Dell Client Configuration Utility (DCCU) 3.0 allows client administrators to modify BIOS settings and perform BIOS upgrades on Dell Latitude, OptiPlex, and Precision models.The browser-based tool can be used to create an executable that you can deploy with any basic software distribution system. The compiled executables can set a large variety of BIOS settings on clients such as Wake On LAN, boot devices, wireless devices, and so on. This chat provides a discussion of changes from previous versions, including:

• New User Interface
• New BIOS upgrade options
• Additional BIOS settings now available
• Command-line options for all settings
• Executables now persistent

Technical Community - Background Reading

Dell Client Configuration Utility 3.0
Dell Client Management
Step-By-Step - How to enable Wake on LAN BIOS settings using Software Distribution and DCCU

Chat Transcript

DELL-ScottH	Hey guys! All these people just hanging out. What has this place come to? :-)
bjm	Hey
ron	I've got a fever.
DELL-ScottH	Ha ha. Official chat starts in about 39.24567 minutes
	DennisAbbott joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hey Dennis, just us geeks hanging out
DennisAbbott	Yes just testing this before we get started :-)
	ramseyg_Dell joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hey Greg :-)
ramseyg_Dell	Hey Blue :)
ramseyg_Dell	(Testing my clickability) on a link because I always mess this up. I *believe* that you right-click to open a link,. otherwise you get ejected from the chat
DELL-ScottH	Yup
ramseyg_Dell	Scott will set us right in a little while :)
ramseyg_Dell	http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/enable+wake+on+lan+with+dccu
	ramseyg_Dell left.
DennisAbbott	Oops, there he goes
	ramseyg_Dell joined.
ramseyg_Dell	Ha! but also, if you right-click, and you have to click the allow pop-ups, you get ejected too
DELL-ScottH	Can't tell your left from your right?
ramseyg_Dell	(testing again). .
ramseyg_Dell	http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/enable+wake+on+lan+with+dccu
ramseyg_Dell	Yes, that's the trick. If you right-click a link, and you get the IE notice for pop-up being blocked, and you hit Allow it refreshes your page, and you get ejected from the chat, but now that I have "always allow pop-ups from this site," it's working fine
ramseyg_Dell	(/test) :)
DELL-ScottH	Everybody have a great break and some time off? Oh and hook 'em horns!
ramseyg_Dell	My Buckeyes almost made it. I think they surprised a lot of Longhorns.
DennisAbbott	What is a Buckeye anyway?
DELL-ScottH	Yeah, what kind of mascot is that?
ron	It's a flower?
ramseyg_Dell	:) A tree. But we also make buckeye candy...very tasty. We'll save that for a chat on the food channel though
DennisAbbott	Longhorns eat flowers
	mtp joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hello mtp, Andrew, Bjm, Dennis, Depping, Francois, and helllooo Ron!
bjm	Hi
	mtp left.
DELL-ScottH	Seven minutes until the official chat starts. Dennis is leading today. Who thinks he needs a Twitter account?
	garyrm joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hello Gary
	jas joined.
garyrm	Howdy
ron	Yes he needs a Twitter account
DELL-ScottH	Hello Jas
DennisAbbott	...and I don't do Facebook either ::tongue
jas	Hello
	Mharal joined.
	mmurray joined.
DELL-ScottH	My wife told me I can't post photos to facebook; will crack my computer screen
DELL-ScottH	Hello mharal and mmurray
ramseyg_Dell	Feels like Twitter is hitting capacity or something crazy
mmurray	Hello
DELL-ScottH	Yeah, is picking up steam
	FrancoisRacine left.
	angie_dell joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hello Angie!
angie_dell	Hello Scott :)
	Donnie-Dell joined.
Donnie-Dell	Heya gang
DELL-ScottH	Hey Donnie!
angie_dell	There goes the neighborhood
DELL-ScottH	Three minutes to the start...get it all out
angie_dell	Happy New Year everyone! ::laugh
	Ed_A_SMS_MVP joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hello Ed
	BrianMason joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hello Brian
BrianMason	Hello!
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Hey! Looking forwardd to this
	mmurray left.
Donnie-Dell	Do we really need Ed and Brian? Make me an admin so I can kick them
DELL-ScottH	Play nice in the sandbox
	mmurray joined.
DennisAbbott	Howdy Ed
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Omg! Hey Dennis!
	Dell-RogerF joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hey Roger
DELL-ScottH	Alright, let’s get this thing kicked off
Dell-RogerF	Afternoon all
DELL-ScottH	Welcome all to the first of the year Dell TechCenter chat session. A few quick things. Right-click on all links, or you will get kicked out and we all laugh at you :-) Every session is recorded, and you can view the transcript at our main site to get all the links you missed. Today's session is on the Dell Client Configuration Utility 3.0
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Access transcript from the same URL as we used to join?
DELL-ScottH	Led by Dennis with his cohorts in crime, Greg, Angie, and Donnie
DELL-ScottH	Yes
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	<Closing notepad now!>
DELL-ScottH	Dennis, please introduce yourself and the team and get it going
DennisAbbott	Hi everyone, I am Dennis Abbott. I work in Dell's internal IT, focusing on client manageability and software distribution.
	Greg joined.
DELL-ScottH	And everyone ask questions and join in at any time; it is not rude to interrupt
DennisAbbott	We will shorten that to DCCU
	babernathy joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hello Greg. Just started. Use Action, Recent Room History to catch up
DennisAbbott	Let me throw out a link to the DCCU
	rodtrent joined.
DennisAbbott	ftp://ftp.dell.com/sysman/dccu_3.0_a01.exe
DELL-ScottH	Hello Rod!
	thomas_g joined.
	Jeff_R joined.
DELL-ScottH	Just started. Use Action, Recent Room History to catch up. Hello Thomas and Jeff too
DennisAbbott	You can also find the most recent version of the DCCU by going to support.dell.com and performing a search on "DCCU"
rodtrent	Hi hao
	thomas_g left.
	thomas_g joined.
DennisAbbott	The current release is 3.0 A01; older versions are out there, so watch out
	tommy joined.
Donnie-Dell	(Remember to right-click on links in the chat, or else it will boot you—for the late joiners)
	ron left.
	Greg left.
DennisAbbott	DCCU allows you to configure BIOS settings on Dell client systems including BIOS upgrades. We have two articles linked to the chat that walk through the various aspects as well
	Greg joined.
DELL-ScottH	Hello Tommy. Just started use Action, Recent Room History to catch up
ramseyg_Dell	Dennis, what is this DCCU? And how does it make my life easier?
DELL-ScottH	Yeah, why am I downloading all this stuff you linked to?
DennisAbbott	The DCCU can allow you to modify BIOS settings across thousands of assets when combined with your software distribution tool. For example, setting the Wake On LAN bit in the BIOS so that you can perform wakeups of powered-down systems. Most settings do not even require a reboot, so it is seamless and quiet to the end user. Another big plus is BIOS upgrades
rodtrent	BIOS upgrades sounds dangerous. Is there a fallback procedure?
DennisAbbott	Yes, the fallback is that the BIOS stays the same. New with DCCU is an option to disallow back revving the BIOS to an older version if a new version is already in place.
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Nice!
rodtrent	I'm guessing this works in conjunction/integrates with ConfigMgr?
BrianMason	I take it this works only for newer machines? Does it work for all servers too?
DennisAbbott	The one caveat with the BIOS upgrade is that it really needs a reboot at the time of deployment. DCCU can be used with any and all software dist tools
Donnie-Dell	Rod, it will work with any software distribution tool
DennisAbbott	It creates a simple executable that you execute
BrianMason	But of course works best with SCCM! :)
ramseyg_Dell	With the DCCU, you create an EXE, and then do what you wish
rodtrent	Cool. Is there custom inventory, or is ConfigMgr enough?
ramseyg_Dell	You can run it manually, psexec, batch, ConfigMgr, etc.
DennisAbbott	The DCCU will work on many older systems, but only clients: Latitude, Precision, and OptiPlex
thomas_g	With DCCU, will it work on Vostro's or not?
ramseyg_Dell	@brianmason: OptiPlex, Precision, and Latitude
DennisAbbott	I have used it on old Gx240s
ramseyg_Dell	Yeah, what Dennis said :)
Donnie-Dell	Brian, when I do the talk on the Dell Deployment Kit for ConfigMgr, we will cover BIOS and servers
	Dackerman joined.
DennisAbbott	It probably will work on Vostro; you should test first
	Henry joined.
thomas_g	Ok
DennisAbbott	Most of the settings are very generic, such as WOL. If the BIOS register does not exist then it does no harm
ramseyg_Dell	You can also use DCCU to change boot order, correct?
DennisAbbott	You can run this against an HP box and it does nothing
DennisAbbott	Yes, in fact the Boot Order screen in this version is much improved
DELL-ScottH	Hello, dackerman and Henry, use Action, Recent Room History to catch up on the chat, or the transcript will be posted tomorrow on same page
DennisAbbott	Very intuitive compared to early version
ramseyg_Dell	Looks like you can also create an EXE to force “Pxe on next boot”; could be helpful in OSD
DennisAbbott	Yes, the nice thing about the setting is that it is single use; it will revert back. Another big added feature is that there is a command-line setting now
	tommy left.
ramseyg_Dell	You can also enable/disable on-board devices, like NIC, sound, microphone
DennisAbbott	Therefore, DCCU is now sort of scriptable
DennisAbbott	Also disable USB
rodtrent	That's neat
Donnie-Dell	Lot easier than filling the USB ports with epoxy :)
ramseyg_Dell	Yea, so you can pass command-line arguments
DennisAbbott	The first time I used it years ago I turned on the internal speaker on all systems
rodtrent	What will an upgrade do against a machine it wasn't intended for? That is, wrong model
DennisAbbott	I also set the Auto-on for 7:00 am as a poor man’s wake up :-)
ramseyg_Dell	I see one that I haven't used yet—"password Bypass"—looks like you can set a "reboot bypass," "resume bypass,"...
DennisAbbott	It will release a non-zero exit code and do nothing. Yes, there are probably two dozen new BIOS attributes, and many are focused around new wireless features
jas	What is the BIOS inventory package?
DennisAbbott	If you are an XML junkie, Dell fully supports digging through the XML to discover all the properties
angie_dell	Has anyone released the links to the docs and the tool yet in this chat session?
DennisAbbott	This is outlined in the Help file. The install does include the docs: ftp://ftp.dell.com/sysman/dccu_3.0_a01.exe
jas	Ah, thanks. Found it
DennisAbbott	http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/dell+client+configuration+utility+3.0
Donnie-Dell	Link to the Techcenter System Center main area: http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/microsoft+system+center
ramseyg_Dell	http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/enable+wake+on+lan+with+dccu
DennisAbbott	And here is the walk-through for creating the WOL executable: http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/enable+wake+on+lan+with+dccu
rodtrent	Thanks guys! Gotta go
	rodtrent left.
jas	Thanks
	jas left.
DennisAbbott	If you have a password set on the BIOS you can still manage those assets, but it is much easier if it is a single password
thomas_g	I haven't yet brought up SCCM (still planning it out) but I am assuming that the DCCU has to be on the SCCM, or can it reside on a separate server?
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Hey, a few tips around deployment of DCCU agent I ran into that caused some aggravation...
DennisAbbott	It is completely standalone. No infrastructure
thomas_g	Thank you
DennisAbbott	You’re basically creating self-running scripts that load a driver on the fly
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	When deploying a new version (upgraded existing), and tried deploying a change to BIOS, it caused the client some issues
angie_dell	Although you can leverage SCCM to deploy the EXEs you create
	Henry left.
DennisAbbott	The driver is completely removed after running
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Resolution turned out to need to reboot the client after the new agent was installed, but before deploying a BIOS change to that client
	Henry joined.
DennisAbbott	The other alternative is the Open Manage Client Instrumentation, but that stays installed and you have to write WMI scripts to get the work done
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Installing agent *new* to a system, we could deploy a BIOS change without rebooting the post-agent install
	Andrew_Berges left.
DennisAbbott	Correct with OMCI; you have to get that driver enabled under WMI
ramseyg_Dell	(We'll have a couple of chats on OMCI soon)
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Can you explain briefly the difference between DCCU and OMCI?
DennisAbbott	OMCI is more flexible but adds some maintenance to the equation
ramseyg_Dell	If you don't want to leave a footprint, use DCCU
DennisAbbott	DCCU—on-the-fly, self-contained script
	Greg left.
DennisAbbott	OMCI—permanently install agent
ramseyg_Dell	But, you'll find a lot of interesting stuff with OMCI
Donnie-Dell	OMCI is the OpenManage Client Instrumentation. It is a bigger beast, putting settings in WMI, interfacing with SMBIOS, etc.
	mmurray left.
	gabrie joined.
Donnie-Dell	http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/using+omci+with+configmgr
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Ah, then my earlier comment around deploying "agent" was in fact OMCI and not DCCU...mea culpa...going silent now! :-)
ramseyg_Dell	After you’ve installed, you can modify the Sms_def.mof to inventory Dell-specific hardware information, and you can also write VB scripts to make the same kind of changes that you can with DCCU
Donnie-Dell	What Greg is talking about is in the link I just sent
gabrie	Yeah! I made it :-) Seemed to be wrong java-version installed :-)
DELL-ScottH	Hey Gab !
DennisAbbott	If you simply want to change a handful of settings, and you are not concerned with inventory, DCCU is the way to go—plus there is very little effort to get deployed
gabrie	Hi Scott
DELL-ScottH	Use Action, Recent Room History to catch up, or just ask all the "annoying" questions :-)
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Any chance either of these tools will ever attempt to set WOL settings on the NIC in addition to BIOS?
ramseyg_Dell	@Ed - :) That's a dream, but a good dream :)
DennisAbbott	Yes, it will even set WOL on wireless
gabrie	Ha ha ha okay :D
ramseyg_Dell	We are working with the OMCI team to get enhanced functionality
DennisAbbott	Or add in NICs, if they are instrumented properly. Good luck with that
angie_dell	Any platform limitations with OMCI
ramseyg_Dell	OMCI is supported on all business client systems: OptiPlex, Latitude, and Precision Workstation, same as DCCU. (Side note: I'm working on a SCUP install for OMCI; we'll have that chat in a couple of weeks.)
	thomas_g left.
DennisAbbott	One of the neat examples in the Help file is setting customer-specific asset tags into the BIOS by scripting DCCU—well worth a look if asset management is your cup of tea
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Now that is cool!
	dycus joined.
ramseyg_Dell	Yeah, and I think the command-line arguments are a great function because then you could use it during OSD process. (OSD=operating System Deployment)
	dycus left.
DennisAbbott	Yes, and with the command line you don't even need to make a new EXE; just tag it on the command line to your current deployment
Dackerman	A script to “automagically” enable WOL during OSD...I like the sound of that :)
	searles joined.
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	...Then boot to PXE
DennisAbbott	You don't need separate executables for multiple settings; the sky is the limit. With one EXE you can set WOL, PXE, asset tag, and turn off chassis intrusion notification
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Yeah, don’t forget that chassis intrusion bit!
Donnie-Dell	Especially when deployed OMCI, which defaults to alerting the local machine about chassis intrusion
	Todd joined.
DennisAbbott	I also noticed that we added quite a few attributes for our X1 tablet as well
DELL-ScottH	Hello Todd
DennisAbbott	XT
ramseyg_Dell	@donnie, we have a script to take care of that too :)
Donnie-Dell	Of course you do Greg, you have a script for everything :P
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Anything for my new HDTV? ::laugh
DennisAbbott	You can clear those BIOS logs in OSD as well
ramseyg_Dell	Is it a Dell HDTV? :) oops!
Donnie-Dell	Hah
DennisAbbott	Ed knows what a TV is?
searles	I thought he helped invent them
Donnie-Dell	He he
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	::laugh ::laugh 1080p all the way here!
	Neiljmorrow joined.
ramseyg_Dell	Dennis, where do you need to install DCCU? Any workstation? XP, Vista ok, right?
	Neiljmorrow left.
DennisAbbott	It specifies XP SP2, but I have it running just fine on Vista with no issue. You need .NET installed first: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=ab99342f-5d1a-413d-8319-81da479ab0d7&displaylang=en. The tool itself is very lightweight and is a very simple browser-based tool. Oh, if you can't find the item on your Start menu it is because it is listed under Altiris not Dell!
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Say what?
DennisAbbott	Altiris built and supports the tool. If you have Altiris Notification server you get a little more with reporting inventory using NSE files—that is about all though
	Todd left.
	Reed joined.
BrianMason	Altiris :(
Reed	Did I miss anything?
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Ok, I'm lost. What is found under Altiris?
ramseyg_Dell	Welcome Reed
DennisAbbott	DCCU is built by Altiris
ramseyg_Dell	Action, Recent Room History
Reed	Thanks
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Well, that was something I never knew!
DennisAbbott	It does not require notification server or any Altiris infrastructure
BrianMason	Can we hack out the name?
ramseyg_Dell	(Built by Altiris) and free from Dell
BrianMason	I'm serious too
ramseyg_Dell	Well, you could probably repackage it :)
DennisAbbott	This is our alternative for folks that don't want to deploy the Dell-branded full Notification Server.
BrianMason	I'm trying to kill Altiris, and those boys running it would have a good laugh if they saw us using it
DennisAbbott	You can rename the menu item :-)
	depping left.
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Ok, are we about done with the Secret Squirrel stuff here?
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Gotta run
DennisAbbott	It is a Dell-branded tool
DennisAbbott	Ok, see you later, Ed
Donnie-Dell	We know where to find ya, Ed. I think we are about done
DennisAbbott	Any other questions on DCCU? How it is used?
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	Seriously, this is a ghreat session. As you guys know, WOL=on is a big deal for us. Every little bit helps! Thanks again!
Donnie-Dell	Cya, Ed
BrianMason	I gotta run too. Thanks everyone
angie_dell	Happy New Year, Ed!
DELL-ScottH	Before we lose everybody, the transcript will be posted tomorrow on the same link that got you here—you can browse the chat and click all the links
DennisAbbott	You can message me from links on the bottom of the articles
Ed_A_SMS_MVP	U2...all of ya
DennisAbbott	What is our next chat? OMCI
DennisAbbott	Greg?
Donnie-Dell	Link to main area of the Dell TechCenter for Microsoft System Center: http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/microsoft+system+center
ramseyg_Dell	OMCI and ConfigMgr
	BrianMason left.
ramseyg_Dell	Our OMCI team has done a super job of building our MOF edits for ConfigMgr
	Ed_A_SMS_MVP left.
ramseyg_Dell	So if you have OMCI installed, simply add the Dell MOF edits to the Sms_def.mof file
ramseyg_Dell	And then treat it like you always do—your MOF file (with respect)—set True and False values to determine what to inventory
ramseyg_Dell	We'll have a separate OMCI chat later to discuss scripting OMCI using VB script
Donnie-Dell	Don't give it all away yet, Greg :)
DELL-ScottH	Yes, next chat is OMCI—link to all upcoming chats and previous chats: http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/chat+topics+and+transcripts
Reed	We'll still respect you in the AM, honest
DennisAbbott	He can't wait ::biggrin
ramseyg_Dell	:) Yes, bring all your OMCI questions!
	Mharal left.
bjm	Thanks everyone.
Donnie-Dell	Thanks again everyone for joining. We will hang out for a few more minutes so you can pick Dennis's brain
ramseyg_Dell	Thank you, everyone!
	bjm left.
DELL-ScottH	Thanks to all! Next week, same bat-time same bat-channel
	garyrm left.
DennisAbbott	What's left of it
DELL-ScottH	Lol
Reed	Once again the best Java client chat going—bar none!
	Juerg joined.
DennisAbbott	Too much holiday cheer
	Jeff_R left.
	gabrie left.
	Dackerman left.
DELL-ScottH	You only need 10 percent of that brain anyways, right?
DennisAbbott	9 percent
DELL-ScottH	Overachiever
Donnie-Dell	No, you are right, Scott. But asking the guy only using 9 percent doesn't seem like a good idea :)
DELL-ScottH	:-)
Donnie-Dell	Head out, team—talk to you all later!
ramseyg_Dell	Thanks all! Bye!
	babernathy left.
	Donnie-Dell left.
	ramseyg_Dell left.
angie_dell	Goodbye everybody, Thanks
	angie_dell left.
DELL-ScottH	Thanks, everyone
Dell-RogerF	Bye