The three most common uses for CM are patching, software distribution, and OS deployment. This chapter will cover software distribution including the new application model as well as the newly revamped software update management methods. Both are a major departure from the previous versions of SMS and CM07.
Like CM07, CM12 can still make use of Packages and Programs. But now there are also Applications and Deployment Types to give us the power of the new Application Model. The new Application Model treats software in a stateful manner, just as if it were a software update.
Global Conditions are also a key concept to application deployment in CM12, which help you deliver software, and make decisions at installation time to install the appropriate version of the software (for example, full .msi-based installation versus App-V, or x86 versus x64, and so on). You can create a Simulated Deployment that will tell you the answers to the "What If?" – like how many systems would install...