SCCM Interview Questions and Answers

1. How to deploy an operating system to an unknown or a bare metal (empty hard disk)
Computers?

Advise user to start the machine up and select the boot menu as soon as prompted.

Different makes and models have different methods to boot via PXE, however the most
common method is to press F12 on the initial BIOS screen.

Once the PXE process has begun it will attempt to connect to the PXE server. Once a response
has been received ask the user to press F12 to continue when prompted.

The user has couple of seconds to press F12 when prompted so make them aware prior.

The PXE boot image will start to download and once downloaded machine will be in WINPE
mode.
 Continued…

Within a couple of minutes the user should see a company background with a Deployment wizard.

Click next

Select “<<Task Sequence Name required>>” and click next

The user will see a progress bar as the wizard checks the deployment point that all the packages
required for the deployment are available.

If this process fails ask the user to read out the name of the package it failed on and check the
distribution status of that package.

The deployment will now commence.

When the client computer boots up with the Boot image and fails during the installation then
there is an option to bring up a Debug command shell by pressing F8 option.

This option is available only if the boot image in the SCCM server has been configured to
“Enable command support”.

After bringing up the Debug command shell you can then check for the basic network
connectivity between client and server, also you can check the SMSTS.log which is usually
stored in X:\Windows\Temp\SMSTSLog\ or C:\SMSTSLog or C:\_SMSTaskSequence log file
using the command prompt.
3. How to verify the software package distribution status on a particular client machine?

You can verify the status of a distribution by checking the execmgr.log file in
c:\windows\ccm\logs folder, and search for the particular software distribution using the
package ID.

If the package is success then “installation succeeded with the exit code 0” will be written
into the log file.

You can also verify it by checking the registry key on a client computer,

HKLM->Software->Microsoft->SMS->Mobile Client->Software Distribution->Execution

In System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, secondary sites require either SQL Server, or SQL Server
Express to support database replication with their parent primary site.

5. What is database replication?

Database replication uses SQL Server to quickly transfer data for settings and configurations to other sites in the
Configuration Manager hierarchy. Changes that are made at one site merge with the information stored in the
database at other sites. Content for deployments, and other file-based data, still replicate by file-based replication
between sites. Database replication configures automatically when you join a new site to an existing hierarchy.

6. How to configure the Network Access Account for a site?

1. In the Administration workspace, expand Site Configuration, click Sites, and then select the site.

You can use a task sequence to deploy applications. However, when you configure an application deployment
rather than use a task sequence, you benefit from the following:
 You have a richer monitoring and compliance experience.
 You can supersede a previous version of the application and can uninstall or upgrade the previous version.
 You can deploy applications to users.

8. Should I use security groups or user accounts to specify administrative users?

 As a best practice, specify a security group rather than user accounts when you configure administrative users for
role-based administration.
9. What is an “application” and why would I use it?

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager applications contain the administrative details and Application
Catalog information necessary to deploy a software package or software update to a computer or mobile
device.

10. What is a “deployment type” and why would I use one?

A deployment type is contained within an application and specifies the installation files and method that
Configuration Manager will use to install the software. The deployment type contains rules and settings that
control if and how the software is installed on client computers.

11. What is a global condition and how is it different from a deployment requirement?

Global conditions are conditions used by requirement rules. Requirement rules set a value for a deployment
type for a global condition. For example, “operating system =” is a global condition; a requirement rule is
“operating system = Win7.”
12. How do I make an application deployment optional rather than mandatory?

To make a deployment optional, configure the deployment purpose as Available in the applications
deployment type. Available applications display in the Software Center where users can install them.

13. Why would I use a package and program to deploy software rather than an application deployment?

Some scenarios, such as the deployment of a script that runs on a client computer but that does not install
software, are more suited to using a package and program rather than an application.

14. Does Configuration Manager help identify which computers a user uses to support the user device affinity
feature?

Yes. Configuration Manager collects usage statistics from client devices that can be used to automatically
define user device affinities or to help you manually create affinities.
15. What is an “update group” and why would I use one?

Software update groups provide a more effective method for you to organize software updates in your
environment. You can manually add software updates to a software update group or software updates can be
automatically added to a new or existing software update group by using an automatic deployment rule.
You can also deploy a software update group manually or automatically by using an automatic deployment
rule. After you deploy a software update group, you can add new software updates to the group and they will
automatically be deployed.

16. Is remote control enabled by default?

By default, remote control is disabled on client computers. Enable remote control as a default client setting for the
hierarchy, or by using custom client settings that you apply to selected collections.

17. Does System Center 2012 Configuration Manager have automatic approval rules like Windows Server Update
Services (WSUS)?

Yes. You can create automatic deployment rules to automatically approve and deploy software updates that meet
specified search criteria.
18. What ports does remote control use?

TCP 2701 is the only port that System Center 2012 Configuration Manager uses for remote control. When you enable
remote control as a client setting, you can select one of three firewall profiles that automatically configure this port on
Configuration Manager clients; Domain, Private, or Public.

19. What is a limiting collection and why would I use it?

In System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, all collections must be limited to the membership of another collection.
When you create a collection, you must specify a limiting collection. A collection is always a subset of its limiting
collection.

20. Can I include or exclude the members of another collection from my collection?

Yes. System Center 2012 Configuration Manager includes two new collection rules, the Include Collections rule and
the Exclude Collections rule that allow you to include or exclude the membership of specified collections.
BEST OF LUCK