Websites:  http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/default.mspx - SMS 2003 homepage http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/en/us/default.aspx - System Center homepage http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/configurationmanager/ - Configuration Manager News groups http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/technetmms.aspx?tab=webcasts&id=42364 - Configuration Manager webcasts http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/configurationmanager/en/us/default.aspx - Config Mgr. homepage http://www.myitforum.com/ - Great community http://www.smsexpert.com/ - Information about MOF editing http://www.1e.com/ - Config Mgr. addons http://blogs.technet.com/configmgrteam/default.aspx – System Center Config Mgr. team blog http://v-irtualization.com/tag/app-v/ – How to virtualize 3D games using the App V. sequencer http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb892800.aspx – List of Configuration Manager log files http://blogs.technet.com/b/configurationmgr/archive/2010/11/30/configmgr-2007-antivirus-scan-and-exclusion-recommendations.aspx - ConfigMgr 2007 Antivirus Scan and Exclusion Recommendations http://blogs.technet.com/b/yasc/archive/2010/09/18/asset-intelligence-license-wizard-v1-4.aspx - Asset Intelligence License Wizard Tools: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/tools/scripto2.mspx - Scriptomatic http://sourceforge.net/projects/smsclictr - Config Mgr Client Center http://www.myitforum.com/myITWiki/SCCMTools.ashx - SCCM Right click [...]

In order to successfully discover and install the ConfigMgr. clients on workgroup computers you need to configure a few settings. Configure a Server Locator Point Configure the proper client installation settings Configure the network discovery method Configure the Network access account Configure the client push installation account. Site Systems When you are working with clients that are not able to query the Active Directory services for ConfigMgr information you need to create a Server Locator Point – SLP. In my example I have one SLP a the central site. The SLP is used by the client during the site assignment [...]

With this basic report you will be able to monitor any new applications installed and registrered in Add/Remove programs during the last 7 days on a client computer.  Thanks to Claus Codam for helping out The SQL code SELECT TOP (100) PERCENT dbo.v_R_System.Name0, dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.DisplayName0, dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0, DATEDIFF(Day, CONVERT(date,dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0), GETDATE()) AS [days since installed] FROM dbo.v_R_System INNER JOIN dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS ON dbo.v_R_System.ResourceID = dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.ResourceID WHERE (SELECT ISDATE(dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0)) = 1 GROUP BY dbo.v_R_System.Name0, dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.DisplayName0, dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0, DATEDIFF(Day, CONVERT(date,dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0), GETDATE()) HAVING ( (CASE WHEN (ISDATE(dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0))=1 THEN (DATEDIFF(Day, CONVERT(date,dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0), GETDATE())) ELSE 500 END) > 0 AND (CASE WHEN (ISDATE(dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0))=1 THEN (DATEDIFF(Day, CONVERT(date,dbo.v_GS_ADD_REMOVE_PROGRAMS.InstallDate0), GETDATE())) ELSE 500 END) < [...]

ConfigMgr. 2007 SP2 was released a few days ago and can be downloaded from - details.aspx-displaylang=en&FamilyID=3318741a-c038-4ab1-852a-e9c13f8a8140 To successfully install the service pack you need to start the upgrade from the central site and then upgrade child sites and administrator consoles. After the sites have been upgraded it’s time to upgrade the clients. You can use various methods to upgrade the client – check the Technet article for detailed information about the methods - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb694166.aspx One of the most commonly used methods is using a ConfigMgr. package to perform the upgrade. It works like a charm but when deploying the client [...]

I recently got a very good question from a student – how can we check the workstations that haven’t restarted during the last 7 days. The intention is to automatically restart the computers. However not until the end-users have been contacted. For that reason I need to create a report and a query. The report The SQL statement Create a new empty report and copy this SQL code into the SQL statement box: SELECT TOP (100) PERCENT dbo.v_R_System.Name0, dbo.v_GS_OPERATING_SYSTEM.LastBootUpTime0, DATEDIFF(Day, dbo.v_GS_OPERATING_SYSTEM.LastBootUpTime0, GETDATE()) AS [Days since last boot], dbo.v_GS_OPERATING_SYSTEM.Caption0 FROM dbo.v_GS_OPERATING_SYSTEM INNER JOIN dbo.v_R_System ON dbo.v_GS_OPERATING_SYSTEM.ResourceID = dbo.v_R_System.ResourceID WHERE (DATEDIFF(Day, dbo.v_GS_OPERATING_SYSTEM.LastBootUpTime0, [...]

Spending some time in other communities often gives me a lot of good ideas to reports and queries. A little while ago in the System Center Technet community I stumbled over a very need report created by a user called Qu4rk. His report shows a status of each update deployment, with a count of the each possible software update states. The only thing I have changed (thanks to Claus) is a new column showing the compliant computers in %. I am not going to take any credit for the report as my work was very limited. But this report is [...]

From time to time you will need to remove one or more software updates from a deployment. To remove the update from the deployment you can: Identify the update by reviewing the updatesdeployment.log on one the clients. If the deployment process is visible, you can also identify the failure by looking at the Updates installation status. Remove the update from the Update Management list You can see which update lists the update is part of by looking at the updates properties in the Config Mgr. console Navigate to the Deployment Management node, select the Deployment management list. Select the update [...]

Tools http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/tools/scripto2.mspx - Scriptomatic http://sourceforge.net/projects/smsclictr - Config Mgr Client Center http://www.myitforum.com/myITWiki/SCCMTools.ashx - SCCM Right click tools and more http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=04D26402-3199-48A3-AFA2-2DC0B40A73B6&displaylang=en – Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=e0fadab7-0620-481d-a8b6-070001727c56&displaylang=en – ConfigMgr. 2007 evaluation VHD Other sites http://scug.dk/ – Danish community for System Center products http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555638 - List of Active Directory attributes names to be used in system and user discovery http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb693476.aspx and http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb632952.aspx - Where to configure AD system/User discovery attributes http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3993 – Adobe customization wizard http://www.appdeploy.com/ – Information about software and deployment Troubleshooting software installations Check if the advertisement is received by the client. Open the exemgr.log and look for any installation errors. [...]

Using SQL Reporting Services is really a “blast”. If you want to use the reporting feature with Configuration Manager 2007 R2 (and you do!), you need to configure a few accounts, groups and configure permissions. In this post I assume that SQL Reporting Services is installed and configured. Accounts to be created Execution Account (Configured in the SQL Reporting Services manager) The EA is used by SRS to execute reports used for subscribtions. The account should be a low privilige account that has: Read access to all reports Open a browser and type SQLReportingSername/Reports Click Properties Click New Role Assignment [...]

Having a list of all required updates can be very usefull. I this example I will create a search folder containing all required security updates. Open the Config Mgr. console, navigate to Computer Management, Software Updates, Update Repository, Search Folders Create a new search folder. In the search folder select Required and enter the numbers from 1 to 9 (don’t type any “ around the numbers) or type [^0] – both metods will work. Select Superseded and change the value to No Select Expired and change the value to No Select Update Classification and select Security Updates Name the Search [...]

When deploying Adobe Flash Player updates with SCUP 4.5 you might run into a few problems with the installation of the update. My work around to fix that is by creating the update from scratch. In this post I assume that you have a working SCUP 4.5 environment up and running. The update being deployed is install_flash_player_ax.exe version 10.0.32.18 which can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com/support/flash/downloads.html    Open SCUP and select Create Update Type: Update Title: Adobe Flash Player 10 10.0.32.18 Describtion: Something nice Classification: Critical Update Bulletin ID: APBB09-10 Vendor: Adobe Systems, Inc. Product: Adobe Flash Player 10 Click Next [...]

We all know that support is added for the latest operating systems: Windows 7 Windows Vista Sp2 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 SP2 After some testing of the servicepack yesterday I discovered a few other very nice changes like policies being applied straight away (in the “old days” Config mgr SP1 and previous versions) policies were retrieved from the Management Point and were not effective until after 2 minutes. Some policies are now applied immediately like software policies and policies for Service Windows.  I might not be the biggest of all changes but it now allows to deliver [...]

The System Center Configuration Manager team would like to announce that the following has been released and available for download: Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 Beta This is the official Beta build for Configuration Manager 2007 SP2. New features: Refer to the SP2 Overview article posted on the primary Configuration Manager MSConnect site for all the new features and new supported configurations Hotfixes included in SP2 article can be found on the primary Configuration Manager MSConnect page. Deployment guides for BranchCache and the new AMT features are available in the download section. . The new OpsMgr07 R2 ConfigMgr07 Management [...]

  Add Windows Windows 2008 SP2 and Vista SP2 support (Thanks to Jens-Ole for posting these): http://support.microsoft.com/kb/969991 Configuration Manager 2007 RTM Hotfix  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970093 Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 Hotfix   954214 The SMS_Site_Component_Manager service stops unexpectedly when you try to install Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 or reinstall a specific component after an unsuccessful installation attempt 954474 System Center Configuration Manager 2007 blocked from deploying security updates 954716 The SMS_EXECUTIVE service of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 on a child site server may crash when it handles the .sha file and sends inventory data to its parent site 954718 You [...]

Accindently deleting computer objects in the Config Mgr. console has happened in the past and it will most likely happen again in the future. This post will hopefully help you understand what’s going on in the background and how Configuration Manager recovers the deleted objects. Components involved On the site server the data loader component is responsible for loading inventory data (and other stuff) into the SQL database. The log file used is Dataldr.log On the client you should pay attention to the Inventory Agent which is responsible for gathering inventory data. The log file used is InventoryAgent.log What happens [...]

Websites: http://scug.dk/ – Danish System Center User Group http://www.microsoft.com/smserver/default.mspx - SMS 2003 homepage http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/en/us/default.aspx - System Center homepage http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/configurationmanager/ - Configuration Manager News groups http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/technetmms.aspx?tab=webcasts&id=42364 - Configuration Manager webcasts http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/configurationmanager/en/us/default.aspx - Config Mgr. homepage http://www.myitforum.com/ - Great community http://technet.microsoft.com/da-dk/configmgr/default(en-us).aspx http://technet.microsoft.com/da-dk/library/bb735860(en-us).aspx http://www.smsexpert.com/ - Information about MOF editing http://www.1e.com/ - Config Mgr. addons http://blogs.technet.com/configmgrteam/default.aspx – System Center Config Mgr. team blog http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/systemcenter/cm/ff597934.aspx – More online training on ConfigMgr. 2007 Deployment Sites: https://blog.ctglobalservices.com/osdeploy/ - Deployment Blog, author Michael Petersen http://blogs.technet.com/msdeployment/default.aspx - MDT Blog Tools: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/tools/scripto2.mspx - Scriptomatic http://sourceforge.net/projects/smsclictr - Config Mgr Client Center http://www.myitforum.com/myITWiki/SCCMTools.ashx - SCCM Right click tools and more http://www.myitforum.com/inc/upload/12336RegKeyToMOF.zip – [...]

Configuration Manager ships with a built-in report showing maintenance windows for a single computer. I have just done a few modifications to that report (added a few columns and removed the prompt). SELECT     TOP (100) PERCENT sw.Name AS [MW Name], sw.Description, sw.StartTime, sw.Duration AS 'Duration Minutes', sw.IsEnabled AS 'MW Enabled',                       dbo.v_R_System.Name0, dbo.v_R_System.Operating_System_Name_and0 FROM         dbo.v_ServiceWindow AS sw INNER JOIN                       dbo.v_FullCollectionMembership AS fcm ON sw.CollectionID = fcm.CollectionID INNER JOIN                      dbo.v_R_System ON fcm.ResourceID = dbo.v_R_System.ResourceID WHERE     (dbo.v_R_System.Operating_System_Name_and0 LIKE '%server%') ORDER BY [MW Name], dbo.v_R_System.Name0

At MMS 2009 the next version of Configuration Manager was shown to public for the first time. Here is the list of news and  improved features to look for: Name The name is not yet made public. If you are searching for any other news about the version try using Config Mgr. Next which is the “name” used during public presentations at MMS Performance No more MMC console I repeat NO MORE MMC CONSOLE yes I wrote that with capitals As a result to the removed MMC console no more F5 for refresh :-) Only a 64 bit version will [...]

While we are waiting for the next Config Mgr. service pack here are some facts: Will be released 90 days after Windows 7 New Operating System Support Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 SP2 Windows Vista SP2 New and improved features Out of band management Intel Active Management Technology Integration - Version 2 Wireless Management: Wireless Profile Management (mobile ONLY) End Point Access Control: 802.1x support Persistent Data Storage: Non Volatile Memory or Third Party Data Store (3PDS) Access Monitor: Audit Log Remote Power Management: Power State Configuration Asset Intelligence Open for all not only for SA [...]