Mobile Application Delivery with System Center Configuration Manager 2012 R2 and Windows Intune - Part 3B

Hi again, it’s Jeff Buller. I am a Program Manager on the Windows Server and System Center CAT team. This is the second of two posts on how to deliver Windows 8/RT applications to users, utilizing Configuration Manager 2012 R2 and Windows Intune. This post will discuss delivering a Windows 8/RT internal application (side-loaded). A table of contents of the full series is listed below.

Table of Contents

· Part 1: Introduction

· Part 2: iOS application delivery

· Part 3: Windows 8/RT application delivery

            A. Windows Store application (deep-link)

            B. Internal application (side-loaded)

· Part 4: Windows Phone 8 application delivery

· Part 5: Android application delivery

Windows 8/RT Application Delivery - Internal application (side-loaded)

In part 3A of this series on Mobile Application Delivery, I discussed how to deliver a Windows Store application to a user using Configuration Manager 2012 R2 with Windows Intune. In this post, I will walk through a similar process to deliver a Windows 8/RT internal application (sided-loaded) to a user. A high level summary of the administrator and user process is listed below.

Administrator Process to Deliver a Windows 8/RT Internal Application (side-loaded)

1. Create a Configuration Manager Application and Windows App Package Deployment Type

2. Deploy the application to a Configuration Manager User Collection

User Process to Access a Windows 8/RT Internal Application (side-loaded)

1. Access the Company Portal

2. Install the application

In the rest of this post, I will walk through the administrator and user steps required to complete this process.

Prerequisites

Before I begin, there are some prerequisites that need to be in place in order to perform Windows 8/RT internal application (side-loaded) delivery with Configuration Manager and Windows Intune. The prerequisites include:

· Configuration Manager 2012 R2 is setup and running.

· Windows Intune Subscription (Trial Subscription is ok).

· Configuration Manager and Windows Intune properly setup and configured to work together.

· Windows enrollment enabled, code signing certificate and sideloading keys added using the Configuration Manager Management Console.

Windows Intune Subscription Properties window showing Windows enrollment enabled and code signing certificate added

Management Console showing Windows Sideloading Key added

If your environment doesn’t meet these prerequisites, please refer to the links below for guidance on implementing Configuration Manager 2012 R2 with Windows Intune.

· Getting Started with Configuration Manager

· Sign up for a Windows Intune Trial

· Integrating Configuration Manager and Windows Intune

· Code signing and Windows Sideloading

Administrator process to deliver a Windows 8/RT internal application (side-loaded)

The following administrator steps outline the process to deliver a Windows 8/RT internal application (side-loaded) using the Configuration Manager Management Console. The administrator steps are broken into two areas, creating the Configuration Manager Application and then deploying the application to a User Collection.

1. Creating a Configuration Manager Application and Windows App Package (*.appx, *.appxbundle) Deployment Type

1. Open the Configuration Manager Management Console, Click on the Software Library Workspace and Expand the Application Management folder.
2. Right Click on Applications and Select Create Application from the drop down menu.
3. In the “Create Application Wizard/Specify settings for this application” window, Click on the Type field drop down menu and Select Windows app package (*.appx, *.appxbundle).
4. For the Location field, enter the UNC file path of the Windows app package. In this example, the UNC file path for the MyExpenses application package was entered. Click Next.
5. In the “View imported information” window, Click Next.
6. In the “Specify information about this application” window, you can edit and populate fields as appropriate. Click Next.
7. On the “Confirm the settings for this application” window, Click Next.
8. On the “Create Application Wizard completed successfully” window, Click Close.
9. MyExpenses application is now listed in Applications.

2. Deploying the Windows App Package (appx, appxbundle) Application

1. Open the Configuration Manager Management Console, Click on the Software Library Workspace and Expand the Application Managementfolder.
2. Right Click on the MyExpenses application and Select Deploy from the dropdown menu.
3. On the “Specify general information for this deployment” window, Click the Collection Browse button and select the User Collection to deploy this application to. In this example, I have selected the All Users and User Groups Collection and then Clicked Next. Note: The user must be a member of the collection defined in the Windows Intune Subscription Properties in the Configuration Management Console.
4. On the “Specify the content destination” window, Click on the Add dropdown menu and select Distribution Point.
5. On the “Add Distribution Points” window, Select the checkbox for MANAGE.MICROSOFT.COM, Click OK and Click Next.
6. On the “Specify settings to control how this software is deployed” window, you can accept defaults or make changes as appropriate. Click Next.
7. On the “Specify the schedule for this deployment” window, you can accept defaults or make changes as appropriate. Click Next.
8. On the “Specify the user experience for the installation of this software on the selected devices” window, you can accept defaults or make changes as appropriate. Click Next.
9. On the “Specify Configuration Manager and Operations Manager alert options” window, you can accept defaults or make changes as appropriate. Click Next.
10. On the “Confirm the settings for this new deployment” window, Click Next.
11. On the “Deploy Software Wizard completed successfully” window, Click Close.
12. MyExpenses application is now listed in Applications as deployed.

User process to access a Windows 8/RT internal application (side-loaded)

The following user steps outline the process to access the Windows Intune Company Portal and install the MyExpenses application.

1. Access the Company Portal on the Windows Tablet

1. Open the Windows Intune Company Portal application. Note: The Windows Intune Company Portal is a free application available in the Windows Store. In this example, the Company Portal application has been installed and the device enrolled.
2. Enter user id and password. Note: The user must be a member of the collection defined in the Windows Intune Subscription Properties in the Configuration Management Console.
3. The Company Portal is now displayed.

2. Install the application on the Windows Tablet

1. While in the Company Portal, Click on MyExpenses application.
2. Click on Install.
3. MyExpenses application is now installed.

Summary and Next Post

So far in this series, I have discussed delivering iOS and Windows 8/RT applications using Configuration Manager 2012 R2 with Windows Intune. In part 4, I will walk through the steps to deliver a Windows Phone 8 application using a similar administrator and user process.

Talk to you soon,

Jeff