Mastering System Center Configuration Manager provides comprehensive coverage of Microsoft's powerful network software deployment tool, with a practical hands-on approach. Written by Santos Martinez, Peter Daalmans, and Brett Bennett, this guide walks you through SCCM 2016 with in-depth explanations anchored in real-world applications to get you up to speed quickly. Whether you're planning a new installation or migrating from a previous version of Configuration Manager, this book provides clear instruction and expert insight to get the job done right. Fully aligned with the latest release, the discussion covers the newest tools and features with examples that illustrate utility in a variety of contexts.

System Center Configuration Manager (formerly SMS) is one of Microsoft's flagship products; the 2016 release has been updated with better Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 compatibility, improved tools for managing non-Microsoft mobile devices in the cloud, and more. This book provides start-to-finish coverage and expert guidance on everything you need to get your system up to date.

Deploy software and operating systems
Automate processes and customize configurations
Monitor performance and troubleshoot issues
Manage security in the cloud and on Virtual Machines

SCCM 2016 improves your ability to handle the bring-your-own-device influx in managing mobile, streamlining the latest hiccup right into the everyday workflow. Mastering System Center Configuration Manager provides the practical coverage you need to get up and running seamlessly.

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Information

Publisher

Sybex

Year

2016

ISBN

9781119258469

Edition

Topic

Computer Science

Subtopic

Computer Networking

Index

Computer Science

Chapter 1
Overview of System Center Configuration Manager and Microsoft Intune

System Center Configuration Manager and Microsoft Intune focus on the management of PCs, servers, and mobile devices, all from a single management console. Microsoft Intune supports both a hybrid scenario as well as a standalone configuration, which will not be covered in this book.

As technology continues to change at an ever increasing rate and with the increased demand to support scenarios such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), many organizations are faced with the challenge of finding the right balance between allowing their employees to choose which devices they use versus the management of devices that will need to have access to corporate systems and potentially store corporate data as well as employee personal data.

To support scenarios like BYOD, technologies such as Configuration Manager and Intune are required to provide a comprehensive, cross-platform, and user-centric way to deploy applications and manage user devices, whether they are corporate connected or cloud based.

In this chapter you will learn about the different features of Configuration Manager and Intune, which is a key foundation given future chapters go into far greater detail on each feature available in these products.

A Brief History of Configuration Manager

Before we go much further, let’s take a brief look at the history of Configuration Manager and how it has evolved over the years (see Table 1.1).

TABLE 1.1: Configuration Manager versions and release dates

RELEASE NAME	RELEASE VERSION	RELEASE DATE
System Management Server	1.0	1994
System Management Server	1.1	1995
System Management Server	1.2	1996
System Management Server	2.0	1999
System Management Server 2003	2003	2003
System Center Configuration Manager 2007	2007	2007
System Center Configuration Manager 2012	2012	March 2012
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager	2012 R2	2013
System Center Configuration Manager (Current Branch)	1511	December 2015
System Center Configuration Manager (Current Branch)	1602	March 2016
System Center Configuration Manager (Current Branch)	1606	July 2016
System Center Configuration Manager (LTSB) Long-Term Servicing Branch	1606	October 2016

As you can see from Table 1.1, Configuration Manager has evolved over the years to the latest version, which is known as System Center Configuration Manager (Current Branch).

NOTE For now don’t worry about the version numbers such as 1511, 1602, 1606, and so on. We’ll discuss this topic in the “Overview of the New Servicing Model for Configuration Manager” section later in this chapter.

Configuration Manager is a very powerful product with many years of improvements, support, and commitment from Microsoft, the Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs), and the community, all of which has resulted in the product that is available today.

Configuration Manager Features

Before you can begin planning to deploy Configuration Manager, you need a basic understanding of the features it provides. Configuration Manager has its own administrator console, as shown in Figure 1.1.

Screenshot of a dialog box shows assets and compliance entitled “System Center Configuration Manager.” — **FIGURE 1.1** Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Console

The major features of Configuration Manager Current Branch are covered next.

Application Management

The Application Management feature of Configuration Manager allows you to create, manage, and deploy applications in your environment. This feature also provides monitoring capabilities that allow you to monitor application deployments and take appropriate action in the event of any issues.

The concept of packages and programs from previous versions of Configuration Manager is still supported in Configuration Manager Current Branch, and there may be occasions where you should use these rather than applications (which are explored in Chapter 7, “Application Deployment”).

This is probably the most used feature of all the previous versions of Configuration Manager, and it’s probably the most dangerous if not used carefully. It is likely that just about all Configuration Manager admins have accidentally deployed a piece of software that they shouldn’t have (if you haven’t, then keep up the great work!). This isn’t a fault of this feature but something that can happen if you don’t test, test, test, and then test again. Anything you plan on deploying to client computers must be carefully managed, and you must pay close attention to the details of what you are doing.

Collections

Collections are simply a way of grouping resources together that share a common criterion such as “Which resources are running Windows 8 with more than 2 GB of RAM, with more than 1 GB of free disk space, and with a certain BIOS version?” Typically collections are based on queries, allowing them to be updated dynamically based on a configurable ...

Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments:
About the Authors:
About the Contributing Authors:
Introduction:
Chapter 1: Overview of System Center Configuration Manager and Microsoft Intune:
Chapter 2: Planning a Configuration Manager Infrastructure:
Chapter 3: Migrating to Configuration Manager:
Chapter 4: Installation and Site Role Configuration:
Chapter 5: Client Installation:
Chapter 6: Client Health:
Chapter 7: Application Deployment:
Chapter 8: Software Updates:
Chapter 9: Operating System Deployment:
Chapter 10: Inventory and Software Metering:
Chapter 11: Asset Intelligence:
Chapter 12: Reporting:
Chapter 13: Compliance Settings:
Chapter 14: Endpoint Protection:
Chapter 15: Role-Based Administration:
Chapter 16: Disaster Recovery:
Chapter 17: Troubleshooting:
Chapter 18: Enterprise Mobility and Configuration Manager:
Appendix:
End User License Agreement