Computers & Electronics

How does Microsoft SCCM work?

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Sep 5, 2010
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Toronto

How does Microsoft SCCM work?

So at work, they have introduced SCCM as a new way to distribute software and other updates to clients’ machines.

While we don’t use it directly, we get requests from clients for software and we engage another 3rd party group to push software to users, using SCCM.

While I have a good idea of how SCCM works, holy is it unreliable. Almost 25% of all completed requests don’t work. In other words, the software distribution team will complete their task but when we ask the client to confirm, a lot of them can’t find the software in their ‘Run Advertised Programs (or Software Center for Windows 10 clients)

We even have our own tool to check if a certain software has been advertised to a specific user and even when we do see it, clients can’t.

Why is there such a discrapency? Why does SW team say they completed the work, but in 30% of the cases the users can’t see the software? Is there a time limit after which an advertisement expires?

Problem is, the SW team we deal with is an Asia is communicating with them is hard.
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Sr. Member
Nov 14, 2008
857 posts
325 upvotes
I'm not an AD admin but from what I understand the user has to be logged off for it to work (and not log in until its finished deploying)

Woodbridge905 wrote: So at work, they have introduced SCCM as a new way to distribute software and other updates to clients’ machines.

While we don’t use it directly, we get requests from clients for software and we engage another 3rd party group to push software to users, using SCCM.

While I have a good idea of how SCCM works, holy is it unreliable. Almost 25% of all completed requests don’t work. In other words, the software distribution team will complete their task but when we ask the client to confirm, a lot of them can’t find the software in their ‘Run Advertised Programs (or Software Center for Windows 10 clients)

We even have our own tool to check if a certain software has been advertised to a specific user and even when we do see it, clients can’t.

Why is there such a discrapency? Why does SW team say they completed the work, but in 30% of the cases the users can’t see the software? Is there a time limit after which an advertisement expires?

Problem is, the SW team we deal with is an Asia is communicating with them is hard.
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Dec 29, 2008
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lostintransit wrote: I'm not an AD admin but from what I understand the user has to be logged off for it to work (and not log in until its finished deploying)
It depends on how the application was packaged and how it is deployed.

You can package software to install regardless of who is logged in or not, the next step is to deploy the package to a device collection or user collection and decide if it will be an available or required deployment.

Available = user decides if/when to install.
Required = IT decides and force the install.

Device deployments are easy just dump the pc in the collection and it will show in software center to to install or will automatically start the install.

User development can get tricky coz you don't want random software installing on every pc the user may login to, so a primary device needs to be set for user developments and if not set the user probably won't see the software.

As for why software does not show up on the users side, there are many factors.

1) You need to wait, can take up to an hour depending on how it's setup. This is most common.
2) SCCM Client is damaged and needs to be repaired, you need to review client logs to figure this out.
3) Deployment are not setup properly.

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