• CCMSetup.exe: Used to Install, uninstall and upgrade the SCCM 2007 client using client push installation or manual installation. It is low bandwidth aware and is the single way to launch client deployment. You also do not need to use CCMClean to uninstall the client as the uninstall switch can be used instead.
• BITS: BITS 2.0 is required for Windows 2000 clients. BITS 2.5 is used for most of the Windows operating systems with the exception of Windows Vista which uses BITS 3.0.
Note: When installing BITS 2.0 on Windows 2000 SP4 machines, a restart is required. This means that if you do not have BITS 2.0, then ccmsetup will stop the install and wait until the next process of reboot before it starts the next process.
• Microsoft Windows Installer v3.1 v2 (KB 893803): Update to all operating systems except Windows Server 2003 SP1 and later
• Windows Update Agent (WUA) version 7.0.6000.363: Used on clients to support detection of applicable updates and deployment
• MSXML6.msi – Windows installer script for installing the Core XML Services
• MSRDC (Remote Differential Compression): Required for branch DP to support binary differential replication. For more information on binary differential replication, please visit https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb693953.aspx .
Regarding windows 2000 clients, they don't support MSRDC, so Windows 2000 clients cannot be branch DP’s. Windows XP and later will install this utility and the associated windows server code will be used to install the bits.
• Wimgapi.msi: Imaging API for custom tools for image management
• CCMSetup.msi: Windows installer package for deploying of the SCCM 2007 client using AD GPO. You cannot run CCMSetup.msi to install clients manually.
Some of the existing client deployment methods that still exist in SCCM 2007 include the following:
1. Client Push Installation: Client push installation can still be automated or via administrator control. One of the new features is that you can now use the site server computer account as the client push installation account. This will be used if all previous attempts have failed. In addition, the following options have also been changed:
a. The default client push installation property is now SMSSITECODE=<the local site code>. In SMS 2003, the SMSSITECODE was set to AUTO.
b. If AD is extended for SCCM 2007, the client push installation parameters are published to AD. This allows you to install the client by running ccmsetup.exe without any command line parameters. The client will then be pushed with the appropriate parameters that are set in the client push installation parameters (when installing manually).
c. The Remote Registry service is no longer used to target systems. Rather, remote WMI calls are made. This allows access to WMI in remote scenarios where the client versions need to be validated particularly for site assignment.
2. Logon Installation for high rights users. In SMS 2003, capinst.exe was used for low right users to create the client configuration request which in turn would ask the site server to help out with the installation. In SCCM 2007, there is no support for low rights installation.
3. Software Distribution. This option works great if you are doing an in place upgrade of your SMS 2003 clients.
4. Group Policy. In SMS 2003 it was possible to deploy the client however you couldn't use the command line parameters that were available with client.msi. In SCCM 2007, there is now tighter integration to deploying the client. The installation properties are automatically published to AD and ccmsetup.msi is used for GP based software installation.
5. Manual Installation where ccmsetup is launched off. The ccmsetup properties are published to AD and used automatically during the installation of the client.
Below are some of the new deployment methods in SCCM 2007:
1. Software Update Point (SUP) Client deployment. With this deployment method, clients that have Microsoft Windows Update Agent (version 7.0.6000.363) on them but are not SCCM clients will scan through the WSUS catalogue and see ccmsetup as a mandatory application update. The SCCM 2007 client will then get installed as part of the patching process and pull the associated ccmsetup installation properties from AD if the schema has been extended or optionally from GPO via the ConfigMgr2007Installation.adm .
This is great deployment option that will allow you to leverage your existing WSUS scanning process.
In addition, using local system to run the WSUS agent bypasses a lot of the challenges associated with getting the client installed (firewall, etc.). There are also no issues with low right users with this installation option. The only requirement is that the client must be configured to point to the SCCM Software Update Point along with the port number via the Windows Update setting “Specify Intranet Microsoft Update Service Location “. For more information on how to install the SCCM 2007 client using the Software Update Point installation method, please visit https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb633194.aspx " target="this_is_a_new_window"> https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb633194.aspx
Note: Command line properties cannot be added in using this deployment method as clients will obtain the installation properties from AD when the client is installed provided the schema has been extended. If the schema has not been extended, then GPO policies can be used to specify the ccmsetup properties.
2. Group Policy Installation. With this deployment option, you can deploy ccmsetup.msi using the software installation feature of Group Policy as shown below:
In addition, ConfigMgr2007Installation.adm can be used to define the installation properties and ConfigMgr2007Assignment.adm can be used for assignment.
Directly related to deploying the client, is the registration and assignment process. Registration is used by the client to provide its identity to the site whereas assignment is a requirement in order for registration to complete. As stated earlier, Client Assignment can now be configured through GPO using the ConfigMgr2007Assignment.adm template located in x:ConfigMgr2007_RTM_ENU_5931_EvalToolsConfigMgrADMTemplates. The assignment process is a little different then it was in SMS 2003 because now a site compatibility check is done to ensure the client version is correct. More information on planning for site assignment changes in SCCM 2007 can be found at https://www.myitforum.com/articles/42/view.asp?id=10738 .
To continue, one of the purposes of providing the administrative templates noted above is to allow resources to be assigned based on business functionality as opposed to basing it solely on network configuration. This can also be useful in scenarios where the AD Schema has not been extended or where clients have installation properties that need to be uniquely set.
Furthermore, in order for the SCCM 2007 clients to receive or send data from a MP, the client must first be registered. Registration is an automatic process after assignment. Once the client locates its default MP it will issue a registration request to the site. This provides the client identity (self signed certificate). Until this process happens, the client will not be fully functioning nor will it be able to communicate properly. Related to the registration process is the mode of the site. If you are running in mixed mode, you need to evaluate which approval option you want to configure for your site. For more information, please see my article on Mixed Mode in SCCM 2007 https://www.myitforum.com/articles/42/view.asp?id=10715
In summary, there are a variety of deployment methods that are available to you when installing the client. Each has its advantages and disadvantages along with the need to meet specific business requirements. I would recommend that before the client deployment process begins, you consider the following:
• Identify an appropriate size for the cache. The default cache size is 5GB. While this is not pre-created, it is used to check on whether there is sufficient space to accommodate Operating System Images to the client machine.
• Implement a Fallback Status Point (FSP) before you begin to deploy clients. Although it is not required, it is highly recommended in identifying issues up front that are related to installation and assignment of the client. The Ccmsetup.exe as part of its process will generate state messages. Clients will send state messages for the deployment to the FSP if the client is configured to use a FSP. The FSP can be configurable on how often status messages are processed from a client and how frequently they get sent to the site server as shown below:
Once processed, you should then be able to run Reports that indicate the success or failure of client deployments and provide identification on failures.
• Pre-stage the client dependencies (BITS/MSXML6/Windows Installer 3.1 v2, etc.) to ensure a higher success rate with minimal impact to your existing SMS 2003 operations.
• When upgrading SMS 2003 clients to SCCM 2007, leave the mixed mode option “This site contains only SCCM 2007 clients” unchecked until the entire environment has been upgraded to SCCM 2007.
