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1. System Center Configuration
Manager 2012

2. The application model in real life
Kim Oppalfens
Senior consultant | Inovativ
Co-Founder System Center user group Belgium

3. Disclaimers
1. NOT an overview session
2. NOT a sales pitch
3. No, I do NOT have an answer to all scenarios (yet).

4. Agenda
• Vision behind the app model
• The app model overview in record time
• User device affinity
• Content library
• Application Supersedence
• Application Uninstalls
• Challenges and potential workarounds
• Troubleshooting & Monitoring
• Questions?

5. Vision behind the app model
Lifecycle
• Install
• Upgrade
• Uninstall
management •
•
Retire
Versioning and history
User centric • Deliver applications to users not computers
deployment

6. Vision behind the app model
Application Installation
Application Uninstall Application Revision
Application Retirement Application Supersedence

7. The app model overview

8. Requirement Rules in 2012
State-based Application Management
Properties of users
and/or devices that Rules are per Evaluated in real-
makes delivering deployment type time on the client
software appropriate
Evaluated before
content is Re-evaluated on a
downloaded to the schedule
client

9. Detection Methods
State-based Application Management
Detection is the key to any state based software
distribution system
Detection methods enable systems to determine
whether or not an application is already present on a
system (Discovery)
Detection methods are also used to determine the
success or failure of a deployment
Important to get these right!

10. Application evaluation flow

11. Application Supersedence
But, Allows admins to
Definition: The ability for testpilot newer
the admin to create a This ultimately results in the application, prior to
relationship and declare newer application replacing production release. While
one application newer than the older application for a permitting the older
another previous user on a device application to continue to
application. exist for the majority of
users

12. Supersedence and the end-user UX
User only sees latest application
version in Software Catalog (by
default)
Required applications are always the
enterprise’s latest version. When the
user or computer receives a policy
that targets it with BOTH policies
Available Applications installed by
user can be automatically updated

13. Supersedence examples (1) Simple
Scenario and Assumptions
 2 applications:
 Adobe Reader X supersedes
Adobe Reader 9
 Both applications deployed to
same device
If client has Adobe Reader 9 already
installed
 assuming requirements are met for
Reader X, Reader 9 will be replaced
with Reader X (either uninstalled or
updated)
If client has Adobe Reader X already
installed
 evaluates both 9 and X detection
methods, X is present, 9 is not – but
since X supersedes, it doesn’t try to
install 9
If neither are installed, only Adobe
Reader X will be installed

14. Supersedence examples (2) Conflict
 2 applications:
 Adobe Reader X supersedes Adobe Reader 9
 Accounting App (AA1) depends on Reader 9
Case 1: Client receives all policies
 No applications have been previously installed
 Assuming requirements for all Deployment Types are met, Reader X will be
installed on device
 AA1 is not installed on client, and conflict requirements not met message
Case 2: AA1 policy received prior to supersedence relationship defined.
 AA1 and Reader 9 will be installed (assuming requirements are met),
 When Reader X is deployed, a conflict for Reader X will be provided to user and
admin

15. Application Uninstalls
• Uninstall is a deployment action
Admin creates an Uninstall
Deployment • The App Model defines an uninstall method for each Deployment
Type of an Application.
An admin defines a specific collection
to target the Uninstall Deployment to
(either users or machines)
If a user or device is the recipient of
both an install and uninstall
policy, then install wins and the app
will not be removed

16. Troubleshooting & monitoring
The deployment
What logfiles?
monitoring tool

17. Sharing our experiences / challenges
Applications installed
User targeted installs Application Uninstalls
during a tasksequence Roaming user logging
and computer targeted do not validate the
generate an install in to my workstation
uninstalls requirements
policy

18. Challenges and potential workarounds
Required app to
Automatically
user on primary Required appv with
upgrade available
device, available on roaming profiles
applications
non-primary
Uninstall an
application from a
machine that is still
targetted to users