Understanding Microsoft Intune

Learn to deploy simple and complex applications that are beyond the scope of default Intune application deployment scenarios and limitations. This book will help you deploy applications using a PowerShell script.

The book starts with PowerShell Cmdlets to get an understanding of deployment through PowerShell scripts. Next, you will learn how to work with msiexec where you will learn which properties of your MSI can be set and what values can be passed to them, even if you do not know what the properties and values initially are.

Further, you will learn how to install and uninstall a Setup.exe and how to determine the silent switches, along with MSI extraction methods. You will then learn detection rules using PowerShell, including how to detect by registry or application version and build numbers as well as using custom PowerShell detection rules. You will then gain an understanding of the location to run the script. Moving forward, you will go through installing a program by calling MSI or Setup.exe using PowerShell and how to handle spaces in the filenames.

Following this, you will go through how to deploy the various script types in Intune; whether it is a standard script, or if the whole script is a function or contains functions, or if it has an entry point. Deployment Templates and application preparation in Intune are discussed next, along with the process to create the .Intunewin with the Intune Winapp Util. You will then learn how to uninstall previous applications before a new deployment. You'll also be walked through useful snippets and examples of deployment where you will be able to utilize all the aspects of deployment in Intune discussed in prior chapters.

After reading the book, you will be able to manage application deployments and detection rules using PowerShell with Microsoft Intune.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

* How to find valid properties and values to use with msiexec
* Using PowerShell for detection rule
* Deploying using a template for reliable and repeatable deployments
* How to create the Windows App (Win32) App

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR:

I.T Professionals who manage application deployments using Microsoft Intune.

OWEN HEAUME is a senior network administrator for a global company based in the UK’s headquarters. He has over 20 years of networking experience across Novell and Microsoft technologies and has acquired a variety of professional technical qualifications. He enjoys writing blogs and information on ConfigMgr and PowerShell scripting. Owen has also published books on ConfigMgr for deploying applications, language and regional settings. CHAPTER 1: POWERSHELL CMDLETS

The Twelve Cmdlets Write-Host

Set-Location

Get-Process

Stop-Process Start-Process

New-Item New-Item

Property Get-Item Copy-Item Test-Path

Try \ Catch block

CHAPTER 2: MSIEXEC

Fundamentals View the Help Where Is It?

Better to use $Env: Parameters

Installation Silent Install No Restart Uninstall Properties

Which Properties Can Be Set?

How to Find Valid Property Values Uninstall GUIDs 32-bit Installations 64-bit Installations

CHAPTER 3: SETUP.EXE

Discovering the Setup.exe silent Install \ Uninstall parameters

EXE’s Have Registry Information Too

In-Built Help

Internet Search MSI Extraction

MSI Extraction Method #1

MSI Extraction Method #2

Example MSI Extraction

CHAPTER 4: DETECTION RULES

Why Use PowerShell?

Detection Fundamentals

The Microsoft Rules In Practice

Where Do I put My Detection Rules Anyway?

Silently Continue Detection Types File \ Folder

Presence Executable Version

Hey! Where’s the Build Number?

Registry Subkey

Registry Value \ Data Pair Custom Detection

Why Use Custom Detection?

Custom File Detection

Custom Registry Detection

Final Thoughts on Custom Detection

Branching By Office Bitness

If This, Then That This and This

CHAPTER 5: LOCATION

Where Is This Script Running from Anyway?

How We Used to Do Things A Better Way

File Placement

Where to Place Your Files for Deployment

Referencing Files

Referencing Files in a Flat Structure

Referencing Files in Subdirectories

If You’re Elsewhere…

CHAPTER 6: INSTALLING THE PROGRAM

Calling the MSI or Setup.exe

Start Your Engines

Please Parameters -FilePath

NoNewWindow

Wait Dealing with Spaces

Putting It All Together

Example 1 - Simple MSI

Example 2 - MSI with Properties

Example 3 - Setup.Exe

CHAPTER 7: DEPLOYING THE SCRIPT

Sys What Now?

In Practice

Calling Your Script

Standard Script (Top to Bottom)

Script with Entry Point Function

Function Accepting Parameters

Example: Deploying a Script Containing Two Functions Remote Server Administration Tools

CHAPTER 8: DEPLOYMENT TEMPLATE

How to Use Deploying Based on Office ‘Bitness’

Deploying Based on Operating System Architecture

Pre-Deployment Tasks

Post-Deployment Tasks

Logging

How to call the Template Final Thoughts

CHAPTER 9: APPLICATION PREPARATION IN INTUNE

Download the Tool Prep for Prep

Adding Your Content

Creating the .Intunewin

What’s in a Name?

CHAPTER 10: UNINSTALL AN APPLICATION

The Function

How it Works Exactly!

Test Run

How to Use

CHAPTER 11: USEFUL CODE SNIPPETS

Detect Office ‘Bitness’

Detect Operating System Architecture

Obtaining the Current Logged in User Name

Copying Files Register \ Unregister DLL files

CHAPTER 12: EXAMPLE DEPLOYMENT

Start to Finish Scenario

Determine the Command Line Parameters and Values Captain’s Log

Sanity Check Invoke-Application

Install Detection

Script Input and Output

Create the .IntuneWin File

Create the Windows App (Win32) App

Information Program Requirements

Detection Rules

Dependencies Assignments Review + create

Install the Application

Inspecting the Application

Installation Log File