Upgrade to MECM version 2103

Update 2103 for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM) current branch is now available. In this post I will show all the steps you have to take to upgrade your current MECM installation. To install MECM 2103 as an update, you must have MECM version 1902 or later installed. If you check for updates in your console and the update is not available this post also shows how to get it using the fast ring script.

Download the update

Open your MECM console and go to: \Administration\Overview\Updates and Servicing and click Check for updates

Click Refresh a few times. If the 2103 update won’t appear in the Updates and Servicing list you will have to opt-in to the early update ring.

Download the version 2103 opt-in script and run it on your site server. A ps1 will be extracted.

Close the MECM console first. Right click the enableearlyupdatering2103.ps1 and select Run with PowerShell.

Enter your site server name and hit enter.

This script only adds your site to the early update ring for version 2103. It’s not a permanent change

Open the console and go to: \Administration\Overview\Updates and Servicing. Now you will see the Configuration Manager 2103 in the update list in state Downloading.

Run the prerequisite check

When the State of the update is Ready to install lets run the prerequisite check. I advise to always run the check to see if there will be some warnings or errors that will prevent the update from installing.

When the prerequisite check is complete you will see one of these status.

  • Successful – Prerequisite Check Passed.
  • Warnings – Prerequisite Check passed with warnings.
  • Failed – Prerequisite check failed.

Right click Configuration Manager 2103 and select Run prerequisite check.

You can monitor the prerequisite, go to: \Monitoring\Overview\Updates and Servicing Status. Right click Configuration Manager 2103 and select Show Status.

The check completed with warning, you can continue the setup with warnings if you want. In this case the warning is: Enable site system roles for HTTPS or Enhanced HTTP.

HTTPS or Enhanced HTTP are not enabled for client communication. HTTP-only communication is deprecated and support will be removed in a future version of Configuration Manager. So in this case I advise to fix this warning.

To fix this warning you have to enable HTTPS or Enhanced HTTP.

In your MECM console go to: \Administration\Overview\Site Configuration\Sites. Richt click your Primary site and select Properties.

Select tab Communication Security In order to use HTTPS only you will have to setup a PKI infrastructure for MECM if you don’t want this you can select Use Configuration Manager generated certificates for HTTP site systems.

In this case I will select Use Configuration Manager generated certificates for HTTP site systems.

Now after running the prerequisite again there will be no warnings.

Install the update

Go to: \Administration\Overview\Updates and Servicing, right click the CM 2103 and select Install Update Pack.

Click Next.

Select features you want to enable and click Next.

Select the Client Update Options, If you want to deploy the new client to a pre-production collection and leave the production client package intact select Validate in pre-production collection.

If there are no issues with the new client you can promote the pre-production client, then al the other devices will get the latest client version installed.

In this post I will select Upgrade without validating.

You must accept the license terms before installing the update. Click Next.

Confirm the settings and click Next.

Click Close.

The update process can take up to 45 minutes or more.

Updating consoles

After some time the MECM console will be updated and a notification will appear that there is a new version of the console available. Click OK to install it.

Update Boot images

Boot images also have got a MECM client. But this client won’t be updated automatically. So lets update the client in the boot images.

Open your MECM console and go to: \Software Library\Overview\Operating Systems\Boot Images. Right click the Boot image (x64) and select Update Distribution Points.

Now you can see that the current production client version: 5.00.9049.1010 and the client version in the boot image is the old version: 5.00.9040.1015. To update the client version in the Boot image click Next.

If your production client version and version in the boot image are the same, you probably deployed the new client version to a pre-production collection. In orde to update the boot images with the latest version you would have to promote your Pre-production Client.

To promote go to: \Monitoring\Overview\Client Status\Pre-production Client Deployment. Right click Pre-production Client Deployment and select Promote Pre-Production client.

On the Details screen click Next.

When the update is complete you will see that the Client version in the boot image is the same as the production version.

Update the client version on all your Boot images.

New features top 5

MECM version 2103 has got some great new features, here is my top 5 new features list. If you want to read about everything that’s new check out this artikel from Microsoft.

  1. Improved user experience and security with Software Center custom tabs.
    Starting in this release, Software Center can now use the Microsoft Edge WebView2 browser control. The WebView2 browser control provides improved security and user experience. For example, more websites should work with these custom tabs without displaying script errors or security warnings.
  2. Disable application deployments.
    You can now disable application deployments. For device-based deployments, when you disable the deployment or object, use the client notification action to Download Computer Policy. This action immediately tells the client to update its policy from the site. If the deployment hasn’t already started, the client receives the updated policy that the object is now disabled.
  3. Deploy a feature update with a task sequence.
    You can now upgrade a client’s Windows OS by using a feature update deployed with a task sequence. This integration combines the simplicity of Windows servicing with the flexibility of task sequences. 
  4. Add a report as a favorite.
    Configuration Manager ships with several hundred reports by default, and you may have added more to that list. Instead of continually searching for reports you commonly use, you can now make a report a favorite. This action allows you to quickly access it from the new Favorites node.
  5. Change foreground color for Software Center branding.
    Software Center already provides various controls for you to customize the branding to support your organization’s brand. For some customers, their brand color doesn’t work well with the default white font color for a selected item. To better support these customers and improve accessibility, you can now configure a custom color for the foreground font.

I will write more posts about each top 5 item soon.

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