This post lists all the SCCM client actions (also known as action cycles). You can manually initiate these client actions from Configuration Manager Properties when you need to troubleshoot issues.
After installing the SCCM client on a computer, you’ll find the following SCCM client actions in the Actions tab of ConfigMgr Properties. There are 10 SCCM client actions defined by Microsoft for every client.
To access the client actions on your Windows computer, right-click Start and select Run. Enter the command “control smscfgrc” and click OK. On the Configuration Manager properties window, switch to Actions tab. The Actions tab lists all the SCCM action cycles.
Each action cycle has a specific purpose and can be initiated manually on the client computer. To run a action cycle, all you need to do is select an action cycle and click Run Now. There are other ways to trigger the action cycles which include PowerShell, VB Script and command line.
In some cases, you may find only two action cycles listed in the ConfigMgr properties. This occurs when the ConfigMgr agent is not installed completely. A client installation may be interuppted due to many reasons and you should start troubleshooting this issue by reviewing the SCCM log files on client computer.
List of SCCM Client Actions
The table below lists all the SCCM client actions with brief description.
| SCCM Client Actions | Description |
|---|---|
| Application Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Re-evaluates the requirement rules for all deployments. |
| Discovery Data Collection Cycle | Invokes a Discovery Data Collection on each computer in the selected collection and causes the client to generate a new discovery data record (DDR). |
| File Collection Cycle | Searches for specific file that you have defined in client Agent settings |
| Hardware Inventory Cycle | Collects information such as available disk space, processor type, and operating system about each computer. |
| Machine Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle | Initiates ad-hoc machine policy retrieval from the client outside its scheduled polling interval. |
| Software Inventory Cycle | Collects software inventory data directly from files (such as .exe files) by inventorying the file header information. |
| Software Metering Usage Report Cycle | Collects the data that allows you to monitor the client software usage. |
| Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle | Initiates a scan for software updates compliance. |
| User Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle | Initiates ad-hoc user policy retrieval from the client outside its scheduled polling interval. |
| Windows Installer Source List Update Cycle | Triggers Product Source Update Manager to complete a full update cycle. |