prajwaldesai.com http://prajwaldesai.com/configuration-manager-2012-r2-client-installation/ Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client Installation Prajwal Desai In this post we will discuss about the Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client Installation methods, we will also configure the network access account that is a must before you perform Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client Installation. Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client Installation can be done in various ways, before you can use Configuration Manager to manage a system, you must discover the system and install the client. In my previous posts we have seen how to configure Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Boundaries and Discoveries, so once the systems are discovered you can proceed with Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client Installation. At any point of time you can jump to configuration manager 2012 R2 step by step guide for my previous posts. Lets look at the methods available for Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client Installation, we will be deploying the clients using client push installation in this post. 1) Client Push Installation Client Push Installation happens when an the SCCM server makes a network connection to the client (a machine where configuration manager client is to be installed) and then begins the client installation process. For this the system must be discovered and the administrator should have configured the firewall exceptions. This method requires the administrator to start the client push installation on selected computers. 2) Automatic Sitewide Client Push Installation - In Automatic sitewide Client Push Installation method you can configure client push installation for a site, and client installation will automatically run on the computers that are discovered within the site s configured boundaries when those boundaries are configured as a boundary group. 3) Software update point installation - This method installs the client by using the Configuration Manager software updates feature. No prior discovery of system is required in this method. 4) Manual Installation This method allows you to install the configuration manager clients manually. The installation can be initiated by copying the CCMSetup.exe file on the system and running it with an user account which has enough permissions to install the software. This program and its supporting files can be found in the Client folder of the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager installation folder on the site server and on management points in your site. 5) Group Policy based Installation As the name says you can install the Configuration Manager client using group policy. When you assign the Configuration Manager client to computers by using Group Policy, the client installs when the computer first starts. When you publish the System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager client to users by using Group Policy, the client displays in the Control Panel Add or Remove Programs for the computer for the user to install. 6) Using Logon Scripts Configuration Manager 2012 R2 supports logon scripts to install the System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager client software. You can use the program file CCMSetup.exe in a logon script to trigger the client installation. 7) Using Computer Imaging You can preinstall the Configuration Manager 2012 R2 client software on a master image computer that will be used to build computers in your enterprise. When computers are imaged from this master image, they will contain the Configuration Manager 2012 R2 client and must complete site assignment when installation is complete. 8) Upgrade Installation This method uses your existing software distribution infrastructure to upgrade the client. Upgrade installation requires prior discovery and site assignment of the system. The above methods are some of the ways where the SCCM admin can use for Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client Installation. In this post we will install the Configuration Manager 2012 R2 Client by enabling the automatic sitewide client push installation method. For Client push installation you can check this post. From the Configuration Manager Console Click Administration, Under Site Configuration, Click Sites, at the top ribbon under Client Installation Settings, click Client Push Installation.
In the General tab check the box for Enable Automatic site wide client push installation. Under System types select Servers and Workstations. If you want to install the client agent on domain controllers choose the option Always Install configuration Manager Client on Domain Controllers, with this the client agents will be installed on all the newly discovered Domain controllers. If you want to have an option of pushing the client agent to domain controllers during client installation wizard then choose the option Never Install Configuration Manager Client on Domain Controller unless specified in Client Push Installation Wizard. Click on Apply.
Select the Accounts tab, the account that you will add here must have local administrator rights on every computer on which you want to install the client.. I will choose PRAJWAL\sccmadmin as the user account for deploying client agent on systems. Once you have added the account, Click Apply and OK to close the properties page.
After few minutes we see that ccmsetup.exe *32 process is seen on the systems. The below screenshot is from one of the machine named WIN7.PRAJWAL.LOCAL.
Similar screenshot from one of the machine named WIN8.PRAJWAL.LOCAL.
Before the client agent is installed, the files required for installation is first copied to the system under the path \windows\ccmsetup.
After few minutes we see that the configuration manager 2012 R2 client has been installed on 2 machines (WIN7 and WIN8) and the Client Activity status is Active.
Installing the Configuration Manager Client through Client Push Wizard In the above example we enabled automatic sitewide client push installation and the client were installed on few systems. While configuring client push installation we had specified not to install the configuration manager clients on domain controllers automatically when discovered, however the client could be installed through client push installation. In this example we will install the configuration manager client to one machine Named AD (Domain controller). From the Configuration Console, Click Assets and Compliance, Under Devices Select All Systems. Right Click on the system where the client has to be pushed. Click Install Client.
Click Next.
Specify Client Push Options Since we are installed the client on the system which is a domain controller, check the box for Allow the client software to be installed on domain controllers. Also check Install the client software from a specified site and click Next.
Click Close.
If we take a look at ccm.log file on the SCCM server, we see the complete process right from how the request is sent to server and how the client is installed.