For the first time Microsoft has rolled-out an update to an operating system as an application. Users can go from Windows 8.0 to Windows 8.1 by going to the Windows Store and download the update. In an enterprise with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager (SCCM 2012), administrators can easily upgrade hundreds or thousands of Windows 8.0 computers to Windows 8.1. You don't need to worry about migrating operating system settings and user data.
You can use the standard "push" method to deploy Windows 8.1 using SCCM by pushing the update at a specified schedule. Admins can also use the "pull" method and make the Windows 8.1 Update "application" available in the SCCM Company Portal (a Web portal), where users can go and "pull" it at their convenience.
Both SCCM 2012 R2 and SCCM 2012 SP1 support both methods but Cumulative Update 3 (CU3) is needed for SCCM 2012 SP1 (see SCCM OSD support matrix below, which I obtained from a Microsoft session in Tech-Ed 2014). See this Microsoft article if you are using SCCM 2012 SP1 CU3.
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Also see this: Which version of SCCM you need to deploy a particular version of Windows.
Deploying an application using SCCM 2012 is easy (see this NETvNext article for step-by-step instructions). To deploy the Windows 8.1 update, you would use the standard Windows 8.1 image (WIM file), not a custom image. The command for the program to run is setup.exe /auto:upgrade as illustrated below.
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This is the method that Microsoft used to upgrade systems from Windows 8.0 to Windows 8.1, and they shared their experience here:
You can use the standard "push" method to deploy Windows 8.1 using SCCM by pushing the update at a specified schedule. Admins can also use the "pull" method and make the Windows 8.1 Update "application" available in the SCCM Company Portal (a Web portal), where users can go and "pull" it at their convenience.
Both SCCM 2012 R2 and SCCM 2012 SP1 support both methods but Cumulative Update 3 (CU3) is needed for SCCM 2012 SP1 (see SCCM OSD support matrix below, which I obtained from a Microsoft session in Tech-Ed 2014). See this Microsoft article if you are using SCCM 2012 SP1 CU3.
Also see this: Which version of SCCM you need to deploy a particular version of Windows.
Deploying an application using SCCM 2012 is easy (see this NETvNext article for step-by-step instructions). To deploy the Windows 8.1 update, you would use the standard Windows 8.1 image (WIM file), not a custom image. The command for the program to run is setup.exe /auto:upgrade as illustrated below.
This is the method that Microsoft used to upgrade systems from Windows 8.0 to Windows 8.1, and they shared their experience here: