If you plan to upgrade servers ConfigMgr 1607 to 1706, first ensure that all of the site servers the across the hierarchy run the same version of ConfigMgr. The versions supported for upgrade to 1706 are 1602, 1606, and 1610.
Along with 1706 ConfigMgr, version support for a few systems got deprecated:
- SQL Server 2008 R2 for site database servers
- Windows Server 2008 R2 for site system servers and most site system roles
- Windows Server 2008 for site system servers and most site system roles
- Windows XP Embedded as a client operating system
ConfigMgr installer automatically installs .NET 4.5.2 on each machine if it is not installed already:
- Enrollment proxy point
- Enrollment point
- Management point
- Service connection point
Remember that, after installing .NET 4.5.2 and before the reboot, the server might experience some failures.
Apart from the prerequisites related to the operating system and .NET 4.5.2, other important points are as follows:
- Remember to install all critical and security updates on the machines
- Remember to review the status of your Software Assurance (SA) agreement because, if you plan to upgrade to/install ConfigMgr 1706, this needs to be active
- If you plan to deploy workstations, remember to ensure that Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows 10 is at least at version 1703
- Check your hierarchy for any ongoing issues and fix them before upgrading to 1706
- Ensure that replication between sites works without issues; to check it, you might use Replication Link Analyzer
When planning an upgrade for a hierarchy containing the central administration site and the primary site, the process needs to be initiated from the top, which means the central administration needs to be upgraded first. Next up are primary sites, and last but not least, are secondary sites.
