November 2009 - Technical Rollup Mail - Manageability
News
Steve Rachui's Manageability blog - ConfigMgr/OpsMgr
https://blogs.msdn.com/steverac/
System Center WebLog by Russ Slaten
https://blogs.msdn.com/rslaten/
Configuration Manager & SMS
ConfigMgr 2007 SP2 is available for download
Service Pack 2 for Configuration Manager 2007 delivers new platform support for Windows 7 client, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. In addition, Service Pack 2 delivers continued innovation with Intel vPro technology, support for Branch Cache enabled environments, and continued development for 64 bit architectures.
NetworkWorld: Microsoft Turning Configuration Management "on Its Side"
NetworkWorld Magazine reviews the user-centric overhaul of the next release of System Center Configuration Manager.
https://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/100109-microsoft-configuration-management.html
Configuration Manager Documentation Library Update for October 2009
Looks like the Configuration Manager content writers posted their October updates last Friday so in case you missed the announcement here’s the skinny
The Configuration Manager Support Team Blog
https://blogs.technet.com/configurationmgr/
The Deployment Guys
https://blogs.technet.com/deploymentguys
System Center Configuration Manager Solutions
https://blogs.technet.com/mwiles/
Carlos Santiago's Manageability Blog - SCCM/Softgrid
https://blogs.technet.com/carlossantiago/
Michael Niehaus' Windows and Office deployment ramblings
https://blogs.technet.com/mniehaus/
Paul Thomsen at myITforum.com
https://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/pthomsen/default.aspx
Operations Manager & MOM
New Operations Manager 2007 R2 MP Version 6.1.7533.0 is Released
The new Management Pack includes improved monitoring for excessive agent memory utilisation, more product knowledge added, rule for Console and SDK Connection Count, updated alert suppression criteria for “Alert on Dropped MultiInstance Performance Module” and fixed configuration for the rule “IIS Discovery Probe Module Execution Failure.”
The Operations Manager Support Team Blog
https://blogs.technet.com/operationsmgr/
Other
System Center Virtual Machine Manager
https://blogs.technet.com/scvmm/
The App-V Blog
https://blogs.technet.com/Softgrid/
Documents
Operations Manager & MOM
Updated Planning Guidance for System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2
Updated to reflect the features and functionalities of System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for System Center Operations Manager helps our customers and partners effectively design and implement their management infrastructure through the use of simple and step-by-step guidance.
Update to Powershell Script for Maintenance Mode
The script has been updated to support automating the placement of computer objects into maintenance mode for Operations Manager R2, and now accepts the argument of minutes instead of hours for duration of maintenance.
Guidance on troubleshooting Discovery Wizard failure for multi-homing mixed version Management Groups
if you’re planning to multi-home new agents in this mixed version environment and you’re using the Discovery Wizard, be sure to first discover and install the agent in the SP1 Management Group first.
Downloads
Configuration Manager & SMS
ConfigMgr 2007 SP2
Updated Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Management Pack: Now with 64-bit support
The updated Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Management Pack adds support for monitoring Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 in a 64-bit environment with Operations Manager 2007 R2 or Operations Manager 2007 SP1 with hotfix (KB971541) installed. This enables the Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Management Pack to work with either the 32-bit or the 64-bit Operations Manager 2007 agent. Except for the 64-bit support, the other features and guidance for Configuration Manager 2007 Management Packs remain intact.
Operations Manager & MOM
Exchange Server 2003 MP for OpsMgr 2007
The Exchange Server 2003 Management Pack monitors Exchange 2003 deployments and monitors Exchange Server Back-end and Exchange Server Front-End systems.
Window Client 2000/XP/Vista/Win 7 OS MP for OpsMgr 2007
The Microsoft Windows Client 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7 Operating System Management Pack provides fundamental monitoring basics for computers running Windows Client 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows 7 operating systems.
Updated Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Management Pack: Now with 64-bit support
The updated Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Management Pack adds support for monitoring Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 in a 64-bit environment with Operations Manager 2007 R2 or Operations Manager 2007 SP1 with hotfix (KB971541) installed. This enables the Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Management Pack to work with either the 32-bit or the 64-bit Operations Manager 2007 agent. Except for the 64-bit support, the other features and guidance for Configuration Manager 2007 Management Packs remain intact.
Keep Mission-Critical Applications Running at Peak Performance
Download the Service Level Dashboard 2.0 for Operations Manager 2007 R2 and track your application performance and availability in near real-time so you can head off problems before they occur.
Download Operations Manager 2007 R2 Cross Platform Update
The System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Cross Platform Update adds fixes for a defunct process issue on Unix/Linux Servers, as well as, adds support for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions) and Solaris Zone support.
System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Authoring Resource Kit Released!
The System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Resource Kit will install the Authoring console, which aids customers in creating and modifying operations management packs (MPs). Optionally, eight tools designed to help improve the MP authoring experience will also be included: the MP Best Practice Analyzer; MP Spell Checker; Visio MP Diagram Generator; Cookdown Analyzer; All References Addin; MP Diff; Workflow Analyzer; and Workflow Simulator.
New Microsoft Windows Server Cluster Management Pack for Operations Manager 2007
The Windows Server Cluster Management Pack monitors the health of the Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 clusters. This management pack is designed to improve the availability, performance, and security of your Windows Server cluster deployment.
New DFS Replication Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007
The DFS Replication Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007 monitors the health of the DFS Replication service on Windows Server 2003 R2 and Windows Server 2008.
New Windows Server 2008 Network Load Balancing Management Pack for Operations Manager 2007
The Windows Server 2008 Network Load Balancing Management Pack monitors the health of the Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 NLB clusters and improves the availability, performance, and security of your Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 NLB deployment.
Other
Microsoft Operations Framework
MOF 4.0 is practical guidance for IT organizations. With the release of version 4.0, MOF now reflects a single, comprehensive IT service lifecycle—it helps IT professionals connect service management principles to everyday IT tasks and activities and ensures alignment between IT and the business.
Security Compliance Management Toolkit
This toolkit series provides IT professionals with an end-to-end solution to help them plan, deploy, and monitor security baselines of Windows® operating systems and 2007 Microsoft® Office applications. The series was updated to include new security baselines for Windows® 7, BitLocker™ Drive Encryption, and Windows® Internet Explorer® 8.
Download System Center Service Manager 2010 Beta 2 Trial Software
Learn about and download System Center Service Manager Beta 2. Service Manager, through the power of its integrated platform, reduces costs and improves IT responsiveness. With built-in processes and workflow for incident, problem resolution, change control and its configuration management database, Service Manager orchestrates activities and connects knowledge from System Center Operations Manager, System Center Configuration Manager, and Active Directory.
https://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/en/us/service-manager.aspx
Events/Webcasts
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 On-Demand Webcasts
https://www.microsoft.com/events/series/technetmms.aspx?tab=webcasts&id=42364#42364
Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) On-Demand Webcasts
https://www.microsoft.com/events/series/technetmms.aspx?tab=webcasts&id=42363
Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 On-Demand Webcasts
https://www.microsoft.com/events/series/technetmms.aspx?tab=webcasts&id=42365
Configuration Manager & SMS
TechNet Webcast: Technical Overview: System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 and R3 (Level 200)
Tuesday, November 03, 2009 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
With the release of the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 operating systems, new capabilities and usage scenarios are emerging for system management. Economic, regulatory, green IT, and security issues continue to be the challenges organizations face. In this webcast, we provide a technical update and overview for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007. We focus on Service Pack 2 and R3 enhancements, market capabilities, and describe our near-term release road map.
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032428200&culture=en-US
TechNet Webcast: Automating Windows 7 Deployments Using System Center Configuration Manager (Level 300)
Wednesday, November 11, 2009 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
We focus on automating Windows 7 operating system deployments using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager in this webcast. First, we cover how to automate hardware and software inventory using Asset Intelligence to determine what applications and hardware are needed for deploying Windows 7. Next, we examine deploying Windows 7 packages, and we discuss how to add Windows 7 packages to System Center Configuration Manager and then the deploy packages to bare metal machines and existing Windows Vista clients across the enterprise.
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032416867
TechNet Webcast: Automated and Centralized Deployment, Provisioning, and Updating of Windows Server 2008 R2 with System Center (Level 300)
Thursday, December 03, 2009 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Deploying and upgrading your existing server infrastructure to Windows Server 2008 R2 can be a complex undertaking, particularly considering the various configuration, system driver, and application requirements—let alone the sheer number of servers, both physical and virtual, that you have to manage. Microsoft System Center delivers a highly flexible, automated set of capabilities that can help simplify the deployment and maintenance of your servers running Windows Server with an integrated management system that covers your physical and virtual infrastructure.
Join us to discover how System Center can dramatically reduce your time and effort in deploying and configuring your servers from any previous state (including bare-metal and virtualized deployments), and learn more about the powerful software distribution capabilities, comprehensive software update management, and other capabilities that make System Center a powerful and comprehensive deployment, provisioning, and update solution for Windows Server 2008 R2.
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032427595&Culture=en-US
Other
TechNet Webcast: Microsoft Virtualization Best Practices for Exchange Server (Level 300)
Wednesday, November 04, 2009 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Virtualizing business critical applications delivers significant benefits, including cost savings, enhanced business continuity, and an agile and efficient management solution. In this webcast, we focus on virtualizing Microsoft Exchange Server using Microsoft solutions, we discuss the benefits of using Microsoft virtualization technologies instead of technologies from key competitors such as VMware, and we provide technical guidance and best practices for virtualizing Exchange Server in various production scenarios. We also discuss results from lab deployment tests.
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032428203&culture=en-US
TechNet Webcast: Dynamic Data Center Toolkit for Hosters: Foundation for a Partner-Hosted Cloud (Level 300)
Monday, November 16, 2009 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center empower hosters to deliver managed hosting, cloud services, and on-demand virtualized IT infrastructures. The Dynamic Data Center Toolkit for Hosters makes it easy for hosters to get on this inevitable path. This free, extensible toolkit provides guidance, sample code, and best practices that make it easy to build and launch on-demand infrastructures and cloud services to your customers. Attend this webcast to see what the toolkit is composed of, how the toolkit works, who is using the toolkit, and how it can help you.
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032430665&culture=en-US
New KB's
Configuration Manager & SMS
Sys Center Config Mnger 2007 AL: When you use System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 to capture an image of Windows Vista SP2 or of Windows Server 2008 SP2, the image capture process fails during the "Prepare Windows for Capture" stage (Updated)
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/970093/EN-US
Sys Center Config Mnger 2007 AL: List of hotfixes and updates that are contained in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/971348/EN-US
Sys Center Config Mnger 2007 AL: Update rollup for System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 to add support for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 clients (Updated)
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/974236/EN-US
Operations Manager & MOM
MOM Ops Mgr Serv Ent Ed 2005 EN: Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Service Pack 1 support for Windows Server 2008 (Updated)
https://support.microsoft.com/kb/953140/EN-US
Other
Sys Center DataProtect Mgr 07 EN: Recommended hotfixes for Microsoft Data Protection Manager 2007 systems (Updated)