Configuration Manager 1910 New Features

So the good news is Configuration Manager 1910 is out and there are lot of new features added to this release. You can install the SCCM 1910 update on sites that run version SCCM 1806, SCCM 1810, SCCM 1902 or SCCM 1906.

If you are looking for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager 1910 Upgrade guide, here it is – https://www.prajwaldesai.com/sccm-1910-step-by-step-upgrade-guide/. This is a detailed guide that shows the steps to install SCCM 1910 update.

You might be curious to know what’s new in ConfigMgr version 1910 ?. Let me tell you there are several new features in SCCM 1910 update. Most of the features were already part of technical preview builds. You can read about all the new features of Configuration Manager 1910 here.

Configuration Manager 1910 New Features

Some of the new features in Configuration Manager 1910 include.

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager 1910

The first thing that you notice after you install Configuration Manager 1910 is the brand name. Configuration Manager is now part of Microsoft Endpoint Manager. Hence it is now called as Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager.

In addition to Configuration Manager, following Microsoft management solutions are all now part of the Microsoft Endpoint Manager brand.

• Intune
• Desktop Analytics
• Autopilot
• Other features in the Device Management Admin Console

Reclaim SEDO Lock in Configuration Manager 1910

Suppose that you are performing an important task and Configuration Manager console stops responding. You can be locked out of making further changes until the lock expires after 30 minutes. This lock is part of the Configuration Manager SEDO (Serialized Editing of Distributed Objects) system.

Starting in SCCM version 1906, you can clear your lock on a task sequence. Furthermore you can clear your lock on any object in the Configuration Manager console.

Extend and migrate on-premises site to Microsoft Azure

Microsoft has introduced a new tool that helps you to programmatically create Azure virtual machines (VMs) for Configuration Manager.

The tool can also install with default settings site roles like a passive site server, management points, and distribution points. You can also remove the on-premises site system role and only keep the Azure VM role.

For more info on Azure Migration Tool, click here.

Desktop Analytics and Configuration Manager

Desktop Analytics is now generally available. The Desktop Analytics is a cloud-connected service that integrates with SCCM. It offers insights and helps administrators make more informed decisions about how to deploy new updates to Windows endpoints. Click here for Desktop Analytics setup guides.

Run a task sequence with High performance power plan

You can run a task sequence with the high performance power plan. This option appears under TS properties. You can improve the overall speed of a task sequence by enabling the option Run as high performance power plan.

If you want to try this – Go to Software Library > Operating Systems > Task Sequences. Right click Task Sequence and click Properties. Click Performance tab. Enable Run as high performance power plan.

Deploy Microsoft Edge version 77 and later using SCCM 1910

In SCCM 1910 you can deploy Microsoft Edge version 77 and above. The admins can either pick the Beta or Dev channel, along with a version of the Microsoft Edge client to deploy.

There are two ways to deploy Edge using SCCM.

• Create and Deploy Microsoft Edge Using SCCM
• Microsoft Edge Deployment using SCCM

Additional options for third-party update catalogs

I am happy to see this new option for third-party update catalogs. Starting in version 1910, you can configure the synchronization schedule for each catalog independently. When using catalogs that include categorized updates, you can configure synchronization to include only specific categories of updates to avoid synchronizing the entire catalog.

BitLocker Management Capabilities in SCCM 1910

You can use Configuration Manager 1910 to manage BitLocker Drive Encryption (BDE) for on-premises Windows clients. Following are the capabilities provided by Configuration Manager.

• Deploy the BitLocker client to managed Windows devices
• Manage device encryption polices
• Compliance reports
• Administration and monitoring website for key recovery
• A user self-service portal

Most of all the BitLocker Management is an optional feature in SCCM 1910. You must enable this feature before using it.

SCCM 1910 Improvements/Enhancements

In addition to new features, the SCCM 1910 has got several improvements over the previous release, SCCM 1906. Let’s quickly see what they are.

Improvements to application groups

Two new improvements to application groups include.

• The users can uninstall the app group in Software Center.
• You can deploy an app group to a user collection.

If you want to test application groups, read this post.

Task Sequence Search and Copy Paste Task Sequence Conditions

When you have a large task sequence with many groups and steps, it can be difficult to find specific steps. You can now search in the task sequence editor. This feature lets you quickly locate steps in the task sequence.

You can now copy and paste conditions in the task sequence. Both these feature were first introduced in SCCM Technical Preview 1908.

Set Default Keyboard Layout in WinPE

You can configure the default keyboard layout for a boot image. On the Customization tab of a boot image, use the new option to Set default keyboard layout in WinPE.

Import a single index of an OS upgrade package

When importing an OS upgrade package, you can extract a specific image index from install.wim file of selected upgrade package.

Task Sequence debugger Improvements and Improved language support

Two new improvements to task sequence debugger.

• You can use the new task sequence variable TSDebugOnError to automatically start the debugger when the task sequence returns an error.
• If you create a breakpoint in the debugger, and then the task sequence restarts the computer, the debugger keeps the breakpoints after restart.

Improved Language Support – In the Apply Windows Settings task sequence step, you can configure the following.

• Input locale (default keyboard layout)
• System locale
• UI language
• UI language fallback
• User locale

Configuration Manager 1910 Console Improvements

In SCCM 1910, you will find the following console improvements.

• The ability to message other Configuration Manager administrators through Microsoft Teams.
• The Last Console Heartbeat column has replaced the Last Connected Time column.
• Two new device actions for Client Diagnostics in the Configuration Manager console. Enable verbose logging and Disable verbose logging.

Software Updates – Improvements

• In SCCM version 1910, it’s now possible to use Delivery Optimization for the distribution of all Windows Update content for clients running Windows 10 version 1709 or later.
• You can now use Deployed as an update filter for your automatic deployment rules.

There are several other improvements in SCCM 1910 and you can read all of them here.