Howto: Create a device collection based on manufacturer in SCCM 2012

In this blog we'll discuss how to create a device collection in SCCM based on a device manufacturer.
This can be usefull when targeting hardware specific applications for instance.

First off, we'll need to get the manufacturer as it is noted in WMI. In our example, we used an ASUS.

The command you can run in the command prompt is:

wmic computersystem get manufacturer

 As you can see the return value is : ASUSTek COMPUTER INC.

 Next, we'll create a new device collection in the SCCM Console.

 Give it an appropriate name and optionally comment it. Choose 'All Systems' as the limiting collection. Click Next.

 Choose for 'Add Rule' and click on 'Query Rule'.

 Give the query a recognizable name, and click on 'Edit Query Statement...'

 Go to the Criteria tab, and click on 'Show Query Language'.

 Paste in the following code:

select SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceID,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceType,SMS_R_SYSTEM.Name,SMS_R_SYSTEM.SMSUniqueIdentifier,SMS_R_SYSTEM.ResourceDomainORWorkgroup,SMS_R_SYSTEM.Client from SMS_R_System inner join SMS_G_System_COMPUTER_SYSTEM on SMS_G_System_COMPUTER_SYSTEM.ResourceId = SMS_R_System.ResourceId where SMS_G_System_COMPUTER_SYSTEM.Manufacturer = "ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC."

Notice the last line, where the manufacturer comes in.

Click Next and finish the wizard.

Then rightclick the collection and choose 'Update Membership'. 

After refreshing the console, you'll notice that it's populated with ASUS devices.

Howto: Create an application in SCCM 2012 R2

This blog describes how to create an application in SCCM 2012 R2, which you can deploy to your users and devices. 

In this example, we have created an application called 'Audacity'. Bare in mind that this is an MSI application. For an executable the steps are similar, but some extra windows in the wizard need to be overcome.
Below are the steps that need to be taken to implement the application:


First, you open your SCCM console.

Then, you browse to Software Library, rightclick Applications, and choose 'Create Application'.

 Choose the above option, and browse to the unc path (\\servername\sources$\softwarelocation)

 You can click browse, and doubleclick on the MSI to let SCCM automatically fill out the information based on what is available in the MSI file.

 Follow the wizard to complete the 'Import Information' step.

 Fill out the missing fields, and give the correct parameter in the 'Installation program' field.

 Follow the wizard by clicking next next next (etcetera).

 Once finished, lookup you package and rightclick it, select properties.

 Place the check mark for the 'Allow this application to be installed from the Install Application task sequence action without being deployed' option. It's pretty much self explanatory...

 I also tend to add the /l*v switch in the MSI property, for troubleshooting reasons.

 Also add the product code for the Windows Source management option

It's possible to change the detection method or user experience if needed. Also you can specify requirements or custom return codes, or dependencies (other applications).

Once done, you are ready to deploy your application to your user collection(s) or device collection(s)!

SCCM 2012: change client cache size

Today another SCCM blog!
This time it's about how to change the default cache size on the client. Normally it is 5120 MB, but in some cases, you deploy (multiple) packages which require more space.

There are several ways to change the cache size. First, you can give a parameter when installing the agent. The parameter is SMSCACHESIZE=xxxx, where xxxx is the number of MB's the new cache size will become.

Here is a detailed description from TechNet:

Specifies the size of the client cache folder in megabyte (MB) or as a percentage when used with the PERCENTDISKSPACE or PERCENTFREEDISKSPACE property. If this property is not set, the folder defaults to a maximum size of 5120 MB. The lowest value that you can specify is 1 MB.
If a new package that must be downloaded would cause the folder to exceed the maximum size, and if the folder cannot be purged to make sufficient space available, the package download fails, and the program or application will not run.
This setting is ignored when you upgrade an existing client and when the client downloads software updates.
Example: CCMSetup.exe SMSCACHESIZE=100
If you reinstall a client, you cannot use the SMSCACHESIZE or SMSCACHEFLAGS installation properties to set the cache size to be smaller than it was previously. If you try to do this, your value is ignored and the cache size is automatically set to the last size it was previously. 
For example, if you install the client with the default cache size of 5120 MB, and then reinstall the client with a cache size of 100 MB, the cache folder size on the reinstalled client is set to 5120 MB. 


However, sometimes the SMSCACHESIZE parameter doesn't work. Another way to achieve the cachesize change, is by running a VB script. You can use it in a task sequence, or deploy it as an application.

The script should look something like this:

++++changecachesize.vbs++++
On Error Resume Next
 Set oUIResource = CreateObject("UIResource.UIResourceMgr")
Set objCacheInfo = oUIResource.GetCacheInfo
 nValueToSet = wscript.arguments(0)

 objCacheInfo.TotalSize = nValueToSet


The commandline how it should be used (should be run as administrator):

EXAMPLE: changecachesize.vbs 15360

The number at the end is the size in MB the cache size will be changed to.

Ofcourse it is also possible to change the cache size in the Configuration Manager node in the Control Panel. Open the Cache tab, and change the slider to the value you like.

Hopefully this will help to prevent any problems in your Configuration Manager 2012 environment!

CIDR IP calculator

CIDR Calculator

CIDR

This tool lets you calculate CIDR(Classless Inter-Domain Routing ) to an IP range.
Very handy for system administrators :)

Howto: Create an Automatic Approval Rule in Windows Intune

This post describes how to create an Automatic Approval Rule(AAR) in Windows Intune to approve Windows security updates automatically.

First, logon to your Windows Intune tenant by browsing to: http://admin.manage.microsoft.com

Then, go to 'Updates', in de left pane, and click on 'Configure Automatic Approval Settings' on the right.

Following the steps above, you should be able to create an Automatic Approval Rule, it's pretty straight forward. You give the rule a name, choose the Product Categories, choose the Update Classifications, target a device collection, and you're done!



Free e-Books on several Microsoft products

Interested in a great variety of free Microsoft e-books?
You can find a list here: link

A list of the e-books:

• Microsoft System Center: Building a Virtualized Network Solution
• Introducing Windows Server 2012 R2
• Introducing Windows Azure for IT Professionals
• Rethinking Enterprise Storage: A Hybrid Cloud Model
• Introducing Windows 8.1 for IT Professionals
• Programming Windows Store Apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, Second Edition (Second Preview)
• .NET Technology Guide for Business Applications
• Microsoft System Center: Building a Virtualized Network Solution
• Introducing Microsoft System Center 2012 R2
• Microsoft System Center: Designing Orchestrator Runbooks
• Microsoft System Center: Configuration Manager Field Experience
• Microsoft System Center: Cloud Management with App Controller
• Microsoft System Center: Troubleshooting Configuration Manager
• Microsoft System Center: Optimizing Service Manager

Good luck with reading :)

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.

Applying SEO to your SharePoint Online website

In this document we will describe how to provide better SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your Office 365 SharePoint Online website.

How to do this?

First, it's good to create a Bing webmaster account, aswell as a Google Webmaster account.

For Google, follow this link.
For Bing, follow this link.

With these tools you can enable Google and Bing to crawl your Office 365 website. You'll need to change certain metatags so that Google and Bing know that you are the owner of the specific website.

1. To do this, logon to your Office 365 tenant with administrative credentials.
Then, go to Site Settings --> Site Collection Administration --> Search Engine Optimization Settings.

2. Now, you can fill out the tags you have gotten from Google / Bing (you get these when you create the webmaster accounts).


3. Verify on your Google and Bing webmaster account that the adding of the tags has succeeded.

It's also possible to give the sitemap.xml to Google or Bing. This will be created automatically by SharePoint (for mobile sites this is a different one). You can find it in the root of the site. The sitemap.xml gives each URL of your site to Google or Bing.

Additionally, it's possible to change the SEO settings per page (metadata / keywords).

1. Again, logon with administrative credentials to your Office 365 tenant.
2. Now, follow the steps as stated in the screenshot:

3. You will go to the SEO properties screen, where you can fill out all the information about your page.

 

Hopefully this information has been useful for you!