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Important: Configuration Manager 1902 (version 5.00.8790) is no longer supported. Microsoft lists its release date as March 27, 2019, and its support end date as September 27, 2020. For a new production hierarchy, Microsoft recommends installing the latest baseline and then staying current with in-console updates. This guide preserves the 1902 installation entry point for historical labs, reproduction, or legacy troubleshooting—not as a recommendation to deploy 1902 today.
Should you install Configuration Manager 1902?
Use 1902 only when you have a specific reason to reproduce or maintain a historical environment, and first confirm that your intended use and licensing allow it. Microsoft’s current guidance is to use the latest baseline when installing the first site in a new hierarchy, then use in-console updates to move forward. Baseline media is not a way to keep an installed hierarchy current. See Microsoft’s updates and servicing guidance and its branch guidance.
Microsoft says current branch is licensed for production use under qualifying licenses. Its evaluation edition is available for 180 days and can later be upgraded to licensed current branch; verify the terms that apply to your organization in Microsoft’s branch guidance.
Baseline media, in-console updates, and CD.Latest
A baseline is installation media for the first site in a new hierarchy. Configuration Manager 1902 was marked as a baseline, so it could be used for that purpose when it was current. That historical status does not make 1902 an appropriate baseline now.
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For an existing hierarchy, use in-console updates to upgrade and service the deployment. Microsoft states that CD.Latest files can support site recovery and installation of additional sites after the hierarchy no longer runs a baseline, but CD.Latest cannot install the first site in a new hierarchy. A top-level site update installs to child primary sites automatically, subject to service windows; update secondary sites manually from the console. Details are in Microsoft’s updates and servicing documentation.
Where to get SCCM baseline media
Microsoft directs eligible Configuration Manager volume-license customers to the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) for baseline source media. Depending on the portal, search results may use labels such as Microsoft Configmgr (current branch), System Center Datacenter, or System Center Standard. Evaluation media is offered through the Evaluation Center.
Access to historical 1902 media may depend on your organization’s entitlement and portal access; the available Microsoft guidance does not confirm that it remains downloadable for every customer. License holders using EMS, Microsoft 365, or CSP should consult Microsoft’s Product and Licensing FAQ rather than assume the VLSC route applies.
Plan the hierarchy before running setup
Decide whether you are installing a central administration site (CAS) or primary site, and whether this is a new hierarchy or an addition to an existing one. Review Microsoft’s guidance for hierarchy design, site prerequisites, and the site installation process. Check the release notes and run prerequisite checks for the version and topology you intend to use.
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For expansion of an existing hierarchy—such as adding a CAS to a standalone primary site or adding a child primary site—Microsoft says the source files should match the version already running at the existing site or sites. Do not use 1902 media to add a site to a hierarchy running a different version.
Current general setup documentation does not establish the complete 1902-era requirements or every 1902 wizard choice. Verify supported operating systems, SQL Server versions, sizing, account rights, ports, and prerequisite-checker outcomes against archived 1902 documentation and the actual topology. Do not substitute today’s requirements for version-specific values.
Start the primary-site or CAS installation
On the computer intended to host the site, mount or extract the installation media and run this executable:
<InstallationMedia>SMSSETUPBINX64Setup.exe
This is the documented entry point for the Configuration Manager Setup Wizard used to install a primary site or CAS. The source documentation establishes the launch command, but not every 1902 screen or default, so follow the version-specific procedure rather than assuming current wizard options are identical.
Install a secondary site from the console
A secondary site is not installed by launching the same setup wizard on its server. Microsoft’s general guidance starts secondary-site installation from the Configuration Manager console. It also states that secondary-site installation does not support scripted command-line installation. Use the matching-version source files and the appropriate console procedure for the hierarchy.
Run prerequisite checks and complete the scenario-specific procedure
- Confirm the scenario. Identify the target as a CAS, primary site, or secondary site, and determine whether the hierarchy is new or existing.
- Verify media and version. For a new hierarchy, use a suitable baseline; for an added site, match the source version to the existing hierarchy.
- Review prerequisites. Check the release-specific requirements, hierarchy plan, and release notes for the target configuration.
- Run the prerequisite checker. Resolve blocking issues before committing to installation.
- Follow the matching procedure. Use the setup wizard for a CAS or primary site, and the Configuration Manager console for a secondary site.
There is no universal correct choice for CAS versus standalone primary, SQL placement, service accounts, or ports: those depend on topology and version-specific requirements. The documented general installation entry point is useful, but it is not a substitute for a 1902-specific prerequisite matrix.
Understand the support lifecycle
Microsoft’s current branch servicing model gives each update version an 18-month support lifecycle from general availability. The latest version receives security and critical updates; after a newer version is released, older versions receive security updates only for the rest of their lifecycle. Once the lifecycle expires, support ends. The version table lists September 27, 2020, as Configuration Manager 1902’s support end date. Check Microsoft’s current version and servicing information for release status, which changes over time.
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