Monday, November 17, 2014

Deploy multiple applications using Dynamic Variables in a Task Sequence

When deploying applications within a task sequence you can add 10 applications at maximum in a single step. When deploying more applications you can add another "Install application" step or choose for "Install applications according to dynamic variable list". That way you can use a single step for as many applications you want. Just configure the following steps:

-Create a collection and add Collection Variables on it. Name must be APP01, APP02, APP03 (for example) and so on. Value must be the name of the application. Add as many applications needed.
-In the task sequence add a "Install application" step and choose for "Install applications according to dynamic variable list": APP (for example). Mark "If an application installation fails, continue installing other applications in the list" when needed.
-Just make sure that on every application used, "Allow this application to be installed from the Install Application task sequence action without being deployed" is checked.
(instead of APP you can use any name you want, as long as numbers are used. The name used in task sequence must be same.)

Deploy the task sequence on the created collection. All applications will get deployed in a sequence based on the numbering of the collection variables choosed. Just another way for installing applications ;)
In my case I'm installing around 30 applications in a single step. Not a problem at all, and very easy to configure.

More blogposts on this topic:
Deploy multiple packages using Dynamic Variables in a Task Sequence

11 comments:

  1. What Collections do you recommend applying these variables to if you want them for your entire org? Unknown & ?
    I see you can't add variables to All Systems.
    Thanks

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    1. Use collections where systems are included which must receive the applications. This can be a deployment collection as well, which I used.

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    2. Is there a way to find out if the app installed successfully without the use of MDT? Any variables I can take advantage of? Thanks in Advance. John.

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    3. You can use SCCM deployments for that to see if applications are installed successfully.

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  2. I have applied this in our environment, but it only works for computers that have been imaged previously by SCCM and created in AD by SCCM's join the domain part of a TS. I am not able to get this to work if I manually create the AD computer account, assign the Security Groups for the software needed, wait for SCCM to pick up the changes and then run the Unknown Task Sequence with the Variable section added in. It successfully sees the manually entered AD account and merges the rest of the missing information, but the Variables are not seen.

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    Replies
    1. I did use above solution only once, and it works great. Will try out another time in the future and post the results.

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    2. I would like to know what will happen if i remove the APP03 alone, whether it will proceed to next step 04 (order:- APP01,02,04,05) & or it get failed.
      please advise me on this.

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    3. There will be no failure. There may be a gap between packages given. No worries about that :)

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  3. How would this work with Application Packages vs SCCM's Application Model installs?

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  4. hello friend,
    Kindly tell me the procedure of installation application during windows installation via TS on SCCM.

    Your prompt action will be highly appreciate.

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