SCCM Support Center Tool is a troubleshooting used by ConfigMgr admins. Support Center is a single tool to combine many administrator troubleshooting tools.
Support Center aims to reduce the challenges and frustration when troubleshooting Configuration Manager client computers.
Previously, when working with support to address an issue with Configuration Manager clients, you would need to manually collect log files and other information to help troubleshoot the issue.
Instead of manually collecting the log files from a remote computer, the SCCM support center tool automatically collects all necessary files for troubleshooting.
The SCCM Support Center tool gathers a bundle of log files which will help product support specialists to examine log files and other client data for in-depth analysis of issues with Configuration Manager clients.
More information about Support Center for Configuration Manager can be found on Microsoft Documentation.
In this article, I will show you how to install and use SCCM support center tool to troubleshoot the ConfigMgr issues.
Support Center Tool Functionalities
The Support Center Tool in SCCM has got the following functionalities:
- Create a troubleshooting bundle (.zip file) that contains the Configuration Manager client log files. You then have a single file to send to support personnel.
- View Configuration Manager client log files, certificates, registry settings, debug dumps, client policies.
- Real-time diagnostic of inventory (replaces ContentSpy), policy (replaces PolicySpy), and client cache.
Deploy Support Center using SCCM
There are two ways to install Support Center tools on your computer:
- Manually install support center tool using the supportcenterinstaller.msi
- Automate the deployment of Support Center using SCCM
How to Install SCCM Support Center Tool
We will now look at the steps to manually install Support Center Tool. The support center tool installer is located in cd.latest\SMSSETUP\Tools\SupportCenter\SupportCenterInstaller.msi
.
Run the SupportCenterInstaller.msi file on your computer. On the Configuration Manager support center support screen, click I accept the license terms and click Install.
Wait while the installation completes. Click Finish to complete the installation.
After you install support center on your computer, find the following items on the Start menu in the Microsoft Endpoint Manager group:
- Support Center Client Data Collector (starting in version 2103)
- Support Center Client Tools (starting in version 2103)
- Support Center (version 2010 and earlier)
- Support Center Log File Viewer
- Support Center OneTrace
- Support Center Viewer
Steps to Launch the Configuration Manager Support Center
You can launch the Support Center tool from Start > Microsoft Endpoint Manager group. Launching the Configuration Manager Support Center, the first thing that you see is that of Data Collection.
The data collection window allows you to select the various kinds of tasks that are very useful for troubleshooting client related issues. You can click on Collect Selected Data and choose to collect only the data for enabled tasks or collect data for all the items.
When you run the Data Collection step for the selected items all the relevant data is collected and stored in a .zip file.
In the next tab we see Client Details feature. Click on Load or refresh to get the information about the configuration manager client properties such as Client ID, Hardware ID, client version, Site Code etc. You can also connect to a remote machine and check the client properties.
The next feature that we see is the Client Policy. There are lot of things to know here, when you click on Load Actual Policy you see the set of policies that are applicable to the configuration manager client. You also have got an option to request policy and evaluate policy.
In the Content tab, when you click Content you get to know what applications, packages and updates have been deployed or assigned to the client.
You get to know about the application name, whether it’s installed or not and many other properties.
If you click on Invoke Trigger it allows you to run the actions such as Application deployment evaluation, Software updates deployment evaluation, Software update source scan, Windows installer source list update.
You can also monitor the progress of application deployment and software update deployment by clicking on Monitoring. The Cache option gives you the information on client cache configuration and details about cache contents.
When you click on Inventory tab, you can Load the inventory data for that client. The Invoke Trigger invokes inventory related client actions such as File collection cycle, Discovery data collection cycle, Hardware inventory cycle, IDMIF collection cycle, Software inventory cycle and Software metering report cycle.
On the Troubleshooting tab, you can click on Start troubleshooting. This executes troubleshooting tasks listed in the left column of the below screenshot and displays the state of each task.
The last one is Logs. We normally use CMTrace tool to view the configuration manager log files. With this feature you can open the log file right in the same window and use filters to include or exclude the entries from the log file.
One of the cool feature of this tool is you can connect to remote machine using an option called Remote Connection.
Provide the remote machine name (IP address also works here). Specify the credentials to connect to a remote machine and click Apply. You can also use Integrated Authentication to connect to a remote machine.
Hi Prajwal :
My Update shows Falied in Software Center , Can you guide me what is log i can check.
Dear Sir how can i get the report of Count of all instances of software registered with Add or Remove Programs with Computer name in the version of SCCM 1910
Sir Download Link not available please provide alter linlk
SCCM 2012 Support Center Tool
You are correct. The download has been removed. I don’t think it will be made available by Microsoft.
on a remote connect, i can never get the troubleshooting to work..
Hello Prajwal, I have one issue.. in my environment that.. 5 server not restarted out of 200 server after download/update (Windows Patches). So Which log file i have to check in client machine…to get detail…
SCCM Client Viewer incompatibility issues with Windows 7 and CM12, is there a viewer that will work with CM12, does CM12 come with a viewer for admin staff?
fine. what I mean to say I am currently having sccm 2012 R2 with windows 2008 R2 SP1 OS , Yes it is only 2 MB software. as I tested on my system.
Also it is Prerequisite Microsoft . net framework 4.5.2
Only matter it will won’t impact on sccm 2012 R2 any other role etc..
Thanks for reply.
Best Regards,
Arshad
You can install it after installing SCCM 2012 R2. It’s just a small software..
Hi Prajwal
shall I install on SCCM 2012 R2 & Also it Prerequisites of .NET 4.5.2 for CM2012 Tool
kindly Confirm
Arshad
Yes you can install it on SCCM server.
My sccm console is installed in remote server . support center not connecting.
You have to review the console log files to determine the issue. Can you log this question in forums, I will help you with this.
Have you found a way to initiate (or restart) failed package deployments using this tool?
Nope I haven’t tried that.
Prajwal it is free tool or payable tool…..?
This is a free tool.
Prajwal, that’s great info. I will be installing this tool as well on my CAS & Primary.
Superb. Let me know how it goes.
Hi Prajwal
You Do Every Post Very Help full of who are working and learning SCCM Toll
I Hope Do Many More Like This…….