Run the installer – Application Manager Only

1 Requirements check

On the first screen, the installer checks that the server meets the minimum requirements. Follow any messages it shows.

Installer welcome and requirements-check screen — The installer validates the server against the minimum requirements.

2 Service account

Enter the service account credentials. For ConfigMgr and hybrid environments this must be a domain user. For Intune-only installations it can be a local account in the format servername\username. The service account must be a local administrator.

Service-account credentials screen — Enter the service-account credentials (must be a local administrator).

3 Site and database information

Provide the site information for SoftwareCentral. It is recommended to use the default names and paths.

Enter the server name for the SoftwareCentral database. If the database is not on the default instance, include the instance name as servername\instance.
If you use an Azure database, use servername.database.windows.net.

Site information and database server screen — Site information and the SoftwareCentral database server.

4 Edition, authentication & Intune

ConfigMgr support

Choose whether to install SoftwareCentral as an Intune-only version or with ConfigMgr support. Choose Disable ConfigMgr support to use the Intune-only version.

Cannot be changed later This cannot be changed after installation. A new installation of SoftwareCentral with a new database is required to change this setting.

Authentication method

By default, SoftwareCentral uses Azure OpenID authentication, where users sign on with their work account. This option also offers multi-factor authentication and single sign-on (SSO).

You can instead use Windows Authentication, where users sign on automatically with their local Windows account. This requires an on-premise Active Directory, and only domain users can access SoftwareCentral.

Multi-tenant support

Enable this to allow users from multiple Intune tenants to sign on. Only users from tenants added to SoftwareCentral can access it.

Use Entra ID

Get group memberships from Entra ID instead of the on-premise Active Directory.

Connect to Intune tenant

Existing app registration If you already have an app registration for SoftwareCentral, enter your Tenant ID and Client ID and the installer will update it with the required permissions.

Certificate Connecting to Intune through the installer overwrites the SSL certificate used for authentication, but only if that certificate is expired. If you have additional Intune tenants connected to SoftwareCentral, sign on to those tenants manually afterwards and update the SSL certificate for their SoftwareCentral app registrations.

Click Connect to Intune tenant to connect SoftwareCentral to your Intune tenant automatically (you can add more tenants after installation). A browser window opens, prompting you to sign on to Azure — use an account that can register an app with Microsoft Entra ID and assign the required permissions. After connecting, you must grant admin consent to the new API permissions; a link to do so is shown in the installer after a successful connection.

You can also create the app registration manually. For Azure OpenID authentication you must create it before you continue the installation — see Azure App Registration. For hybrid environments, you can connect to Azure after installation from Settings › Configuration › Intune Configuration.

Edition, authentication and Intune connection screen — Edition, authentication method and **Connect to Intune tenant**.

5 ConfigMgr ConfigMgr connection

If you install SoftwareCentral with ConfigMgr support, you will see a step to enter your Configuration Manager (MECM) details. Click Check MECM to verify the connection and create the login for the MECM database. The required permissions are listed under Prerequisites; assign them manually if the installer is unable to.

MECM details screen with Check MECM result — Enter the ConfigMgr (MECM) details and use **Check MECM** to verify.

6 Install

When you click Install, SoftwareCentral is installed.

Azure database If you use an Azure database, you are prompted to sign on to Azure with a Microsoft account that can add logins and users to the database server.

If anything goes wrong, the installer highlights the errors with suggestions on how to resolve them. A log file named SoftwareCentralInstaller_Log.txt is generated in the same folder as the installer and contains more details about any errors.

Installer completion screen — The installer reports the result and highlights any errors.

Restart if prompted During setup the installer may add server roles, features or the IIS Rewrite add-on that require a restart. If prompted, accept it — or restart the server manually — before you continue to configuration.

Once the site is installed, continue to First-time configuration.

7 Best practices

Topic	Recommendation
Decide first	Settle the ConfigMgr, Intune-only and authentication choices before you start. They cannot be changed later.
Defaults	Accept the default names and paths unless you have a reason to change them.
Database server	Use `servername\instance` for a named instance, or `servername.database.windows.net` for Azure SQL.
Restarts	Restart when the installer asks, before you continue to the first-time configuration.
Log file	If the installation fails, keep `SoftwareCentralInstaller_Log.txt`; it has the details of every error.

8 Troubleshooting

You see	Likely cause and what to do
The installer highlights errors	Follow the suggested fix shown for each error. Details are in `SoftwareCentralInstaller_Log.txt`, next to the installer.
The database server cannot be reached	Check the server name. Use `servername\instance` for a named instance and `servername.database.windows.net` for Azure SQL.
Azure SQL asks you to sign on again or fails	The account must be able to add logins and users to the database server.
Check MECM fails	The installer could not create the login for the MECM database. Assign the permissions manually, as described in Prerequisites, section 5.
Intune is not connected after installation	Connect again from Settings › Configuration › Intune Configuration, and grant admin consent using the link shown.