Check out Willemjan van Laarhoven's blog article comparing System Center Essentials 2010 with other System Center products.

 http://www.toolzz.com/?p=301

Sorry about the long title, but I wanted to help you find this article if you’re searching for assistance with a common environment issue that affects your ability to manage computers with System Center Essentials Essentials.

If while looking at computers in the Computers workspace in the Essentials console, if you notice a managed computer with any of these symptoms:

• Hardware and software inventory is displayed as ‘Unknown’
• Software and Update status is ‘Unknown’
• Last Contacted is ‘Not yet contacted’

the managed computer is not being fully managed by Essentials. Essentials uses the Operations Manager agent to provide monitoring and remote task execution on managed computers, and the Windows Update agent to provide software distribution, update management and inventory collection on managed computers.  In this case, the Windows Update agent on the managed computer is not properly reporting to the Essentials server, which is why the status for these areas is ‘Unknown’.

We’ve added monitoring in Essentials 2010 to alert you when managed computer are affected by this issue, but it also can be easily detected by looking at managed computers in the Computers workspace.  Here are screenshots of how this issue is displayed in both Essentials 2007 and Essentials 2010.

Essentials 2007

Essentials 2010

Note:  The description, asset tag and BIOS serial number properties are collected via the Ops Mgr attribute discovery process instead of via Windows Update agent inventory collection.

Troubleshooting Configuration: Group Policy

Essentials uses group policy to configure the Windows Update agent on the managed computer to report to the Essentials server.  The first area to investigate is whether the managed computer is receiving and applying this policy.

Troubleshooting Steps

1. On the managed computer that is not reporting to the Essentials server, open Registry Editor and navigate to:
   
   HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate
   
   and verify that the WUServer and WUStatusServer values are set to:
   
   https://<FQDN of your Essentials server>:8531
   
   If its set to the Essentials server, jump to Windows Update log section, else continue to step 2.
   
   
   
2. If you have configured the Essentials server to use domain group policy, verify that the managed computer is a member of the ‘SCE Managed Computer <management group name>’ Security Group located in the Users container in your Active Directory domain.  If the computer is not a member, add the computer object to the security group, and restart the managed computer. 
3. If you have configured the Essentials server to use domain group policy, run ‘gpresult.exe /v’ on the managed computer to determine if the computer is receiving the ‘SCE Managed Computer <management group name>’ group policy.  If the computer is not applying the policy, use the Troubleshooting Group Policy in Microsoft Windows Server guide to assist you: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=b24bf2d5-0d7a-4fc5-a14d-e91d211c21b2&displaylang=en
4. If you have configured Essentials to use local policy, a scheduled task runs once per day that configures the local group policy object on the managed computer.  Use Resultant Set of Policy (rsop.msc) to investigate if there is an Active Directory group policy (which has a higher order of precedence) that is overriding the Windows Update agent configuration in the local group policy object.

Troubleshooting Connectivity: Windows Update log

Now that you’ve verified that the Windows Agent is configured to report to the Essentials server, the next step is to check out the Windows Update log on the managed computer to verify its attempting to contact the Essentials server and is successful.

1. Open the Windows Update log on the managed computer; the log can be found at %windir%\windowsupdate.log.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the log file and look for the last attempt to contact.  A successful communication will look like this:

2010-02-24    08:13:04:445    1076    2450    PT    +++++++++++  PT: Synchronizing server updates  +++++++++++
2010-02-24    08:13:04:547    1076    2450    PT      + ServiceId = {3DA21691-E39D-4DA6-8A4B-B43877BCB1B7}, Server URL = https://sceserver.contoso.com:8531/ClientWebService/client.asmx
2010-02-24    08:13:35:580    1076    2450    PT    WARNING: Cached cookie has expired or new PID is available
2010-02-24    08:13:35:587    1076    2450    PT    Initializing simple targeting cookie, clientId = 897ad25c-b27c-4124-a938-c3d609793c6c, target group = , DNS name = myclient.contoso.com
2010-02-24    08:13:35:587    1076    2450    PT      Server URL = https://sceserver.contoso.com:8531/ClientWebService/client.asmx
2010-02-24    08:13:41:980    1076    2450    PT    +++++++++++  PT: Synchronizing extended update info  +++++++++++
2010-02-24    08:13:41:980    1076    2450    PT      + ServiceId = {3DA21691-E39D-4DA6-8A4B-B43877BCB1B7}, Server URL = https://sceserver.contoso.com:8531/ClientWebService/client.asmx
2010-02-24    08:13:42:280    1076    2450    Agent      * Found 0 updates and 53 categories in search; evaluated appl. rules of 437 out of 560 deployed entities
2010-02-24    08:13:42:357    1076    2450    Agent    *********
2010-02-24    08:13:42:357    1076    2450    Agent    **  END  **  Agent: Finding updates [CallerId = AutomaticUpdates]
2010-02-24    08:13:42:357    1076    2450    Agent    *************

An unsuccessful attempt will look like this:

2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent    *************
2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent    ** START **  Agent: Finding updates [CallerId = Windows System Health Agent Search]
2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent    *********
2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent      * Include potentially superseded updates
2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent      * Online = Yes; Ignore download priority = No
2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent      * Criteria = "IsInstalled=0 and CategoryIDs contains '0fa1201d-4330-4fa8-8ae9-b877473b6441'"
2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent      * ServiceID = {3DA21691-E39D-4DA6-8A4B-B43877BCB1B7} Managed
2010-03-29    09:23:57:662    1132    1f80    Agent      * Search Scope = {Machine}
2010-03-29    09:23:57:834    1132    1f80    PT    +++++++++++  PT: Starting category scan  +++++++++++
2010-03-29    09:23:57:834    1132    1f80    PT      + ServiceId = {3DA21691-E39D-4DA6-8A4B-B43877BCB1B7}, Server URL = https://sceserver.contoso.com:8531/ClientWebService/client.asmx
2010-03-29    09:24:18:958    1132    1f80    Misc    WARNING: Send failed with hr = 80072ee2.
2010-03-29    09:24:18:958    1132    1f80    Misc    WARNING: SendRequest failed with hr = 80072ee2. Proxy List used: <(null)> Bypass List used : <(null)> Auth Schemes used : <>
2010-03-29    09:24:18:958    1132    1f80    PT      + Last proxy send request failed with hr = 0x80072EE2, HTTP status code = 0
2010-03-29    09:24:18:958    1132    1f80    PT      + Caller provided credentials = No
2010-03-29    09:24:18:958    1132    1f80    PT      + Impersonate flags = 0
2010-03-29    09:24:18:958    1132    1f80    PT      + Possible authorization schemes used =
2010-03-29    09:24:18:958    1132    1f80    PT    WARNING: StartCategoryScan failure, error = 0x80072EE2, soap client error = 5, soap error code = 0,

Notice the WARNING and error codes I’ve bolded in the log excerpt.  These are issues that are preventing the Windows Update agent from communicating with the Essential server.  Check out these article for specific guidance on how to troubleshoot these errors and warnings:

How to read the Windowsupdate.log file
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902093

Windows Update Agent Result Codes
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc720442(WS.10).aspx

How the Windows Update client determines which proxy server to use to connect to the Windows Update Web site
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/900935

If you use image-based OS deployment: Troubleshooting duplicate SUSClient ID

If you have many managed computers that are not reporting to the Essentials server, and you use an image to install the operating system on computers, the most likely cause of this issue is that the managed computers are sharing the same SUSClientID.  The WSUS technology in Essentials uses the SUSClientID to uniquely identify each managed computer that contacts the Essentials server.  If more than one computer is using the same duplicate SUSClientID, only the first computer that reports to the Essentials server will be fully managed.

If this is the case in your environment, check out these articles for cleaning up this issue, and also fix your image so that you do not have to deal with this issue in the future.

A Windows 2000-based, Windows Server 2003-based, or Windows XP-based computer that was set up by using a Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, or Windows XP image does not appear in the WSUS console
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/903262

Resolving the duplicate SUSClientID issue, or “Why don’t all my clients show up in the WSUS console?”
http://blogs.technet.com/sus/archive/2009/05/05/resolving-the-duplicate-susclientid-issue-or-why-don-t-all-my-clients-show-up-in-the-wsus-console.aspx

We’d appreciate your feedback on this article or your experiences troubleshooting this issue:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/systemcenteressentials/thread/75ee711f-3de1-4719-aa11-082b7db142e3

If you've used Essentials 2007, you noticed that it monitored Windows, Exchange, SQL and Active Directory 'out of the box.'  Essentials is able to do this because it come pre-loaded with management packs that encapsulate knowledge for how to monitor these applications. If you wanted to monitor additional applications, you needed to import a new management pack to monitor the application.  Management Packs are available from a catalog, just recently moved to Microsoft Pinpoint.

In Essentials 2010, we added a feature to help you understand which management packs are needed to monitor the applications and operating systems in your environment.  We call this feature 'Monitoring Configuration'.  The feature detects applications installed or used in your environment, and then recommends that management packs are imported to monitor these applications.  Recommended management packs are determined by detecting applications that are installed in the Essentials server domain using Active Directory LDAP queries and OpsMgr SDK interrogations.

When Essentials 2010 ships, it will include the ability to detect and import management packs for these applications:

• Windows Server 2003
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows 7
• Windows XP
• Windows Vista
• SQL Server 2005
• SQL Server 2008
• Active Directory 2003
• Active Directory 2008
• Exchange 2003
• Exchange 2007
• Exchange 2010
• Virtual Server 2005
• Hyper-V
• Virtual Machine Manager
• Data Protection Manager 2007
• Windows Server Updated Services
• Network Monitoring

Here’s a screencap of the Monitoring Configuration dialog recommending import of the Hyper-V and DPM management packs.  Clicking the ‘Import’ button will import these packs, and any dependencies, and configure Essentials to start monitoring these applications.

You’ll also notice there are two options to be configured.

Automatic Discovery of new monitoring – this option configures Essentials to scan once a day for new applications installed in your environment that are not already monitored.  If a new application is detected for which a management pack is not imported and available, you will be notified via a banner in the Computer workspace.
Do not notify about MPs that I chose not to import – this option allows you to configure Essentials not to recommend management packs that you have chosen not to import.  You can still import these recommended packs in the future; you just won’t be notified about them.

Microsoft can update the list of detectable applications and operating systems in the future through product updates, so that as new management packs are released, you’ll know that they are available and recommended,

One last topic; management packs are frequently updated.  To help you know when there is an updated management pack available via the management pack web service.  The screenshot above shows Essentials checking for updated packs.

When packs are available, click the link which launches the ‘MP Import’ wizard.  Then select to obtain packs from the ctlalog.  Lastly, select ‘Updates available for installed management packs’ in the View drop down to see packs that are newer version of packs that are already imported in Essentials.

We’d love to hear your feedback on this future – drop us a note through our forums: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/systemcenteressentials/thread/d9924697-120f-4a33-b945-28ddab7434e4

How to enable Auto-select for Microsoft Update (MU) subscriptions in System Center Essentials 2010

What is Auto-select?

Auto-select is a new feature in Essentials 2010 which improves the experience and performance of managing Microsoft update content. Essentials uses information collected about the software currently in the IT environment to automatically synchronize and download only the product updates that require evaluation. When the managed computers no longer need updates for outdated or removed software, those updates are no longer synchronized automatically and any existing packages containing outdated updates are purged. When a new computer or product is added and managed, auto-select feature automatically adds the appropriate category to the list of synchronized content. If the computer is not yet reporting to the server, Auto-select assumes that it runs the current Essentials management server operating system version, and selects the corresponding product on the Essentials management server. The Auto-select feature does not make any changes to update classification and languages; however, you can further limit or expand the content synchronization based on the automatic selections.

Value to Essentials customers

The decisions you make about how to synchronize with Microsoft Update can have a dramatic effect on the efficient use of bandwidth and disk space. Essentials offers you the ability to download only the updates which are based on your environment by enabling auto-select. It discovers exactly what updates are needed across the whole network. This can help if you are struggling to strike a balance between synchronizing enough updates from Microsoft in order to stay secure and synchronizing too many which can create a burden on the WSUS/Essentials server as well as adding complexity to the your other update deployment tasks. If you manually download too few categories or languages, then you might not be aware that some of your managed computers are no longer securely up to date. If you synchronize too many, you have to use extra command-line tools to purge the surplus content. Both paths involve considerable work on your part to achieve an optimal balance. Auto-select can provides confidence that you are downloading only updates for the products Microsoft supports in your environment.

How to enable Auto-select

After specifying the proxy server in the Configure System Center Essentials wizard, you can change how updates are downloaded on the Microsoft Updates page. To enable Auto-select, select the Automatically (recommended) option.

Note: When you enable the Auto-select feature, Essentials also configures Windows Update synchronization to be automatic. To change the Windows Update synchronization settings back from automatic to manual, you must first disable Auto-select.

How to see the selected list of products and how to disable Auto-select:

User can verify the products selections within a 2 hour window:

1. Open the Essentials console.

2. Click the Administration navigation button to open the Administration workspace.

3. In the Administration pane of the Essentials console, click Settings.

4. In the Settings list view, under Type: Update Management, double-click Products and Classifications.

5. Click the Microsoft Updates tab.

6. Select the Manually option, and you can see the list of products.

7. Do one of the following:

· To continue using Auto-select, click Cancel, and then click No when asked if you want to save changes.

· To disable the auto-select feature click Apply, and then click OK.

How Auto-select works

The updates database of Essentials (default name: SUSDB) stores all available product categories from Microsoft Update (MU) upon initial synchronization. Each subsequent synchronization refreshes the list in the database with the latest update categories. Essentials then evaluates the synchronized category collection, asking each managed computer’s update agent about which updates they need. Essentials then generates a manifest of relevant categories for each managed computer. Essentials combines and summarizes to distinct categories from all managed computers to represent the right subscription set/relevant categories and applies the completed list to the synchronization settings for Microsoft Update. This produces the same results as if each computer reported directly to Microsoft Update.

Thank you to everyone who has been using the Essentials 2010 Beta and RC. Many of you may have already discovered some of the User Interface enhancements we’ve made. In this post I’d like to share 9 tips and tricks when using the Essentials console.

Minimize tiles on Overview pages to focus on what is important.

Click on the ^ of the overview page tile and watch the tile collapse. This can let you hide the Servers tile and focus on Client computers without scrolling.

Reorder the workspace tabs or change the height of the workspace area.

To change the order of the workspaces, open the control. You can move workspaces up or down. You can also minimize the number of workspaces shown - giving you more room in the navigation area above.

Expand/Collapse Navigation and Task pane to maximize the viewable area of data in grids

Click on the < and > icons of the Navigation Pane or Task Pane to have the pane minimize. You can still access information in the minimized pane by clicking on it. The pane will open temporarily, allowing you to make a selection and then collapse again.

Filter data in grids to focus on particular information

Clicking on Edit Criteria exposes a filter control you can use to temporarily change the amount of data shown. The filter exists only while you remain in the current view.

Show/hide columns in grids

Right click on a column heading and you can enable or disable different columns so you can see just the information you are interested in. In the Computers workspace there are a number of fields that are not shown by default. This feature lets you add additional columns, and remove others.

Change the order of columns in grids

Select any column heading and drag it left or right to change the order columns are displayed in. No screenshot for this one. When used in conjunction with the previous tip you can make sure the key information is visible without scrolling.

Use sorting and grouping in a grid, including multi-column sort

To sort a grid by two or more columns, click the heading of the first column to sort by, hold down the shift key and click the second column to sort by. You can combine sorting with grouping - right click on a column heading and select Group By. You can use this to group all of your virtual machine hosts by grouping on the Host column, as shown below.

Copy data and paste into other applications

Take data from Essentials and paste it into other applications. For example, you can copy the contents of a grid into Excel. Note: In the RC this will not paste as you expect, but does for RTM.

Open more than one property page to do side by side comparisons

Select a computer and open the Properties window. Leave the properties window open and select and different computer and open its Properties window. You can open several property windows and compare the contents.

Bonus Tip: Pete Zerger has blogged some of the shortcut keys available in Essentials 2010