Running Configuration Manager 2012 Remote Control standalone

In some scenarios you may want for instance servicedesk or helpdesk personnel run the Configuration Manager 2012 Remote Control without having to install the Admin Console and grant them permissions to use the Admin Console when they really only need to run Remote Control.

Here is how to do it, the following files are needed.

From the directory where the AdminConsole is installed, example: E:\Program Files\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminConsole\bin\i386, copy the following files:

In the directory 0000409 you need one file as well.

Copy the whole directory with these files present to the computer you want to run Remote Control from so you have a folder structure like this:
And then simply launch the CmRcViewer.exe and you are good to go:

Important information, if you want the standalone Remote Viewer to report back to the SCCM Site Server which client is remote controlled and by who, you can add the registry value below on the client as well. Thanks to Luis Baños for the comment.

For 32 bits

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ConfigMgr10\AdminUI\Connection]
“Server”=”Site Server Name”

For 64 bits
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\ConfigMgr10\AdminUI\Connection]
“Server”=”Site Server Name”

– Specifies the name of the site

SQL Report for the below (Model & Name & Last Logon Timestamp & Manufacturer and more)

SQL :
Select distinct SMS_R_System.ItemKey,
SMS_R_System.Name0,SMS_R_System.User_Name0,SMS_R_System.Last_Logon_Timestamp0,
SMS_G_System_OPERATING_SYSTEM.Caption00,
SMS_G_System_OPERATING_SYSTEM.InstallDate00,
SMS_G_System_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE.Manufacturer00,
SMS_G_System_COMPUTER_SYSTEM.Model00,
SMS_G_System_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE.SerialNumber00,
SMS_G_System_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE.SMBIOSAssetTag00,
SMS_G_System_PC_BIOS.SMBIOSBIOSVersion00 
from vSMS_R_System AS SMS_R_System 
LEFT OUTER JOIN System_System_OU_Name_ARR AS __mSystem_System_OU_Name_ARR0 ON SMS_R_System.ItemKey = __mSystem_System_OU_Name_ARR0.ItemKey INNER JOIN System_Enclosure_DATA AS SMS_G_System_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE ON SMS_G_System_SYSTEM_ENCLOSURE.MachineID = SMS_R_System.ItemKey 
INNER JOIN Operating_System_DATA AS SMS_G_System_OPERATING_SYSTEM ON SMS_G_System_OPERATING_SYSTEM.MachineID = SMS_R_System.ItemKey 
INNER JOIN PC_BIOS_DATA AS SMS_G_System_PC_BIOS ON SMS_G_System_PC_BIOS.MachineID = SMS_R_System.ItemKey INNER JOIN Computer_System_DATA AS SMS_G_System_COMPUTER_SYSTEM ON SMS_G_System_COMPUTER_SYSTEM.MachineID = SMS_R_System.ItemKey 
where __mSystem_System_OU_Name_ARR0.System_OU_Name0 = N'Domain.com/OU/COMPUTERS' 
and (SMS_G_System_OPERATING_SYSTEM.Caption00= @OSVersion)

Alert - Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-055 (Lync Server) Revised to Address Known Issue

What is the purpose of this alert?

Microsoft revised security bulletin MS14-055 - Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Lync Server Could Allow Denial of Service  - to address a known issue associated with the installation of security update 2982385 for Microsoft Lync Server 2010.

Summary

Microsoft revised Security bulletin MS14-055 to address a known issue that prevented users from successfully installing security update 2982385 for Microsoft Lync Server 2010. Microsoft is investigating behavior associated with the installation of this update, and will update this bulletin when more information becomes available. As an added precaution, Microsoft has removed the download links to the 2982385 security update. 

ADditional information

Microsoft Security bulletin MS14-055 contains a number of different update packages for different versions of Lync Server. For example, there is one update package for Lync Server 2010, and a different update package for Lync Server 2013. The issue in question affects only the specific update 2982385 for Lync Server 2010.  For additional details, please review the bulletin and associated KB Article at these links:

Ø  Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-055 - Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Lync Server Could Allow Denial of Service - https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/ms14-055

Ø  Microsoft KB Article 2990928 - MS14-055: Vulnerabilities in Lync could allow denial of service: September 9, 2014 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2990928  

Regarding Information Consistency

We strive to provide you with accurate information in static (this mail) and dynamic (web-based) content. Microsoft’s security content posted to the web is occasionally updated to reflect late-breaking information. If this results in an inconsistency between the information here and the information in Microsoft’s web-based security content, the information in Microsoft’s web-based security content is authoritative.

System Center Configuration Manager 2012 – OS Deployment Fails with Error 0x80004005

Some administrators may experience an error when trying to deploy an OS image using System Center Configuration Manager. Upon attempting to deploy the OS, a generic error is returned that does not indicate a specific cause, simply “Failed to Run Task Sequence – An error occurred while starting the task sequence. 0x80004005”. Similar to this:

This error will be thrown before any portions of the task sequence begin at all.

Though there may be many reasons for this error, a quick tip is to check the clock in the BIOS of the affected machine and ensure that it is set to match the time in the forest where the SCCM server is located. Once this is changed, the deployment should continue successfully.

slow and Fast link in sccm boundaries

Site Boundaries

Configuration Manager 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.

The Configuration Manager 2007 administrator configures each boundary in the site to be either a fast or slow boundary, depending on the connection speed. If a client computer is connected to a fast boundary, such as a 10-MBPS LAN, it might install software; however, if the client computer is connected to a slow boundary, such as a dial-up network or a wireless network, it might install the software differently or not install the software at all. If the client computer connects to a boundary in a different site, Configuration Manager 2007 might be able to determine a closer source for installing the software.

an error occurred while starting the task sequence 0x80070032

The active system partition on a MBR system must be NTFS

and

Failed to prepare the system partition for staging.
The request is not supported. (Error: 80070032; Source: Windows)

and

Failed to stage WinPE. Code(0x80070032)

So, I did the steps informed in the other thread to press F8 durcing the Error and used the following in the DOS Box:

1. Diskpart
2. Select Disk 0
3. Clean

After that steps, the Bootprocess worked perfect. It seams that the Disk was partitioned not that good, that WinPE could handle it.

Rerun the task sequence and the installation will begin. Of course, these commands can be scripted. Copy the following commands to a text file:

select disk 0
clean
exit

Save the text file and name it cleandisk.txt or any name you want. Copy this text file to the root of your Task Sequence Media (e.g. the root of a flash drive). Then edit your Task Sequence. Under Install Operating System, click Add / General / Command Line and fill in this line:

diskpart.exe /s X:\cleandisk.txt

Now your system disk will be automatically cleaned before the OS is installed.

Alert - Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-045 (KMD) Revised to Address a Known Issue

What is the purpose of this alert?

On August 27, 2014, Microsoft revised security bulletin MS14-045 - Vulnerabilities in Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege - to address known issues associated with installation of security update 2982791.

Summary

To address known issues with security update 2982791, Microsoft rereleased MS14-045  to replace the 2982791 update with the 2993651 update for all supported releases of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft expired the original update 2982791 on August 15, 2014.

All customers should apply the 2993651 update, which replaces the expired 2982791 update.

For more information about the known issues with the original 2982791 update, see the Known Issues section of Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 2982791.

Answers to Frequently Asked QUestions

Q: I already successfully installed the original 2982791 security update and am not experiencing any difficulties. Should I apply the replacement update 2993651, released on August 27, 2014?

A: Yes. All customers should apply the 2993651 update, which replaces the expired 2982791 update.

Q: Is it necessary to uninstall the expired 2982791 update before applying the replacement 2993651 update?

A: Technically, it is not necessary to uninstall the expired 2982791 update before applying the replacement 2993651 update; however, Microsoft strongly recommends it. Customers who do not remove the expired 2982791 update at some point will retain a listing for 2982791 under installed updates in Control Panel.

Q: I uninstalled the original 2982791 security update. Should I apply the replacement update 2993651, released on August 27, 2014?

A: Yes. To be protected from CVE-2014-0318 and CVE-2014-1819, all customers should apply the rereleased update (2993651), which replaces the expired 2982791 update.

Q: What if I experienced difficulties restarting my system after installing the original security update 2982791?

A: Customers who experienced difficulties restarting their systems after installing the original security update 2982791 should no longer experience this problem after installing the replacement update 2993651.

ADditional information

Ø  Microsoft Security Bulletin MS14-045 - Vulnerabilities in Kernel-Mode Drivers Could Allow Elevation of Privilege - https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/ms14-045

Ø  Microsoft KB Article 2993651 - MS14-045: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: August 27, 2014 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2993651  

Ø  Microsoft KB Article 2982791 - MS14-045: Description of the security update for kernel-mode drivers: August 12, 2014 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2982791   

Regarding Information Consistency

We strive to provide you with accurate information in static (this mail) and dynamic (web-based) content. Microsoft’s security content posted to the web is occasionally updated to reflect late-breaking information. If this results in an inconsistency between the information here and the information in Microsoft’s web-based security content, the information in Microsoft’s web-based security content is authoritative.

If you have any questions regarding this alert please contact your Technical Account Manager.

Thank you,