Deploy the client by using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007
Important
This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.
Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 is a comprehensive solution that is used to assess, deploy, and update servers, clients, and devices across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments. This topic describes how to use Configuration Manager to deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX clients in a medium to large organization.
This topic does not provide information about how to set up the network infrastructure, such as the Active Directory directory service, Microsoft SQL Server, and System Center Configuration Manager.
For more information about how to set up and use Configuration Manager, see the Configuration Manager 2007 Documentation Library on TechNet.
Overview of the deployment process
To deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX clients by using Configuration Manager, you must create and define the following objects:
Collections – A collection is a group of resources, such as users, user groups, or computers. A collection defines the target of a software deployment.
For more information about collections, see Collections Overview in the Configuration Manager documentation.
Packages – A package is the set of installation source files that Configuration Manager manages and distributes for a software deployment. Packages include distribution points and the programs that are used to deploy the software.
For more information about packages, see About Packages in the Configuration Manager documentation.
Programs – Programs contain command-line switches and additional parameters that are used by designated source files in packages, such as Setup.exe.
For more information about programs, see About Programs in the Configuration Manager documentation.
Distribution points – Distribution points are site systems for Configuration Manager that store packages that can be deployed to Configuration Manager clients. When the client receives and processes an advertisement, the client contacts a distribution point to download the package and start the installation process.
For more information about distribution points, see About Distribution Points in the Configuration Manager documentation.
Advertisements – Advertisements let administrators target a software deployment to collections of computers or users. An advertisement specifies a package, a program, and the collection to which the advertisement is sent and deployed.
For more information about advertisements, see About Advertisements in the Configuration Manager documentation.
Example: Deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX clients by using Configuration Manager
This section provides an example of a network environment for the Configuration Manager infrastructure. This section also describes how Configuration Manager is used to deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX clients in this environment.
You can use this example as a guide when you use Configuration Manager to deploy Microsoft Dynamics AX clients in your implementation.
Network environment
The following illustration shows an example of a network environment.
.gif "Example network diagram")
All the computers are members of the Contoso.com domain.
Servers A, B, and C run Windows Server 2008. The applications and roles on each computer are as follows:
A – The domain controller that runs Active Directory, the Domain Name System (DNS) Server role, and the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server role
B – The database server that runs Microsoft SQL Server 2008
C – The management point and distribution point that runs System Center Configuration Manager
D – The client computer that runs Windows 7 Professional and the System Center Configuration Manager client
Note
In the network environment in this example, server C performs multiple roles in the site system. However, we do not recommend this configuration in production environments that have many resources.
Create a collection
This section explains how to use direct membership rules to create a collection in System Center Configuration Manager 2007. For more information about membership rules, see About Membership Rules in the Configuration Manager documentation.
In the Configuration Manager Console, click System Center Configuration Manager > Site Database > Computer Management > Collections.
Right-click Collections, and then click New Collection. On the General page of the New Collection Wizard, enter a name for the collection.
On the Membership Rules page, click the computer icon to open the Create Direct Membership Rule Wizard. Click Next.
On the Search for Resources page, in the Resource class field, select System Resource. Then, in the Attribute name field, select Name. In the Value field, enter %, and then click Next.
On the Collection Limiting page, click Browse, select All Windows Workstation or Professional Systems, click OK, and then click Next.
On the Select Resources page, select the check box for each computer resource that you want to target. Click Next.
On the Finished page, click Finish.
On the Membership Rules page of the New Collection Wizard, click Next.
On the Advertisements page, you cannot assign an advertisement, because you have not yet created an advertisement. Click Next.
On the Security page, accept the default values, click Next, and then click Close.
Prepare the source directory for the package
The source directory for a package contains all the files and subdirectories that are required to run the programs in a package. For Microsoft Dynamics AX, the source directory must contain a copy of the installation media for Microsoft Dynamics AX.
For more information about source directories for packages, see How to Set Up a Package Source Directory in the Configuration Manager documentation.
Create a package for Microsoft Dynamics AX
This section explains how to create a package that contains the parameters that are used to install the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.
In this example, the Microsoft Dynamics AX client and its prerequisites are contained in one package that has multiple programs. You can also deploy the programs in separate packages.
The location from which the package is distributed is known as the distribution point.
In the Configuration Manager Console, click System Center Configuration Manager > Site Database > Computer Management > Software Distribution > Packages.
Right-click Packages, point to New, and then click Package.
On the General page of the New Package Wizard, enter the name, version, manufacturer, and language. For example, enter Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 EN. Click OK, and then click Next.
Click Next on all the remaining pages of the wizard to accept the default settings. On the Wizard Completed page, click Close.
Determine which parameters are used for a silent installation
Before you create programs that are used to install the Microsoft Dynamics AX client and its prerequisites, you must determine which command-line parameters are required to silently install the software. A silent installation is an installation that does not require user interaction.
To install client components, use parameters for the Microsoft Dynamics AX Setup program. For information about individual parameters, see the Setup parameters reference on TechNet. Setup can also configure some required prerequisites, such as operating system features and roles, and redistributable components that are on the installation media for Microsoft Dynamics AX. If you want Setup to automatically configure these prerequisites, include the parameter ConfigurePrerequisites=1 when you create the program that installs the client.
You can silently install other prerequisites by running the individual programs from the command line. You must create a separate program for each of these prerequisites. To determine the command-line parameters that are required, we recommend that you run the Microsoft Dynamics AX prerequisite verification utility on a representative client. When you use the utility to configure prerequisites, the log file indicates the commands that were used.
For more information about how to find the appropriate command-line parameters for a silent installation, see Run Setup in silent mode.
Create programs
Next, you must create the programs that are included in the package.
Create one program that contains the parameters that are used to silently install the Microsoft Dynamics AX client. In addition, create a separate program for every prerequisite of Microsoft Dynamics AX that cannot be configured automatically by the Microsoft Dynamics AX Setup program.
Create a program to install the Microsoft Dynamics AX client
Use the following procedure to create a program that installs the Microsoft Dynamics AX client.
In the Configuration Manager Console, right-click Programs, point to New, and then click Program.
On the General page of the New Program Wizard, enter a name for the package in the Name field. In the Command line field, enter the Setup parameters that you want to use. For example, type the following command.
setup.exe RunMode=Custom HideUI=1 AcceptLicenseTerms=1 ByPasswarnings=0 InstallClientUI=1 ClientAOSServer=Ax62-AOS01 AOSPort=2712 AOSWsdlPort=8101 ClientLanguage=en-us ConfigurePrerequisites=1 LogDir="c:\Temp"
Important
If you want Setup to automatically configure the prerequisites that it can configure, specify the parameter ConfigurePrerequisites=1.
If you do not want the Microsoft Dynamics AX Configuration utility to be installed when clients are installed, specify the parameter ClientConfig=0. To set up clients so that they use a shared configuration file, set the ClientConfigFile parameter to the path of the configuration file in the shared directory. For example, specify the parameter as follows.
ClientConfigFile="X:\<name of configuration file>.axc"
For more information about whether to install the Configuration Utility, and about using shared configuration files, see About the Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Configuration utility.
In the Run field, select Hidden. In the After running field, verify that No action required is selected. Click Next, and then accept the default values on the Requirements page.
On the Environment page, in the Program can run field, select Whether or not a user is logged on. The Run mode field is automatically set to Run with administrative rights. Make sure that the Drive mode field is set to Runs with UNC name, and then click Next.
On the Advanced page, select Suppress program notifications, and then click Next.
Note
If you want a notification about the installation to be displayed on each user's desktop, clear Suppress program notifications.
On the Summary page, click Next. The Wizard Completed page is displayed.
To exit the New Program Wizard, click Close.
Create programs to install prerequisites
You must create a program for every prerequisite that cannot be configured automatically by the Microsoft Dynamics AX Setup program. The following example shows how to create a program that installs Report Viewer 2012.
In the Configuration Manager Console, right-click Programs, point to New, and then click Program.
On the General page of the New Program Wizard, enter a name for the package in the Name field. For example, enter Report viewer 2012 installation. In the Command line field, type the command that is used to install the prerequisite. For Report Viewer 2012, type the following command.
Redist\ReportViewer2010\ReportViewer /passive
In the Run field, select Hidden. In the After running field, verify that No action required is selected. Click Next, and then accept the default values on the Requirements page.
On the Environment page, in the Program can run field, select Whether or not a user is logged on. The Run mode field is automatically set to Run with administrative rights. Make sure that the Drive mode field is set to Runs with UNC name, and then click Next.
On the Advanced page, select Suppress program notifications, and then click Next.
Note
If you want a notification about the installation to be displayed on each user's desktop, clear Suppress program notifications.
On the Summary page, click Next. The Wizard Completed page is displayed.
To exit the New Program Wizard, click Close.
Select a distribution point
To use a server as a distribution point that distributes packages to client computers, you must first designate a site system as a distribution point. In this example, the site server that is named SCCM is configured as both a management point and a distribution point.
In the Configuration Manager Console, right-click Distribution Points, click New Distribution Points, click Next, and then select the check box for the distribution point. In this example, the new distribution point is server C. Click Next.
When you have finished running the New Distribution Points Wizard, click Close.
Before you advertise the package, we recommend that you verify that the package is stored on the distribution point. For more information about how to verify the status of a package, see How to View the Status of a Package in the Configuration Manager documentation.
Create an advertisement for the Microsoft Dynamics AX client package
Next, you must advertise the package that contains both the Configuration Manager distribution point and the programs that are used to deploy the Microsoft Dynamics AX client and its prerequisites. This example shows how to create an advertisement of the Microsoft Dynamics AX client package.
In the Configuration Manager Console, right-click Advertisements, point to New, and then click Advertisement.
On the General page of the New Advertisement Wizard, enter a name in the Name field. Click the Browse button for the Package field, and then click the package that you want to advertise. Click OK. Click the Browse button for the Collection field, click the collection, click OK, and then click Next.
On the Schedule page, in the Advertisement start time fields, enter the date and time when the advertisement becomes available, and then click the asterisk (*) button for Mandatory Assignments.
On the Assignment Schedule page, click Schedule, and then enter the same date and time that you entered in the Advertisement start time fields on the Schedule page. Click OK.
On the Schedule page, select the check boxes for Enable Wake On LAN, Ignore maintenance windows when running program, and Allow system restart outside maintenance windows, and then click Next.
Note
In your production environment, policies may require that you select different values for the assignment schedule than the values that are shown in this example. For more information about these options, see Advertisement Name Properties: Schedule Tab in the SCCM documentation.
Accept the default values on the remaining pages. On the Wizard Completed page, click Close.
The package is advertised to the targeted collection, and the silent installation of Microsoft Dynamics AX client starts.
For information about how to monitor the status of an advertisement, see How to View the Status of an Advertisement in the Configuration Manager documentation.