Microsoft released February update 1702 for SCCM Configmgr Technical Branch with some new features and improvements to the existing features that are reported through user voice .
These technical preview updates will help you to test in lab environment and report feedback to Microsoft before they make into current Branch (Production Version). You can install this version to update and add new capabilities to your Configuration Manager technical preview site.
To see these preview updates in your Configmgr console,you must have the base version of SCCM Configmgr Technical preview 1610 (not applicable to current branch).These Technical Preview updates are intended for use in a lab environment. For more information about technical preview and updates, please refer https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sccm/core/get-started/technical-preview
New features you can try out with this version are:
- Send feedback from the Configuration Manager console
- Changes for Updates and Servicing
- Peer Cache improvements
- Use Azure Active Directory Domain Services to manage devices, users, and groups
- Conditional access device compliance policy improvements
- Antimalware client version alert
- Compliance assessment for Windows Update for Business updates
- Improvements to Software Center settings and notification messages for high-impact task sequences
- Check for running executable files before installing an application
- Create PFX certificates with S MIME support
- New compliance settings for iOS devices
- Android for Work support
For more information about these features ,read the documentation here https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sccm/core/get-started/capabilities-in-technical-preview-1702
If you do not have lab environment to play around with Configmgr technical preview features ,download the baseline version of technical preview 1610 from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-system-center-configuration-manager-and-endpoint-protection-technical-preview .
To download and install this preview update 1702 ,launch the console ,go to administration node overview –> updates and serving ,click on check for updates
Monitor dmpdownloader.log for downloading the content.
For some reason ,if the state is stuck at downloading for longer time, restart sms executive service on SCCM server ,wait for a while ,check the log and console for status.
verify download folder location and its content from SCCM Installation directory\EasySetupPayload\0aff9384-6a8d-4dc5-a8bf-4e9afd2d51f1 .Total size of this update will be 1.3GB .
Right click on new update (1702) and click on install update pack.
This version includes updates for Site server updates ,console updates,Fixes for known issues and new features.
Click on next (select features that you are interested in) ,next (update without validating ),next (accept license terms) ,Next for summary
State is now changed to Installing from available in updates and servicing .
Monitor the installation status of the update from cmupdate.log from your Configmgr logs folder,Monitor—>updates and servicing status
After a while check the status ,Close the SCCM console and re-open it to install new console version.
This update 1702 has new feature that download latest ConfigMgr updates only which means , If two or more ConfigMgr updates apply, only the latest update is downloaded. For example, if your current ConfigMgr version is 2 or more versions older than the Current Branch version, only the most recent version downloads. A new clean-up function now deletes unneeded downloads from the EasySetupPayload folder. A new warning appears when you try to install an update that has been replaced by a newer one. The warning does not block other updates and you can override this warning.
After the update is installed ,evaluation time will reset to 90 days.
Technical preview update 1702 has following versions for:
Console Version: 5.0.8496.1000
Site Version: 5.0.8496.1000
Client Version:5.00.8496.1000