Mastering System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 E-Book

Chris Mosby

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 894

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Mastering System Center Configuration Manager 2007 providesintermediate and advanced coverage of all aspects of the product,including planning and installation, upgrading Systems ManagementServer 2003, deploying software and operating systems, security,monitoring and troubleshooting, and automating and customizing SCCM2007 with scripts. The authors take a hands-on approach by providing many real-worldscenarios to show readers how to use the tool in various contexts.This anchors the conceptual explanations in practical application.This book's web site will contain a collection of ready-to-usescripts with directions for implementing them in network systems.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dear Reader

Dedication

Acknowledgments

About The Authors

Foreword

Introduction

The Mastering Series

What This Book Covers

What You Need to Get the Most Out of This Book

How We Structured This Book

Errata

Chapter 1: Overview of Operations Management

Understanding IT Service Management

Defining Operations Management

Chapter 2: Planning a Configuration Manager Infrastructure

Configuration Manager Features

What's New Since SMS 2003?

Configuration Manager System Requirements

Gathering Deployment Intelligence

Planning the Configuration Manager Deployment

Designing Your Configuration Manager Site

The Bottom Line

Chapter 3: Interoperability with Systems Management Server 2003

Interoperability with SMS 2003

Planning the Upgrade from SMS 2003 to Configuration Manager 2007

Types of Upgrades

The Bottom Line

Chapter 4: Installation and Site Role Configuration

Configuration Manager 2007 Site Types and Site Relationships

Site System Roles

Installing and Configuring System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1

Installing and Configuring System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Release 2 (R2)

The Bottom Line

Chapter 5: Client Installation

Client Software Features

Using Client Push Installation

Other Automatic Installation Methods

Manually Installing the Client

Verifying Client Installation

The Bottom Line

Chapter 6: Software Distribution

What's New in Software Distribution

Prerequisites for Software Distribution

Elements of Software Distribution

Preparing for Software Distribution

The Software Distribution Process

Monitoring Software Distribution Status

Virtual Application Packages

The Bottom Line

Chapter 7: Software Updates

What's New in Software Updates

Prerequisites for Software Updates

Elements of Software Updates

The Software Update Process in Configuration Manager

Planning to Use Software Updates in Configuration Manager

Configuring Software Updates

Preparing Software Updates for Deployment

Deploying Software Updates with the Deploy Software Updates Wizard

Monitoring Software Update Deployments

The Bottom Line

Chapter 8: Operating System Deployment

Preparing Configuration Manager 2007 for OSD

Developing a Task Sequence for Creating a Capture Image

Creating an Image of a Reference Computer

Deploying the Operating System on “Bare Metal”

Installing Device Drivers into OSD

The Bottom Line

Chapter 9: Asset Intelligence

What's New in Asset Intelligence in Configuration Manager

Requirements for Asset Intelligence

Elements of Asset Intelligence

Configuring Asset Intelligence

The Bottom Line

Chapter 10: Inventory and Software Metering

Inventory in Configuration Manager 2007

Software Metering in Configuration Manager 2007

The Bottom Line

Chapter 11: Reporting

Setting Up Reporting Point Roles

Running a Report

Creating and Managing Reports

Cloning a Report

Importing and Exporting Reports

Creating and Managing Security on Reports

Basic SQL Commands

Creating Dashboards

The Bottom Line

Chapter 12: Desired Configuration Management

Overview of Desired Configuration Management

Configuring Desired Configuration Management Client Agent Settings

Creating Configuration Items

Building a Configuration Baseline

Desired Configuration Management Reporting

The Bottom Line

Chapter 13: Mobile Device Management

Setting Up a Mobile Device Management Point

Enabling Distribution Points for Supporting Mobile Devices

Configuring the Mobile Device Client Agent

Extending Inventory on Client Desktop Computers

Installing the Client Software on a Mobile Device

Verifying Client Installation on Mobile Devices

Deploying Software to Mobile Clients

Using Reports to Verify Mobile Client Health

The Bottom Line

Chapter 14: Network Access Protection

Introducing Network Access Protection (NAP)

Exploring the NAP Enforcement Methods

Preparing for NAP and Configuration Manager 2007 Integration

Phasing NAP into a Configuration Manager 2007 Environment

The Bottom Line

Chapter 15: Troubleshooting

Creating the Maintenance Plan

Using Troubleshooting Tools

Troubleshooting Configuration Manager Deployment

Troubleshooting the Configuration Manager Console

Troubleshooting Clients with the Client Status Tool

The Bottom Line

Chapter 16: Disaster Recovery

Planning for Disaster Recovery

Backing Up Configuration Manager

Restoring Configuration Manager

Recovering Configuration Manager

The Bottom Line

Appendix: The Bottom Line

Chapter 2: Planning a Configuration Manager Infrastructure

Chapter 3: Inoperability with Systems Management Server 2003

Chapter 4: Installation and Site Role Configuration

Chapter 5: Client Installation

Chapter 6: Software Distribution

Chapter 7: Software Updates

Chapter 8: Operating System Deployment

Chapter 9: Asset Intelligence

Chapter 10: Inventory and Software Metering

Chapter 11: Reporting

Chapter 12: Desired Configuration Management

Chapter 13: Mobile Device Management

Chapter 14: Network Access Protection

Chapter 15: Troubleshooting

Chapter 16: Disaster Recovery

Index

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Dear Reader

Thank you for choosing Mastering System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2. This book is part of a family of premium-quality Sybex books, all of which are written by outstanding authors who combine practical experience with a gift for teaching.

Sybex was founded in 1976. More than 30 years later, we're still committed to producing consistently exceptional books. With each of our titles, we're working hard to set a new standard for the industry. From the paper we print on to the authors we work with, our goal is to bring you the best books available.

I hope you see all that reflected in these pages. I'd be very interested to hear your comments and get your feedback on how we're doing. Feel free to let me know what you think about this or any other Sybex book by sending me an email at [email protected], or if you think you've found a technical error in this book, please visit http://sybex.custhelp.com. Customer feedback is critical to our efforts at Sybex.

I would like to dedicate this book to my parents and my sister, for all of their love and support over the years.

To my brother Brian, I hope you found the peace that you didn't find in life. You are truly missed.

—Chris Mosby

I dedicate this book to my lovely and understanding wife, Martha, who stuck by me throughout this endeavor. I also want to dedicate this book to my three wonderful children—Nate, Abby, and Cole. Thank you for putting up with me while I was writing this book. I love you guys so much!

—Ron Crumbaker

To Ruthie, Noah and Livie—Daddy is home again! Thank you for your support through this project. It's back to head-to-head Xbox time rather than writing to all hours of the night; but Noah, I still cannot tell Mr. Gates you're a great Xbox tester when I visit Seattle. I think the policy at Microsoft is to hire testers older than eight years old.

—Christopher W. Urban

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife Debbie for her infinite patience and understanding during the entire process of getting this book completed. I am truly a lucky man for having met her.

Next, I have to thank Ron Crumbaker, for coming on as an author when I was in desperate need of more help. His contribution to the book is greatly appreciated.

To Chris Urban, my first “partner in crime” in this endeavor, there were many times that he was the voice of reason when this project became chaotic.

To Rod Trent, of myITforum Inc., for getting me to start writing about SMS in the first place; without that encouragement, I doubt I would be where I am in life.

To the myITforum community, the absolute best and most supportive bunch of people on the planet; I hope I can repay in whatever way I can to all the help that they have given me over the years. This book is for you.

I would also like to thank the entire Configuration Manager product and writing team at Microsoft. Without their hard work and dedication, this book wouldn't even be possible.

Last and not least, I would like to thank the entire Sybex team, especially our Acquisitions Editor Agatha Kim. I am eternally grateful for their patience and sticking with us during all the setbacks that seemed to keep creeping up during the process of getting this book finished, even when things didn't look like they were going to work out.

—Chris Mosby

I want to thank the Microsoft Configuration Management team for giving us a great product to write about and for continually improving a great product. I also want to thank Agatha Kim at Wiley for giving me the opportunity to write this book. And thanks to Jim Compton for keeping me on track while writing it. Also, a huge thank you goes out to Chris Mosby for asking me to assist with this book.

As always, I want to thank my family for allowing me the time required for this book. And finally thanks to Jesus, my Lord and Savior, for saving me!

On a side note, I want to thank GM for bringing back the Camaro!

—Ron Crumbaker

I wanted to thank all of my family and friends who made this undertaking possible. Thanks to my father, Woody, who thought early on in my career I was giving him a snow job about receiving a technology grant for a school district to the tune of almost a million dollars. Dad, you should know I don't lie about money! Thanks to my mother, Jacque, who inspired me and gave me my spirit, undying drive, and endless pursuit for perfection. Last but most important, thanks to my wife, Ruthie; son, Noah; and daughter, Olivia; who gave me my opportunity to share knowledge and my passion with my friends and technical community abroad. Magic, I told you my technical “mumbo jumbo” would make it on the shelf before your trashy romance novel!

To the readers, I must thank you for your patience and understanding during a difficult period in my life. I feel it necessary to pass on a life story and how it may relate to you: This endeavor originally started out as a Configuration Manager 2007 book. As we wrote, we found ourselves in an interesting position to pull in the R2 components since they were released earlier than anticipated. To some anxious readers who preordered this book, they were distraught. I assured some of my colleagues, friends, and customers that this would be a good thing.

Then life happened; in the beginning of 2008, I had a grand mal seizure while driving to a customer meeting in Indiana. Needless to say, everything was upside down for a while as I adjusted to life again. Thus, writing was put on the back burner as health took priority. I want to thank everyone who emailed me and sent me notes and instant messages wishing me well. Thanks to Martin Dey and Stephanie Toth for allowing me to attend MMS 2008 on their dime, just so I could “be” with the community; you'll never know how much it meant to me.

Thanks to Bill Anderson, Jeff Wettlaufer and the rest of the Configuration Manager product team for making our product the best as well as providing the Foreword to this book. Yes, I know, I owe you a dinner at MMS this year!

I must also thank the coauthors for their willingness to persevere and the Sybex family that never lost sight and endured this project to ensure it made it to print. Without friends, family, and community, this book could not have been completed. I am eternally grateful for you all enabling me to achieve one of my lifelong dreams.

—Christopher W. Urban

About The Authors

Chris Mosby started his career with SMS when he was a temporary employee with a subcontractor of the Department of Energy on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Chris, who had never even heard of SMS, was told “Here is the software and a server; make it work.” After a few months of testing, his first SMS site went online in August of 1999, and he has been working with SMS and Configuration Manager ever since.

Chris is an active member of the 200,000-member myITforum (www.myitforum.com/), the premier site for the SMS and Configuration Manager community, since day one. He has written a handful of articles (www.myitforum.com/contrib/default.asp?cid=271) and posts several times a day to his myITforum blog about various topics such as security and patch management (http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/cmosby/default.aspx). In addition, Chris was awarded the Most Valuable Professional award in Configuration Manager from Microsoft, for the third time, for the period of April 2008 to June 2009.

Ron Crumbaker is the CTO of myITforum and is very active in the community space. Ron is currently a four-time MVP in the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager area. Ron has written blogs, articles, and another book on various Microsoft topics. He has spoken at many Microsoft Management Summit conferences. In addition, Ron has three wonderful children, Nate, Abby, and Cole, as well as a lovely wife, Martha. Ron is very active in his church and is an ordained deacon and youth minister at his local church. Ron is a huge Camaro fan and is very excited to see the rerelease of the Camaro in 2010!

Christopher W. Urban is a management tools product specialist working within the Midwest district for Microsoft. He started his computer endeavors during high school while programming COBOL, RPG, and Basic. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Christopher started his professional computer career in the public education sector doing technology integration.

In 1994, Christopher received his first Microsoft Certified Professional designation under Windows 3.51. Through the years, Christopher has attained various certifications and achievements such as MCSE, MCT, and MVP. Christopher was the founder of LearnSMS.com, which provided task-based, online video training, prior to joining Microsoft. In 2007, he was awarded the Management Insider Top Gun Award. Christopher currently runs the Microsoft Management track within the Chicago Windows User Group (http://portal.cwug.net).

Christopher resides in southern Wisconsin with his wife, Ruthie, of 11 years; his son, Noah; and his daughter, Olivia. When not working on technical information or solutions, he can be found gaming on Xbox, tinkering with home automation, or sport fencing.

Foreword

To all of our customers…

Wow—it's been almost 14 years now since the announcement was made for this new product from Microsoft: Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 1.0. The original charter was to “provide easier and more cost-effective management of desktop hardware and software throughout large-scale computing systems, easing what has been one of the most expensive and time-consuming aspects of client-server computing and enabling customers to run their businesses more effectively.” To do this, SMS 1.0 boasted features such as hardware and software inventory, software distribution and installation, performance monitoring and analysis, and troubleshooting. It's safe to say that, although that charter and those features still resonate with our customers today, the characteristics and importance of those features has taken on new and different meanings over the past 14 years, and we are so proud of what we think System Center Configuration Manager 2007 adds to this long history in helping solve those needs. Quite frankly, this is the most significant release of SMS/SCCM ever, and the value we believe it will bring to you is tremendous. Fourteen years ago, no one thought about “patch Tuesday,” and being quarantined involved a doctor. Deploying Windows wasn't as hard—you just put in the six floppy disks! Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA were just part of the “golden rule,” not governmental and corporate obligations. The core disciplines have remained the same, but the world has evolved to place further demands on those cores. That was what SCCM 2007 was all about: continuing to solidify and extend that core discipline of change and configuration management to today's business problems, with the reliability you've come to expect.

But the greatest thing in those 14 years is not the 1s and 0s we've shipped to the market; it's the relationships we've made with you, the tens of thousands of SCCM administrators around the world. We are very aware that a large degree of the SMS/SCCM success over the years is attributable to this community of administrators who have shared a unique spirit for “the unsolvable problem” of systems management. What we've built, you've tweaked. What we've omitted, you've filled in. What we've gotten wrong, you've worked around—and let us know how to do it right next time. It's this relationship in working with you to build our software and solve your needs that makes us most proud to come to work every day.

What we've all learned in the software industry is that software is never perfect. We obviously continue to strive for perfection when it comes to quality and security, but we know with as large and as diverse a group of customers that we have, there will be no way we get every feature you need or every feature done in the way you need it. However, our “luxury” is that we have the best people on the planet using our product on a daily basis. You—our SCCM administrators—share the same passion in solving your problems and helping your fellow administrators that we do in building the product. This book is just another testament to that dedication and spirit. We want to thank the authors (SCCM administrators, like you) for their ongoing support of our product and this community. And, we look forward to continuing this relationship for years (and releases) to come!

With greatest admiration,

The System Center Configuration Manager Product Group

Introduction

Microsoft has accomplished a lot to make System Center Configuration Manager 2007 the product that it is today. Starting as a little known niche product, back when there wasn't even really a name for what it did, it's now the premier configuration management product on the market.

This book is written by a group of individuals who have been through the growing pains of this product, some even from day one, and who have even helped Microsoft improve what is now Configuration Manager by countless hours of real-world use and testing.

Welcome to Mastering System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2. We all hope that you find this book helpful in learning how to use Configuration Manager to its full potential.

The Mastering Series

The Mastering series from Sybex provides outstanding instruction for readers with intermediate and advanced skills in the form of top-notch training and development for those already working in their field and provides clear, serious education for those aspiring to become pros. Every Mastering book includes the following:

Real-world scenarios, ranging from case studies to interviews that show how the tool, technique, or knowledge presented is applied in actual practiceSkill-based instruction, with chapters organized around real tasks rather than abstract concepts or subjectsSelf-review questions, so you can be certain you're equipped to do the job right

What This Book Covers

Mastering System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 covers Microsoft's System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 (which requires that SP1 be installed). We will detail the changes to Configuration Manager since its initial release and the new features that were introduced in both SP1 and R2.

These new features include but are not limited to:

The new Software Updates system, which has been completely redesigned from SMS 2003 and is based on Windows Update Services technologyA completely new system for Operating System DeploymentAn improved system of Software MeteringEnhanced Asset Intelligence for asset trackingSQL Reporting Services in Configuration Manager 2007 R2Improved Software Distribution with network bandwidth enhancements

What You Need to Get the Most Out of This Book

To be able to follow the step-by-step instructions in this book, it is recommended that you have a minimum of Windows Server 2003 R2 SP1 and SQL Server 2005 SP2 installed, with all the applicable updates. Also, having the media for Configuration Manager 2007 RTM, SP1, and R2 is a plus, because we will go through installing this software in the first few chapters. Your computer also needs an Internet connection so you can download updates in various parts of the installation process. Evaluation versions of any of this software are fine for our purposes.

How We Structured This Book

To help you understand the features of Configuration Manager, we have structured this book to match the names of features as they are listed in the Configuration Manager administration console wherever possible, with a few exceptions.

Chapter 1, “Overview of Operations Management,” covers general management concepts, such as ITIL and MOF, and how System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 supports those concepts.

Chapter 2, “Planning a Configuration Manager Infrastructure,” covers Site Roles, how they are leveraged and application of them in your enterprise.

Chapter 3, “Interoperability with Systems Management Server 2003,” addresses current SMS 2003 customers needs in coexistence as well as migration strategies.

Chapter 4, “Installation and Site Role Configuration,” covers the details of Site Role installation, configurations, and troubleshooting.

Chapter 5, “Client Installation,” covers Client Installation aspects in relation to Configuration Manager 2007 like the various installation methods found within Configuration Manager 2007.

Chapter 6, “Software Distribution,” gives a comprehensive look at planning, configuring, and using Software Distribution elements like the Advertised Programs Client agent, Collections, Packages, and Programs.

Chapter 7, “Software Updates,” gives you a step-by-step guide on this completely redesigned feature that is now based on Windows Update Services.

Chapter 8, “Operating System Deployment,” gives you an in-depth look at how Configuration Manager 2007 allows an administrator the ability to deploy a single Operating System to multiple types of machines.

Chapter 9, “Asset Intelligence,” covers the updated information knowledge base that was carried over from Asset Management that was introduced in SMS 2003 SP 3 and gives you even more tools to help keep track of your hardware and software assets.

Chapter 10, “Inventory and Software Metering,” is the heart of Configuration Management Server 2007, one of the core features that most other features tie in to work.

Chapter 11, “Reporting,” is probably the most used aspect of Configuration Manager by users outside the IT Department. It gives other users the ability to report on various parts of Configuration Manager.

Chapter 12, “Desired Configuration Management,” offers an in-depth look at setting up a predefined level of standards for all your devices and how Configuration Manager 2007 will ensure your clients are maintained at that standard.

Chapter 13, “Mobile Device Management,” gives you an inside look at Mobile Devices and how Configuration Manager 2007 can manage these types of devices.

Chapter 14, “Network Access Protection,” gives information on how to use NAP with Configuration Manager 2007 to help maintain a healthy and secure network.

Chapter 15, “Troubleshooting,” gives a base on how to ensure your Configuration Manager 2007 environment stays healthy and gives you a baseline of where and what to look for if problems arise.

Chapter 16, “Disaster Recovery,” gives the information necessary to protect your Configuration Manager databases by backing them up properly so that you can use those backups to recover from a disaster if it strikes.

Errata

We have done our best to make sure that the content in this book is as accurate as possible at the time it was written. If you discover any mistakes that we have missed in the editing process, please let us know at http://sybex.custhelp.com so we can address them in future versions of this book.

Chapter 1

Overview of Operations Management

Before we delve into the technology at hand, the System Center Configuration Manager product, it's important to define what operations management is, what it defines, and why we need it. As an IT manager, you are not responsible for certain key business activities. When those activities are being processed on your servers, however, you become a critical piece of the puzzle in overall IT systems management. You may control the SQL servers, but they house information that is critical to day-to-day operation of the Billing department, for example. Suddenly, you start to see how everything ties together. A missing or damaged link in the chain, or an unplanned removal of the chain, may cause much more damage than you originally thought.

This is just one of the many reasons Microsoft created the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF), which is based on the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). The idea behind MOF and ITIL is to create a complete team structure with the ultimate goal of service excellence. Numerous groups fall under the IT Department tag, but we often see many of them acting as separate departments rather than as one cohesive unit. Desktop support, application developers, server support, storage administrators, and so forth are all members of IT, but they are not always as unified as they should be.

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 was built with MOF and the ITIL in mind, so we will start the book by describing both for background. But SCCM is much more than just a mechanism to deploy software. In this chapter, you learn how we define IT service management, how ITIL is the foundation, and how MOF expands ITIL, but you will also learn about the Dynamic Systems Initiative and all of the Microsoft System Center products.

Understanding IT Service Management

ITIL and MOF were introduced as a way to deliver consistent IT Service Management (ITSM). Some of the key objectives of ITSM are:

To align IT services with current and future needs of the business and its customersTo improve the quality of IT services deliveredTo reduce the long-term cost of service provisioning

Think of ITSM as a conduit between the business and the technology that helps run the business. Without a proper conduit in place, one cannot function properly without the other. ITSM is about process, not about software products.

Exploring the IT Infrastructure Library

Before we dig into the inner workings of ITIL Version 2, it is important for the ITIL beginner to understand that ITIL, and its counterpart Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) Version 3, are not based on technology. Both ITIL and MOF are based on IT processes. This is important to understand before proceeding. Readers interested in IT processes and procedures, as well as how the Microsoft System Center family of products fits into these processes, should find the rest of this chapter very interesting. For those of you who yawned and rolled your eyes, we'll meet you back at Chapter 2.

If you start researching ITIL, you will find that it is a series of books that describe an approach to IT service management. Originally created in the United Kingdom to address strict operations management standards, ITIL has become the accepted standard in IT service management. The library is owned by the UK government's Office of Government Commerce (OGC). If you really want to get cozy with ITIL, be prepared to spend a lot of time reading. In its original form, the ITIL volumes were at a count of 60 books. These books were created by industry leaders of the time and described best practices for IT processes.

There is much more to ITIL than just the books, however. ITIL as a whole includes the books, certification, ITIL consultants and services, and ITIL-based training and user groups. ITIL is mainly updated by its own user group, known as the IT Service Management Forum (itSMF). The last piece of the puzzle, ITIL certification, is administered by the Netherlands Examination Institute for IT (EXIN) and the Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB).