -Name DC1 -SnapshotName cm-refresh

Checkpoint-VM -Name SRV1 -SnapshotName cm-refresh

Checkpoint-VM -Name PC1 -SnapshotName cm-refresh

12. Refresh a client with Windows 10 using Configuration Manager:

  • In the Assets and Compliance Workspace of SRV1, click on Device Collections, and next double click on Install Windows 10 Enterprise x64.
  • The next step is to right-click the computer account for PC1, point to the Client Notification, and then click on Download Computer Policy. Once this is done, click on OK on the pop-up dialog.
  • In the notification area on PC1, click New software is available, and after that click on Open Software Center.
  • Next is to click on Operating Systems on Software Center and then to click on Windows 10 Enterprise x64. Finally, click on INSTALL OPERATING SYSTEM as per the below image:
  • The computer might get restarted multiple times during the whole installation process as it includes downloading the required updates, reinstalling the Configuration Manager Client Agent, and last but not least to restore the user state.
  • The installation progress can be monitored on the Configuration Manager console by checking the Monitoring workspace -> Deployments and then by double-clicking on the deployment linked with Install Windows 10 Enterprise x64 collection.
  • On Asset Details, right-clicking on the device to check More Details and then checking on the Status tab, gives us the list of all activities that have already been performed for this installation as such.
  • Installation progress can also be monitored using the MDT deployment workbench, by viewing the Monitoring node that corresponds to the node under Deployment SharesMDT Production.
  • Once the installation is concluded, log in with the Contoso administrator credentials to verify that the application settings are successfully backed up and restored to the newly installed Windows 10 Enterprise operating system.

 

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Last updated: 04 August 2023
About Author
Remy Sharp
Ravindra Savaram

Ravindra Savaram is a Content Lead at Mindmajix.com. His passion lies in writing articles on the most popular IT platforms including Machine learning, DevOps, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, RPA, Deep Learning, and so on. You can stay up to date on all these technologies by following him on LinkedIn and Twitter.