System Center Configuration Manager's new servicing models

The new concept servicing model is one of the biggest changes in CM. We will learn what the servicing model is and how to do it in this chapter.

Getting Ready

Windows 10's new servicing models

Before we dive into the new CM servicing model, we first need to understand the new Windows 10 servicing model approach called Windows as a Service (WaaS).

Microsoft regularly gets asked for advice on how to keep Windows devices secure, reliable, and compatible. Microsoft has a pretty strong point-of-view on this: Your devices will be more secure, more reliable, and more compatible if you are keeping up with the updates we regularly release.

In a mobile-first, cloud-first world, IT expects to have new value and new capabilities constantly flowing to them. Most users have smart phones and regularly accept the updates to their apps from the various app stores. The iOS and Android ecosystems also release updates to the OS on a regular cadence.

With this in mind, Microsoft is committed to continuously rolling out new capabilities to users around the world, but Windows is unique in that it is used in an incredibly broad set of scenarios, from a simple phone to some of the most complex and mission critical use scenarios in factories and hospitals. It is clear that one model does not fit all of these scenarios.

To strike a balance between the needed updates for such a wide range of device types, there are four servicing options (summarized in Table 1) you will want to completely understand.

Table 1. Windows 10 servicing options (WaaS)

Servicing Models	Key Benefits	Support Lifetime	Editions	Target Scenario
Windows Insider Program	Enables testing new features before release	N/A	Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education	IT Pros, Developers
Current Branch (CB)	Makes new features available to users immediately	Approximately 4 months	Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education	Consumers, limited number of Enterprise users
Current Branch for Business (CBB)	Provides additional testing time through Current Branch	Approximately 8 months	Pro, Enterprise, Education	Enterprise users
Long-Term Servicing Branch (LTSB)	Enables long-term low changing deployments like previous Windows versions	10 Years	Enterprise LTSB	ATM, Line machines, Factory control

How to do it...

How will CM support Windows 10?

As you read in the previous section, Windows 10 brings with it new options for deployment and servicing models. On the System Center side, it has to provide enterprise customers with the best management for Windows 10 with CM by helping you deploy, manage, and service Windows 10. Windows 10 comes in two basic types: a Current Branch/Current Branch for Business with fast version model, and the LTSB with a more traditional support model.

Therefore, Microsoft has released a new version of CM to provide full support for the deployment, upgrade, and management of Windows 10 in December 2015. The new CM (simply without calendar year) is called Configuration Manager Current Branch (CMCB), and designed to support the much faster pace of updates for Windows 10, by being updated periodically. 

This new version will also simplify the CM upgrade experience itself. One of the core capabilities of this release is a brand new approach for updating the features and functionality of CM. Moving faster with CM will allow you to take advantage of the very latest feature innovations in Windows 10, as well as other operating systems such as Apple iOS and Android when using mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) capabilities.

The new features for CM are in-console Updates-and-Servicing processes that replace the need to learn about, locate, and download updates from external sources. This means no more service packs or cumulative update versions to track. Instead, when you use the CM current branch, you periodically install in-console updates to get a new version. New update versions release periodically and will include product updates and can also introduce new features you may choose to use (or not use) in your deployment.

Because CM will be updated frequently, will be denoted each particular version with a version number, for example 1511 for a version shipped in December 2015. Updates will be released for the current branch about three times a year. The first release of the current branch was 1511 in December 2015, followed by 1602 in March 2016. Each update version is supported for 12 months from its general availability release date.

Why is there another version called Configuration Manager LTSB 2016?

There will be a release named System Center Configuration Manager LTSB 2016 that aligns with the release of Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016. With this version, as like previous versions 2007 and 2012, you do not have to update the Configuration Manager Site Servers like the current branch.

Table 2. Configuration Manager Servicing Options:

Servicing Options	Benefits	Support Lifetime	Intended Target Clients
CM CB	Fully supports any type of Windows 10	Approximately 12 months	Windows 10 CB/CBB, Windows 10
Configuration Manager LTSB 2016	You do not need to update frequently	10 Years	Windows 10 LTSB