Windows 10 Servicing Model and plan

I was searching about the Windows 10 servicing model and plan but did not get much on internet, then I thought I should share my knowledge with you guys. go through the complete blog post and let me know what you think, if you are happy with the provided solution and that meets your expectation. 

I have gone through with Naill blog which is our master database for any new feature in SCCM or MS Intune. 
Windows 10 servicing

however I thought I would also give some more details and have a blogged it.

In System Center Configuration Manager, you can view the state of Windows as a Service in your environment, create servicing plans to form deployment rings and ensure that Windows 10 current branch systems are kept up to date when new builds are released, and view alerts when Windows 10 clients are near end of support for their build of Current Branch (CB) or Current Branch for Business (CBB).

The following Windows 10 branch and build information is discovered and stored in the following attributes:

o    Operating System Readiness Branch: Specifies the operating system branch. For example, 0 = CB (no not defer upgrades), 1 = CBB (defer upgrades), 2 = Long Term Servicing Branch (LTSB)

o    Operating System Build: Specified the operating system build. For example, 10.0.10240(RTM) or 10.0.10586 (version 1511)

·         The service connection point must be installed and configured for Online, persistent connection mode to see data on the Windows 10 servicing dashboard. When you are in offline mode, you will not see data updates in the dashboard until you get Configuration Manager servicing updates.

Specify the group policy setting, Defer Upgrades and Updates, to determine whether a computer is CB or CBB.

Servicing plan workflow

Windows 10 servicing plans in Configuration Manager are much like automatic deployment rules for software updates. You create a servicing plan with the following criteria that Configuration Manager evaluates:

·         Upgrades classification: Only updates that are in the Upgrades classification are evaluated.

·         Readiness state: The readiness state defined in the servicing plan is compared with the readiness state for the upgrade. The metadata for the upgrade is retrieved when the service connection point checks for updates.

·         Time deferral: The number of days that you specify for How many days after Microsoft has published a new upgrade would you like to wait before deploying in your environment in the servicing plan. Configuration Manager evaluates whether to include an upgrade in the deployment if the current date is after the release date plus the configured number of days.

When an upgrade meets the criteria, the servicing plan adds the upgrade to the deployment package, distributes the package to distribution points, and deploys the upgrade to the

collection based on the settings that you configure in the servicing plan. You can monitor the deployments in the Service Plan Monitoring tile on the Windows 10 Servicing Dashboard

there are three Windows 10 servicing options we need to consider:

·         Current Branch

·         Current Branch for Business

·         Long Term Servicing Branch

Each branch has its' own properties. If you are using Current Branch, then updates and upgrades are made available as soon as they are released from Microsoft and the key benefits are that it makes new features available to users as soon as possible. Current Branch for Business allows more time (4 to 8 months depending on your Defer Updates and Upgrades preferences) to 'wait and see' how those updates (and upgrades) can impact your environment. The key benefit here is it provides additional time to test new feature upgrades before deployment which is useful in a business scenario. Long Term Servicing Branch is aimed at low-change configurations (Operational Technology for example) where changing functionality can impact production.

In the ConfigMgr console select Software Library and expand Windows 10 Servicing. The below screenshot should appear. 

The following Table clear the servicing plan:

·         Release Ready : Current Branch

·         Business Ready : Current Branch for Business

·         Long Term Servicing Branch : Long Term Servicing Branch

Create a Windows 10 servicing plan

Step-1 Sync the sup with WSUS

Then create the servicing plan

Servicing plans are akin to Automatic Deployment Rules (ADR) in Software Updates in that they can automatically download, and deploy updates to a collection based on the settings you define in the rule. Servicing plans however allow you to define what Windows 10 branches are in user in your environment and then monitor them in the servicing dashboard. From version 1602 onward, servicing plans are also tied so that you can manage the behavior for high-risk deployments.

Note: Servicing plans are designed to upgrade Windows 10 versions from one build to another build only.

you will create a servicing plan for Windows 10 Current Branch In the ConfigMgr console select Software Library and expand Windows 10 Servicing. Select Servicing Plans and in the ribbon click on Create Servicing Plan.

  

When the wizard appears, give the Servicing Plan a suitable name like SUM: Servicing Plan for Windows 10 (The SUM prefix allows you to clearly see that the deployment is for software updates in the monitoring console later.)

Next, point it to your target collection, this collection should contain Windows 10 computers that are suitable for this servicing plan (i.e. Current Branch as defined by not setting the Defer Upgrades setting).

Next you get to choose which Deployment Ring you'd like to use. The Deployment Ring refers to the Windows readiness state that applies to this servicing plan, and once again you get to choose between Release Ready (Current Branch) or Business Ready (Current Branch for Business). Depending on which state you choose, you will see different results in the console, so it's a good idea to use the Preview button on the Upgrades screen particularly when moving the days (to wait) slider.

 This servicing plan is aimed at Current Branch computers so select the first option

On the Upgrades screen select the three checkboxes and set the search criteria to

·         Language=English

·         Required=>=1

·         Title= Upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise

Note: Make sure to select the right version (SKU) of Windows 10 for your deployment, if your clients are running Windows 10 Enterprise, then you should select the Enterprise version of the upgrade

Next, click on the Preview button, this will show what updates the wizard found that match your criteria

For the Deployment Schedule screen set the Software Available Time to be at least 4 hours after the rule has run in order for the actual software update deployment packages to reach the destination distribution points. In a slow wan, increase that time. For Installation Deadline, the deadline is the displayed deadline time plus a random amount of time up to 2 hours, this is to reduce the load generated by all computers in the collection downloading the updates at the same time.

On the User Experience screen, for User Notifications select Display in Software Center and show all notifications. For Deadline behavior, place a checkmark in Software Update Installation and System Restarts.

 On the Deployment Package screen choose Create a new deployment package and fill in the details as appropriate

Add the DP

Then download from the internet

Review additional servicing plan properties

Select the Evaluation Schedule tab, as you can see by default it's set to run after every SUP sync, if you want to change that behavior modify it here.

Then Run the servicing plan

Now that’s it, review all the steps and see once you get the update on Windows 10