ConfigMgr vNext: It just gets easier and easier.

Its about time that I write my first post about ConfigMgr vNext BETA and well I really have to say that it just gets easier and easier compared to ConfigMgr 2007. The only thing I have to get used to is that everything is in a different location.

Capture User Files and Setting Offline (WinPE) with Hard-Links

As I have been busy a lot with capturing user files offline on my blog, lets start about how easy that becomes in ConfigMgr vNext. I still remember making BAT-files to run the ScanState –commands, in ConfigMgr vNext its just selecting the checkboxes Capture locally using links instead of copying files and Capture in off-line mode (WinPE only). After this the Capture User Files and Settings –step will run with the command C:\_SMSTaskSequence\Packages\P010000A\amd64\scanstate.exe C:\_SMSTaskSequence\UserState /o /localonly /efs:skip /all /v:5
/offlineWinDir:C:\WINDOWS /c /hardlink
/nocompress /l:X:\WINDOWS\TEMP\SMSTSLog\scanstate.log
/progress:X:\WINDOWS\TEMP\SMSTSLog\scanstateprogress.log
/i:C:\_SMSTaskSequence\Packages\P010000A\amd64\miguser.xml /i:C:\_SMSTaskSequence\Packages\P010000A\amd64\migapp.xml.

Even the variable OSDStateStorePath gets set to %_SMSTSUserStatePath% automatically by selecting Save user settings locally during the Create Task Seqeunce Wizard.

Schedule Updates on a Operating System Image

Another cowl feature I ran into, with creating the Operating System Image for the Task Sequence, is the option to Schedule Updates for an already created Operating System Image. By doing this ConfigMgr will insert the selected updates into the Operating System Image. No more problems with installing Software Updates during the Build and Capture –proces, can it get easier then this?

After this it is also possible to see the which Software Updates exist in the Operating System Image (see picture). Now you will always be able to see how up-to-date your reference image is!

Of course there are lots and lots of more cowl feature, like the Software Center, the Online Software Catalog, the Automatic Grouping Rules for Software Updates, the Client Agent Settings, etc, etc, etc… But, at my defence, these are all to big to be covered in one post.