Hi everyone,
I need some advices how to patch virtual machine templates in VMM (probably using the other SC components).
The VM offline servicing tool is deprecated since VMM 2012 SP1.
SCCM can patch VHD images but only VHD (not VHDX) and only if this VHD was created in SCCM using task sequence (importing VHD files is not supported).
My task is always to have a fresh Windows Server image with most installed updates.
So, I decided to build the next workflow:
0a. Build a brand new Windows Server 2012 R2 VM.
0b. Install all Windows updates.
0c. Build a template (and so destroy the virtual machine)
Next, the Weekly Template Patch Cycle, which consists of two SCorch runbooks:
1. Monday. The first runbook deploys a VM from the above template, gives a name to this machine, i.e. VMM-TEMPLATE-10052016, and does a domain join.
2. System Center Configuration Manager already has an ADR which runs weekly, collects and installs all available updates for 2012 R2; and this ADR is targeted to the "Template" collection. This collection has a dynamic membership and collects resourses, which have *template* in it's name.
3. SCCM evaluates a collection membership. The newly created VM appears in this collection.
4. Wednesday. The software updates are installed automatically and the VM is (probably more then one time) rebooting.
5. Here's coming the second runbook, it gets our VM name from the "Template" collection and builds a new template named VMM-TEMPLATE-10052016. An account of our VM is no more useful, so the runbook will remove it from AD.
I think I should probably find a workaround of three sysprep limit like this (http://system-center.me/miscellaneous/sysprep-your-windows-os-for-more-then-3-times/).
I would like to ask for advices from professional admins:) dear technet members - how do you VMM templates patching?