How to: Deploy Visual Studio Using Microsoft System Configuration Manager (SCCM)

Article
02/04/2013

If you have set up the supporting infrastructure for Configuration Manager, you can deploy Visual Studio 2010 by creating and defining five primary areas. These areas are described in the following table.

Area	Description
Collections	Groups of Configuration Manager resources, for example, users, user groups, or computers, against which a software deployment is targeted. For more information about collections, see Collections Overview on the Microsoft TechNet website.
Packages	A set of installation source files that Configuration Manager manages and distributes for software deployment. The information in a package includes distribution points and programs. For more information about packages, see About Packages on the Microsoft TechNet website.
Programs	Programs are part of the package configuration in Configuration Manager. They contain command-line switches and additional parameters to be run from the designated package source files, such as "Setup.exe". For more information about programs, see About Programs on the Microsoft TechNet website.
Distribution points	Distribution points are Configuration Manager site systems that store designated packages for deployment to Configuration Manager clients. When a client receives and processes a relevant advertisement, the client contacts a distribution point to download the package and start the installation process. For more information about distribution points, see About Distribution Points on the Microsoft TechNet website.
Advertisements	Advertisements tie packages and programs together with collections, and let administrators target software deployment of specific or customized applications to collections of computers or users. An advertisement specifies a package and program, and the collection to which it will be advertised or deployed. For more information about advertisements, see About Advertisements on the Microsoft TechNet website.

Deploying Visual Studio in a Test Environment

This section describes the test network environment for the Configuration Manager infrastructure. It also includes the steps for using Configuration Manager to deploy Visual Studio.

Network Environment

The test network environment for this example is shown in the following illustration.

Test Network Environment

All of the servers (A, B, and C) are running Windows Server 2008 and are members of the same domain (CPANDL.COM), which also includes client computers (D) that are running Windows Vista Enterprise. The applications and roles that each server is running, and the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for each client computer, are as follows:

A - Active Directory, DNS, DHCP <DC.CPANDL.COM>

B - Microsoft SQL Server 2008 <SQLSRV.CPANDL.COM>

C - System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 (management point, distribution point) <SCCM.CPANDL.COM>

D - Windows Vista Enterprise, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 client <WVC01.CPANDL.COM>

Note

In this basic test network environment, the site server is simultaneously performing multiple site system roles, for example, management point and distribution point. However, we do not recommend this configuration for production sites that have large numbers of resources.

In this example, detailed information is provided for deploying Visual Studio in the previously defined Configuration Manager test environment. These steps show how to use Configuration Manager to deploy Visual Studio by using a silent installation, in which users do not interact with the installation process.

The steps are divided into these sections:

Create an Unattend file.
Create a collection.
Create the package source directory.
Create a program that has setup and installation parameters for Windows Installer.
Create a program that has setup and installation parameters for the .NET Framework.
Create a program that has setup and installation parameters for Visual Studio.
Select a distribution point.
Create an advertisement for the Visual Studio package.

Create an Unattend File

To create an Unattend file

Create an Unattend file for silent installation of Visual Studio. (Alternatively, if a full installation is sufficient, then you can use the /q /norestart command-line options. For more information, see How to: Create and Run an Unattended Visual Studio Setup.

Create a Collection

This section shows how to use direct membership rules to create a collection in Configuration Manager. This enables the selection of the computer resources of the targeted computers. For more information about the membership rules (this includes both query and direct), see About Membership Rules on the Microsoft TechNet website. For more information about collections, see Collections in Configuration Manager on the Microsoft TechNet website.

To create a collection

Navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Computer Management / Collections.
Right-click Collections, and then click New Collection.
On the General page of the New Collection Wizard, type a name for the collection. In this example, it is named Target-Computers.
On the Membership Rules page, click the computer icon to open the Create Direct Membership Rule Wizard. Click Next.
On the Search for Resources page, on the Resource class menu, select System Resource. On the Attribute name menu, select Name. In the Value field, type %, and then click Next.
On the Collection Limiting page, click Browse, select All Windows Workstation or Professional Systems, click OK, and then click Next.
On the Select Resources page, select each of the targeted computer resources. In this example, TestComputer01 and TestComputer02 are selected. Click Next.
On the Finished page, click Finish.
On the Membership Rules page of the New Collection Wizard, click Next.
On the Advertisements page, do not yet assign an advertisement because it has not yet been created. Click Next.
On the Security page, accept the default settings, click Next, and then click Close.

Create the Package Source Directory

The package source folder contains all the files and subdirectories that are required to run the programs in a package. In this example, the source directory is \\SCCM\VisualStudio2010\, which contains a copy of the Visual Studio installation media.

Note

You may be able to reduce the size of a package file that is created by Configuration Manager, by removing any files that are not required (for example, other programs on the Visual Studio media that will not be deployed).

For more information about package source directories, see How to Set Up a Package Source Directory on the Microsoft TechNet website.

The next step is to create a package that will contain the specified parameters for installing the program (in this case, Visual Studio), and also the location from which the package will be distributed to the managed Configuration Manager clients. This location is known as the distribution point. In this example, the steps are for creating a package manually. When the package has been created, you can create a distribution point for the package and a program that contains the setup and installation parameters for Visual Studio.

To create the package

In the Configuration Manager Console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Computer Management / Software Distribution / Packages.
Right-click Packages, point to New, and then click Package.
On the General page of the New Package Wizard, type the Name, Version, Manufacturer, and Language, for example, Visual Studio, 2010, Microsoft, English (US).
On the Data Source page, select This package contains source files. Click Set, and then, in the Source directory box, type the path of the location of the source files. For this example, type the source directory location of the local drive, for example, C:\VisualStudio2010, which contains a copy of the Visual Studio installation DVD.
Click OK, and then click Next on the Data Access, Distribution Settings, Reporting, and Security pages. On the Wizard Completed page, click Close.

The package, which in this example is named Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 English (US), is now created.

The next step is to create a Configuration Manager program, which will contain the setup and installation parameters for the Visual Studio program.

To avoid mid-installation reboots, three programs (Windows Installer 4.5, the .NET Framework 4, and Visual Studio 2010) will be defined in this process. By using the SCCM dependency logic, these will be installed in order and each will be rebooted automatically before the next one is installed.

Create a Program That Has Setup and Installation Parameters for Windows Installer

This section provides the steps to create a program for the deployment of a silent installation of Windows Installer 4.5.

To create a program for the Visual Studio package (Windows Installer 4.5)

Right-click Programs, point to New, and then click Program.
On the General page, type a name for the package in the Name box, which in this example is MSI 4.5 silent installation.
In the Command line box, type setup.exe.
In the Run list, select Hidden.
After running field, verify that No action required is selected.
Click Next, and then, on the Requirements page, click Next again.
On the Environment page, in the Program can run list, select whether a user must be logged on. This will enable Run with administrative rights for the Run mode. Leave Drive mode set to Runs with UNC name, and then click Next.
On the Advanced page, select Suppress program notifications, and then click Next.

Note

If you want users to be aware of the installation by way of a notification on their computers, make sure Suppress program notifications is cleared.
On the Windows Installer page, click Import and then browse to the directory that contains the Visual Studio .msi file, which in this example is \\SCCM\Visualstudio2010\vs_setup.msi. After you select the .msi file, the Windows Installer product code and Windows Installer file fields display the information that is associated with the selected .msi file.
Click Next, and then, on the MOM Maintenance Mode page, click Next again.
To view the Summary page, click Next.
To finish creating the new program, click Next, and then, on the Wizard Completed page, click Close.

Create a Program That Has Setup and Installation Parameters for the .NET Framework

This section provides the steps to create a program for the deployment of a silent installation of the .NET Framework version 4.

To create a program for the Visual Studio package (.NET Framework 4)

Right-click Programs, point to New, and then click Program.
On the General page, type a name for the package in the Name box, which in this example is MSI 4.5 silent installation. In the Command line box, type setup.exe.
In the Run list, select Hidden.
In the After running list, verify that No action required is selected. Click Next and then, on the Requirements page, click Next again.
On the Environment page, in the Program can run list, select whether a user must be logged on. This will enable Run with administrative rights for the Run mode. Leave Drive mode set to Runs with UNC name, and then click Next.
On the Advanced page, select Suppress program notifications. Also select Run another program first and then select the Visual Studio 2010 Package and the MSI 4.5 Program. Click Next.

Note

If you want users to be aware of the installation by way of a notification on their computers, make sure Suppress program notifications is cleared.
On the Windows Installer page, click Next.

Note

If you want to specify the product code and windows installer file, then click Import and browse to the directory that contains the vs_setup.msi file, which in this example is \\SCCM\Visualstudio2010\vs_setup.msi. After you select the .msi file, the Windows Installer product code and Windows Installer file fields display the information that is associated with the selected .msi file.
Click Next, and then, on the MOM Maintenance Mode page, click Next again.
To view the Summary page, click Next.
To finish creating the new program, click Next, and then, on the Wizard Completed page, click Close.

Create a Program That Has Setup and Installation Parameters for Visual Studio

This section provides the steps to create a program for the deployment of a silent installation of Visual Studio 2010.

To create a program for the Visual Studio package

Right-click Programs, point to New, and then click Program.
On the General page, type a name for the package in the Name box, which in this example is Visual Studio 2010 silent installation.
In the Command line box, type setup\setup.exe /q /norestart /unattendfile <yourunattendfile.ini>.
In the Run list, select Hidden.
In the After running list, verify that No action required is selected. Click Next, and then, on the Requirements page, click Next again.
On the Environment page, in the Program can run list, select whether a user must be logged on. This will enable Run with administrative rights for the Run mode. Leave Drive mode set to Runs with UNC name, and then click Next.
On the Advanced page, select Suppress program notifications. Also select Run another program first and then select the Visual Studio 2010 Package and the MSI 4.5 Program. Click Next.

Note

If you want users to be aware of the installation by way of a notification on their computers, make sure Suppress program notifications is cleared.
On the Windows Installer page, click Import and browse to the directory that contains the vs_setup.msi file, which in this example is \\SCCM\Visualstudio2010\vs_setup.msi. After you select the .msi file, the Windows Installer product code and Windows Installer file fields display the information that is associated with the selected .msi file.
Click Next, and then, on the MOM Maintenance Mode page, click Next again.
To view the Summary page, click Next.
To finish creating the new program, click Next, and then, on the Wizard Completed page, click Close.

Select a Distribution Point

To use a server as a distribution point for providing packages to client computers, you must first designate a site system as a distribution point. In this section, a site server named SCCM, which was configured as both a management point and a distribution point, is designated as the distribution point.

To select a distribution point for the newly created package

Right-click Distribution Points, click New Distribution Points, click Next, and then select the distribution point (in this example, SCCM). Click Next.
Click Close.

Create an Advertisement for the Visual Studio Package

The next step is to advertise the package, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 English (US), which now contains both the Configuration Manager distribution point and program information for deploying a silent installation of Visual Studio.

Before you advertise the package, first verify that it was installed on the distribution point.

For more information about how to verify the status of a package, see How to View the Status of a Package on the Microsoft TechNet website.

To create an advertisement

Right-click Advertisements, point to New, and then click Advertisement.
On the General page of the New Advertisement Wizard, in the Name box, type Visual Studio 2010. Click Browse for the Package box, and then select the package that you want to advertise, which in this example is Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 English (US), and then click OK.
Click Browse for the Collection box, select the collection, which in this example is Target-Computers, click OK, and then click Next.
On the Schedule page, in the Advertisement start time boxes, type the date and time when the advertisement will be available, and then click the asterisk button for Mandatory Assignments.
On the Assignment Schedule page, click Schedule and then type the same date and time that you previously typed on the Schedule page. Click OK to return to the Schedule page.
On the Schedule page, select Enable Wake On LAN, Ignore maintenance windows when running program, and Allow system restart outside maintenance windows, and then click Next.

Note

In your production environment, there might be policies in place that require different selections for the assignment schedule than those specified in these steps. For information about these options, see Advertisement Name Properties: Schedule Tab on the Microsoft TechNet website.
On the Distribution Points, Interaction, Security, and Summary pages, click Next, and then, on the Wizard Completed page, click Close.

The package will now be advertised to the targeted collection and the silent installation of Visual Studio 2010 can begin.

For information about how to monitor the status of the advertisement, see How to View the Status of an Advertisement on the Microsoft TechNet website.

Resources for Deploying the Infrastructure

This section includes resources to help you understand and configure an infrastructure to test the deployment of Visual Studio by using Configuration Manager.