4.8 and 4.8.1 are under active support as long as the parent Windows OS is supported. Offline Installers for Latest Supported Versions
Many Windows users confuse (Windows-only, included with OS) with .NET Core (cross-platform, modern). Here is the breakdown: net framework 49 offline installer for windows
.NET Framework 4.8.1 offline installer: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download/dotnet-framework/net481 net framework 49 offline installer for windows
Read and accept the Microsoft Software License Terms. net framework 49 offline installer for windows
The offline installer can be wrapped as an Application in SCCM. The detection logic should check the Registry for the Release DWORD value corresponding to version 4.9.
The web installer always fetches the latest patched version. For software testing or legacy compatibility, you might need a specific build. Offline installers provide version certainty.