[SCCM 2012] Upgrading to SCCM 2012 SP1

You certainly noticed that System Center 2012 SP1 has been released last year, the 20th of December 2012.

The SP1 provides a lot of new great features for SCCM 2012.
The most important one is certainly that we can now deploy and manage Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, but there are the extension of the standalone Primary Site, the migration from SCCM 2012 SP1 to SCCM 2012 SP1 (for consolidation or Lab environment for example), the additional operating System, Intune extension...


Before upgrading to SCCM 2012 SP1, I recommend you to read Planning to Upgrade System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

01/15/2013 - Note: SCCM 2012 support team released a KB for SP1 upgrade : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2801416

So let's start !

If you have a hierarchy, you must start your upgrade on your CAS and finish by the Secondary sites.
If the parent site is not upgraded, the prerequisites will failed :

Another remark, you certainly noticed that the sources for SCCM 2012 RTM took about 1,7Gb and that the sources for SCCM 2012 SP1 take now only 926Mb. Strange, isn't it ?
Indeed, SCCM 2012 doesn't use WAIK but ADK. However, ADK is not included in the SCCM 2012 sources.



Step 1 - Download and Install ADK
You can remove the WAIK, but WAIK and ADK can be installed on the same computer.
01/15/2013 - Note: SCCM 2012 support team recommend to uninstall WAIK before installing ADK. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2801416

Download Windows Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) for Windows® 8: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30652
... and launch installation.

You can directly download sources form the Internet or store them locally (highly recommended while full sources take 2,55Gb).

For SCCM 2012 SP1, minimal features to be installed are :
 - Deployment Tools
 - Windows Preinstall Environment (Windows PE)
 - User State Migration Tool (USMT)

You can install the other ones for fun :o)

Step 2 - Disable the site maintenance task Delete Aged Client Operations on primary sites

That's the step 7 on the Technet page !

Before you upgrade any sites to Configuration Manager SP1, disable this site maintenance task on each primary site in the hierarchy. When this task remains active at a primary site that runs Configuration Manager with no service pack, this task deletes information about active client operations for clients that run Configuration Manager SP1. After all primary sites are upgraded to Configuration Manager SP1; you can enable this task for standard site maintenance at each primary site.

 - In the administration tab, open the Sites folder
 - Select each primary site and click on Site Maintenance

- Disable the Delete Aged Client Operations Maintenance Task

Step 3 - Check Prerequisites for SCCM 2012 SP1

From the SCCM 2012 SP1 sources, launch <Sources>\SMSSETUP\BIN\X64\prereqchk.exe.

Oupsss...


Step 4 - Install KB for WSUS

Install the KB 2720211 and 2734608.

Restart when prompted and clear all the other errors.

Step 5 - Upgrade SCCM 2012

Upgrade is really easy, It starts like a normal installation :
 - Launch the splash.hta file
 - Select Install

 - On the Setup Options page, Select Upgrade this configuration Manager Site

 

 -  validate licences, prerequisites... and launch upgrade.

 

You can check upgrade operations on the C:\ConfigMgrSetup.log file.

Step 6 - Enjoy your upgrade

Step 7 - Upgrade your SCCM clients

Now that your SCCM Hierarchy is upgraded, you must also upgrade your SCCM clients.

If you want to keep control on your deployment, you can still use your favorite method (WSUS, push...).
You can also activate automatic Client upgrade. In SP1, It seems that this option works fine.

 

Step 8 - What else ?

 - Enable the site maintenance task Delete Aged Client Operations on primary sites

 - Upgrade your SCCM Client package, for OSD task sequences.

 - Deploy the new USMT package created during ADK setup.

 - You can also install the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1 Component Add-ons and Extensions


Note: In a recent article, The MVP JS experienced some troubles after upgrading SCCM sites.
http://microsofttouch.fr/default/b/js/archive/2013/01/04/sccm-2012-la-mise-224-jour-vers-le-sp1-quot-casse-quot-toutes-les-applications.aspx
On my lab, deployments still work fine, but if you experience problems too, you can apply his workaround.


Have a good upgrade !
Julien