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Jan 02, 2013 This is a quick post about making driver packages in SCCM 2012. When making driver packages, organization is key. Folder Layout. Your default folder layout for SCCM should look something like this, Sccm source$. HP driver packages for SCCM HP have finally released a tool to make it easier to obtain full driver packs for their hardware. In the past we have had to individually download each driver manually from the HP website, this was very painful and time consuming.

Applies to: System Center Configuration Manager (Current Branch)

Configuration Manager provides a driver catalog that you can use to manage the Windows device drivers in your Configuration Manager environment. Use the driver catalog to import device drivers into Configuration Manager, to group them in packages, and to distribute those packages to distribution points. Device drivers can be used when you install the full OS on the destination computer and when you use Windows PE in a boot image. Windows device drivers consist of a setup information (INF) file and any additional files that are required to support the device. When you deploy an OS, Configuration Manager obtains the hardware and platform information for the device from its INF file.

Driver categories

When you import device drivers, you can assign the device drivers to a category. Device driver categories help group similarly used device drivers together in the driver catalog. For example, set all network adapter device drivers to a specific category. Then, when you create a task sequence that includes the Auto Apply Drivers step, specify a category of device drivers. Configuration Manager then scans the hardware and selects the applicable drivers from that category to stage on the system for Windows Setup to use.

Driver packages

Group similar device drivers in packages to help streamline OS deployments. For example, create a driver package for each computer manufacturer on your network. You can create a driver package when importing drivers into the driver catalog directly in the Driver Packages node. After you create a driver package, distribute it to distribution points. Then Configuration Manager client computers can install the drivers as required.

Consider the following points:

When you create a driver package, the source location of the package must point to an empty network share that's not used by another driver package. The SMS Provider must have Full control permissions to that location.
When you add device drivers to a driver package, Configuration Manager copies it to the package source location. You can add to a driver package only device drivers that you've imported and that are enabled in the driver catalog.
You can copy a subset of the device drivers from an existing driver package. First, create a new driver package. Then add the subset of device drivers to the new package, and then distribute the new package to a distribution point.
When you use task sequences to install drivers, create driver packages that contain less than 500 device drivers.

Create a driver package

Important

To create a driver package, you must have an empty network folder that's not used by another driver package. In most cases, create a new folder before you start this procedure.

In the Configuration Manager console, go to the Software Library workspace. Expand Operating Systems, and then select the Driver Packages node.
On the Home tab of the ribbon, in the Create group, select Create Driver Package.
Specify a descriptive Name for the driver package.
Enter an optional Comment for the driver package. Use this description to provide information about the contents or the purpose of the driver package.
In the Path box, specify an empty source folder for the driver package. Each driver package must use a unique folder. This path is required as a network location.
Important
The site server account must have Full control permissions to the specified source folder.

The new driver package doesn't contain any drivers. The next step adds drivers to the package.

If the Driver Packages node contains several packages, you can add folders to the node to separate the packages into logical groups.

Additional actions for driver packages

You can do additional actions to manage driver packages when you select one or more driver packages from the Driver Packages node.

Create Prestage Content file

Creates files that you can use to manually import content and its associated metadata. Use prestaged content when you have low network bandwidth between the site server and the distribution points where the driver package is stored.

Delete

Removes the driver package from the Driver Packages node.

Distribute Content

Distributes the driver package to distribution points, distribution point groups, and distribution point groups that are associated with collections.

Manage Access Accounts

Adds, modifies, or removes access accounts for the driver package.

For more information about package access accounts, see Accounts used in Configuration Manager.

Move

Moves the driver package to another folder in the Driver Packages node.

Update Distribution Points

Updates the device driver package on all the distribution points where the package is stored. This action copies only the content that has changed after the last time it was distributed.

Properties

Opens the Properties dialog box. Review and change the content and properties of the driver. For example, change the name and description of the driver, enable or disable it, and specify on which platforms it can run.

Starting in version 1810, driver packages have metadata fields for Manufacturer and Model. Use these fields to tag driver packages with information to assist in general housekeeping, or to identify old and duplicate drivers that you can delete. On the General tab, select an existing value from the drop-down lists, or enter a string to create a new entry.

In the Driver Packages node, these fields display in the list as the Driver Manufacturer and Driver Model columns. They can also be used as search criteria.

Starting in version 1906, use these attributes to pre-cache content on a client. For more information, see Configure pre-cache content.

Device drivers

Hp Driver Pack Sccm 2012 Training

You can install drivers on destination computers without including them in the OS image that is deployed. Configuration Manager provides a driver catalog that contains references to all the drivers that you import into Configuration Manager. The driver catalog is located in the Software Library workspace and consists of two nodes: Drivers and Driver Packages. The Drivers node lists all the drivers that you've imported into the driver catalog.

Import device drivers into the driver catalog

Before you can use a driver when you deploy an OS, import it into the driver catalog. To better manage them, import only the drivers that you plan to install as part of your OS deployments. Store multiple versions of drivers in the catalog to provide an easy way to upgrade existing drivers when hardware device requirements change on your network.

As part of the import process for the device driver, Configuration Manager reads the following properties about the driver:

Provider
Class
Version
Signature
Supported hardware
Supported platform information

By default, the driver is named after the first hardware device that it supports. You can rename the device driver later. The supported platforms list is based on the information in the INF file of the driver. Because the accuracy of this information can vary, manually verify that the driver is supported after you import it into the catalog.

After you import device drivers into the catalog, add them to driver packages or boot image p