1. Project Overview

1.1 Background

Managing hardware health, diagnostics, and support for a fleet of Dell business computers presents significant operational challenges. Without a centralized solution, IT teams must manually address hardware issues, resulting in increased downtime, reactive support workflows, and reduced productivity across the organization.

1.2 The Problem

• Reactive Support Model: Hardware issues discovered only after failures occur
• Manual Diagnostics: IT staff must physically access devices to run diagnostics
• Inconsistent Coverage: Support agents not installed uniformly across devices
• Limited Visibility: No centralized dashboard to monitor fleet health
• Support Overhead: High volume of manual support tickets

1.3 The Solution

This project implements an automated, enterprise-wide deployment of Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs using Microsoft Intune as the deployment platform.

1.4 Key Features Deployed

2. Objectives

2.1 Primary Objectives

1. Deploy Dell SupportAssist to 100% of Dell business devices
2. Eliminate manual installation through Intune Win32 app packaging
3. Ensure proper dependency management with .NET 8.0 Runtime
4. Enable proactive hardware monitoring across the fleet
5. Integrate with Dell TechDirect for centralized management

2.2 Success Criteria

3. Architecture & Design

3.1 Deployment Workflow

Three-Part Deployment Process: PART A: Create deployment package using Dell Deployment Package Manager ↓ PART B: Prepare files and create .intunewin package ↓ PART C: Configure and deploy via Microsoft Intune

3.2 Component Dependencies

4. Prerequisites

4.1 Administrative Requirements

4.2 Technical Requirements

5. Tools & Technologies

6. Part A: Creating the Deployment Package

Using Dell SupportAssist Deployment Package Manager

Step 1: Download Activation File from TechDirect

Before using the Deployment Package Manager, download an activation file:

1. Navigate to https://techdirect.dell.com
2. Sign in with your Dell business account
3. Navigate to: Connect and manage → Manage PC Fleet → Setup and connect → Download → Activation File
4. Download and save the activation file

Step 2: Launch Deployment Package Manager - Welcome

Open the Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs - Deployment Package Manager application.

The Welcome screen displays the wizard navigation:

• Welcome
• Activation
• Deployment mode
• Software add-ons
• Proxy
• Output
• Summary

Action: Click Next to proceed.

Step 3: Activation - Import Activation File

On the Activation screen:

1. Click Browse to locate your activation file
2. Select the file downloaded from TechDirect
3. Click Validate activation file

If validation fails: "Invalid activation file. Make sure to import a valid file before trying again." Re-download the activation file from TechDirect.

Step 4: Activation - Successful Validation

Once validated, you'll see:

"Activation file was successfully validated."

Action: Click Next to proceed.

Step 5: Software Add-ons - Central Resource Manager

Configure optional components:

Central Resource Manager 4.9.0.40923

• Provides secure BIOS password storage for your PC fleet
• Required for automated BIOS updates via SupportAssist
• Compatible with x64-based systems only

Options:

• ○ I want to download
• ○ I don't want to download
• ○ I want to update the existing configuration

Additional component: Dell Trusted Device 7.1.4 (optional)

Step 6: Configure Central Resource Manager (If Selected)

If you selected "I want to download":

Important: Document your seed value securely - needed for BIOS password recovery.

Step 7: Proxy Configuration (Optional)

Configure proxy settings if your organization uses a proxy server.

Expandable sections:

• Dell SupportAssist for Business PCs
• Central Resource Manager

Note: Skip this step if your organization doesn't use a proxy.

Step 8: Output - Select File Format

Choose the deployment package format:

For Microsoft Intune deployment, select: Windows Installer Setup Transform (MST)

Step 9: Output - Select Save Location

1. Click Browse to choose save location
2. Select or create a folder
3. Click Generate output

Step 10: Package Generation Progress

The wizard downloads and prepares all components:

Step 11: Summary - Package Generated

"Your SupportAssist deployment package was successfully generated."

Actions:

• Click View to open output folder
• Click Finish to close wizard

Step 12: Verify Generated Package Contents

Navigate to your output folder and verify all files:

7. Part B: Deploy .NET 8.0 Runtime (Standalone)

Prerequisite: Microsoft .NET 8.0 Desktop Runtime

⚠️ Important: .NET 8.0 must be deployed as a separate Win32 app BEFORE deploying SupportAssist.

Step 13: Prepare .NET 8.0 Source Files

# Create .NET 8.0 directory structure
New-Item -Path "E:\IntuneApps\DotNet8\Source" -ItemType Directory -Force
New-Item -Path "E:\IntuneApps\DotNet8\Output" -ItemType Directory -Force

# Copy .NET installer from generated SupportAssist package
Copy-Item "...\X64\windowsdesktop-runtime-8.0.19-win-x64.exe" -Destination "E:\IntuneApps\DotNet8\Source\"

Step 14: Package .NET 8.0 for Intune

cd E:\IntuneApps
IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c "E:\IntuneApps\DotNet8\Source" -s "windowsdesktop-runtime-8.0.19-win-x64.exe" -o "E:\IntuneApps\DotNet8\Output" -q

Expected: windowsdesktop-runtime-8.0.19-win-x64.intunewin (~55-60 MB)

Step 15: Upload .NET 8.0 to Intune

1. Navigate to https://intune.microsoft.com
2. Go to: Apps → All apps → + Add
3. Select: Windows app (Win32)
4. Upload: windowsdesktop-runtime-8.0.19-win-x64.intunewin

Step 16: Configure .NET 8.0 App Information

Step 17: Configure .NET 8.0 Program Settings

Step 18: Configure .NET 8.0 Requirements

Step 19: Configure .NET 8.0 Detection Rules

Step 20: Configure .NET 8.0 Assignments

1. Under Required, click + Add group
2. Select: All Devices or your device group
3. End user notifications: Hide all toast notifications

Note: Deploy .NET 8.0 to ALL devices (not just Dell) as it's a common prerequisite.

Step 21: Verify .NET 8.0 Deployment

Monitor deployment and verify installation:

# Check if .NET 8.0 is installed dotnet --list-runtimes | Select-String "Microsoft.WindowsDesktop.App 8.0"

8. Part C: Prepare SupportAssist Files for Intune

Creating the .intunewin Package

Step 22: Create Working Directory

$basePath = "E:\IntuneApps\SupportAssist"
$folders = @("Source", "Output", "Scripts", "Logs")

foreach ($folder in $folders) {
    $path = Join-Path $basePath $folder
    New-Item -Path $path -ItemType Directory -Force
}

Step 23: Copy Required Files

$sourcePath = "...\SupportAssist\X64"
$destPath = "E:\IntuneApps\SupportAssist\Source"

$files = @(
    "SupportAssistInstaller-x64.msi",
    "SupportAssistConfiguration.mst",
    "BASE.cab",
    "CORE.cab",
    "FULL.cab",
    "HWDIAGS.cab",
    "INSIGHTS.cab",
    "RAAS.cab"
)

foreach ($file in $files) {
    Copy-Item "$sourcePath\$file" -Destination $destPath -Force
}

Step 24: Download IntuneWinAppUtil

$url = "https://github.com/Microsoft/Microsoft-Win32-Content-Prep-Tool/raw/master/IntuneWinAppUtil.exe"
$output = "E:\IntuneApps\IntuneWinAppUtil.exe"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -OutFile $output

Step 25: Create .intunewin Package

cd C:\IntuneApps
IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c "E:\IntuneApps\SupportAssist\Source" -s "SupportAssistInstaller-x64.msi" -o "E:\IntuneApps\SupportAssist\Output" -q

Expected: SupportAssistInstaller-x64.intunewin (~300-500 MB)

9. Part D: Configure SupportAssist in Microsoft Intune

Win32 App Deployment

Step 26: Access Intune Admin Center

1. Open browser and navigate to: https://intune.microsoft.com
2. Sign in with administrator credentials

Step 27: Navigate to Apps

1. Click Apps in left navigation
2. Click All apps
3. Click + Add

Step 28: Select App Type

1. In "Select app type" panel
2. Select Windows app (Win32)
3. Click Select

Step 29: Upload Application Package

1. Click Select app package file
2. Browse to: C:\IntuneApps\SupportAssist\Output\
3. Select: SupportAssistInstaller-x64.intunewin
4. Ok

Step 30: Configure App Information

Step 31: Configure Program Settings (CRITICAL)

⚠️ Install Command - Most Important Step!

Install Command:

msiexec /i "SupportAssistInstaller-x64.msi" ADDLOCAL="BASE,CORE,FULL,HWDIAGS,INSIGHTS,RAAS" TRANSFORMS="SupportAssistConfiguration.mst" DEPLOYMENTKEY="XXXXXXXX" SOURCE=TechDirect /norestart /qn /l+ "%TEMP%\SupportAssist_Install.log"

Uninstall Command:

msiexec /x "{F883F4A3-B6A9-40E8-907E-40B91097982E}" /qn

Step 32: Configure Requirements

Custom Requirement - Dell Devices Only:

Create Require-DellDevice.ps1:

try {
    $manufacturer = (Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_ComputerSystem).Manufacturer
    if ($manufacturer -like "*Dell*") {
        Write-Output "Dell device detected"
        exit 0
    } else {
        Write-Output "Not a Dell device"
        exit 1
    }
} catch {
    exit 1
}

Step 33: Configure Detection Rules

Step 34: Configure Dependencies

1. Click + Add under Dependencies
2. Select: Microsoft .NET 8.0 Desktop Runtime (x64)
3. Dependency type: Detect
4. Auto-install: Yes

Step 35: Configure Supersedence (Optional)

If replacing older SupportAssist version, add supersedence rule. Otherwise skip.

Step 36: Configure Assignments

Pilot Deployment:

1. Under Required, click + Add group
2. Select pilot group (e.g., IT-Pilot-Dell-Devices)

Production Rollout:

Step 37: Review and Create

1. Review all settings
2. Verify install command
3. Confirm dependencies
4. Click Create

Step 38: Monitor Deployment

1. Navigate to: Apps → All apps → Dell SupportAssist
2. Click Device install status
3. Review progress and failures

· Dependency type: Detect

· Auto-install: Yes

Step 24: Configure Assignments

Pilot Deployment:

1. Under Required, click + Add group
2. Select pilot group (e.g., IT-Pilot-Dell-Devices)

Production Rollout Schedule:

9. Security & Governance

9.1 Data Protection

10. Testing & Validation

Verification Commands

# Check installation
Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Product | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*SupportAssist*" }

# Check service
Get-Service -Name "SupportAssistAgent"

# View logs
Get-Content "$env:TEMP\SupportAssist_Install.log" -Tail 50

Validation Checklist

• Installation shows success in Intune
• SupportAssistAgent service is running
• Device appears in TechDirect console
• Hardware diagnostics can be executed

11. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Log Locations

12. Quick Reference

Install Command

msiexec /i "SupportAssistInstaller-x64.msi" ADDLOCAL="BASE,CORE,FULL,HWDIAGS,INSIGHTS,RAAS" TRANSFORMS="SupportAssistConfiguration.mst" /norestart /qn /l*v "%TEMP%\SupportAssistInstall.log"

Deployment Checklist

• Downloaded activation file from TechDirect
• Ran Dell Deployment Package Manager
• Validated activation file
• Configured Central Resource Manager (if needed)
• Selected MST output format
• Generated deployment package
• Verified all files in output
• Deployed .NET 8.0 Runtime
• Created .intunewin package
• Uploaded to Intune
• Configured install command
• Set up detection rules
• Added .NET 8.0 dependency
• Assigned to pilot group
• Monitored deployment
• Verified on test devices
• Expanded to production

Screenshot Reference

Part A: Dell Deployment Package Manager

Part B: .NET 8.0 Deployment

Part C & D: SupportAssist Intune Deployment