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Create fake SCCM Clients with Hardware Inventory

This blog post deals with adding fake computers or users to a SCCM environment. Why would you want to add fake clients to a SCCM environment? You probably want to test something, maybe load test something, there can be multiple reasons. But since you are here, you probably have a reason, so let's move on :) I use the CM Client API to create a resource and I say resource because it can also be a user in addition to a computer. So, let's start with the prerequisites so you don't waste your time here. Configuration Manager Client Messaging SDK [...]

By |2020-05-19T12:45:54+01:00maj 17th, 2020|Configuration Manager (SCCM), Tools|7 Comments
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Blazor State Management

This post is a small tip if you are dealing with managing and persisting states in your Blazor app. Jeremy Likness made a good post covering the challenges with maintaining the state of your component and what options you have to solve it. An obvious example here is when you want to maintain the data in your form. When you are filling out a form, and then navigate away from the page, it would be convenient in most cases (depending on the scenario), that the data you filled out is not gone. Looking at the Counter component from the template [...]

By |2020-04-06T14:35:30+01:00april 6th, 2020|Uncategorized|Kommentarer lukket til Blazor State Management
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Requirements Not Met ~ Program Rejected (wrong platform)…What Witchery is This?

Ran into a challenge yesterday that found me chasing apparitions into the SCCM DB and in the process, discovering some interesting insights into the fatal, Failed to download policy (Code 0x80004005) Task Sequence (TS) error. Besides being interesting as Hell, we also found a “clean” resolution that was not available through countless Goog searches.  As if all that was not enough, there is a quick lesson on using a SQL Search tool that I was completely unfamiliar with until good friend, Adam Gross (follow this cat on the Twit: @AdamGrossTX), hipped me to what all the cool kids were doing!  [...]

By |2019-07-25T13:25:47+01:00juli 24th, 2019|Configuration Manager (SCCM), OS Deployment, SQL, Training|4 Comments
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SCSM Giveaway 1: Send Email – Change Request 2016

It ain't over until the phoenix in its own right sings. I'm giving away some of the Service Manager (and a bit of SCOM) stuff I've been doing over the past couple of years just sitting and collecting dust. And whatever opinion or feelings you might have about this product, there are still many customers around the world using the tool every day. So before it's too late, I feel it be better to get it out while it's still being used. This first give-away is, you could say, an obligation to give to the community, because it was created [...]

By |2019-05-27T09:09:49+01:00maj 27th, 2019|Uncategorized|3 Comments
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ConfigMgr: Prerequisite check error when upgradeing to 1810 – SQL Server Configuration for site upgrade failed

So, I guess this is not limited to just when you upgrade from 1806 to 1810, however that was the case when I upgraded a customer the other day. I got the following error when doing the prerequisite check i SCCM prior to an upgrade to 1810 from 1806.   My initial thought was that this was a bit generic without giving proper guidance to fix the issue   SQL Server Configuration for site upgrade Failed Checks if the specified SQL Server meets the minimum requirments for site upgrade   Digging in the log files (CMUpdate.log) I found out that [...]

By |2019-03-31T22:45:24+01:00marts 22nd, 2019|Uncategorized|4 Comments
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Identifying Azure AD users with ConfigMgr

I wanted to share an interesting find I had with a customer today. We were working on a task to populate some user collections for a deployment and we saw that one collection had a lot more users included than it should have. We figured it must be users coming from Azure AD (AAD) which made me wonder; how could we easily identify only AAD users and use that technique to exclude the unnecessary users from the collection we were creating? First we tried using the "Agent Name" attribute on the user object. This could in theory work, since it [...]

By |2019-02-21T22:22:05+01:00februar 19th, 2019|Azure, Configuration Manager (SCCM)|Kommentarer lukket til Identifying Azure AD users with ConfigMgr
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PowerShell: Setting Azure Active Directory Diagnostics Forwarding

Currently we a spending most of our time doing Azure Gonvernance projects for customers.This includes DevOpsPipelinesTemplatesand moreManagement/Resource Group StructurePoliciesMonitoringIf you need anything in aboveareas, don’t hesistate to contact us!We can help you get into azure from nothing to production, or help you get control of your azure spending and structure.One of the things we setup is Diagnostics logging in Azure Log Analytics from various resources.This is super easy to setup on all Azure Resources, but it is actually also possible to enable on Azure ADs.Azure AD forwards these logs:AuditLogsSignInLogsThe challenge is that Azure AD is Not  a normal Azure resource, [...]

By |2019-02-19T11:30:37+01:00februar 19th, 2019|Automation, Azure, Monitoring, Powershell|3 Comments
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Windows Autopilot: 6 things you must consider before ordering a Windows 10 device today

Autopilot, one of the hottest buzzwords within Windows 10 management of 2018, if you ask me. And I think you agree. Why? This small piece of technology has changed the way we look at IT. Not because it revolutionizes every aspect of the way you deliver IT into the hands of our users, but it fundamentally changes an important peace making us think about change and transformation along the way as a synergy. And this makes us ask the question - can we transform other pieces of our IT services delivered to our users. Now, I assume you know what [...]

By |2019-01-31T21:54:32+01:00januar 31st, 2019|Uncategorized|2 Comments
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SCCM: Improved MDT – “Execute Runbook” Script

Hello EverybodyHere is a little xmas present from Team CTGlobalThis script is an improved version of the script used by MDT to for the “Execute Runbook” StepI has the following improvements:Success/Failed checkRetry if the webservice call failsRetrieval of the correct result, when a runbook has failed over to one or more servers.The currently included script in MDt, will accidently get the first result, which is the failed result, while the newst result is the succeded one.This improves stability of the step by far.This has been tested in a scenario that contains around 800 servers in each patch windows.Each server executes [...]

By |2018-12-21T15:31:02+01:00december 21st, 2018|Automation, Configuration Manager (SCCM), Scripting|1 Kommentar
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#PS5.1–Import-PSSession against JEA endpoint Error

Today I implemented a JEA solution in PowerShell, but at the customer site we hit an error which I did not see in our test environments. When we tried to execute Import-PSSession we got this error: Running the Get-Command command in a remote session reported the following error: A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name ‘PowerShellVersion’ Searching the net found this issue in github for PS6.0, but there is no information around a fix in PS5.1 https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/issues/4195 I asked my friend Aleksandar Nikolic and he suggested to try and make a workaround for Get-FormatData. So we did, and [...]

By |2018-12-12T17:58:08+01:00december 11th, 2018|Powershell|3 Comments
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MSiX the future of repackaging

When it comes to installing Windows applications, there are definitely some improvements that could be made from a user perspective. Those are exactly the kinds of improvements that MSiX aims to address. When a user installs an application, and then decides that they no longer want the application, it can be messy to get it removed, particularly if it is a third-party application that has its own rules. The same goes for automatic updates to the app. The first thing that MSiX tries to address is what is left behind by these applications once they are uninstalled. Often, users have [...]

By |2018-12-03T16:08:12+01:00december 3rd, 2018|Application Virtualization, Application Virtualization (App-V), Packaging & Installation|1 Kommentar
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Disabling LEDBaT on Your Windows 2016/2019 Server

I have seen a few threads across a couple of forums asking about how to disable LEDBaT correctly. Here are two options which are applicable across a couple of scenarios: Scenario#1: You are confident you do not have any other custom CongestionProvider or TransportFilter configurations on your server. Solution: 1 of the 2Pints, Phil Wilcock (follow: @2PintPhil), has provide what is by far the quickest and easiest solution with good 'ol netsh: netsh int tcp reset *When you run the reset command, it overwrites the following registry keys, both of which are used by TCP/IP: SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DHCP\Parameters This has the same effect as [...]

By |2018-11-19T06:23:22+01:00november 18th, 2018|Configuration Manager (SCCM), Powershell, Scripting|3 Comments
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MSiX for Windows 7

If you are considering using the Windows 7 handler for MSiX, this is your chance to get a head start. Keep in mind: The codebase is still in preview, hence not supported by Microsoft The current codebase is available on GitHub - Windows 7 handler for MSIX The preview currently includes a user interface that will process the extraction/unzipping of the MSiX Package. The Files will be unzipped to the VFS folder, add the application in the Add/Remove programs list and place a shortcut for the executable in the start menu. The xml uninstallation script will automatically be generated and [...]

By |2018-11-06T06:33:48+01:00november 5th, 2018|Application Virtualization, Application Virtualization (App-V), Packaging & Installation|Kommentarer lukket til MSiX for Windows 7
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Set computer name with Autopilot in Windows 1809

A quick blog post to show you that it is now possible to set computer name of an device going through the Out-of-Box experience enabled with Autopilot in Intune! This is new capabilities in Intune which is only available with Windows 10 RS5 1809. This post assume that you have an autopilot profile and that it is already assigned and in use. If not I recommend looking at the links below to get you started with Autopilot. For more information visits these websites: Overview of Windows Autopilot: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/windows-autopilot/windows-10-autopilot Whats new in Autopilot as of 24/9-18: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Windows-IT-Pro-Blog/New-Windows-Autopilot-capabilities-and-expanded-partner-support/ba-p/260430 Now over to the [...]

By |2018-10-03T00:16:29+01:00oktober 3rd, 2018|Automation, Configuration Manager (SCCM), OS Deployment, Windows Client|2 Comments
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Deploying a SDNv2 lab on a single host using nested Hyper-V

With Windows Server 2016 we got SDNv2 that is the second generation of the Microsoft Software-defined Networking for Hyper-V, if you to know more about SDNv2 check the Microsoft Docs. To make it easier to validate and test SDNv2 Microsoft has created a scripts repo to get you started. The SDNexpress scripts can be used to deploy SDNv2 with or without VMM on four or more Hyper-V hosts in a single rack/cluster/scale unit. But what if you don't have four spare servers to test this out? Don't fear nested Hyper-V is here! With Windows Server 2016 we also got the [...]

By |2018-08-29T16:32:42+01:00august 29th, 2018|SDNv2, Virtualization, Windows Server|2 Comments
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Send instant message from server back to client using SignalR

UPDATED 28-08-2018: Added guidance to send message to specific client and not just for all + more screenshots on how _signalContextHub was added. This is a small blogpost explaining how to use SignalR for ASP Core 2.1 to send a message (or a signal :) ) from the server (controller action) back to the client view. Alot of posts explains how to make various bidirectional chats using SignalR to send messages from client to the server (from view to controller and back again), but the other way around (from server to client) is useful if you want to show progress bars [...]

By |2018-08-28T09:02:30+01:00august 9th, 2018|Scripting & Development|4 Comments
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To OOBE or not to OOBE

In my most recent customer project I was building a Windows 10 1803 reference image.For this build I came across a kind of strange issue.When deploying the reference image using SCCM, I got a weird error right at the end of the task sequence.If I clicked Try again Windows would do something for a few seconds and then the task sequence would finish like nothing went wrong.And the odd thing was that nothing seemed to be wrong, everything worked.But the error would pop up every single time and that was not something I could ignore.So I google’d and chased all [...]

By |2018-07-31T14:10:31+01:00juli 31st, 2018|Configuration Manager (SCCM), Operating Systems, OS Deployment|Kommentarer lukket til To OOBE or not to OOBE
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Installing a Cloud Management Gateway and Cloud Distribution Point in ConfigMgr 1806

With each release of ConfigMgr Microsoft is making huge strides in internet-based client management. There are many new features for the CMG in 1806 however this blog is focused on the simplification of the installation. Many customers have been reluctant to use a CMG due to the complex and confusing certificate requirements. In versions prior to 1806 the cloud distribution points and cloud management gateways had to be deployed as separate roles. The cloud management gateway now can serve content to clients. This simplifies the installation, reduces the number of certificates required and lowers the cost of operations. These simplifications [...]

By |2018-07-02T16:26:12+01:00juli 2nd, 2018|Uncategorized|5 Comments
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Deploy Cloud Disitribution Point in ConfigMgr 1805 TP

Starting with ConfigMgr 1805 tech preview it is possible to use the Azure Resource Manager platform when creating an instance of the cloud distribution point. ARM eliminates the need for management certificates by utilizing Azure Active Directory for authentication. The other major improvement in this iteration of the CDP is that it eliminates the need for a management certificate. This process should be the same for ConfigMgr 1806, if not I will update this blog when 1806 is released. 1.  Pre-requisites a.       You must have Azure AD. b.       Create a public facing CNAME record that maps your service name (ex [...]

By |2018-06-04T01:27:41+01:00juni 2nd, 2018|Configuration Manager (SCCM)|2 Comments
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Simplified Installation of a Cloud Management Gateway

The CMG is a role introduced in ConfigMgr Current Branch 1610. The purpose of the Cloud Management Gateway is to simplify installation and strengthen security of managing clients over the Internet. This is achieved by hosting the necessary services in Azure. To date however many customers have been hesitant to deploy a CMG due to the perceived complexity of the certificate requirements that the solution has required. Using ConfigMgr 1804 tech preview and working along-side the Microsoft product team I have been able to reduce the certificates required down to 1 single certificate. My certificate is issued by a public [...]

By |2018-05-26T23:38:18+01:00maj 23rd, 2018|Configuration Manager (SCCM)|16 Comments
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DeviceMap and Device Inventory Failures in Win7 to Win10 1709 In-Place Upgrades

**UPDATE**  to the  **UPDATE**  **UPDATE** There has been "multiple TONS" of amazing and diligent work done by some extremely talented individuals to not only uncover some extreme deficiencies in the MS update process but more importantly, to help the community to cope, resolve and move forward!  If this blog post is along the lines of anything you are experiencing, please immediately take a moment to read through this blog post by my friend @AdamGrossTX which should answer all your questions and also provide a solution for "what ails you".  Please also take a moment to follow another friend, @SeguraOSD who has developed [...]

By |2018-08-31T07:24:29+01:00maj 1st, 2018|Configuration Manager (SCCM), Hardware & Drivers, Operating Systems, OS Deployment|7 Comments
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Win7 to Win10 In-Place Upgrade Failures w/ DownLevel 0xC1900208 Error Codes

This will be short and sweet as I am not fond of typing nor do I wish to waste your time with wordy explanations. If you require more details, simply reply to this blog and I will do my best to assist. ENVIRONMENT/SCENARIO: The environment is ConfigMgr (CM) 1710 with a slew of Win7 Lenovo models in dire need of Win10 1709 in-place upgrades. Delivery of Win10 1709 is by way of a CM Task Sequence (TS) with no out of ythe ordinary configurations that would be noteworthy. CHALLENGE: I recently ran into a frustrating challenge where my Win7 to [...]

By |2018-05-01T14:08:16+01:00april 29th, 2018|Configuration Manager (SCCM), Hardware & Drivers, Operating Systems, OS Deployment|Kommentarer lukket til Win7 to Win10 In-Place Upgrade Failures w/ DownLevel 0xC1900208 Error Codes
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ASP.NET Core 2.0 MVC: editing complex viewmodels with child models and dynamically retrieve properties from the model in the view or just a REALLY long title…

For the past couple of months I've been doing ASP.NET Core coding projects – building the backend and frontend of various websites for our customers. This has been a fun experience, but at times also very frustrating when things aren’t really working out. One thing is to follow examples and tutorials based on “perfect world” scenarios, another is to deal with real-world data and requirements. So this will be my first post in hopefully a series of ASP.NET Core posts to share some tips and tricks when things get a little more complicated. I assume you have some knowledge of [...]

By |2018-08-09T12:52:22+01:00januar 31st, 2018|Scripting & Development|2 Comments
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