Difference between Available and Required in SCCM

Difference between Available and Required in SCCM – During any software deployment in SCCM you have to decide the way the application should be deployed to the user. When you deploy an application through SCCM you see lot of settings that you can control during the deployment.

In the deploy software wizard you would have come across the Deployment Settings. The deployment settings specify how the software is going to be deployed.

There are two settings – Deployment Action and Deployment Purpose. Deployment Action includes “Install” or “Uninstall“. You can choose Install option to install an app or Uninstall uninstall an app.

If an application is deployed twice to a device, once with an action of Install and once with an action of Uninstall, the application deployment with an action of Install will take priority.

Next setting is the deployment purpose, you can configure them to install immediately, or prompt users to request approval from an administrator. Let’s take a look at difference between Available and Required in SCCM.

Difference between Available and Required in SCCM

Available – If the application is deployed to a user, the user sees the published application in the Application Catalog and can request it on demand.

If the application is deployed to a device, the user will see it in the Software Center and can install it on demand. In simple words Available applications mean that users can choose to install the software when they want.

Required – The application is deployed automatically according to the configured schedule. However, a user can track the application deployment status if it is not hidden, and can install the application before the deadline by using the Software Center. Required applications have an installation schedule and automatically install if they are not already installed by a defined deadline.

Note – When the deployment action is set to Uninstall, the deployment purpose is automatically set to Required and cannot be changed.

Difference between Available and Required in SCCM

17 Comments

  1. Can we create a single AD group for both available mode and required mode collection?

  2. Avatar photo Darrin Delaney says:

    Hello, ever since we installed the latest “Config Mgr 2111 Hotfix Rollup KB12896009” we seem to have a new bug. Using PS Toolkit for scripts, when I deploy an app as required, the defer or continue pop up window does not show up, it just starts the install. However, if I deploy as available, after clicking on Install, the defer or continue pop up shows up as intended. Anyone else experience this???
    Darrin

  3. Hello Prajwal. I want to ask you if a client is at 2 collection the same time with Available Software Updates Deployment in 1st collection and Required Software Updates Deployment in 2nd Collection the updates will be installed Automatically or not? Thanks A lot

  4. Avatar photo Kent Smith says:

    Prajwal, I appreciate all the info you have online about SCCM.

    I have created an AD security group for apps and also the SCCM device collection for the app. I add the pc into the security group in AD and it updates the SCCM collection for that app. I have deployed the app to the SCCM collection as REQUIRED and it installs but it also still shows in Software Center as Past due – will be installed.

    Doesn’t SCCM know the app is already installed or should I just set the deploy to hide in Software Center and forget about it. I know if I go into Software Center and click on the app the the Past due will change to Installed. I would think there is a better way than to have this step be taken.

    Thank you,
    Kent Smith

  5. Do we have option to set the purpose as ‘Available’ for uninstall action. I know SCCM does not allow to do it but is there any trick / option to get it enabled ?

      1. If the Application is Available for Install, it’s also Available for Uninstall.
        If the Application is Required for Install, then why would you make it Available for Uninstall? You Require it to be there!
        OK, so scenario where someone has the app installed (maybe manually, outside of SCCM) and you want to give them a way to uninstall it? Well, publish the App as Available to them – if installed, it’ll show as Installed due to detection rules, but they will be able Uninstall it. Risk: if not installed, then they’ll be able to install it – except, your install command could be made to do nothing and it won’t affect the uninstall.

  6. What will happen if we deploy an application as available and Required to the same collection?

    1. SCCM does not allow you to deploy the same application twice to same device collection.

      1. Sorry, my bad. I wanted to mention Task Sequence which only installs Applications. [No OS]

        What will happen if we deploy such Task Sequence as available and Required to the same collection?

  7. Avatar photo Manoj Nagarajan says:

    Hi ,
    I have made Software in “Available” Mode. So once device name is added to collection is it possible to get a report is Software is made Available in Software center ? If so , can you share the query please.

    Regards,
    Manoj Nagarajan.

  8. Need to Update Adobe Flash Player through SCCM for Chrome, Firefox, IE and Edge. Any idea about its installation settings

  9. Hello, ¿there is a differences bettween available and Required regarding the download time of the application? I asking that because when I create an application and I put into the application catalog the time to download it is faster than a deployment to a device as required.

    1. If you using BITS yes …. Required is marked as backgroud action and BITS are used. If application is on demand (available) no BITS full speed

  10. Avatar photo Desmond Smalls says:

    What about uninstalling Cumulative updates during a patch cycle from a particular server is an issues arises from a server being patched, how would you roll back the install for a particular server?

    Thanks

    1. As far as i know you can roll back the hotfixes using SCCM. I shall create a post on this soon.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *