An application in Configuration Manager 2012 contains the files and information necessary to deploy a software package to a computer or mobile device and the information about the software shared by all deployment types. Applications are similar to packages in Configuration Manager 2007, but contain more information to support smart deployment. An application can contain a range of information about a software installation, including the following:

• Information shared by all deployment types, such as the application name, manufacturer, and version number, as well as a description of the application as it will appear to users. This information can be displayed in the Application Catalog in different languages based on client settings.
  
  
• Contact names of users who can supply information and provide support for the application.
  
  
• One or more deployment types, which contain information about methods used to install or uninstall the application and the location of files required by the application.
  
  
• Keywords and categories to help users search for items in the Application Catalog.
  
  

When you make changes to an application, a new revision of the application is created. Previous versions of the application are stored and can be retrieved at a later time.

You can also import and export applications from Configuration Manager to a file. This allows you to make a backup of an application independently from Configuration Manager or to move applications to another Configuration Manager 2012 site.

Applications are configured with the Create Application Wizard in the Software Library from the Configuration Manager console. For more information, see How to Create Applications in Configuration Manager 2012.

A deployment type is contained within an application and contains details about the files, commands, and programs used to install software. It also contains rules that specify if and how the software is deployed. Deployments types are similar to programs in Configuration Manager 2007. An application can contain multiple deployment types that each installs a package by using a different method. A single application can have multiple deployment types that use the same technology, for example a single application might have multiple Windows Installer deployment types. The following deployment types are available in Configuration Manager 2012:

• Windows Installer – Creates a deployment type from a Windows Installer file. Configuration Manager can retrieve information from the Windows Installer file to automatically populate some fields of the Create Deployment Type Wizard.
  
  
• Script Installer – Creates a deployment type that specifies a script that will run on client devices to install content or to perform an action.
  
  
• Microsoft Application Virtualization – Creates a deployment type from a Microsoft Application Virtualization manifest. Configuration Manager can retrieve information from the manifest file to automatically populate some fields of the Create Deployment Type Wizard.
  
  
• Windows Mobile Cabinet – Creates a deployment type from a Windows Mobile Cabinet (CAB) file. Configuration Manager can retrieve information from the CAB file to automatically populate some fields of the Create Deployment Type Wizard.
  
  

A typical deployment type contains the following information:

• General information about the deployment type, which will be displayed to users in the Application Catalog.
  
  
• The installation method used by the deployment type, such as the installation program.
  
  
• The location of any content required by the installation.
  
  
• The detection method which is used to determine whether the application is already installed on a client device. You can use the presence of a file or folder, a registry key value, a Windows Installer product code or a custom script to detect the presence of an application.
  
  
• The required installation command line.
  
  
• The required uninstall command line.
  
  
• Requirement rules that must be met for the deployment type to install.
  
  
• Dependencies that are additional deployment types that this deployment type requires.
  
  

Deployment types are configured with the Create Deployment Type Wizard in the Software Library from the Configuration Manager console. For more information, see How to Create Deployment Types in Configuration Manager 2012.

Requirement rules allow administrative users to define one or more rules that represent business or technical conditions that specify how an application is provided and deployed on client devices.

The following are examples of requirement rules:

• Do not install this Windows Installer deployment type on computers with less than 2 GB RAM.
  
  
• Only deploy this virtual application deployment type to a user’s primary device.
  
  
• Do not install this application deployment type if the client computer has less than 500 MB free disk space.
  
  

Requirement rules are evaluated by the Configuration Manager 2012 client to determine the correct deployment type that will be used to install an application or whether the application and any of its deployment types will be installed. The rules are re-evaluated (by default, every seven days) to ensure compliance. The administrative user can define a custom evaluation period.

You can define requirement rules that are used by a single deployment type, or you can define global conditions that are available to use with any deployment type.

Requirement rules are configured by using the Deployment Type tab of the application properties or the Deployment Type page of the Create Deployment Type Wizard in the Software Library. For more information, see How to Create Deployment Types in Configuration Manager 2012.

Global conditions are configured by using the Global Condition dialog box in the Software Library from the Configuration Manager console. For more information, see How to Create and Manage Global Conditions in Configuration Manager 2012.

User device affinity is a method of associating a user with specified devices. This can remove the requirement to know the names of a user’s devices when you deploy applications. You can define primary devices that are typically the device that a user uses on a daily basis to perform their work. When you create an affinity between a user and a device, this provides further options for deploying software. For example, if a user requires Microsoft Office Visio, you can install it on the user’s primary device by using a Windows Installer deployment. However, on a device that is not a primary device, you might deploy Microsoft Office Visio as an App-V virtual application. By using user device affinity, you can deploy applications to a user whilst ensuring that the application is not installed on all devices the user logs on to. You can also use user device affinity to pre-deploy software on a user’s device when the user is not logged in.

User device affinity can be defined by using any of the following methods:

• The user specifies that the device is a primary device in the Application Catalog.
  
  
• A file is imported containing a list of users and devices.
  
  
• The site can be configured to automatically create user device affinities based on collected usage statistics. An administrative user can then approve the detected user device affinity.
  
  
• An administrative user can manually create affinities.
  
  
• During mobile device enrollment, a mobile device is associated with the user who enrolls it.
  
  
• You can define user device affinity for a client computer during operating system deployment.
  
  

User device affinity can include the following:

• A single user to a single device.
  
  
• Many users to a single device.
  
  
• A single user to many devices.
  
  

User device affinities are managed in Assets and Compliance from the Configuration Manager console. For more information, see How to Manage User Device Affinity in Configuration Manager 2012.

Deployments in Configuration Manager 2012 are used to distribute applications to users or devices in your organization. The Deploy Software Wizard allows you to specify information about the application, including the following:

• The name of the application.
  
  
• The Configuration Manager collection to which you want to deploy the application.
  
  
• The distribution points or distribution point groups that will host the content associated with the application.
  
  
• Whether the application should be installed or uninstalled.
  
  
• The purpose of the deployment; for example, whether installation is Required or Available.
  
  
• Scheduling information for the deployment.
  
  
• The client notification and restart settings for the deployment.
  
  
• Monitoring and System Center Operations Manager alert settings for the deployment.
  
  

The Deploy Software Wizard can also be used to deploy packages and programs such as those imported from Configuration Manager 2007.

Note
The Deploy Software Wizard in Configuration Manager 2012 replaces the New Advertisement Wizard in Configuration Manager 2007.

For more information, see How to Deploy Applications in Configuration Manager 2012.

When you deploy an application in Configuration Manager 2012, you can choose a deployment purpose and a deployment action that define what the deployment should do and that represent the administrator’s intent. The available settings are as follows:

• Install and Uninstall – Specifies whether the application is installed or uninstalled on client devices.
  
  
• Available – If the application is deployed to a user, the user sees the published application in the Application Catalog and can request it on demand. If the application is deployed to a device, the user will see it in the Software Center and can install it on demand.
  
  
• Required – The application is deployed automatically, according to the configured schedule. However, a user can track the application deployment status and install the application before the deadline by using the Software Center.
  
  

When you specify the purpose of a user-targeted deployment, you can specify whether users need to request approval from an administrative user before they can install the application.

The purpose of a deployment is specified by using the Deploy Software Wizard in the Software Library from the Configuration Manager console. For more information, see How to Deploy Applications in Configuration Manager 2012.

Configuration Manager 2012 can use a number of methods to determine whether a deployment type is already present on a device. You can detect a Windows Installer product code, a file or folder or a registry value to indicate that a deployment type is present. You can also write a script in the following languages to detect whether a deployment type is present on the device:

• PowerShell
  
  
• VBScript
  
  
• JScript
  
  

Detection methods are specified in the Create Deployment Type Wizard or in the properties of an existing deployment type. For more information, see How to Create Deployment Types in Configuration Manager 2012.

Unlike Configuration Manager 2007, which used the separate Status Message Viewer to track the installation of software, in Configuration Manager 2012, you can monitor the deployment of all software (software updates, compliance settings, applications, task sequences, packages and programs) by using the Monitoring in the Configuration Manager console.

Applications in Configuration Manager 2012 support state-based monitoring, which allows you to track the last application deployment state for users and devices. These state messages display information about individual devices. For example, if an application is deployed to a collection of users, you can view the compliance state of the deployment and the deployment purpose in the Configuration Manager console.

An application deployment state has one of the following compliance states:

• Success – The application deployment succeeded.
  
  
• In Progress – The application deployment is in progress.
  
  
• Unknown – The state of the application deployment could not be determined.
  
  
• Requirements Not Met – The application was not deployed because it was not compliant with a dependency or a requirement rule.
  
  
• Error – The application failed to deploy because of an error.
  
  

You can view additional information for each compliance state, which includes subcategories within the compliance state and the number of users and devices in this category. For example, the Error compliance state contains three subcategories:

• Error evaluating policy
  
  
• Content related errors
  
  
• Installation Errors
  
  

When more than one compliance state applies for an application deployment to a user that has more than one device, you will see the aggregate state that represents the lowest compliance. For example, if a user logs in to two devices and the application is successfully installed on one device but fails to install on the second device, the aggregate deployment state of the application for that user displays as Error.

Use these subcategories to help you to quickly identify any important issues with an application deployment. You can also view additional information about which devices fall into a particular subcategory of a compliance state.

To monitor the status of deployments in Configuration Manager 2012, click Monitoring in the navigation pane, and then click Deployments. For more information, see How to Monitor Applications in Configuration Manager 2012.