News and Highlights
System Center Configuration Manager Reporting Dashboard Beta released
Microsoft is pleased to annouce the Beta release of the Dashboard Solution Accelerator
The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Dashboard lets customers utilize a browser based graphically rich reporting experience that showcases the robust reporting capabilities of the world’s leading system management product. The dashboard will help you stay informed of application and operating system deployments, security updates, system health status and more; whether on the plasma screen in your operations center, or your administrative desktop.
Some key benefits of the Dashboard are:
- Provides dependable, timely access to key information: The dashboard lets you easily stay on top of deployments, security updates, client health, and compliance status.
- Easy to install and configure: The dashboard allows customers to quickly integrate your data in just minutes. Utilize either the base set of datasets “out of the box” or choose your own.
- Easy to customize: The dashboard can easily be customized to meet the needs of your different departments. Any dataset in the Configuration Manager database can be presented on the dashboard, in chart, gauge, and table formats.
- Flexible & interactive: Administrators can easily filter data and create ad hoc, custom views. Filters allow users to quickly drill down from high-level to more specific data.
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP2 Update
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.
Feature Summary:
- New Operating System Support
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista Sp2
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Server 2008 SP2
- New Features in Out of Band Management. In addition to providing feature parity with SP1 and AMT firmware versions 3.2.1, 4.0 and 5.0, the following new features are supported:
- Wireless management with up to 8 wireless profiles
- End point access control: 802.1x support
- Audit logging
- Support for different power states
- Power control options at the collection level
- Data storage
- Scheduling configuration for in-band provisioning
- 64-bit Architecture Development Service Pack 2 will also continue to deliver new support for x64 architectures, including the following:
- X64 support for Operations Manager 2007 Client Agent
- Update to Management Packs for 64-bit operating systems - SP2 will ship 64-bit performance counters (the management pack is a separate release
- Remote control support added for x64 XP and x64 Server 2003
Overview
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 is the solution to comprehensively assess, deploy, and update your servers, clients, and devices—across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments. Optimized for Windows and extensible beyond, it is the best choice for gaining enhanced insight into, and control over, your IT systems.
Built on key Microsoft technologies, such as Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Windows Server Active Directory, and the Windows architecture, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 enhances your insight into, and control over, your IT infrastructure. With Configuration Manager 2007, organizations can ensure that IT systems comply with desired configuration states to improve systems' availability, security, and performance network-wide. System Center Configuration Manager 2007 includes:
- Comprehensive deploying and updating
- Enhanced IT infrastructure insight and control
- Optimization for Windows and extensible beyond
System Center Configuration Manager provides system management tools for key IT areas:
Asset Intelligence
Configuration Manager 2007 gives organizations better control over their IT infrastructure and assets through asset intelligence technologies that provide IT administrators continuous visibility into what hardware and software assets they have, who is using them, and where they are.
Software Update Management
Configuration Manager 2007 Software Update Management simplifies the complex task of delivering and managing updates to IT systems across the enterprise. IT administrators can deliver updates of Microsoft products, third-party applications, custom in-house line-of-business applications, hardware drivers, and system BIOS to a variety of devices—including desktops, laptops, servers, and mobile devices.
Desired Configuration Management
With Configuration Manager 2007 Desired Configuration Management, organizations can ensure that IT systems comply with desired configuration states to improve systems availability, security, and performance network-wide.
Software Distribution
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Software Distribution simplifies the complex task of distributing applications and updates to desktops, servers, laptops, and mobile devices across enterprise networks.
Operating System Deployment
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Operating System Deployment is a highly flexible, automated solution that allows IT administrators to fully deploy and configure servers and desktops from any previous state, including bare-metal deployments.