Deploying Windows 8 Applications Using UDI

You can deploy Windows 8 applications using UDI like any other application that initiates the installation process from a command line. You can add Windows 8 applications to UDI deployments on the ApplicationPage wizard page in the UDI Wizard Designer.

Note Deployment of Windows 8 and Windows 8 applications using UDI requires System Center 2012 Configuration Manager with Service Pack 1 (SP1).

To deploy a Windows 8 application using UDI

1. Create a network shared folder in which to store the application.

This folder will be the source folder for the Configuration Manager 2012 application that you will create later in the process.

2. Copy the Windows 8 application into the network shared folder that you created in the previous step.

Ensure that you copy the Windows 8 application .appx file and any other required files, such as a .cer file that contains the application certificate.

3. Add the Windows 8 application as a Configuration Manager 2012 application

4. Create a Configuration Manager 2012 application item for the Windows 8 application using the Create Application Wizard in the Configuration Manager console.

While completing the Create Application Wizard, create a deployment type to deploy the Windows 8 application using the Create Deployment Type Wizard. In the Create Deployment Type Wizard, on the Content page, in Installation program, type app_file_name (where app_file_name is the name of the Windows 8 application).

For more information about how to complete the Create Application Wizard in the Configuration Manager console, see the following sections in the Documentation Library for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, which is included with Configuration Manager 2012:

· How to Create Applications in Configuration Manager

· How to Create Deployment Types in Configuration Manager

· How to Manage Applications and Deployment Types in Configuration Manager

5. Ensure that the user device affinity (UDA) feature in Configuration Manager 2012 is configured properly to support affinity between users and devices for Configuration Manager 2012 application deployment.

For more information about how to configure UDA to support Configuration Manager 2012 application deployment, see How to Manage User Device Affinity in Configuration Manager.

6. Deploy the application created in step 4 to the targeted users.

For more information about how to deploy an application to user, see How to Deploy Applications in Configuration Manager.

7. Configure the ApplicationPage wizard page to include the Configuration Manager 2012 application created in step 4 using the UDI Wizard Designer.

For more information about how to configure the ApplicationPage wizard page using the UDI Wizard Designer, see the section, Step 5-11: Customize the UDI Wizard Configuration File for the Target Computer, in the MDT document Quick start Guide for User-Driven Installation.

8. Select the UDI application item created in the previous step n a UDI task sequence.

Note The Windows 8 application is not installed by the task sequence but rather will be installed the first time the user logs on to the targeted computer (as defined by the UDA setting configured in step 5) using the User-Centric App Installer feature (AppInstall.exe) in UDI.

For more information on the User-Centric App Installer feature in UDI, see the section, User-Centric App Installer Reference, in the MDT document Toolkit Reference.