Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012 continues to support packages and programs that were used in Configuration Manager 2007. A deployment that uses packages and programs might be more suitable than using an application when deploying any of the following:

• Scripts that do not install an application on a computer (such as a script to defragment the computer disk drive).
  
  
• “One-off” scripts that do not need to be continually monitored.
  
  
• Scripts that run on a recurring schedule and cannot use global evaluation.
  
  

When you migrate a Configuration Manager 2007 site to a Configuration Manager 2012 hierarchy, you can migrate existing packages and deploy them in your Configuration Manager 2012 hierarchy. After migration is complete, your Configuration Manager 2007 packages appear in the Packages node in the Software Library workspace. You can modify and deploy these packages in the same way as you did by using Configuration Manager 2007 software distribution. The Import Package from Definition Wizard remains in Configuration Manager 2012 for importing legacy packages. Advertisements are converted to deployments when migrated from Configuration Manager 2007 to a Configuration Manager 2012 hierarchy.

Packages can use some new features of Configuration Manager v.Next, including distribution point groups and the new monitoring functionality. To deploy a package, right-click the package name, and then click Deploy. Microsoft Application Virtualization applications can no longer be distributed by using packages and programs in Configuration Manager 2012. To distribute virtual applications, you must create these as Configuration Manager 2012 applications.

Note
To successfully create virtual applications in Configuration Manager 2012, 64-bit client computers must have the App-V 4.6 or later client installed before the Configuration Manager client is upgraded.

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