SCCM Interview Questions and Answers

SCCM Interview Questions

Are you planning to attend an interview for the SCCM role but confused on how to crack that interview and also what would be the most probable SCCM Interview Questions that the interviewer may ask? Well, you have reached the right place. Tekslate has collected the most frequently asked SCCM Interview Questions which are often asked in multiple interviews.

Q1) What is SCCM?

Ans: System Center Configuration Manager(SCCM) which is also known as ConfigMgr, is used to manage multiple systems of remote locations that use similar OS in order to provide services like software distribution, OS Deployment, Security etc.

Q2) What are the differences between Primary Site and Secondary Site?

Ans:

Primary Site	Secondary Site
This site has access to Microsoft SQL Database.	It does not have access to a Microsoft SQL Database.
Clients can be assigned directly to the site.	Clients cannot be assigned directly to the site.
It can be a child of another primary site and can have child sites of its own.	Secondary sites cannot have child sites of their own.
Can administer via configuration manager console.	Secondary suites are always a child site of a primary site and can only be administered via the primary site.

Q3) What is CENTRAL SITE?

Ans: A Central Site is a Configuration Manager Primary Site that resides at the top of the Configuration Manager hierarchy. Central Site’s Configuration Manager Database will collect all Database information rolls from the child to the parent. The Central Site can send data to any site below it in the hierarchy down to those sites as well.

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Q4) How do you create a package for Adobe?

Ans: msiexec.exe /q ALLUSERS=2 /m MSIHPSJR /i “AcroRead.msi”, the command line.

TRANSFORMS=mytransform.mst

Q5) What is the process to distribute a package?

Ans:

• Create an install program in the package (you may have already done this?), pointing it to the installation sources, create a package in SCCM.
• To the contents get synched, assign distribution Points to your package.
• Create a Collection containing the objects (users/computers) that are allowed to receive the package.
• Create an Advertisement for the distribution, linking the package you created to the collection, decide whether the Advertisement is mandatory (installation enforced) or not (users have to go to the “Run Advertised Programs” dialogue in Windows and select to install the program)

Q6) How SCCM download the patches?

Ans: In the Software Update Point properties, you should add the Software Update Point site role to the site, configure the software update point as active, classifications, configure the products sync settings.  THEN, in the central primary site, you can go to the Update Repository node and run the Run Synchronization action. Once synchronization completes, you will see the metadata in the Configuration Manager console.

Q7) How do you configure the SUP? 

Ans:

• In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to
• System CenterConfiguration Manager / Site Database /Site Management / <site code> – <site name> / Site Settings / Site Systems
• Right-click the site system server name, and then click New Roles.
• Select Software update point, and then click Next.
• Specify whether the site server will use a proxy server when connecting to the software update point, and then click Next.
• Select Use this server as the active software update point, and then specify the port settings configured for the WSUS Web site on this site system.
• Specify the synchronization source for the active software update point using one of the following settings: like
• Synchronize from Microsoft Update or Synchronize from an upstream update server
• Keep the default setting Do not create WSUS reporting events, and then click Next
• Specify whether to synchronize software updates on a schedule by selecting Enable synchronization on a schedule
•  For which the Updated software will occur at the same time, update the classifications and then press ok.
•  For which the Updated software will occur at the same time, Specify the products and then press ok.
• To Observe the installation process for the Updated software, the path is Open <InstallationPath> Logs  SUPSetup.log in, After completion of Installation, it will be written into log file.
• To confirm that the link to the WSUS server was completed successfully, the path is Open <InstallationPath>Logs  WCM.log in.

Q8) How do you Backup SCCM Server? 

Ans: To create a scheduled backup task, expand the Site Settings node and expand the Site Maintenance node, click on Tasks.

For Manual backup – Start SMS_SITE_BACKUP service

Q9) What are the client deployments methods?

Ans: Client Push Installation, Software update point based installation, Group Policy Installation, Logon Script Installation, Manual Installation, Upgrade Installation(software Distribution) 

Q10) Can you discover clients those are in different AD forest? 

Ans: Yes.

Internet-based client management, which supports the following site systems installed in a separate forest to the site server:

• Distribution point
• Software update point
• Fallback status point.
• Management point.

Q11) What are the prerequisites for Software Update Point?  

Ans: Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0, WSUS 3.0 Administration Console, Windows Update Agent (WUA) 3.0, Site server communication to the active software update point, Windows Installer, Background Intelligent Transfer Server (BITS) 2.5, Network Load Balancing (NLB).

Q12) Define SMS Provider?

Ans: It is also known as a WMI provider that allows both write and read access to the Configuration Manager 2007 site database. The Configuration Manager Console uses the SMS Provider.

The SMS Provider can be installed on the site database server computer, site server computer or another server class third computer during Configuration Manager 2007 Setup. After setup has completed, the current installed location of the SMS Provider is displayed on the site properties general tab.

Q13) What is ITMU?

Ans: SMS 2003 Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates

Q14) What is the use of WSUS (Windows Server Update Service)?

Ans: It enables administrators to deploy the latest Microsoft product updates to computers that are running the Windows operating system.

Q15) What is SUP ( Software Update Point)?

Ans: This is required a component of software updates, and after it is installed, the SUP is displayed as a site system role in the Configuration Manager console. The software update point site system role must be created on a site system server that has Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.0 installed.

Q16) What is BITS-Enabled Distribution Points?

Ans: Instead of BITS, the Client computer uses server message blocks (SMB). It helps to control the bandwidth throttling between distribution points and client computers. BITS-enabled distribution point and is interrupted, it can be started where it left off.

Q17) Define Server Locator Point?

Ans: Server Locator Point is used in an SCCM hierarchy to complete client site assignment on the intranet and help clients find MP when they cannot find that information through AD Domain Services.

Q18) What is the Fallback status point?

Ans:

• Site system role that helps you manage clients and identify any client-related problems.
• SMS 2003 client computers cannot use a fallback status point.
• Fallback client support how many clients: 1lack
• Identify clients that are unmanaged because they have problems communicating with their MP.

Here you can see that because an FSP was not defined, the state messages (100, 400) from the ccmsetup.log were not forwarded anywhere. The next set of snippets are from the ccmsetup.log where the client is passed the FSP= property during client installation. Notice that the FSP line is no longer blank and contains the FQDN of the server holding the FSP Role.

Q19) What is MIF?

Ans: SCCM can use MIF files to determine the success or failure of an installation.

After a program has finished executing, SCCM will look in the %windir% and %temp% directories for new MIF files (created after the time of the program execution start) and then match them on any or all of the following criteria.

Q20) Why MOF Files Used by Hardware Inventory?

Ans: Configuration Manager 2007 clients actually compile only the policy generated by the contents of the.SMS_def.mof file defines the reporting classes used by the hardware inventory client agent.

Unlike the format.mof file, the SMS_def.mof file will not sent to clients.

The inventory processes in Hardware that are used by 2 mof files are the format.mof and SMS_def.mof MOF files. You should open the SMS_DEF.MOF file, to enable Asset Intelligence.

Q21) What are the differences between Package Refresh & Package update?

Ans:

Package Refresh	Package Update
Normally used as refreshed file	This file is used if you make any changes in the source.
When you try to update, it will create a compressed file	The package has uncompressed but is corrupt.
No new PCK files are sent	New PCK file is then used for any new DP’s
It simply sends another PKG file, which then uses the current PCK file on the server and uncompresses the files again	Changes made between the old and new compressed files
Overwriting the old package files.	This also updates the source version of the package in SQL.

Q22) Why Extend Schema in SCCM?

Ans: Publish the ConfigMgr 2012 site information to AD, ConfigMgr 2012 can publish information to AD.

extadsch.exe tool or the ConfigMgr_ad_schema.ldf file

Four actions are required to enable Configuration Manager Clients to query Active Directory Domain Services to locate site resources

• Extend the Active Directory schema.
• Create the System Management container.
• Set security permissions on the System Management container.
• Enable Active Directory publishing for the Configuration Manager site.

Q23) What is Senders?

Ans: There are two types of senders Standard Sender & Courier Sender

Standard Sender(Pre-stage Content requires Courier sender): The standard sender is installed and configured by default on all primary and secondary sites. If your site-to-site communications occur over a LAN that uses a supported protocol, you do not need to install another sender

Courier Sender: The courier sender is installed and configured by default on all primary and secondary sites. When you have large packages that require excessive time or bandwidth to be sent over the network, this sender can be useful. You can use courier sender at the source Configuration Manager 2007 site to create a parcel (that is, a collection of files transferred from one site to another using courier sender); write the parcel to a tape, CD, or another physical medium; and then ship the tape or CD to the destination site by mail or a courier service. At the destination site, you can then use courier sender at that site to receive the parcel and import the package data into the site. 

Q24) What are Discovery Methods?

Ans: Active Directory System Group Discovery

Active Directory Security Group Discovery

Active Directory System Discovery

Active Directory User Discovery

Network Discovery

Heartbeat Discovery

Q25) What are the Site System Roles?

Ans:

• Management Point
• Server Locator Point
• Distribution Point
• Software Update Point
• Reporting Point
• Fallback Status Point
• PXE Service Point
• State Migration Point

Q26) What are SCCM BITS Throttling?

Ans: Computer Client Agent Properties found within Site ManagementSiteSite SettingsClient Agents

Group Policy Preferences to throttle BITS traffic

Q27) What are Ports used in SCCM?

Ans:

• Client to site system 80(HTTP)and default HTTPS port 443
• Site Server to Site Server SMB 445 is bi-directional.
• TCP 2701 is the port that SCCM 2012 used for remote control.

Q28) What is meant by database Replication?

Ans: To transfer data quickly Database replication uses SQL Server training in Hyderabad for configurations and settings to other sites in the hierarchy of Configuration Manager. Changes made at one website can merge with the data stored in the different site's database. The file-based data and content for deployment still replicate between sites by file-based replication. The configuration of the database collection replicates automatically when you join a new website to an existing hierarchy.

Q29) How to configure the website to a native mode?

Ans: The Configuration Manager of System Center 2012 has replaced the native site configuration mode in Configuration Manager 2007 with specific site system role configurations accepting client communication over HTTP or HTTPS. Because we have site system roles supporting HTTP and HTTPS in that same website, enable us to be more flexible in introducing PKI to secure the Intranet Client endpoints within the hierarchy. Users over mobile devices and the Internet must use HTTPS connections.