We are using PowerShell as a frontend for creating applications. As default we create multiple deployment type, each of them intented to run in certain environemts. These environemts are defined in some custom global conditions.

When creating the deployment type we can very easily identify which global contitions shold be set as requirement. But we miss a Powershell cmdlet to automize this task. Instead we rely on the application creator to remember to add these conditions.

So far I have found a PS-script that can add one of the build-in conditions, but it fails when trying to add a custom made condition.

My idea is to have the scenario described below supported.

When running Save-CMSoftwareUpdate command on a CMSite-PSDrive that connects to a ConfigMgr site in a different domain (used Get-Credential to pass credentials in New-PSDrive call) than the user account the PowerShell window is running as, I get error 'The RPC server is unavailable'.

I can successfully change location to the PS drive, and run other ConfigMgr PS cmdlets.

Commands:
New-PSDrive -Name <sitecode> -PSProvider 'CMSite' -Root <siteserverFQDN> -Credential (Get-Credential)
Set-Location <sitecode>:
Save-CMSoftwareUpdate -SoftwareUpdateName <name> -DeploymentPackageName <name> -Verbose

Verbose output from Save-CMSoftwareUpdate call:

VERBOSE: Start: Execution of WQL query: Select * from SMS_SoftwareUpdatesPackage where Name='Office 2016'
VERBOSE: Finish: Execution of WQL query: Select * from SMS_SoftwareUpdatesPackage where Name='Office 2016'. Processed 1 results in 00:00:00.0533413.
VERBOSE: Performing the operation "Save" on target "SoftwareUpdate: Name="Office 2016"".
VERBOSE: Start: Execution of WQL query: SELECT * FROM SMS_SoftwareUpdate WHERE LocalizedDisplayName IN ( 'Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4018322) 64-Bit Edition' )
VERBOSE: Finish: Execution of WQL query: SELECT * FROM SMS_SoftwareUpdate WHERE LocalizedDisplayName IN ( 'Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4018322) 64-Bit Edition' ). Processed 1 results in 00:00:00.0858704.
VERBOSE: Start: Execution of WQL query: select distinct cic.ContentID from SMS_CIToContent cic where cic.CI_ID=16796196 and cic.ContentID not in (select pc.ContentID from SMS_PackageToContent pc where pc.PackageID='ECN0006C') and (cic.ContentLocales='Locale:0' or cic.ContentLocales = 'Locale:9')
VERBOSE: Finish: Execution of WQL query: select distinct cic.ContentID from SMS_CIToContent cic where cic.CI_ID=16796196 and cic.ContentID not in (select pc.ContentID from SMS_PackageToContent pc where pc.PackageID='ECN0006C') and (cic.ContentLocales='Locale:0' or cic.ContentLocales = 'Locale:9'). Processed 1 results in 00:00:00.0000256.
VERBOSE: Start: Execution of WQL query: select * from SMS_PackageToContent where ContentID=16790019 and PackageID='ECN0006C'
VERBOSE: Finish: Execution of WQL query: select * from SMS_PackageToContent where ContentID=16790019 and PackageID='ECN0006C'. Processed 0 results in 00:00:00.
VERBOSE: (SMS_PackageToContent.ContentID=16790019,PackageID='ECN0006C') does not exist or its IsContentValid returns false. We will (re)download this content.
VERBOSE: Using 64-bit content downloader
VERBOSE: Downloading update content CI_ID='16790019' Content Source Path='\\ecn-badcm\updatePackages\Office 2016' Download Location='' Provider='ecn-badcm.BoilerAD.Purdue.edu' Second Chance='False'
VERBOSE: Result: 1722 (0x000006ba)
Save-CMSoftwareUpdate : The RPC server is unavailable
At line:1 char:1
+ Save-CMSoftwareUpdate -SoftwareUpdateName "Update for Microsoft Offic ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidResult: (Microsoft.Confi...reUpdateCommand:SaveSoftwareUpdateCommand) [Save-CMSoftwareUpdate], Win32Exception
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DownloadContentError,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.Cmdlets.Sum.Commands.SaveSoftwareUpdateCommand

Save-CMSoftwareUpdate : The following updates failed to successfully download: Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4018322) 64-Bit Edition
At line:1 char:1
+ Save-CMSoftwareUpdate -SoftwareUpdateName "Update for Microsoft Offic ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: (Microsoft.Confi...reUpdateCommand:SaveSoftwareUpdateCommand) [Save-CMSoftwareUpdate], InvalidOperationException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : DownloadUpdateFailed,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.Cmdlets.Sum.Commands.SaveSoftwareUpdateCommand

The Import-CMPackage cmdlet does not provide much in the way of verbose output with the -verbose flag. This would be useful to identify what the cmdlet is performing in the background to determine if package already exists with the same name or not.

Steps attempted:
$Global:VerbosePreference = "Continue"
$Global:DebugPreference = "Continue"
$Global:CMPSDebugLogging = $true

import-cmpackage -ImportFilePath "\\localhost\c$\Users\Testing\TestPkg.zip" -Verbose

Output: Verbose: Performing the operation "Import" on target "Package: ".

Trace-Command -Name metadata,parameterbinding,cmdlet -Expression {Import-CMPackage -ImportFilePath "\\localhost\c$\Users\Testing\TestPkg.zip" -WhatIf} -PSHost
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : BIND NAMED cmd line args [Import-CMPackage]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : BIND arg [\\localhost\c$\Users\Testing\TestPkg.zip] to parameter [ImportFilePath]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : COERCE arg to [System.String]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : Parameter and arg types the same, no coercion is needed.
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : Executing VALIDATION metadata: [System.Management.Automation.ValidateNotNullOrEmptyAttribute]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : BIND arg [\\localhost\c$\Users\Testing\TestPkg.zip] to param [ImportFilePath] SUCCESSFUL
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : BIND arg [True] to parameter [WhatIf]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : COERCE arg to [System.Management.Automation.SwitchParameter]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : Parameter and arg types the same, no coercion is needed.
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : BIND arg [True] to param [WhatIf] SUCCESSFUL
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : BIND POSITIONAL cmd line args [Import-CMPackage]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : MANDATORY PARAMETER CHECK on cmdlet [Import-CMPackage]
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : CALLING BeginProcessing
DEBUG: Begin execution of cmdlet: Import-CMPackage
DEBUG: Acquiring ConnectionManager
DEBUG: Using property 'SiteCode' for site code discovery if applicable.
What if: Performing the operation "Import" on target "Package: ".
DEBUG: ParameterBinding Information: 0 : CALLING EndProcessing
DEBUG: End execution of cmdlet: Import-CMPackage Execution time: 00:00:00.0020000

My customer has +_ 600 maintenance windows using the server grouping feature .

Feature Request Nr1 : They use the node drain / node resume feature with PowerShell. They are still modifying and changing the script almost every week . That script is used for those 600 collections :

a) a central repository/place to enter the script details and be able to reuse that for each server group collection like for power management custom templates .
b) If they make a change in the “central” PowerShell repository , it keeps history ( Like application revisions ) and replaces that automatically in all Server Groups Collections where applied.

Feature Request Nr 2 : More options per server group

I would like to see a fourth option ( in the server group options) that is a combination of option b) and c) , meaning that you define a list but that from that list a number of machines in that list sequence can be patched at the same time. The reason is that you may have 20 servers in a maintenance window of 3h , then you don’t want to wait until the first one is patched , then the second one and so on . It would take way to much time to complete. If you have a predefined sequence list and you can from that list patch for example 5 servers at a time , that would help saving you time. Best one would be that you can create blocks in the sequenced list that can patch at the same time within the same maintenance window.

Feature Request Nr 3 : Powershell remoting (credential Manager)

Support for a credential manager within Configmgr where you can store certain credentials that the script (powershell remoting) need to run with ? to support a kind of “run as” scenario .

Feature Request nr 4 : Decent RBAC

Can you please create an RBAC role that only allows you to edit the maintenance windows or server group settings ? Reason is that most of the time , the business or release managers are defining their maint windows and not the server teams.