The first step to install Cumulative Update 4 is to download the actual CU4 update binaries, which can be acquired by going to https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3026739 and clicking on the Hotfix Download Available link, selecting the appropriate file (there’s only one) and providing your e-mail address. You will shortly receive an automated message from hotfix@microsoft.com with the download link for a self-extracting executable. Save it to your machine and double-click 482009_ENU_x64_zip.exe to extract CM12-R2CU4-KB3026739-X64-ENU.exe to your Downloads folder, which is the one that we will need to copy to our Configuration Manager Site Server. As with all updates for Configuration Manager, these should be applied in a top-down fashion. If you’re in a really large organization that has a CAS server, the change needs to be applied there first. If not, we will copy it right to the Primary Site Server. We now need to log onto the Primary itself, and ensure that the console is closed. Before proceeding, ensure a Checkpoint is taken of the VM. This will allow us to revert the CU4 install and remediate any issues for a clean installation. Next, navigate to the location where CM12-R2CU4-KB3026739-X64-ENU.exe was copied and double click to launch the wizard.   Click Next, accept the License Terms and click Next again to bring you to the perquisite page. Address any warnings or errors here (a reboot is often required), and proceed...

Cumulative Update 4 for System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager included many additions and changes to the PowerShell cmdlets that are used to manage the environment.  Here is a list of all the additions, fixes, and changes to cmdlets used for CM12R2. The following issues with PowerShell CM12 cmdlets have been resolved with CU4: – Add-CMDeploymentType When a deployment type is used that imports its information (such as AppV), the DeploymentTypeName parameter is ignored. The WindowsPhoneStoreInstaller parameter creates incorrect deployment types. This is a regression from Cumulative Update 1. Invalid locations can be specified incorrectly for the following deployment types: Windows Phone Store Google Play Store Apple Store You can configure the following as DownloadContentAsStreaming: MSI deployment Windows .appx type OnSlowNetworkMode values –  Add-CMDeviceAffinityToUser User-device affinity for nonprimary users cannot be set on devices. For example, such users can be users who are discovered through Active Directory. –  Add-CMDistributionPoint An expired CertificateExpirationTimeUtc can be specified. –  Add-CMFallbackStatusPoint StateMessageNum values are not validated against the acceptable range (100 to 100,000). –  Export-CMPackage Incorrect errors are reported when ExportFilePath is in an unexpected format. –  Get-CMSoftwareUpdate The Id parameter that allows for querying for software updates by ID value is missing. –  Get-CMStatusFilterRule No results are returned if the Name parameter is not specified. Get-CMUser Inconsistent object types are returned (SMS_CombinedUserResources or SMS_Collection-based object), depending on input parameters. This is a regression from the release version of System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager. See Get-CMUser notes in the...

Cumulative Update 4 for SCCM 2012 R2 was release by Microsoft on January 29, 2015. Along with issues fixed by the previous Cumulative Updates, CU4 provides support for App-V 5.0SP2 and specifically addresses the following: Software distribution – After a Configuration Manager 2007 distribution point is upgraded and assigned to a Configuration Manager 2012 secondary site, packages are listed as Unknown in the Content Status node of the Administrator Console. – Internet-based clients cannot download content from an Internet-facing distribution point after first they first encounter a failure to reach Windows Update. – Applications that use dynamic variable lists are not installed in System Center 2012 Configuration Manager – Adding or deleting a deployment to a software update group results in policy evaluation for all deployments within the group instead of the deployment that changed. Operating system deployment – The wrong software update for an operating system image may be selected the list of items that are returned in the Schedule Updates Wizard is sorted. – Task sequences that contain Windows 8.1 as a condition on the Options tab generate an exception when they are changed or accessed. – Child sites will not process the content for a task sequence that was changed after migration from another site. Note: This fix applies only to task sequences that are not yet migrated. Task sequences that were migrated before you applied CU4 should be deleted and then migrated...

Having been through quite a few CM07 to CM12 migrations over the past few years, one of the things that I have seen heavily used in previous versions is nested collections, which had a similar functionality in SCCM as nested groups in Active Directory. However, this option has been removed with CM12, leaving administrators to re-think their collection hierarchy practices. Proper folder management is a large part of that, especially in larger organizations, but top level collections are still just as important, if not more, in the new version of Configuration Manager. The main reason for this is that we use these top level collections to limit the memberships of the operational collections that we (and our support staff) use on a daily basis. We group machines together in large criteria to limit deployments, reports, as well as implement security access for those that use Configuration Manager. When creating collections in Configuration Manager 2012, and when viewing the Membership Rules tab afterwards, there is an option to Use incremental updates for this collection. I strongly caution on the use of this button, as enabling it on more than a hundred collections can create drastic performance issues in your environment. As a general rule, I will use incremental updates for my top level collections only. Here are a few of the top level collections that I like to implement for...

In my previous post, we went through the process of using Automatic Deployment Rules to create a fully automated patching process, complete with a pilot period, ideal for SMB customers. We’re now going to take those same patches and apply them to our Gold Image. This will reduce deployment times and frequency of Gold Image rebuilds, while maintaining a high initial patch level for newly deployed operating systems. Note that in order for the following process to work, you have to have Software Updates configured in your environment, and have used it to patch workstations with a similar OS as the image we wish to service. It will also only work with Microsoft updates, and even those have to be Component Based Servicing updates, so not everything is able to be added with this method. To patch our Gold Image, we need to expand the Operating Systems node in the Software Library and click on Operating System Images, then selecting our Gold Image. From the Ribbon, we’re going to click on the Schedule Updates button. I haven’t patched my Windows 8.1 image yet, so there’s quite a few in the screenshot.   Next, Next, Finish through the rest of the pages, and the servicing process begins. We’ll monitor the process from the OfflineServicingMgr.log file. As we can see, it’s ultimately just using DISM to mount the WIM and inject...