I've had great success with importing the drivers included in the CAB files for the various models supported. But I had these errors pop up:

Error: Failed to import the following drivers:
\\[server]\Source$\Drivers\OptiPlex-960-XP-A00\XP\x64\chipset\R197547\IntelAMTPP.inf - The selected file is not a valid Windows device driver.
\\[server]\Source$\Drivers\OptiPlex-960-XP-A00\XP\x64\network\R162314\oemsetup.inf - The selected file is not a valid Windows device driver.
\\[server]\Source$\Drivers\OptiPlex-960-XP-A00\XP\x86\chipset\R197547\IntelAMTPP.inf - The selected file is not a valid Windows device driver.
\\[server]\Source$\Drivers\OptiPlex-960-XP-A00\XP\x86\network\R162313\oemsetup.inf - The selected file is not a valid Windows device driver.

Error: Failed to import the following drivers:
\\[server]\Source$\Drivers\OptiPlex-960-Vista-A00\Vista\x64\Chipset\R197547\IntelAMTPP.inf - The selected file is not a valid Windows device driver.
\\[server]\Source$\Drivers\OptiPlex-960-Vista-A00\Vista\x86\chipset\R197547\IntelAMTPP.inf - The selected file is not a valid Windows device driver.

So I noticed that there's a newer driver for AMT for the OptiPlex 960 Vista(R218459), and downloaded and attempted to import it. Again, I got this error:

Error: Failed to import the following drivers:
\\[server]\Source$\Drivers\OptiPlex-960-Vista-A00\Vista\x86\chipset\r218459\NAC_PP\IntelAMTPP.inf - The selected file is not a valid Windows device driver.

Am I the only one getting this error? Is there anything I can do to avoid it?

Thanks.

We’ve identified an issue with the drivers you mentioned below. Two parts to the problem:
1-Configmgr attempts to import everything with an .inf extension
2-The Intel drivers mentioned have named some files with an .inf extension, but they’re not a traditional ‘device driver installer’ .inf file – they’re more like an .ini file.

If you look in the DriverCatalog.log driver, you can see the error “This driver does not have a valid version signature.” – because the .inf file doesn’t contain expected information.

If you look at 960-XP-A00-R224242\960\XP\x64\chipset\R197547 for example. . you’ll see that two .infs imported correctly (mesrle.inf and mersl.inf) . . . which are all you need for this driver.

We’re working with Intel to correct the issue, but for now, you should be able to ignore those errors. The actual driver should have imported properly – let us know if you experience otherwise.


Greg

I suspected it was something like that when I looked at the very different formats between the various .inf files.

Another (semi-related) question: what is the intended turnaround time for new drivers when it comes to rolling them into the big .cab files? If I want to stay current with the drivers in my images, does the team that manages the .cab files expect SCCM admins to check back for individual driver updates, or can we count on new .cab files being rolled out within some reasonable period of time after new updates are released for individual drivers? If so, what does the team intend for that "reasonable period of time" to be?

Thanks for your help.

Current plan is quarterly updates. If there's a critical update (like a security vulnerability), it will happen faster. but for normal udpates, the plan right now is quarterly.

I hope you're finding the .cab files to be of great value. . we do.

Before I knew about the .cab files, I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out which files needed to be downloaded, then downloading them, all the while being unsure of whether I was getting all the "right" ones. So would it be considered "best practices" by your team for admins like me to not worry about keeping up with the individual drivers, but instead just watching for the .cab files to be updated?

That's a tough one - ask a dozen different admins, and you'll get a dozen different answers :)

I personally would recommend waiting to update them quarterly.. . (some admins may not even update them that often). With ConfigMgr (and with System Center Essentials), you can use the Dell Updates Catalogs (http://www.delltechcenter.com/page/Dell+Updates+Catalogs) to detect and deploy hardware updates as required.