How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push

Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai

In this post we will see how to install Configuration Manager clients by using client push. After installing the configuration manager in your environment, you would first configure the discovery and boundaries.  The next step would be adding the required site system roles, and once the systems present in your organization are discovered, to manage them using ConfigMgr you will have to install Configuration manager clients to the systems.

Microsoft gives various options to deploy or install configuration manager clients. In this post we will be seeing the steps to install configuration manager clients by using client push method. Microsoft suggests to use the client push installation to install the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager client software on computers that Configuration Manager discovered. You can configure client push installation for a site, and client installation will automatically run on the computers that are discovered within the site’s configured boundaries when those boundaries are configured as a boundary group. You can initiate a client push installation by running the Client Push Installation Wizard for a specific collection or resource within a collection.

Before you start thinking of deploying the configuration manager clients, install a fallback status point site system role. The benefit of installing this role is it helps to track the client installation process. When a fallback status point is installed, it is automatically assigned to clients when they are installed by the client push installation method.

Before we proceed, let me tell you that there are 2 ways of installing configuration manager clients by using client push, the first one is to configure your site to automatically use the client push for discovered computers. The second way is to use the client push installation wizard. We will see both the methods of installing the configuration manger clients.

Automatically use the client push for discovered computers

In this method we will configure client push installation settings. Use this method only if you want the configuration manager clients to get automatically installed on the machine that is discovered. Most of the companies won’t prefer this method as there might be some computers in the organization where configuration manager client is not required.

Launch the configuration manager console, click on Administration, under Site Configuration, click on Sites, in the Sites list, select the site for which you want to configure automatic site-wide client push installation. On the top ribbon click on Client Installation Settings and click on Client Push Installation.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap1

On the Client Push Installation Properties windows, click on General tab, check the box Enable automatic site-wide client push installation. Under System types, select Servers and Workstations. If you want the client to be installed on the ConfigMgr site servers then select Configuration Manager site system servers.

Is it okay to install configuration manager client on domain controllers ? – Domain controllers are managed by system administrators and it is not recommended to install the configuration manager client on domain controllers, although there is no harm in installing it on domain controllers.

If you want to install the configuration manager clients on domain controllers the best option that you can choose is Never install the ConfigMgr client on domain controllers unless specified in client push installation wizard. This means you can use the client push installation wizard to install the client on domain controller.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap2

Click on Accounts tab, we need to add an user account with which the client installation happens. The account that you add must have the permissions to install the client software, in other words the user account should have the local admin rights in the machine. Click on yellow color icon and click on New Account.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap3

In this example i have added a user account named sccmadmin which is a member of domain admins group.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap4

You can specify the installation properties during the client installation process. Usage of these switches is completely optional.
Installation Properties

For Configuration Manager SP1 you can specify installation properties for the Windows Installer package (Client.msi) in this tab and the following CCMSetup.exe properties:

/forcereboot

/skipprereq

/logon

/BITSPriority

/downloadtimeout

/forceinstall

Click on Apply and OK.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap5

After few minutes when i login to CLIENT2.PRAJWAL.LOCAL machine and look at the process tab in task manager i see ccmsetup.exe running. The configuration manager client is pushed automatically to the machines.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap6

Now, we see that both the client machines have got configuration manager client installed.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap7

Installing Configuration Manager clients using Client Push Installation Wizard

Installing configuration manager clients using client push installation wizard is very simple and you can use the wizard to install clients even if the site is not configured for client push. Ensure that the client installation settings are configured correctly, specially the accounts.

Click on Assets and Compliance, click on Devices, click on All Systems, right click on one of the computer and click on Install Client (hold Ctrl and select multiple computers if you want to install on more than one computer). In this example we will be installing the client on the domain controller machine, AD.PRAJWAL.LOCAL.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap8

On the Install Configuration Manager Client wizard click on Next.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap9

If you are pushing the configuration manager client to a domain controller machine click on Allow the client software to be installed on domain controllers. While configuring the client push installation If you have enabled the automatic installation of clients on domain controllers then the first option will not be available. Click on Install the client software from a specified site and click on Next.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap10

Click on Close.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap11

After few minutes, on my domain controller machine, we see that ccmsetup.exe process is running in the task manager.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap12

After few minutes in the console we see that the client has been installed on the domain controller. Thus the client push installation wizard worked perfectly here.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap13

You can view the ccmsetup.log file on the domain controller to check the log messages and also to monitor the client installation process.

How To Install Configuration Manager Clients By Using Client Push Snap14

In the coming posts we will see other ways to install configuration manager clients on the machines. I hope you liked this simple post along with screenshots.

Share This Article
Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai
Follow:
Prajwal Desai is a Microsoft MVP in Intune and SCCM. He writes articles on SCCM, Intune, Windows 365, Windows Server, Windows 11, WordPress and other topics, with the goal of providing people with useful information.
82 Comments