ok, enough with doing blog posts in IE.  Now setup to use Live Writer, making my random helpful stuff entries easier to post!

After installing a primary under a central admin site you may get the following message when attempting to open the console at the primary site level:  "Your Configuration Manager console is in read-only mode while this site completes tasks related to maintenance mode".  This usually indicates that the initial replication between the CAS and the primary isn't complete yet.  Monitor rcmctrl.log on the CAS and also the Database Replication view in the Monitoring workspace on the CAS.  Once the link state says 'Link is active' for the child sites then the replication should be complete and you should be able to open the console at the primary without getting the read-only message.  Also note that this replication may take some time.  My environment took at least an hour to complete.

I have recommended the appdeploy.com web site to countless customers over the year as THE software packaging reference site.  Now, that url takes you to itninja.com and it looks like Dell has done their best to turn a great site into something not nearly as intuitive and useful.

During the Configuration Manager Risk Assessment Program (RAP) offering that MS Premier provides to customers one issue we look for, and usually find, is the fact that SQL memory has not been limited.  Now, on a production SQL server that may not be an issue.  But, if SQL is running locally on the primary or CAS, that might cause some memory allocation issues for other functions running on the server (like Configuration Manager). 

It's good to see that we now check for this condition during the pre-req check for the install of ConfigMgr 2012. 

Been using the beta for a while, now the 2.5 RTM is available here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/cc835245.  Not sure what SCM is?  Come see our Instructor Led Labs and Breakout Session on Security Compliance Manager at MMS! #mms2012