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What Configuration Manager 2103 was
Often called SCCM, Configuration Manager, or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, the product uses a year-and-month naming scheme for Current Branch releases. Version 2103 refers to the March 2021 release cycle; it did not mean a release in the year 2103. Microsoft announced global availability on April 19, 2021. The 2103 release notes describe it as an in-console update.
An in-console update is delivered through the existing site’s Updates and Servicing workflow. Baseline media is installation media that can be used for a new installation or to establish a baseline for upgrading. A hotfix addresses particular issues after a release; it is not the same thing as the feature update. Microsoft’s servicing documentation describes these update mechanisms and release lifecycle: Updates and servicing.
Should you install 2103?
No, not for a new production rollout in 2026. Support for 2103 ended October 19, 2022. Current Branch releases have an 18-month support lifecycle, and an unsupported release should be upgraded to a supported one before regular assisted support resumes. Check Microsoft’s supported Current Branch versions and servicing information when choosing a production target; availability changes over time.
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The historical procedure may still be useful in a lab, during a recovery exercise, for old-environment documentation, or when investigating a frozen compatibility environment. A hierarchy’s ability to install 2103 does not make it a suitable or supported destination today. Do not apply 2103-era operating-system, SQL, ADK, console, or client guidance to a modern release without checking that release’s documentation.
Which source versions could upgrade to 2103?
Microsoft’s 2103 release documentation said the update could be applied to sites running Configuration Manager version 1910 or later. That is a historical rule for the 2103 update, not a current upgrade-path rule. The versions available when the 2103-era procedure was written included 1910, 2002, 2006, and 2010. A much older hierarchy, or one targeting a current release, may require an intermediate update or a different plan. See Microsoft’s 2103 notes before treating any source as eligible.
2103 site and component versions
These are historical identifiers for 2103, not recommended versions for a current environment. The site version is distinct from the client and console versions; upgrading one does not mean every endpoint or administrator console has already been updated.
| Component | 2103 version |
|---|---|
| Full site version | 5.00.9049.1000 |
| Site build | 9049 |
| Configuration Manager client | 5.00.9049.1008 |
| Admin console | 5.2103.1059.1700 |
The values are reported in this historical 2103 upgrade guide. Confirm the installed site version in site properties and the console version in the console’s About dialog rather than inferring either from the client build. Microsoft’s servicing page lists the 2103 product version as 5.00.9049: Configuration Manager updates.
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For 2103, install the update at the hierarchy’s top-tier site: the Central Administration Site (CAS), if the hierarchy has one, or the standalone Primary Site otherwise. The update then progresses through the hierarchy. Microsoft describes the 2103 servicing process in its 2103 update documentation.
Site health and servicing readiness
- Confirm every site’s version and that the hierarchy is eligible for the historical 2103 update.
- Check database replication, file-based replication, site-component status, and outstanding failures before starting.
- Confirm that the Service Connection Point is online for the normal online servicing route, and that the update has downloaded completely and is ready to install.
- Ensure the site backup is current and recovery steps are documented. Record site codes, roles, SQL hosts, current versions, secondary-site status, and replication health.
- Review available disk space, scheduled maintenance, critical Windows updates, and any pending reboot state. Choose a maintenance window appropriate to the size and condition of the hierarchy.
Licensing and software compatibility
- Verify the organization’s Configuration Manager licensing entitlement, such as active Software Assurance or applicable subscription rights. The wizard may ask you to confirm the Software Assurance expiration date. See Microsoft’s 2103 installation checklist and branch guidance.
- For the 2103-era environment, the cited upgrade guidance identifies Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, and 2019 as relevant site-server operating systems. This is historical, role- and release-specific guidance, not a current support matrix. Check the target release’s requirements instead of relying on these versions for a modern deployment. Historical 2103 compatibility guidance.
- Review the SQL Server version and edition at every site, service-pack level, SQL Native Client requirements, Always On availability-group configuration, and replica setup. Check secondary-site SQL Server Express versions too. The historical checklist flags SQL compatibility concerns but does not establish one universal SQL version for every hierarchy; validate against the appropriate Microsoft compatibility requirements.
- The 2103-era guide identifies Windows ADK 2004 as its supported ADK. Treat that as a historical compatibility detail. ADK and Windows PE matter particularly for operating-system deployment, boot-image servicing, and task sequences.
- Starting with 2103, the ConfigurationManager PowerShell module requires .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later. See Microsoft’s 2103 changes and PowerShell release notes.
Extensions, clients, and recovery planning
- Inventory Configuration Manager extensions, console add-ins, SDK-based tools, automation scripts, custom PowerShell modules, antivirus integrations, reporting extensions, and partner products. Confirm compatibility with 2103 before proceeding; Microsoft’s update checklist calls for reviewing third-party extensions and custom solutions.
- Back up customized files and custom solutions, document recovery steps, and check database replicas and Always On failover settings. Review antivirus exclusions and ensure they are not interfering with servicing.
- Prepare a client pilot or pre-production collection. Decide in advance how client updates will be validated and promoted; a site update does not mean every client has installed the new client.
Step 1: Find and download the update
- At the hierarchy’s top-tier site, open the Configuration Manager console and go to Administration > Updates and Servicing.
- Look for Configuration Manager 2103. If it is not listed, select Check for Updates and allow discovery to complete.
- Wait for the update package to download. Confirm that its state indicates it is ready to install before proceeding.
Configuration Manager distributes Current Branch updates through Updates and Servicing; see Microsoft’s servicing overview. If 2103 does not appear, check eligibility and the Service Connection Point before trying anything unsupported. Do not force an ineligible package into a hierarchy.
Step 2: Run and resolve the prerequisite check
- In Administration > Updates and Servicing, right-click the 2103 update and select Run prerequisite check.
- Track progress in the console, then inspect
ConfigMgrPrereq.logon the site server. - Resolve errors, investigate warnings in the context of your environment, and document any accepted risk through the normal change process.
- After remediation, run the check again and confirm the result before starting installation.
Large or unhealthy hierarchies can take hours to propagate update content and finish checks; the duration depends on site count, replication, and infrastructure health, not on a published fixed service time. Schedule the check early enough to investigate findings without compressing the maintenance window. The log and console workflow are covered in the historical 2103 procedure and step-by-step guide.
Do not normally choose an option that ignores prerequisite settings and installs despite missing requirements. Bypassing a check can turn a known compatibility or health problem into an outage or unsupported state. Treat it only as an exceptional, documented decision with appropriate approval and a recovery plan.
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Step 3: Install the update
- When the prerequisite check has completed and you have addressed its findings, right-click Configuration Manager 2103 and select Install Update.
- Review the wizard’s prerequisite and licensing pages, accept the license terms and privacy statement, and select only the features your change plan calls for.
- Choose the client-update behavior: use pre-production validation and promote after testing, or deploy directly to production only if your change plan justifies it.
- Review the summary carefully and start installation at the top-tier site. Keep the console available for status monitoring.
A CAS removal is not a routine part of this update. Although removing a CAS became a non-pre-release feature in 2103, doing so is a hierarchy redesign that needs separate capacity, reporting, replication, administration, and recovery analysis. Do not combine it casually with a production update; see Microsoft’s 2103 feature notes.
Step 4: Monitor update progress and logs
Use Monitoring > Updates and Servicing Status, then select the update’s Show Status view. Typical stages include download, replication, prerequisite checking, installation, post-installation processing, and secondary-site work where applicable.
| Log | Use |
|---|---|
ConfigMgrPrereq.log |
Review prerequisite-check findings and progress. |
CMUpdate.log |
Investigate servicing and update installation activity. |
hman.log |
Check site hierarchy and update-related processing. |
DMPDownloader.log |
Investigate update discovery and download activity. |
Log locations depend on the site-server installation and version. Use Microsoft’s Configuration Manager log-files reference to confirm paths; do not assume a particular drive letter. Correlate timestamps across logs and site-component status. The earliest infrastructure failure may be more useful than the final error surfaced by the update process.
Step 5: Update consoles, clients, and boot images
Administrator consoles
Update the console on the site server and remote administrator workstations, then confirm the installed version in the console’s About dialog. Do not assume old-console compatibility from a historical observation: the 2103 guide reports an n-1 console could connect in that scenario, but that is not a universal rule for other versions. Check Microsoft’s guidance for the release actually installed.
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Use the selected client-update strategy. For a pilot, verify policy retrieval, hardware inventory, software distribution, compliance, and endpoint-protection behavior before expanding deployment. The site upgrade, client-update policy, and client installation are separate events; verify client versions on devices rather than assuming they upgraded automatically.
Boot images and distribution points
- Update the relevant boot images after the site upgrade.
- Redistribute the updated images to distribution points using the console’s distribution-point update action.
- Test PXE boot and task-sequence scenarios, including any deployment workflows that rely on Windows PE.
A default boot image can continue to contain older client binaries until it is updated and redistributed. The historical 2103 guide describes this behavior: 2103 upgrade procedure. Microsoft also recommends updating clients after a site update so new functionality is available: 2103 release notes.
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Step 6: Validate the hierarchy after installation
Do not treat the wizard’s completion state as the end of the change. Validate the site, supporting roles, clients, and deployment paths that your organization depends on. Microsoft’s post-update checklist provides release-specific follow-up.
- Confirm site version and build, and verify the console version separately.
- Check site-component status, database replication, file replication, and secondary-site status.
- Verify management-point and distribution-point health, boundary groups, content location, and content availability.
- Test client policy retrieval, application deployment, software-update synchronization, reporting, and compliance workflows.
- Test operating-system deployment, boot-image distribution, PXE, and relevant task sequences.
- If used, validate Cloud Management Gateway behavior, certificates, HTTPS or enhanced HTTP communication, and monitoring alerts.
- Confirm that a new site backup has completed successfully.
Troubleshooting common upgrade problems
2103 does not appear in Updates and Servicing
Check the current site version and historical eligibility, the Service Connection Point’s online status, and whether discovery or download has completed. Review DMPDownloader.log and hman.log, then select Check for Updates and allow time for the servicing components to work. Repair the underlying issue rather than forcing an unsupported package into the hierarchy. See the Microsoft servicing overview.
Download is stuck
Check free space on the update-content drive, connectivity to Microsoft endpoints, Service Connection Point health, and DMPDownloader.log. Review whether proxy inspection or antivirus is interfering. Do not delete update payloads unless a documented Microsoft recovery procedure calls for it. The historical procedure discusses these download checks: 2103 upgrade guide.
Prerequisite check stays in progress
Inspect Updates and Servicing Status and ConfigMgrPrereq.log; check replication and component health, and determine whether the top-tier site is waiting on a child site. Do not start a second installation while the first servicing operation is active. Hierarchy size and health affect duration; there is no fixed time that applies to every site.
Installation fails during site setup
Correlate CMUpdate.log, hman.log, site-component status, and timestamps. Check SQL connectivity and permissions, replication, free disk space, antivirus interference, pending reboots, extensions, certificates, and communication configuration. Identify and address the earliest underlying infrastructure failure instead of treating the last logged error as automatically causal.
A secondary site does not update
Check its status in the console after the primary or CAS update. A pre-existing secondary site may require a manual update action; Microsoft’s 2103 console hotfix documentation describes this condition. Follow the documented action only after confirming that it applies to the site: KB9833643.
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Console issues appear after upgrade
Microsoft published the 2103 console hotfix KB9833643 for issues including task-sequence import failures, missing Windows 10 servicing-dashboard data, and New-CMBootableMedia errors involving the Configuration Manager UI installation directory. This is a targeted troubleshooting branch, not a mandatory step for every installation. Review applicability and installation instructions in Microsoft’s hotfix article.
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Clients, content, or task sequences fail
Check whether the client rollout began before site validation, whether devices still use an older client, and whether content has reached distribution points. Also review policy backlog, incompatible extensions, certificate and communication settings, boot-image client binaries, and user-state encryption settings. Isolate the issue with the pilot collection before widening deployment.
2103-specific changes to account for
HTTP communication warning
2103 added a warning for sites allowing unencrypted HTTP client communication without enhanced HTTP. It was a signal to plan a move toward HTTPS-only or Configuration Manager-generated certificates for HTTP site systems, not proof that every site had to convert every role immediately to PKI HTTPS. The right design depends on site-system roles, client communication, certificates, Internet-based management, and the target release. Consult current Microsoft security and configuration guidance before changing a live site. 2103 change notes.
Deprecated Azure Monitor connector
The 2103 prerequisite check added a warning for the deprecated Log Analytics/Azure Monitor connector used to synchronize collections. Inventory any use and plan its removal or replacement instead of treating the warning as irrelevant. Microsoft’s 2103 notes.
PowerShell help and module behavior
Microsoft documented a known issue involving updateable PowerShell help around the 2010-to-2103 transition. In the affected scenario, update the site to 2103 before refreshing local help content. Review the 2103 PowerShell release notes alongside the release changes.
AES-256 and user-state scenarios
Microsoft documented changes involving the highest supported encryption algorithm, AES-256, for relevant task-sequence and user-state scenarios. Later checklists warn that updated clients may fail to restore user state if encryption algorithms differ. Before broad client deployment, test the specific USMT, task-sequence, encryption-setting, and client-version combinations used in your environment. See the 2103 change notes and the later 2203 checklist.
When this historical procedure is not the right plan
If the goal is to upgrade a production hierarchy in 2026, stop before selecting 2103. Identify the latest Current Branch release supported for your organization, then check its supported source versions, operating systems, SQL and ADK compatibility, licensing, and servicing instructions. A path that was valid for 2103 does not establish a direct path to a newer release. For broader strategic planning, Microsoft’s Current Branch guidance explains the branch model; use release-specific Microsoft documentation for the actual upgrade target.
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