Microsoft introduced several improvements to ConfigMgr with the 1606 release. If you haven’t already upgraded, I would suggest that you do.
The 1606 site version is 5.0.8412.1000. If you install Hotfix KB3184153, your site version will be 5.0.8412.1205. Note that there isn’t a client update for this version, as the hotfix fixes an issue with creating, editing, or deleting compliance rules in the console.
Changes to New Software Center
First, Software Center has a new layout:
There’s a few changes here. First, applications, updates, and operating systems have been moved to their own tabs. You also have a list view option for applications, as evidenced by the list view and grid options in the upper right corner.
The ability to select multiple updates has been added to New Software Center. This was one of the biggest complaints I had with the 1511 and 1602 versions of ConfigMgr. Microsoft listened to the community and added this feature. I don’t have any pending updates right now, but you can also see the addition of the “Install All” button.
Switch Software Update Point
If you select a device or device collection, and look at the Client Notification menu, there’s a new option that says “Switch to next Software Update Point”. This setting is meant for you to be able to quickly change clients to the next SUP in your hierarchy.
Currently, a number of factors affect whether or not a client will switch to another SUP. By default, clients will switch if it fails connecting to its current SUP. It has to fail in the correct way, though. A “cannot connect” error that is generated by firewall blocks, being off the network, etc. do not force a SUP change. This new feature will allow you to change those clients to different SUP.
Hopefully in a feature release Microsoft will let you pick the SUP that clients connect to, either through this option, or on a boundary group like management and distribution points. Also, I currently cannot find a property that tells me which SUP a client is currently connect too. Maybe it’s the database somewhere.
Client Settings
There are two new client settings that you should be aware of. First, you can now manage Office 365 clients. This ability was in 1602, but you had to set it during Office 365 suite installation. Now you can set a client setting and being managing the clients. The setting is under the Software Updates portion of client settings:
Second, you can now configure the client cache using a client setting. This is a new portion of client settings, so you’ll have to add it. Once added, here are the options you can configure:
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