SCCM 2012 R2 Quickstart Installation Guide

This is a quickstart installation guide for installation of SCCM 2012 R2. In this guide, we will quickly go through the prerequisites neccessary for installing SCCM 2012 R2, and then we will go through the actual installation process for quickly getting a SCCM 2012 R2 stand-alone primary site up and running. If you are installing SCCM 2012 R2 in a test lab, you only need a Domain Controller, in addition to the site server. In other words, you only need two computers.

If you need to know how to create the first domain controller in a new Windows Server 2012 R2 forest, you can read this blog post.

 

Prerequisites

Before you can install Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager, certain prerequisites need to be met. These prerequisites relate to Active Directory, installation of SQL Server, installation of roles and features on the server you are installing SCCM 2012 R2, and installation of additional required software.

1. Active Directory

 

1.1 Create the System Management Container

1.1.1 Log on as an account that has the Create All Child Objects permission on the System container in AD Domain Services
1.1.2 Start the ADSI Edit snap-in, then right click ADSI Edit and select Connect to…

1.1.3 Keep the default settings, click OK

1.1.4 Browse to the System Container, right-click it → New → Object

1.1.5 In the Create Object dialog box, select Container, and then click Next

1.1.6 In the Value box, type System Management, and then click Next

1.1.7 Click Finish

1.2 Set security permissions on the System Managment Container

1.2.1 Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in
1.2.2 Click View → Advanced Features

1.2.3 Select the System Management container, right-click → Delegate Control

1.2.4 Click Next on the first page of the Wizard
1.2.5 Click Add
1.2.6 In the Select Users, Computers or Groups dialog box, select the computer account of your site server, then click ok

1.2.7 Click Next

1.2.8 Select Create custom task to delegate, then click Next

1.2.9 Keep the default setting, click Next

1.2.10 Check all Permission boxes, click Next, then click Finish

1.3 Extend the Schema

1.3.1 Copy the extadsch.exe file located in the SMSSETUP\BIN\X64 folder on the ConfigMgr installation media to (for example) c:\temp on the schema master domain controller

1.3.2 Ensure that you are logged on to the schema master domain controller with an account that is a member of the Schema Admins security group.

1.3.3 Run extadsch.exe to add the new classes and attributes to the Active Directory schema.

1.3.4 Verify that the schema extension was successful by reviewing the extadsch.log located in the root of the system drive

 

2. SQL Server

The following versions are supported by SCCM 2012 R2 SP1 (without having to install any CUs on the SQL Server),

SQL Server 2008R2 – SP2, SP3
SQL Server 2012 – SP1, SP2
SQL Server 2014 – No service pack

2.1 Install SQL Server

You can install SQL server as outlined in this blog post.

2.2 Configure memory limit on SQL Server

2.2.1 Open SQL Server Management Studio console. Provide credentials for a Database Engine Services Administrator, choose the correct server, and click connect.

2.2.2 Right-click server → properties

2.2.3 Choose the Memory page, then set Minimum and Maximum memory to 8192 (this of course entails that you have that much memory available to allocate to SQL Server)

If you don’t perform step 2.2.3, you will receive the following two warnings before installation of SCCM 2012 R2. Warnings do not prevent you from completing the installation.

2.3 Configure Firewall for SQL Server

You will need to open the following two ports,

2.4 SQL Server Security Rights

The user account that performs the installation of SCCM 2012 R2, must have the sysadmin role on the SQL instance where the SCCM 2012 R2 database will be stored.

 

3. Roles and Features

The following roles and features must be installed onto the Site Server prior to installation of a stand-alone Primary site.

3.1 Features

Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)
Remote Differential Compression
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 (all sub-features)
Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (for Windows Server 2008 R2)
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 (for Windows Server 20012/2012 R2)
3.2 Roles

Web Server (IIS).

Common HTTP Features

Default Document
Directory Browsing
HTTP Errors
Static Content
HTTP Redirection

Health and Diagnostics

HTTP logging
Logging tools
Request Monitor
Tracing

Performance

Static Content Compression

Security 

Request Filtering
Basic Authentication
IP and Domain Restrictions
URL Authorization
Windows Authentication

Application Development

.NET Extensibility 3.5
.NET Extensibility 4.5
ASP
ASP.NET 3.5
ASP.NET 4.5
ISAPI Extensions
ISAPI Filters

Management Tools

IIS Management Console

IIS 6 Management Compatibility
IIS 6 Metabase Compatibility
IIS 6 Management Console
IIS 6 Scripting Tools
IIS 6 WMI Compatibility

IIS Management Scripts and Tools
Management Service

 

3.3 Install Roles and features

3.3.1 Start the Add Roles and Features Wizard in Server Manager
3.3.2 Select Web Server (IIS), click Add Features when prompted to add features that are required for Web Server IIS. Click Next

3.3.3 On the Select Features page, select .Net Framework 3.5 (all sub-features), BITS and Remote Differential Compression. .Net Framework 4.5 should already be installed by default. Click Add Features when prompted to add features that are required by BITS. Then, click Next

3.3.4 Add the IIS role services mentioned in point 3.2
3.3.5 Finish adding the roles and features by clicking Install on the Confirmation page.

 

4. Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (Windows ADK) for Windows 8.1

 

4.1 Install Windows ADK for Windows 8.1

4.1.1 Start the installation by running adksetup.exe
4.1.2 Specify the location where you want to install Windows ADK, click Next
4.1.3 Decide whether you want to join CEIP or not, click Next
4.1.4 Accept the license Agreement
4.1.5 Select Deployment Tools, Windows PE and USMT. Click Install

4.1.6 Once the installation procedure finishes, click Close

 

5. Security Rights

The site server’s computer account must have administrative rights on the SQL Server, the site server and management point computers.

 

 

Installing SCCM 2012 R2

 

At the time of writing the latest version(s) for Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager are SCCM 2012 SP2 and SCCM 2012 R2 SP1. Both of them actually share the same binaries. When you try to download the evaluation version of SCCM 2012 R2 SP1, you will notice that you can download two files,

SC2012_SP2_Configmgr_SCEP.exe – Includes the binaries for SCCM 2012 SP2 and SCCM 2012 R2 SP1
SC2012_R2_SP1_Configmgr.exe – Utilized to activate the R2 features.

So you first install SCCM 2012 SP2, and if you want to activate R2 features, you can do so by launching splash.hta found in the installation media extracted from SC2012_R2_SP1_Configmgr.exe

 

1. Install SCCM 2012 SP2

Before you begin, put an empty text file called No_sms_on_drive.sms on the root drive of each drive you don’t want SCCM 2012 R2 to put content on.

1.1 Launch Splash.hta from the ConfigMgr installation media extracted from SC2012_SP2_Configmgr_SCEP.exe

1.2 Click Install

1.3 Click Next

1.4 Leave it at the default selection of Install a Configuration Manager Primary site, click Next

1.5 Enter a product key, or select to install the evaluation edition of SCCM 2012 R2, click Next

1.6 Accept the license terms, click Next

1.7 Accept the license terms for SQL Server 2012 Express, SQL Server 2012 Native Client and Microsoft Silverlight 5, click Next

1.8 I’ve already downloaded the required prerequisite files, so I’m just going to select Use previously downloaded files and provide the path to those files. Otherwise, you have the option to download them, here.

If the server you are installing SCCM 2012 R2 on, does not have an internet connection for whatever reason, you can download these files on a server with an internet connection, by using the setupdl.exe tool, which you can find in the installation media at \SMSSETUP\BIN\X64

1.9 Downloaded prerequisite components will be verified

1.10 Select the supported languages appropriate for your environment. It is possible to change this setting post installation. Click Next

1.11 Select the SCCM 2012 client supported languages appropriate for your environment. It is possible to change this setting post installation. Click Next

1.12 Specify a unique three character site code, provide a site name, and specify the installation folder. Keep the check mark for installing the Configuration Manager console

1.13 Select Install the primary site as a stand-alone site, click Next

1.14 Click Yes to continue. Prior to SCCM 2012 SP1 and SCCM 2012 R2, it was not possible to join a stand-alone primary site to a CAS after the installation. But since those two versions, it is possible to install an empty CAS above the stand-alone primary site.

1.15 The default selections are fine if you are co-locating the SQL server on the site server, and kept the default instance ID when you installed SQL Server. Click Next.

1.16 Specify the appropriate paths, I’m just going to keep the default paths provided by the installation wizard, because I made default selections while installing SQL Server

1.17 SMS Provider will be installed on the site server, so just click Next

1.18 No Public Key Infrastructure has been set up, so just make the selections in the screenshot below, then click Next

1.19 Install the Management Point and the Distribution Point on the site server, and once again since no PKI has been configured, choose HTTP as client connection method for both

1.20 Make your selection, click Next

1.21 Click Next on the Settings Summary page

1.22 A prerequisite check will run. Any errors listed on this page, will have to be fixed before you can continue the installation. As you can see, I received an error regarding WSUS missing on the site server. I will install WSUS when I set up the Software Update Point. Warnings do not prevent you from continuing the installation.

Click Begin Install

1.23 You can click on View Log to view the different tasks the installation is performing. You can find this log file on the root of %systemdrive% , it’s called ConfigMgrSetup.log

You should use CMTrace.exe found in the installation media at \SMSSETUP\TOOLS to view all SCCM related log files. CMTrace formats the logs nicely and also allows monitoring logs in real time as they are written.

1.24 After the installation has completed, you can check which version of SCCM 2012 has been installed by launching the Configuration Manager Console, clicking on the arrow in the top left corner, and selecting About Configuration Manager

 

2. Upgrade to SCCM 2012 R2 SP1

2.1 Launch splash.hta found in the installation media extracted from SC2012_R2_SP1_Configmgr.exe
2.2 Click Upgrade

2.3 Click Next

2.4 Accept the License Agreement, click Next
2.5 Click Install

2.6 Click Finish

2.7 If you now check which version of SSCM 2012 you are running, you will see that the About Configuration Manager dialog box shows SCCM 2012 R2 SP1

2.8 Validate the status of the site and components selected during the installation of the stand-alone primary site, by starting the Configuration Manager Console. Navigate to the Monitoring Workspace → System Status → Site Status,

and Monitoring Workspace → System Status → Component Status