System Center Configuration Manager Solutions

Easy setup of SRS with Config Manager R2

I just completed a screen cast video for my customers on configuring SRS with Config Manager.  While I can’t share the video with you I can post the document that contains the steps I used.  This is all information that is on the Microsoft TechNet site but is kind of hard to find and understand.  I took it and compiled it into a more readable format and included it in a complete R2 document that I wrote last fall.  Let me know if this helps anyone out there:

SQL Reporting Services Reporting

The SQL Server Reporting services product is a reporting platform that provides advanced reporting functionality currently not available in the existing Config Manager reporting solution. Building the Config Manager reporting solution on this platform enables advanced reporting scenarios for the Config Manager administrator and enables future extensions and improvements to further enhance the Config Manager product from a reporting perspective.

Config Manager 2007 R2 with SQL Reporting Services Integration enables rich reporting and advanced information gathering and delivery for current and future configuration management releases, by providing rich reports highlighting the strengths of the product to executive level audiences and enable the Config Manager administrator to perform their job more effectively.

SQL Reporting Services Integration is being added as a reporting solution for Configuration Manager 2007 R2 to accomplish the following goals:

• Provide best in class reporting capability by integrating SQL Reporting Services, with the leading change and configuration management product: SCCM 2007
• Enable Ad-hoc reporting - Make it easy for both SCCM administrators, and non administrators to find the information they need to make the right decisions for their business
• Integrate core SRS functionality without requiring significant changes to the Configuration Manager product
• Assist customers by migrating both existing reports and customer generated custom reports to the SRS solution
• Integrate Reporting Services side by side with the existing Configuration Manager reporting solution, so customers can slowly migrate to the SRS solution
• Implement a new Reporting Services Point that can be added as a site role to an existing or new SCCM Site System that has SQL Reporting Services already installed
• Support alternative databases as the reporting database, such as a replicated or backup database
• Provide ability to convert out of the box classic SCCM reports and to convert customer- generated reports to SQL Server reports.
• Allow custom report creation via a report authoring wizard.
• Enable report browsing and viewing via the SRS Report Viewer.
• Take advantage of rendering in all supported SRS formats, report caching, and subscriptions.

Planning for SQL Reporting Services

The following considerations should be taken into account when configuring the Configuration Manager 2007 R2 SQL Reporting Services feature.

Performance

Location of SQL Reporting Services Installation - Configuration Manager 2007 R2 supports locating the SQL reporting server on the site server or a remote computer. However, for performance reasons, you should locate the SQL reporting server and the reporting services point on a remote site system.

Security

Unattended Report Processing Account - If you intend to allow report subscriptions, you must configure an execution account to allow these to run unattended. This account must be a Windows user account. If you configure this account with a password expiry date, or if you change its information in Active Directory, you must also update this information in Reporting Services. You should set read-only permissions to reports for this account.

Credentials Options when Configuring the Connection to the Configuration Manager Database - Use the option, Credentials are not required in the Report Server Properties: Data Source Authentication Tab for testing purposes only. This setting is not recommended for a production environment.

Best Practices for SQL Reporting Services

Optimize SQL Reporting Services Queries - Optimize your report queries. Usually, the bulk of report execution time is spent executing queries and retrieving results. If you are using SQL Server, tools such as Query Analyzer and Profiler can help you optimize queries.

Report Subscription Scheduling - Whenever possible, schedule report subscription processing to run outside of normal office hours. This will reduce load on the reporting server and improve availability for ad-hoc report requests.

Prerequisites for SQL Reporting Services

SQL Reporting Services in Configuration Manager 2007 R2 has external dependencies and dependencies within the product.

The following table describes the external dependencies for SQL Reporting Services running in Configuration Manager 2007.

Dependency	More Information
A SQL Reporting Services reporting server must be installed and configured in the site hierarchy.	Before you can use SQL Reporting Services integration in Configuration Manager 2007 R2, you must configure reporting services on a SQL Server installation in your network. For more information about installing and configuring SQL Reporting Services, visit the SQL Reporting Services Web site at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=111840.
SQL Reporting Services requires Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 or later for the Reporting Services Web Site.	For more information about installing Internet Information Services, see your Windows Server documentation. Note Computers running Windows Server 2008 require further configuration of Internet Information Services to operate as sccmshortname site systems.

The following table describes the dependencies within Configuration Manager 2007 for running SQL Reporting Services.

Dependency	More Information
The site server must be running Configuration Manager 2007 R2.	SQL Reporting Services requires Configuration Manager 2007 R2.
Reporting services point site system role.	The reporting services point site system role must be configured before you can use SQL Reporting Services.

Configuring Microsoft SQL Server for SQL Reporting Services

Before you can use SQL Reporting Services integration in Configuration Manager 2007 R2, you must configure reporting services on a SQL Server installation in your network. The following steps will allow you to install the SRS Component of SQL:

1. From the installation media you used to install SQL Server 2005, run setup.exe to launch the SQL Server Setup Wizard.

2. Accept the end user license agreement, then click Next.

3. Review the Installing Prerequisites page, and click Next.

4. After SQL Server setup performs a configuration check, the Welcome page of the SQL Server Installation Wizard is displayed. Click Next.

5. Review the results of the system configuration check to identify any problems that may prevent the configuration of SQL Server from completing successfully. Click Next.

Note:

If you receive an Edition Change Check warning message, you must reapply any previously applied SQL Server Service Packs after you have finished configuring the software.

6. On the Registration Information page, enter your name, company name and product key, then click Next.

7. On the Components to Install page, make sure that Reporting Services is selected, then click Next.

8. On the Instance Name page, specify a name for the instance of SQL Server you are upgrading. If you are upgrading the default instance of SQL Server, select the Default instance check box, then click Next.

9. On the Service Account page, specify the account details that the reporting services service will use to log in. Check the Reporting Services check box to start the reporting services service after setup completes. Click Next to continue.

10. On the Report Server Installation Options page, verify that the option Install but do not configure the server is selected, then click Next.

11. On the Error and Usage Report Settings page, select whether you want to inform Microsoft of any error and usage data for SQL Server, then click Next.

12. On the Ready to Install page, review the information shown, then click Install.

13. After installation is complete, click Next.

14. On the Completing Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Setup page, review any information shown, and click Finish to close the wizard.

15. If you need to reapply the Service Pack, please do so at this time before moving on to the next section.

Configuring SQL Reporting Services in SQL Server 2005

1. From the Windows Start menu, navigate to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 / Configuration Tools, then click Reporting Services Configuration.

2. In the Report Server Installation Instance Selection dialog box, specify the name of the server hosting SQL Reporting Services, select the database instance from the drop-down menu, and then click Connect.

3. In Reporting Services Configuration Manager, click Server Status. Verify that Service Status is set to Running. If it is not, click Start, and then click Apply.

4. Click Report Server Virtual Directory, and then click New to specify a new virtual directory.

5. In the Create a New Virtual Directory dialog box, select Default Web Site from the Website drop-down list, and specify the name you want to call the virtual directory created by Reporting Services (or use the default ReportServer), then click OK.

6. Ensure that Apply default settings is selected, then click Apply.

7. Click Report Manager Virtual Directory, and then click New to specify a new virtual directory.

8. In the Create a New Virtual Directory dialog box, select Default Web Site from the Website drop-down list, and specify the name you want to call the Report Manager virtual directory created by Reporting Services (or use the default Reports), and then click OK.

9. Ensure that Apply default settings is selected, then click Apply.

10. Click Web Service Identity. If you do not want to change the defaults in this section, click Apply.

11. Click Database Setup, select a server from the Server name drop-down list, and then click Connect.

12. In the SQL Server Connection Dialog dialog box, specify the SQL Server name and connection details for the Reporting Services server, then click OK.

13. On the Database Connection page of Configure Report Server, click New.

14. In the SQL Server Connection Dialog dialog box, specify a name for the new Reporting Services database (or use the default, ReportServer), then click OK.

15. Click Apply to complete configuration of the new database.

16. Click Email Settings. Specify the following information:

Note:

If you do not want to use report subscriptions, you do not need to complete this step.

Sender Address: Specifies the email address that will appear as the sender address of any email sent from SQL Reporting Services. The account specified must have sufficient permissions to send email from the specified SMTP server.

Current Delivery Method: Specifies that the delivery method used to send emails will be via. SMTP server. This is the only delivery method you can configure through reporting services configuration. For details about configuring other delivery methods, see the SQL Reporting Services documentation.

SMTP Server: Specify the name of the SMTP server to use when sending reports. This can be a local or remote server.

17. Click Apply.

18. Click Execution Account. Specify the domain\username and password of a Windows user account that will be used to run unattended reports, for example those used by subscriptions. Click Apply.

Note:

If you do not want to use report subscriptions, you do not need to complete this step.

19. Click Apply, and then click OK.

20. Click Exit to close Reporting Services Configuration Manager.

Creating a Reporting Services Point for SQL Reporting Services

Before you can use SQL Reporting Services in Configuration Manager 2007, you must configure a reporting services point. The reporting services point is a site system role that must be configured on a server running Microsoft SQL Server with the Reporting Services component installed.

Use the following procedure to create a reporting services point on a Configuration Manager 2007 site system computer.

1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site code>-<site name> / Site Settings / Site Systems.

2. Determine whether to create a new site system or add the reporting services point site role to an existing site system, and then follow the associated step.

To create a new site system and add the reporting services point role:

Right-click Site Systems, click New, and then click Server.

On the General page of the New Site Role Wizard, specify the name of the server that will be used to host the reporting services point.

To add the reporting services point role to an existing site system:

□ Right-click the site system name, and click New Roles.

3. On the General page of the New Site Role Wizard, configure the general settings for this site system, then click Next. Click Next.

4. On the System Role Selection page of the wizard, select Reporting Services point, then click Next.

5. On the Reporting Services Point page, specify the folder that will be created on the report server to contain the SQL Reporting Services reports used in Configuration Manager and then click Next.

Note:

The folder will not be created on the report server until you create reports or copy reports into SQL Reporting Services.

6. Review the information shown on the Summary page, then click Next.

7. Click Close to exit the wizard.

Configuring Properties for the Reporting Services Point

Before you can begin to generate reports in the Configuration Manager 2007 R2 console using SQL Reporting Services, you must configure properties for the reporting services point.

Use the following procedure to configure the reporting services point.

1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Computer Management / Reporting / Reporting Services, and expand the node.

2. Right-click the reporting services point server you want to configure, then click Properties.

3. On the General tab of the Report Server Properties dialog box, review information about the currently selected report server.

Note:

Information about the report folder will only be shown after you have created a new report or copied existing reports to this report server.

4. On the Data Source Settings tab of the Report Server Properties dialog box, specify the Configuration Manager 2007 database server and database name to be used as the data source for SQL Reporting Services reports. Click the test button to verify that you have correct data entered.

5. On the Data Source Authentication tab of the Report Server Properties dialog box, specify the credentials used to access reports on the report server.

6. On the Data Source Security tab of the Report Server Properties dialog box, specify permissions for the users who have access to the data source specified in the Data Source Settings tab.

7. On the Security tab of the Report Server Properties dialog box, specify the users who have access to the selected report server.

8. Click OK to close the Report Server Properties dialog box.

Copying standard Configuration Manager reports to Reporting Services

In Configuration Manager 2007 R2, standard reports can be copied to a folder on a Reporting Services server by using the Copy Reports to Reporting Services Wizard. Use the following procedure to copy existing Configuration Manager reports to Reporting Services.

Use the following steps to copy standard Configuration Manager reports to Reporting Services.

1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Computer Management / Reporting / Reporting Services Reporting.

2. Right-click the Reporting Services server that the standard reports will be copied to, then click Copy Reports to Reporting Services.

3. On the Data Source Settings page of the Copy Reports Wizard, specify the Configuration Manager 2007 database server and database name from which to copy the reports.

4. Click Next.

5. On the Data Source Authentication page of the Copy Reports Wizard, choose the authentication method required to run the copied reports on the reporting point server.

6. Click Next.

7. On the Select Reports page of the Copy Reports Wizard, select the reports you want to copy to the reporting services point. Select Overwrite existing reports if you want to overwrite any reports that already exist on the reporting services point.

8. Click Next.

9. On the Security page of the Copy Reports Wizard, specify which users can access the copied reports and the roles they must belong to. For more information about the options on this page, see Report Server Properties: Security Tab.

10. Click Next.

11. On the Summary page of the Copy Reports Wizard, review the reports that will be created, and then click Next.

12. After the reports are copied, click Next.

13. On the Confirmation page of the Copy Reports Wizard, review the information, and then click Close to exit the wizard.

Note:

If a report fails to import, it will be indicated by a red cross. Double-click the entry to open the Details dialog box, which lists details of the error in copying the report.

Reporting Services Server Properties Grayed Out

In doing some research and testing for one of my screen casts on SRS and Config Manager I ran into an issue that I couldn’t find much information on.  

My SQL Server is running SQL 2005 SP3 with CU 1 and is on a different box than the Config Manager site server.  I also run on a named instance of SQL.

I was at the point of configuring the properties of the SRS Server in the Config Manager Console when I got the screen below:

Everything was grayed out on all tabs.  I also saw this in the SRSRP.log file:

Failures reported during periodic health check by the SRS Server STRAWBERRY. Will retry check in 57 minutes    SMS_SRS_REPORTING_POINT    2/17/2009 8:13:14 PM    2388 (0x0954)

I found in the Event Log this event ID:

 

For some unknown reason when I did the install of SRS the Network Service account was not granted permissions to the Temp ASP.Net folder.  Not only did this cause the SRSRP Service to have issues but this affected the Config Manager Console to allow me to configure the properties of the SRS Server.

I went into the properties of the Temp ASP.Net folder and added the Network Service account and granted him full control permissions.  I then restarted the SRSRP service and the log then cleared up.  I went back to the Config Manager box and selected properties of the SRS server and now the tabs were allowing me to enter data.

January’s Config Manager Newsletter

Each month, right after Patch Tuesday, I put together a newsletter for my customers and for all of Microsoft PFE in general.  While I can’t post the current edition of the newsletter as it would not be fair to my customers that have paid for it I will post last month’s newsletter.  I will try and post this on a monthly basis but it will be the previous month’s newsletter.  There also maybe some formatting issues but I will work on them.

 January 2009

	Hello 2009. With a new year comes a few changes to the newsletter. I have added 2 sections: Blogs, and the Blog Spotlight. The blogs section is just a list of blogs that have some useful information related to Config Manager. I will be adding to the list each time I find a new blog with good useful information. The Spotlight is a blog entry that I have found in my research that may be useful to you in your day to day Config Manager activities. In late December we released Service Pack 3 for SQL 2005. I would recommend that you apply this as soon as possible. There have been several Config Manager hotfixes also released so please take a look at this list to see if there are any that you need to fix current issues in your environment. One last thing is that Windows 7 beta is out. Config Manager doesn’t really support Win7 yet but will with SP2. I have been testing it and you can install a SP1 client on Win7 and it will return Hinv and Sinv. You can also deploy applications and patch it. More to come on this as we get closer to SP2.

I will be in the office this month. No planned trips at this point.

January 2009 Released Patches:

This alert is to provide you with an overview of Security Bulletins released by Microsoft on January 13^th, 2009.

New Security Bulletins:

Microsoft is releasing the following security bulletins for newly discovered vulnerabilities:

MAXIMUM SEVERITY	BULLETIN NUMBER	Title	Products Affected	Replaces	Distribute With	Restart
Critical	MS09-001	Vulnerabilities in SMB Could allow Remote Code Execution (958687)	All currently supported versions of Windows	MS08-063	ConfigMgr-WSUS	Yes

Summaries for these new bulletins may be found at the following page:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-jan.mspx

Customers are advised to review the information in the bulletins, test and deploy the updates immediately in their environments, if applicable.

The Microsoft Security Team has created a new Blog that will explain more in-depth detail about each Security Bulletin that comes out. If you really want to know the ends and outs of the vulnerabilities then this blog is for you.

Keep up to the minute with the Microsoft Security Teams Blog.

This is a new section that will list blogs that deal with Config Manager and related products. The list below are blogs that I will usually visit on a regular basis and when I am doing research on a customer’s issues. I will be adding to the list as I find new blogs that contain helpful information. I subscribe to the RSS feeds on a lot of these. If you run across any that you would like to see on the list please let me know.

· SMSandMom, SoftGrid, and WSUS blogs

· Michael Wiles Blog

· Carlos Santiago Blog

· Steve Rachui Blog

· Russ Slaten Blog

· Michael Niehaus Blog

· The Deployment Guys Blog

· Jeff Gilbert Blog

· Paul Thomsen Blog

· Donnie Taylor Blog

· Greg Ramsey Blog

In this section I will hight a Blog entry that I think stands out and might help you in your day to day activites with Config Manager. This months entry comes from Jeff Gilbert’s blog.

At the end of October Jeff blogged about how to “Deploy SQL Server 2005 SP2 using an OSD Task Sequence”. There is a Part 1 and a Part 2 to complete the blog entries. Part 1 goes over how to create the SQL 2005 package, but part2 really gets to the meat of the issue with lots of screen shots and steps on how to make this work correctly. Now that SP3 has released I think that this would be a good blog entry to review if you are thinking about deploying SP3 with Config Manager. I know that Jeff shows how to do it with SP2 but I am sure that most if not all of the steps will work correctly with SP3. I plan to test this in my enviroment over the next couple of weeks and will let you know how it goes in the next newsletter.

· The System Center Config Manager Documentation Library has been updated, this link will take you there.

· Here is the link to the System Center Configuration Manager TechCenter web page.

· This link to Microsoft Connect will take you to the System Center Service Manager beta that is now available. A whitepaper outlining the Service Manager vision is here.

· This link will take you to some Training Video’s for the Intel vPro AMT integration with Config Manager SP1.

· This link will point you to the App-V Extensibility Today Before the SDK Document.

· Here is a link to the Creating Customer Reports by using CM07 SQL Views document.

· Version 4.5 of the System Center Updates Publisher can be found here.

· Here is the link for the Third Party Custom Catalogs for CM07.

· This link will take you to the Configuration Packs available for DCM.

· CM07 R2 is now out and the eval can be downloaded from this link.

· PreLoadPkgOnSite tool has been released to the web.

· Config Manager SP1 can now be downloaded from this link and ICP’s can be found here.

· Custom Error Codes for Config Manager can be found here.

· This link will explain what all the CM07 logs are for, and here is a list of the CM07 Icons and what they are for.

· Config Manager Software Updates Synchronization SuperFlow is now available at this link.

· The Config Manager Toolkit is now out and the CM07 SDK has been released.

· Here is a link to the Config Manager 2007 Technical Library, the CM07 Reviewers Guide PDF file is here, and CM Software Update Guide Whitepaper is at this link.

· Here is a link to all SMS 2003 Service Packs ( SP1, SP2, and SP3).

· Here is a link to the SMS 2003 Documentation, the SMS 2003 Technical Library, and the SMS 2003 Scripting Guide.

This month we take a look at the last item in R2: Forefront Client Security Integration.

Microsoft Forefront Client Security provides unified virus and spyware protection for business desktops, laptops, and server operating systems. You can use desired configuration management to monitor the Client Security agent on clients managed by Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 sites.

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 provides insurance that this critical service is running and in a state to provide up to date protection from security threats. R2 contains the Forefront Client Security – Client Health DCM baseline and several supporting configuration items. These CI’s assess the state of the FCS agents on the machines managed by SCCM 2007 R2. The SCCM administrators will be notified when a machine is determined to be in an unhealthy state or non-compliant so that action can be taken to restore these services and/or the correct agent configuration.

Reports are available to give a global view of the overall state of the FCS clients. These reports allow the SCCM admin to quickly identify machines that may not be protected because of a service or configuration problem with the FCS client.

No changes are made to the FCS product to support this work. FCS monitoring in SCCM R2 assesses the health of the FCS agents on SCCM clients and reports any issues that are found. Malware events and other data regarding malware found by the FCS agent are not monitored or reported on. Administrators use their existing FCS infrastructure for notification of this type of information.

To monitor the Client Security agent, you import the configuration pack included on the Configuration Manager 2007 R2 CD, assign the baseline to a collection that contains computers running the Client Security agent, and then monitor the compliance evaluation reports as you would for any other configuration baseline. No additional installation or configuration is needed.

Configuration Manager 2007 does not actually report back about malware or viruses detected; those alerts are monitored by Client Security as long as the Client Security agent is operating correctly.

Prerequisites for Forefront Client Security Reporting

In order to implement the functionality of the Forefront Client Security Configuration Pack, we need to make sure that the Desired Configuration Management Client Agent is enabled. Additionally, clients also have to have .NET Framework 2.0 installed on the clients we wish to monitor.

The above information is taken from the “Config Manager 2007 R2 Install and Features” document. If you need this document please let me know.

Please follow the steps below to install the Config Manager RTM eval bits for testing:

· Start with a baseline of Windows 2003 SP2

· .NET Framework 2.0 is required. The .NET Framework 2.0 is available for download at: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=56407

· Install SQL 2005 and apply SQL 2005 SP2

· Hotfix number 932303 addresses a known WMI issue where the Configuration Manager 2007 console stops responding. You should apply the hotfix to the site server and to all Configuration Manager 2007 consoles. The KB Article for the hotfix is available on the Microsoft Support site at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83055.  This fix can now be downloaded from this link.

· Install WSUS 3.0 RTM. You can download it from here.

· Install Config Manager 2007 RTM.

Once your RTM site is working follow these steps to upgrade that site to SP1:

· Upgrade WSUS 3.0 to WSUS 3.0 SP1 which can be downloaded from this link.

· Apply the Windows 2003 Schannel Hotfix KB Article number 942841.

· Apply the Windows Remote Management Tool to run the Out of Band Console. This can be downloaded from here.

· Apply the MMC Update from KB Article number 940848.

· Install the CM07 SP1 upgrade.

Once you Config Manager site is at SP1 you can down install the R2 eval bits. No PreReqs are needed, just SP1.

New SMS 2003 and SCCM 2007 Knowledge Base Articles

KB959812: Operating System Deployment (OSD) tasks may fail randomly in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1-based systems (959812)

KB958157: Inaccurate software metering reports may be generated from Systems Management Server 2003 Service Pack 3-based primary site servers (958157)

KB955955: A task sequence that contains many packages may take longer to run after you install System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 or hotfix 949225 (955955)

KB959040: System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 systems cannot provision AMT 2.2/2.6 clients in PKI mode and AMT 2.1/2.5 clients in PSK mode (959040)

Hotfixes

· We have a new support option available on the Microsoft Help and Support website.  Customers can now request hotfixes on the website.  Click here for the website.

· 961328 has been released as a hotfix. This hotfix corrects a PKI Provisioning issue that was not working on 2.2 ATM systems. The KB on this is not public yet but the hotfix is done.

· 960065 has been released as a hotfix. This hotfix corrects a problem where Updates are not deployed to some clients when you use WSUS or SUM to deploy updates in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1. The KB on this is not public yet but the hotfix is done.

· 960804 has been released as a hotfix. This is A hotfix rollup package addresses some issues with the Out of Band Management (OOB) feature in Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1. The KB on this is not public yet but the hotfix is done.

· 958598 has been released as a hotfix. This hotfix corrects the problem of the Audit Message for “Create a Task Sequence Package” does not identify system, component and user name. The KB on this is not public yet but the hotfix is done.

· 957255 has been released as a hotfix. This hotfix corrects an issue where the Wake On Lan Manager did not consider DST when calculating the next wake time. The KB on this is not public yet but the hotfix is done.

· 959038 has been released as a hotfix. This hotfix corrects a problem where a task sequence would continue to execute even if a failure exit code was returned. The Reports would also show a success for the failed installation. The KB on this is not public yet but the hotfix is done.

Config Manager 2007 SP1/R2 Updates and Hotfixes:

· KB956944 - Error message when you use the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 console to connect to a Configuration Manager 2007 site server that is not running Service Pack 1

· KB959812 - Operating System Deployment (OSD) tasks may fail randomly in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1-based systems (959812)

· KB959040 - System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 systems cannot provision AMT 2.2/2.6 clients in PKI mode and AMT 2.1/2.5 clients in PSK mode (959040)

· KB956194 - Distribution Manager in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 may require several hours after startup before it begins to process packages

· KB958021 - Error message in the Configuration Manager console when you create a new task sequence: "The task sequence cannot be created" (958021)

· KB958808 - User data from the USMT may be deleted unexpectedly by the task sequence engine during the operating system deployment process in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 (958808)

· KB954716 - 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 (954716)

· KB956733 - Some attributes of a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 client may be missing after it is configured as a branch distribution point (956733)

· KB957325 - The Inventory Data Loader component cannot process hardware inventory data from System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 clients if one or more properties contain more than 256 characters in the NOIDMIF files (957325)

· KB955842 - The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 hardware inventory may recognize an x64-based client as an x86-based client (955842)

· KB954718 - You cannot use the Out of Band Management console in Configuration Manager 2007 to connect to computers that use versions of Intel AMT that are earlier than version 3.2.1

· KB955126 - The SMS_Executive service process (Smsexec.exe) in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 may crash if you have Intel AMT-related software installed

· KB955388 - Error message when you use the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1-based Configuration Manager Configuration Manager console to check software distribution point settings

· KB955355 - A distinguished name that contains more than 100 characters and that is discovered from Active Directory for an AMT host causes the SMS_EXECUTIVE service to crash in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB956337 - System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 is unable to remove AMT user ACLs during the provisioning process for AMT 2.x computers

· KB957576 - Status message ID 7404 is reported frequently in an installation of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 that uses SQL Server 2008 as the site database

· KB957469 - FIX: The Out of Band Power control function does not work for clients that have the Intel AMT 4 or Intel AMT 5 chipset in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1

· KB957879 - The ConfigMgr Service Manager tool in Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 cannot query the SMS_SITE_SQL_BACKUP service, and you receive an "Error communicating with component" error message(957879)

· KB956941 - You cannot take some actions when you take remote control of a Windows Vista-based client computer that has User Account Control enabled in System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1(956941)

· KB957183 - You cannot add a group as an AMT user account in Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 if the group name has more than 20 characters(957183)

· KB955114 - The SMS_Executive service process may crash when the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 Hierarchy Manager handles the site control (.ct2) file from child sites that are running the RTM version of Configuration Manager 2007

· KB955955 - A task sequence that contains many packages may take longer to run after you install System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 or hotfix 949225

· KB956465 - The SMS_EXECUTIVE service process restarts unexpectedly when a limit is set for the maximum transfer rate between two sites in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 954474 - System Center Configuration Manager 2007 blocked from deploying security updates

· KB 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

Config Manager 2007 Post-RTM Updates and Hotfixes: 

· KB955115 - The "Client Push Installation" operation fails when both multiple management points and customized ports are configured in a System Center Configuration Manager 2007 site

· KB 950527 - Windows Vista SP1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 SP2, and Windows XP SP3 are not listed as supported platforms for software distribution, update management, or desired configuration management in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 946519 - Every even task sequence reports exit error code 183 if you advertise several task sequences to a Systems Management Server client in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 945306 - Execution requests may remain in the WaitingDisabled state after a task sequence that uses operating system deployment is run in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 944542 - The "wake on LAN" feature does not work as expected if a site server uses a non-daylight saving time zone in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 945898 - The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Offer Status Summarizer does not process advertisement status summary data

· KB 942700 - The task sequence does not run on the protected branch distribution points in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 944342 - Users cannot modify advertisements that they created in the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Administration Console

· KB 942536 - You cannot move created objects into a folder or out of a folder if the folder was created on a secondary site of System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 946518 - Inventory data is not completely removed after you delete a system resource in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· KB 945501 - Some users do not receive a program that is advertised to a user group in System Center Configuration Manager 2007

· System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Documentation Library (November 2007)

SMS 2003 Post-SP3 Updates and Hotfixes: 

· KB 942212 - The SMS Executive service process for Systems Management Server 2003 stops repeatedly

· KB 941214/KB 941395 - A hotfix rollup package that provides an updated Client.msi/Client.msp is available for Systems Management Server 2003

· KB 940619 - After you install Systems Management Server 2003 Service Pack 3, the Client Configuration Manager may return incorrect error codes when a remote client computer is unreachable

· KB 934206 - You cannot use the software inventory method to collect files from a mobile device after you install Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Service Pack 3

· KB 941820 - NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing does not work correctly on a computer that is running the SMS 2003 Service Pack 3 Advanced Client

· KB 936465 - In a three-tier SMS 2003 hierarchy, packages may not be decompressed or copied to the distribution point of the secondary site

· KB 943457 - Some newly added access accounts of a Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 package may be missing on the child sites

· KB 907311 - Only one of the multiple distribution points is added to a package in a multi-tier SMS 2003 hierarchy

· KB 939332 - SMS 2003 with Service Pack 3 cannot deploy a package to client computers that are running Windows Vista with Service Pack 1

· KB 945639 - The new collection that you created by using the Distribute Software wizard in SMS 2003 does not appear in the user interface

· KB 945635 - Systems Management Server 2003 clients cannot download a software package from a BITS-enabled Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 distribution point on a Windows Server 2008-based computer

· KB 939872 - Reports that use the v_Add_Remove_Programs view stop responding and cause high CPU use in SMS 2003 SP3

· Microsoft SMS 2003 SP3 Asset Intelligence Catalog Update (February 2008)

Administrator Console Updates and Hotfixes:

· KB 940848 - A hotfix rollup package is available for Microsoft Management Console (MMC) in Windows Server 2003 (XP fix available also)

· KB 941132 - FIX: You receive a NullReferenceException exception when you run a .NET Framework 2.0-based application that uses the ShowDialog method, and the method specifies an IWin32Window owner (x64 only - included in .NET 2.0 SP1)

· KB 932303 - FIX: The WMI service stops responding on a computer that is running the .NET Framework 2.0 and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (included in .NET 2.0 SP1)

· KB 913538 - A WMI enumerator object is canceled before the client computer can finish using the enumerator object on a Windows Server 2003-based or Windows XP-based client computer

WMI Updates for SMS Clients: 

· KB 933061/KB 933062 -  An update is available that improves the stability of the Windows Management Instrumentation repository in Windows XP/2003

· KB 913538 - A WMI enumerator object is canceled before the client computer can finish using the enumerator object on a Windows Server 2003-based or Windows XP-based client computer

SQL Server 2008 Update:

· KB 958136 - Cumulative update package 2 for SQL Server 2008

SQL Server 2005 SP3 Update:

· Service Pack 3

· KB 959195 - Cumulative update package 1 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3

SQL Server 2005 SP2 Update:

· KB 958735 - Cumulative update package 11 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2

 

Click on these links for the Config Manager On Demand Webcasts and the Audiocasts for Config Manager.

TechNet Webcast: Configuration Manager SP1 and R2 Overview (Level 300)

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 3:00 PM Central Time

Presenter: Jeff Wettlaufer, Senior Technical Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 shipped recently, but we are not done yet! This year, we will also release a service pack and an R2. In this session, we cover the changes we are making in the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) timeframe, in addition to the following System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 release. We briefly introduce System Center Configuration Manager, but our focus is on the new elements to support Windows Vista Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2008, in addition to some additional changes for Asset Intelligence and Intel AMT Integration.

http://www.microsoft.com/events/series/detail/webcastdetails.aspx?seriesid=37&webcastid=1032369054

TechNet Webcast: Information About Microsoft February Security Bulletins (Level 200)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:00 PM Central Time (US & Canada)

Presenter: Adrian Stone, Senior Security Program Manager Lead, Microsoft Corporation

On February, 11, 2009, Microsoft releases its monthly security bulletins. Join us for a brief overview of the technical details of the February security bulletins. We intend to address your concerns in this webcast, therefore, most of the webcast is devoted to attendees asking questions about the bulletins and getting answers from Microsoft security experts.

http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?CMTYSvcSource=MSCOMMedia&Params=%7eCMTYDataSvcParams%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ID%22+Value%3d%221032395122%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ProviderID%22+Value%3d%22A6B43178-497C-4225-BA42-DF595171F04C%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22lang%22+Value%3d%22en%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22cr%22+Value%3d%22US%22%2f%5e%7esParams%5e%7e%2fsParams%5e%7e%2fCMTYDataSvcParams%5e

Config Manager 2007 Webcasts

TechNet Webcast: Introduction to System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (Level 200)

TechNet Webcast: Deploying System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (Level 200)

TechNet Webcast: Deploying System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Clients (Level 300)

TechNet Webcast: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007: Deployment (Level 300)

TechNet Webcast: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007: Managing Servers (Level 300)

TechNet Virtual Lab: Introduction to System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007

TechNet Virtual Lab: Upgrading from Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 to System Center Configuration Manager 2007

Here is a link to the SMS Archived Webcasts on Demand:

http://www.microsoft.com/events/AdvSearch.mspx?EventsAndWebcastsControlName=As1%3AAdvSrc&As1%3AAdvSrc%3AAudienceID=0&As1%3AAdvSrc%3AProductID=12b833ad-46b1-440c-a481-4f2ff4fa1e72&As1%3AAdvSrc%3AEventType=OnDemandWebcast&As1%3AAdvSrc%3ACountryRegionID=en%7CUS%7CUnited+States&StateProvinceID=0&As1%3AAdvSrc%3ATimeframeID=-1&As1%3AAdvSrc%3ASearchFilter=%C2%A0+Go+%C2%A0

Client Schedule ID’s

I get asked this quite often so I have been compiling a list of the Schedule ID’s for a Config Manager client.  This is not a complete list by no means but I think that it is most of them.  I add to it as I find new ones.

Hardware Inventory Collection Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001}

Software Inventory Collection Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000002}

Heartbeat Discovery Cycle

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000003}

Software Inventory File Collection Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000010}

Request Machine Policy Assignments

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000021}

Evaluate Machine Policy Assignments

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000022}

Refresh Default MP Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000023}

Refresh Location Services Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000024}

Location Services Cleanup Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000025}

Software Metering Report Cycle

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000031}

Source Update Manage Update Cycle

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000032}

Policy Agent Cleanup Cycle

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000040}

Request Machine Policy Assignments

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000042}

Certificate Maintenance Cycle

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000051}

Peer Distribution Point Status Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000061}

Peer Distribution Point Provisioning Status Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000062}

Compliance Interval Enforcement

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000071}

Software Updates Agent Assignment Evaluation Cycle

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000108}

Send Unsent State Messages

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000111}

State Message Manager Task

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000112}

Force Update Scan

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000113}

AMT Provision Cycle

{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000120}

 

You can use the above codes to kick off different events on the client.  There are several scripts out there that will allow you to to do this.  One of the most used is the SendSched.vbs file from the SMS 2003 Toolkit2.  The toolkit can be downloaded from this link.

My First Post

I am now venturing in new uncharted territory:  Blog posting.  This being my first post I just wanted to say that I plan to post to this blog at least once a week with something interesting that I have learned or come across in the support of my customers.  I hope that the information posted here will be of benefit to other folks running System Center Configuration Manager 2007.  Please leave comments and keep me on my toes.

Thanks

Michael