Quick Guide to System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) 2012 Beta 2

System Center Configuration Manager is a part of the Microsoft System Center family of systems management solutions.  It has three main purposes:

• Aid in the delivery of operating system images to servers and PCs, software, updates, and user assistance
• Maintain standardisation, flexibility, compliance and security
• Generate intelligence of the network via hardware and software auditing, and reporting on deployed assets, licence usage and ongoing activity

ConfigMgr does this using centrally managed policy and in a manner that aims to provide zero-touch administration. 

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 is the current release of the product.  As its name suggests, however, this is due for an update, and Microsoft is developing and testing a successor that’s due for release in the coming months.  You can start evaluating and testing System Center Configuration Manager 2012 Beta 2 now for your environment or customers.

Key New Features

The focus points of ConfigMgr 2012 are user-centric management, unified infrastructure, and simpler management.  These embrace modern challenges such as the consumerisation of IT where the user dictates the working environment to a certain degree, mobile computing and increased demands of IT.  Key features being added include:

Software Catalog
Traditional software distribution using ConfigMgr was slow, requiring administrative effort in response to the user’s request, and then a period of time would pass before the installation would start.  The Software Catalog is a self-service portal, allowing users to browse administrator-published applications and initiate the immediate installation of desired software.  This means the user can get software when they need it, enabling them to do their job more effectively.  It also means that IT is providing a more proactive service to the business and is no longer viewed as delaying operations.

The Software Catalog includes an optional approval workflow to control the installation of restricted software.  For example, something like Microsoft Project could require budget approval and a ConfigMgr administrator could require a user to have an approval before that software would install.

User to Primary Computer Association

ConfigMgr 2012 can determine if a roaming user is currently logged into their primary device or not, and then figure out how to react to a request to install software on the current device.  This ensures the correct type of response to a software installation request depending on the type of device the user is currently using.

Application Modelling
ConfigMgr administrators currently deploy software using an installation-focused system of packages and programs.  This functionality will continue for upgrade scenarios, but ConfigMgr 2012 introduces Application Modelling. 

An administrator can define an application, and then define different Deployment Types to suit different target devices.  This can include examples such as a user’s primary device (install the application), a non-primary device (deploy an App-V package), or a phone (deploy a suitable installation).  This change shifts the mindset of the administrator from deploying an installation type to installing an application, and it allows flexibility for different user devices.

The application model adds installation-time decision making.  For example it won’t install an application if it has already been installed.  The model will also allow an administrator to define the hardware prerequisites for the software being deployed.  This eliminates the need to create complex collection queries that are associated with the traditional package and programs approach.  Software dependencies can be defined and ConfigMgr will automatically deploy these as required.

Mobile Device Light Management
ConfigMgr 2012 will enable administrators to perform light management (discovery, inventory, settings policy and remote wipe) of Windows phones, Nokia phones, iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.

Other Important Differences from Current Versions

In addition to the above improvements, ConfigMgr 2012 also includes the following:

Simplified Architecture
Some larger organisations had to deploy more complex ConfigMgr architectures to accomplish security or configuration objectives.  This need has been eliminated by allowing more granular delegation of administration and configuration options in ConfigMgr 2012.  For example, you can isolate desktop administrators from server administrators, and ConfigMgr client settings are configured on a managed machine collection basis rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.

Improved Management Console
The ConfigMgr administration console has been rewritten.  It improves the administrative experience, and it dynamically builds itself according to the rights assigned to the logged in administrator.

Reduced Client Administration
Many ConfigMgr administrators spend an excessive amount of time repairing managed PCs with unhealthy ConfigMgr clients.  ConfigMgr 2012 can automatically repair things such as BITS or WMI, and can even go as far as reinstalling the ConfigMgr client to resolve the issue.

Desired Configuration Management (DCM)
In ConfigMgr 2007, DCM enables administrators to identify machines that have non-compliant configurations.  ConfigMgr 2012 can automatically correct anything that is non-compliant.  For example, re-enabling the Windows Firewall on PCs when it is found to be disabled.

Download & Installation

The beta program for ConfigMgr 2012 is hosted on the Microsoft Connect website at https://connect.microsoft.com/ConfigurationManagervnext.  You can download ConfigMgr and additional content from this site, and you can use the Feedback page to log any bugs you find and search for help with any issues.

The system requirements include:

• Windows Server 2008 x64 or later.  The distribution point can run on Windows Server 2003 and later.
• SQL Server 2008 x64 with Service Pack 1 and Cumulative Update 10

A complete description of the supported configurations can be downloaded from here

Microsoft has also published planning deployment guides on the ConfigMgr 2012 beta site on Microsoft Connect.

Configuration

Microsoft has published pre-release configuration and administration guides on the TechNet Tech Library

Summary

System Center Configuration Manager 2012 offers a systems management solution for managing the configuration, policies and compliance of PCs, servers and mobile devices from the time of deployment until they’re ready for recycling. 

The 2012 release improves existing features of ConfigMgr and introduces new approaches to deal with the challenges faced by businesses today, such as the consumerisation of IT and the need to offer controlled change in a rapid and compliant manner, with a reduced administrative effort.

Don't forget that you can sign up for the Microsoft Virtual Academy Challengeand take on Cloud Pro editor Max Cooter.

Useful links 

Microsoft Virtualisation for VMware professionals 

Differentiating VMware and Microsoft 

Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 SP1

Windows Server 2008 R2 with SP1 

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 

System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 

System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1

System Center Configuration Manager 2012 Beta 2 

System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2012 Beta 

If you want to take things a bit further than the Microsoft Virtual Academy then Microsoft also offers IT Pro courses for more advanced certification.

Check out: 

70-659: TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization (Hyper-V+VMM) 

70-400: TS: Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007