Transcript Slide 1

The Power of Task Sequences
Nick Moseley
Senior Consultant
3/28/2012
Moderated by:
Sponsored by:
Agenda
• Welcome: Rod Trent, CEO, myITforum
• Overview: BDNA & myITforum
• Nick Moseley
– The Power of Task Sequences
• Wrap Up: Rod Trent, CEO, myITforum
Google+ Hangouts & Forums
• Reed Porter’s Hangout:
http://tinychat.com/reedracer
password: welcome
• myITforum SCCM GURU webcast live
forum
http://myITforum.com/SCCMguru
• #sccmguru hashtag on twitter
BDNA Normalize for ConfigMgr™
• NEW PRODUCT: BDNA Normalize CM™
• Extracts ConfigMgr inventory data
• New native classes to use in console
• Create queries, collections and reports
• Demo on website: http://sccm.bdna.com
• Download trial version, free for 60 days
• Come see us at MMS at Booth 551
Pradeep Bhanot
Product Marketing
BDNA Normalize
for ConfigMgr™
myITforum
• Ron Crumbaker, myITforum
– All things “System Center”
– Since 1999
– Large and growing community (over
120,000 visitors a day)
– Huge storehouse of System Center
knowledge
– Noobies to experts
About Nick
• Began working with SMS/SCCM in 2004
• Involved in various aspects of the systems
management community and forums
• Blogging at http://t3chn1ck.wordpress.com
• Recently joined the great team at Catapult
Systems, consulting in SCCM and Windows 7
Upgrades
The Power of Task Sequences
• Task sequences:
– Versatile, robust, and flexible
– Not limited to OS deployment
• Today’s presentation:
– The fundamentals of task sequences
– Various demonstrations
– Example scenarios
Fundamentals
Setting a foundation
• Task sequence steps
• Task sequence variables
• Task sequence conditions
Task Sequence Steps
• Task sequence steps are the basic
components that take action within the
task sequence
• 27 total steps
• Covering five today
Task Sequence Steps
Run Command Line
Task Sequence Steps
Install Software
• Single app
• Multiple apps
Task Sequence Steps
Install Software Updates
• Independent of
task sequences
• Scripts to resolve
problem of not
all updates
installing during
a task sequence
Task Sequence Steps
Restart Computer
Task Sequence Steps
Task Sequence Variables
Task Sequence Steps
Live Demo!
Demo 1: three ways to run an install
• Run Command Line – Local System
• Run Command Line – Package
• Install Software – Package/Program
Task Sequence Variables
Live Demo!
Demo 2: Multi-application install
– Set two task sequence variables
– Install Software step for multiple apps
Task Sequence Steps
Success/Failure Exit Codes
• Success: 0 or 3010
• Failures: all else!
• Can workaround installers that do not
have a standard success exit code
– Custom wrapper
– Use Run Command Line step
Task Sequence Steps
Live Demo!
• Demo 3: Example that causes the TS to
fail with custom exit code 68
• Demo 4: Example that causes the TS to
succeed with custom exit code 68
Task Sequence Variables
•
•
•
•
Mechanism to configure/customize steps
154 built-in task sequence variables!!
Can create your own custom variables
Many possibilities: configuration of
settings/actions, custom values,
arguments, override defaults, generalize
conditions, evaluate actions, etc.
Task Sequence Variables
Built-in Variables
Read only begin with an underscore (_)
_SMSTSInWinPE
_SMSTSMachineName
_SMSTSPackageName
Task Sequence Variables
Built-in Variables (continued)
SMSRebootMessage
SMSRebootTimeout
OSDDomainOUName
OSDComputerName
Task Sequence Variables
Custom Variables
– The sky is the limit!
– “Disappear” after the task sequence quits
Collection Variables
– Alternate option
– If blank/empty, dialog will be presented
• Good for computer name entry
• Local admin password
Task Sequence Variables
Scripts to get and set variables
– VB Script
Set oTsEnv = CreateObject ("Microsoft.SMS.TSEnvironment")
sName = oTsEnv (“_SMSTSMachineName “)
oTsEnv (“OSDComputerName”) = sName
– PowerShell
$tsenv = New-Object -COMObject Microsoft.SMS.TSEnvironment
Write-Host $tsenv.Value ("_ SMSTSMachineName")
Task Sequence Variables
Live Demo!
Demo 5: VB Script for Variables
– Get/output read only variable
– Set custom variable
– Get/output custom variable
Task Sequence Variables
Live Demo!
Demo 6: custom single collection variable
– “RodsMMSTwiterArmyApp” = “Sign me up!”
Task Sequence Variables
Live Demo!
Demo 7: custom sub-collection variables
– Set custom variable on a sub-collection
– “TwitterBlocker” = “What is Twitter?”
– Task sequence is assigned to the parent
collection, but configured to apply to the child
(sub) collections
Task Sequence Conditions
Task sequence conditions
– Optional
– Evaluated at runtime
of a step
– Further conditional
“if” statements
Task Sequence Conditions
Live Demo!
Demo 8: Example of each condition
Demo 9: How to use the “if” statements
Non-OS Deployments
Non-OS Deployments
– Automating tasks
– Chaining installs
– Configuring Windows
– Decision Logic
– Etc!
Non-OS Deployments
Chaining Steps
– Linking programs to other programs
• Has limitations and other challenges
• A failure halts the rest of the chain
• If rerun, it started from the very beginning
– Task sequences
• Make the linking of programs a thing of the past!
• Can account for errors
• Do not need to rerun if previously failed
Non-OS Deployments
Live Demo!
Demo 10: Upgrade MS Office 2003 to 2010
– Change the restart behavior
– Restart Windows
– Uninstall old Office tools, such as 2007
Compatibility Pack, incompatible add-ins, etc.
– Install Office 2010
– Install security updates
– Defrag the disk
Non-OS Deployments
Scenario: miscellaneous admin tasks
– Delete temporary files
– Purge SCCM cached files
– Flush/register DNS
– Cleanup the local admins group
– Run a WMI health script
– Force a group policy update
– Restart Windows just because!
Non-OS Deployments
Scenario: multiple ways to accomplish a
software installation
– Use the standard Install Software step
– Use the Run Command Line
• Setup files in a package
• Setup files on the local disk
– Connect to network folder to run the setup
– Use Software Updates
• Setup files published in software updates
• Setup files published in SCUP
Non-OS Deployments
Live Demo!
Demo 11: Operations within Windows PE
This is our 7th inning stretch
in the presentation!
OS Deployments
Don’t forget about OS Deployments!
Consolidation of task sequences
– Core Image Build and Capture
• Unique image only necessary for different
architecture (x86 or x64)
• Should only need Windows, Office, and other core
MS software such as .NET Framework or MSXML
– Core Image Deployment
• One task sequence to do the rest!
OS Deployments
Last Demo!
Demo 12: single deployment task sequence
– Custom HTA to prompt for the PC specific
configuration items
– Applying drivers to a specific PC model
– Software only for desktops or laptops
– Department specific software
Summary and Closing
• Fundamentals
– Steps
– Variables (built-in, custom)
– Conditions
• Examples for non-OS deployments
– Chaining steps
– Miscellaneous admin tasks
• OS Deployments
– Simplifying to a single TS
– Expanding functionality
Wrap Up with Rod Trent
Next SCCM GURU Webcasts:
• April 10th
• May 2nd

Johan Arwidmark
Brad Anderson
www.bdna.com/sccm-guru
Wear your GURU T-shirt to MMS
Wear your SCCM GURU t-shirt to MMS, stop by
the BDNA booth (yes you must be *wearing*
your t-shirt), and register to win something
super cool – we haven’t decided what yet.
We’re going to raffle something at the end of
each day so you’ll have 4 chances to win!
Find out how to get
a t-shirt at the end
of this webcast!
SCCM GURU Community Group
http://myitforum.com/myitforumwp/groups/bdna/
iTunes Podcasts & Videos
SCCM Guru Webcast Series under Technology – Software How-To
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sccm-guru-webcast-series/id491938468
SCCM GURU YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/BDNAcorp
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SCCM GURU Swag Store
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Thanks for attending!
To thank you for participating in our SCCM
GURU webcast, we’d like to offer EVERYONE
on the webcast a super cool SCCM GURU
Webcast T-shirt. Please register here:

www.bdna.com/nick
Questions, Contact Info
For more information…
BDNA Normalize for ConfigMgr™
http://sccm.bdna.com
[email protected]
myITforum
Rod Trent
[email protected]
+1 (513) 217-7122