Application Manager Prerequisites

The Application Manager Integration Client must be installed somewhere on your internal network.

Integration Client Requirements

Operating System: Microsoft-supported versions

Active Directory: AD domain joined

Microsoft .NET Framework: Version 4.x or later (ConfigMgr 2103 requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later)

Configuration Manager: ConfigMgr console including PowerShell modules 

Disk space: At least 100Mb of free disk space for AM Integration Client

Permissions: Administrative level user account for installation

Network Requirements

Disk space: SMB network share for storing downloaded application installer with at least 50GB of free disk space.

External Domains: Application Manager requires outbound access to the following addresses:

• amclients.recastsoftware.com (TCP/443)
• recastampackages.file.core.windows.net (TCP/443)

For a Configuration Manager integration, the Application Manager client needs access to the Configuration Manager environment and file system locations.

Configuration Manager Requirements

• Supported versions
  • Current branch
  • 2012 R2
    Some Application Manager features are not available in 2012 R2 and other old versions
• At least one distribution point group
• Collections that will be used for deployments

Service Account Requirements

• Password with no expiry
• Configuration Manager PowerShell usage permissions (see steps below)
• At least Application Administrator role is MECM 
  • Task Sequence Auto Update feature requires additional Operating System Deployment Manager role
• Permission to log on locally and as a service to the server

File System Permissions

• The service account and all users who use Application Manager integration client interface must have administrative access to the server where the client will be installed, or at least these permissions:
  • Full Control to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Recast Software\Agent registry key
  • Modify permissions in the %ProgramData%\Recast Software folder and all its subfolders
    (This folder structure is created during AM Integration Client installation but can also be created manually before installation)
  • Modify permissions to network share where applications will be downloaded (verify that both share and folder permissions allow modification)

PowerShell Connection

To connect via Windows PowerShell:

1. Open Configuration Manager as a service user.

2. Select Connect via Windows PowerShell.

3. In the Administrator: Windows PowerShell window, make Microsoft a trusted publisher for scripts by choosing [A] Always run.

Before installing Application Manager, you'll need to set up distribution point groups, collections and the application root folder in your Configuration Manager environment.

Distribution Point Groups

• Application Manager targets application content to distribution point groups. You need to have at least one distribution point group created in Configuration Manager before installing Application Manager. You might want to include all distribution points to your distribution point group, but in larger environments it's possible to include only distribution points used for application media distribution. You can use existing distribution point groups in Application Manager.
  
• Distribution point groups are created from Configuration Manager console on Administration > Distribution Point Groups view. Select Create Group to create a new distribution point group.
• Specify a name for the distribution point group and then select required distribution points where content should be distributed by Configuration Manager when new applications are created by AM.
  

Collections

• Device and user collections are used as a deployment target in AM's deployment processes. You can configure as many target collections in AM as you want, but the most common way is to have just a pilot and production collections. You can create collections from Configuration Manager console in Assets and Compliance > Device Collections or User collections view.
• If you are using AM to deploy all your selected applications to all of your devices, you only need two collections (pilot & production). 
• In some cases you might want to deploy AM created application only to devices containing a previous version of the application. In that case you would create application specific collections in configuration manager and deployment processes in AM, and select application specific collections to the deployment process.
  • You can configure application specific query to a collection by adding Query rule to a collection -> Edit Query Statement -> Criteria
  • Add new criteria and select Installed Software > Product Name. Add the application name to Value field with percentage symbols around it (%APPLICATION%).
  • You can also user our example queries as listed below. You can add WQL query by selecting Show Query Language in Query Statement Properties window.

Example queries for application specific collections:

Mozilla Firefox

select *  from  SMS_R_System inner join SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE on SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE.ResourceId = SMS_R_System.ResourceId where SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE.ProductName = "%Firefox%"

Google Chrome

select *  from  SMS_R_System inner join SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE on SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE.ResourceId = SMS_R_System.ResourceId where SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE.ProductName = "%Google Chrome%"

Adobe Reader DC

select *  from  SMS_R_System inner join SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE on SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE.ResourceId = SMS_R_System.ResourceId where SMS_G_System_INSTALLED_SOFTWARE.ProductName = "%Adobe Acrobat Reader DC%"

Application root folder

• AM will create a folder structure to Configuration Manager in Software Library > Application Management > Applications. You can specify the root folder name that will be created under Applications. All applications added by AM will be created under this root folder with a following structure: Publisher > Application name. 
• By default, the root folder is Application Manager, but you can change this in deployment process settings.