SCCM Interview Questions & Answers

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A Central Site is a Configuration Manager Primary Site that resides at the top of the Configuration
Manager hierarchy. All Database information rolls from the child to the parent and is collected by the
Central Site’s Configuration Manager Database. The Central Site can administer any site below it in
the hierarchy and can send data down to those sites as well.
WHAT IS CENTRAL SITE?
The Site has access to a Microsoft SQL Server Database
Can administer or be administered via the Configuration Manager Console
It can be a child of other Primary Sites and can have Child Sites of its own
Clients can be assigned directly to the Site
WHAT IS PRIMARY SITE?
A Secondary Site does not have access to a Microsoft SQL Database
Secondary Sites are ALWAYS a Child Site of a Primary Site and can only be administered via a Primary Site
Secondary Sites cannot have Child Sites of their own
Clients cannot be assigned directly to the Site
WHAT IS SECONDARY SITE?
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No. A secondary site is always a secondary site. It cannot be upgraded, moved, or changed without
deleting it and reinstalling it. If you delete and reinstall, you lose all secondary site data.
CAN YOU CHANGE A SECONDARY SITE TO A PRIMARY SITE?
No. To distribute software you must have a package, a program and an advertisement.
Advertisements can only be sent to collections, not to computers. If you want to distribute a package
to a single computer, you must create a collection for that computer.
CAN YOU DISTRIBUTE A PACKAGE TO A COMPUTER
WITHOUT MAKING IT A MEMBER OF A COLLECTION?
https://systemcenterdudes.com/sccm-2012-secondary-site-installation/
HOW DO YOU INSTALL AND CONFIGURE SECONDARY SITE
SERVER?
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msiexec.exe /q ALLUSERS=2 /m MSIHPSJR /i “AcroRead.msi” TRANSFORMS=mytransform.mst
HOW DO YOU CREATE A PACKAGE FOR ADOBE?
Create a package in SCCM, pointing it to the installation sources, and in the package create an
install program (you may have already done this?)
Assign Distribution Points to your package so the contents get synched.
Create a Collection containing the objects (users/computers) that are allowed to receive the
package.
Create an Advertisement for the distribution, linking the package you created to the collection,
decide whether the Advertisement is mandatory (installation enforced) or not (users have to go to
the “Run Advertised Programs” dialog in Windows and select to install the program)
HOW DO YOU DISTRIBUTE A PACKAGE?
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You need to add the Software Update Point site role to the site, configure the software update point
as active, configure the products, classifications, sync settings, etc. in the Software Update Point
properties. THEN, you can go to the Update Repository node and run the Run Synchronization action
from the central primary site. Once synchronization completes, you will see the metadata in the
Configuration Manager console.
HOW SCCM DOWNLOAD THE PATCHES?
https://systemcenterdudes.com/sccm-2012-software-update-point/
HOW TO INSTALL SUP IN SCCM 2012 R2
To create a scheduled backup task, expand the Site Settings node and expand the Site
Maintenance node, click on Tasks.
For Manual backup – Start SMS_SITE_BACKUP service
HOW DO YOU BACKUP SCCM SERVER?
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You need to add the Software Update Point site role to the site, configure the software update point
as active, configure the products, classifications, sync settings, etc. in the Software Update Point
properties. THEN, you can go to the Update Repository node and run the Run Synchronization action
from the central primary site. Once synchronization completes, you will see the metadata in the
Configuration Manager console.
WHAT ARE THE CLIENT DEPLOYMENTS METHODS?
https://systemcenterdudes.com/sccm-2012-software-update-point/
HOW TO INSTALL SUP IN SCCM 2012 R2
Client Push installation, Software update point based installation, Group Policy Installation, Logon
Script Installation, Manual Installation, Upgrade Installation (software Distribution)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/clients/deploy/plan/client-installation-
methods
WHAT ARE THE CLIENT DEPLOYMENTS METHODS?
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Management point
Distribution point
Software update point
Fallback status point
yes.
Internet-based client management, which supports the following site systems installed in a separate
forest to the site server:
CAN YOU DISCOVER CLIENTS THOSE ARE IN DIFFERENT AD
FOREST?
Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0, WSUS 3.0 Administration Console, Windows Update
Agent (WUA) 3.0,Site server communication to the active software update point, Network Load
Balancing (NLB),Background Intelligent Transfer Server (BITS) 2.5,Windows Installer
WHAT ARE THE PREREQUISITE FOR SOFTWARE UPDATE
POINT?
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The SMS Provider is a WMI provider that allows both read and write access to the Configuration
Manager 2007 site database. The SMS Provider is used by the Configuration Manager console
The SMS Provider can be installed on the site database server computer, site server computer or
another server class third computer during Configuration Manager 2007 Setup. After setup has
completed, the current installed location of the SMS Provider is displayed on the site properties
general tab
WHAT IS SMS PROVIDER?
SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates
What is the use of WSUS (Windows Server Update Service)?
It enables administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates to computers that are
running the Windows operating system.
WHAT IS ITMU?
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http://picsec.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_27.html?view=flipcard
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SMS 2003 AND SCCM 2007
You can write WMI scripts or applications to automate administrative tasks on remote computers
WHAT IS WMI (WINDOWS MANAGEMENT INSTRUMENTATION)?
This is required component of software updates, and after it is installed, the SUP is displayed as a site system role
in the Configuration Manager console. The software update point site system role must be created on a site system
server that has Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 installed.
WHAT IS SUP ( SOFTWARE UPDATE POINT)?
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Navigate to “System Center Configuration Manager – Site Database – Security Rights – Users”
Right click on “Users” and select “Manage ConfigMgr Users”
Navigate to the “SCCM Support” group you created earlier
For “Collection” – “(All Instances)” add the following:
- “Delete resource”
- “Modify resource”
- “Read”
- “Read resource”
- “Use remote tools”
For “Report” – “(All Instances)” add the following:
- “Read”
For “Computer association” – “(All Instances)” add the following:
- “Create”
- “Delete”
- “Read”
- “Recover user state”
Click “Next”
Click “Next”
Click “Close”
1.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2.
a.
3.
a.
b.
c.
d.
4.
5.
6.
YOU WANT SPECIFIC USERSGROUPS TO RUN SPECIFIC
CUSTOM REPORTS. WHAT SHOULD YOU DO? STEPS
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In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System CenterConfiguration Manager / Site Database /
Site Management / <site name> / Site Settings.
Right-click Site Systems, point to New, and then click Server or Server Share, depending on which you
want to create.
If you are creating a new server, use the New Site System Server Wizard to create the site system server,
and select the Distribution Point check box from the Available Roles on the System Role Selection page to
designate this server as a distribution point
To designate a distribution point on a new server or server share
YOU HAVE BEEN PROVIDED WITH PERMISSIONS ON THE
SCCM CONSOLE TO CREATE, DISTRIBUTE, MODIFY AND
DELETE PACKAGES? HOWEVER, WHEN DISTRIBUTING A
PACKAGE THERE IS NO DISTRIBUTION POINTS LISTED IN
THE DISTRIBUTION POINT WIZARD. WHAT SHOULD YOU
DO?
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https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/plan-design/hierarchy/ports
WHAT ARE THE REQUIRED PORTS USED BY
CONFIGURATION MANAGER?
When site backup completes successfully, you see message ID 5035.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/servers/manage/backup-and-recovery
HOW TO CONFIRM THAT BACKUP SITE SERVER IS
COMPLETED WITH MESSAGE ID?
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https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/plan-design/hierarchy/ports
WHAT ARE THE REQUIRED PORTS USED BY
Each site contains one site server and one or more site systems. The site server is the computer where you
install SCCM 2012 and it hosts services required for SCCM 2012. A site system is any computer running a
supported version of Windows® or a shared folder that hosts one or more site system roles. A site system
role is a function required to use SCCM 2012 or to use a feature of SCCM 2012. Multiple site roles can be
combined on a single site system, including running all site roles on the site server, but this is usually
appropriate only for very small and simple environments.
WHAT IS SITE SYSTEM?
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Management Point - The site system role that serves as the primary point of contact between SCCM 2012
clients and the Configuration Manager 2012 site server.
Server locator Point - A site system role that locates management points for SCCM 2012 clients.
Distribution Point - A site system role that stores packages for clients to install. Software Update Point-A site
system role assigned to a computer running Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS).
Reporting Point - A site system role hosts the Report Viewer component for Web-based reporting
functionality.
Fallback Status Point - A site system role that gathers state messages from clients that cannot install
properly, cannot assign to a Configuration Manager 2012 site, or cannot communicate securely with their
assigned management point.
PXE Service Point - A site system role that has been configured to respond to and initiate operating system
deployments from computers whose network interface card is configured to allow PXE boot requests.
User State Migration Point - A site system role that stores user state data while a computer is being migrated
to a new operating system.
WHAT IS SITE SYSTEM ROLES?
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Clients communicate with site systems hosting site system roles. Site systems communicate with the site
server and with the site database. If there are multiple sites connected in a hierarchy, the sites communicate
with their parent, child, or sometimes grandchild sites. Site Boundaries, SCCM 2007 uses boundaries to
determine when clients and site systems are in the site and outside of the site. Boundaries can be IP subnets,
IP address ranges, IPv6 prefixes, and Active Directory sites. Two sites should never share the same
boundaries. Assigning the same IP subnet, IP address range, IPv6 prefix or Active Directory site to two
different sites makes it difficult to determine which clients should be managed in the site.
Inter-Site Communication When you have a separate sites, SCCM 2007 uses senders to connect the two sites.
Senders have sender addresses that help them locate the other site. When sending data between sites,
senders provide fault tolerance and bandwidth management.
Intra-site Communications They use either server message block (SMB), HTTP, or HTTPS, depending on
various site configuration choices you make. Because all of these communications are unmanaged, that is,
they happen at any time with no consideration for bandwidth consumption, it is beneficial to make sure these
site elements have fast communication channels.
HOW SITE COMMUNICATES?
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Active Directory System Discovery - Discovers details about the computer
Active Directory System Group Discovery - Discovers details such as organizational unit, global groups,
universal groups, and nested groups.
Active Directory User Discovery - Retrieves Active Directory User Discovery
Active Directory Security Group Discovery-Discovers security groups created in Active Directory.
Heartbeat Discovery - Refresh Configuration Manager client computer discovery data in the site
database.
Network Discovery - Searches the network for resources that meet a specific profile, From router's ARP
cache, SNMP agent and DHCP Each discovery method creates data discovery records (DDRs) for resources
and sends them to the site database, even if the discovered resource is not capable of being a SCCM 2007
client.
Active Directory User Discovery and Active Directory Security Group Discovery allow you to target software
distribution packages to users and groups instead of computers.
DISCOVERY METHODS?
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Collections represent groups of resources and can consist not only of computers, but also of Microsoft
Windows users and user groups as well as other discovered resources. Collections provide you with the
means to organize resources into easily manageable units, enabling you to create an organized structure that
logically represents the kinds of tasks that you want to perform.
WHAT IS COLLECTIONS?
Hardware inventory gives you system information Software inventoried file types and versions present on
client computers Queries It uses WBEM query language (WQL) to query the site database. Query results are
returned in the SCCM 2012 console, where they can be exported using the MMC export list feature.
WHAT IS INVENTORY?
Software distribution allows you to push just about anything to a client computer. Packages in software
distribution can contain source files to deploy software applications and commands called programs that tell
the client what executable file to run. A single package can contain multiple programs, each configured to run
differently. Packages can also contain command lines to run files already present on the client, without
actually containing additional source files.
WHAT IS SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION?
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Software metering enables you to collect and report software program usage data. The data provided by
these reports can be used by many groups within the organization such as IT and corporate purchasing.
Software metering in SCCM 2012 supports the following scenarios: Identify which software applications are
being used, and who is using them. Identify the number of concurrent usages of a specified software
application. Identify actual software license requirements. Identify redundant software application
installations. Identify unused software applications which could be relocated.
WHAT IS SOFTWARE METERING?
Operating system deployment enables you to install new operating systems and software onto a computer.
You can use operating system deployment to install operating system images to new or existing computers
as well as to computers with no connection your SCCM 2012 site. By using task sequences and the driver
catalog operating system deployment streamlines new computer installations by allowing you to install
software using one dynamic image that can be installed on different types of computers and configurations.
Operating system deployment provides the following solutions for deploying operating system images to
computers: Provide a secure operating system deployment environment. Assist with managing the cost of
deploying images by allowing one image to work with different computer hardware configurations. Assist
with unifying deployment strategies to help provide a solid deployment foundation for future operating
system deployment methods.
WHAT IS OSD?
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Tracking IT asset & reporting -Is an inventory monitoring capability of SCCM 2012
WHAT IS ASSET INTELLIGENCE?
The Wake On LAN feature helps to achieve a higher success rate for scheduled SCCM 2012 activities, reducing
associated network traffic during business hours, and helps organizations to conserve power by not
requiring computers to be left on for maintenance outside business hours. Wake On LAN in SCCM 2012
supports the following scenarios:
Sending a wake-up transmission prior to the configured deadline for a software update deployment. Sending
a wake-up transmission prior to the configured schedule of a mandatory advertisement, which can be for
software distribution or a task sequence.
WHAT IS WAKE ON LAN?
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https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/plan-design/hierarchy/log-files
LOG FILE REFERENCE
SCCM
LOGS
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You can use CMTrace to interpret the logs easily (errors in Red, warnings in
Yellow).
HOW TO INTERPRET LOGS?
SCCM
LOGS
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WHY SCCM NOW CHANGED TO
MICROSOFT ENDPOINT
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/understand/what-
happened-to-sccm
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WHAT IS CONFIGURATION
MANAGER ( CURRENT BRANCH )?
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/understand/introduction
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