Module 1

Overview of
System Center 2012
Configuration Manager

Module Overview
Introduction to System Center 2012 Configuration

Manager

Overview of the System Center 2012 Configuration

Manager Architecture

Overview of the Configuration Manager Console

Tools for Monitoring and Troubleshooting a Configuration

Manager Site

Lesson 1: Introduction to System Center 2012

Configuration Manager
Overview of the System Center 2012 Family of Products
Overview of Configuration Manager 2012

Benefits of Implementing System Center 2012 Configuration

Manager in an Organization

Discussion: Deploying Configuration Manager in Your

Organization

Overview of the System Center 2012

Family of Products
System Center Product

Usage

System Center 2012

App Controller

Self-service access for private cloud and public

System Center 2012

Configuration Manager

Change and configuration management

System Center 2012 Data

Protection Manager (DPM)

Data protection for application servers

System Center 2012

Endpoint Protection

Malware protection for client systems

System Center 2012

Operations Manager

Monitor applications, services, and devices

System Center 2012

Orchestrator

Automation of IT processes
Integration with other management solutions

System Center 2012

Service Manager

Integrated service desk

Automation of IT processes

System Center 2012

Virtual Machine Manager

Manage virtualized infrastructures

Build private clouds

cloud applications

Overview of Configuration Manager 2012

Asset
Management

Deployment

Compliance
Management

Hardware and
Software
Inventory

Application
Management

Compliance
Settings

Role-based
Administration

Asset
Intelligence

Software
Update
Management

Power
Management

NAP

Client
Health

Endpoint
Protection

Software
Metering

Operating
System
Deployment

Remote
Management

Content
Management

Reporting
Monitoring

Security

Benefits of Implementing System Center 2012

Configuration Manager in an Organization
Key Benefits of Configuration Manager 2012

Empower user productivity

Using the application catalog to allow users to

request software when they need it
Unify management and security infrastructure

Compliance settings allows you to ensure your

clients are configured in a secure manner
Simplify IT administration
Provides a unified infrastructure that gives a
single pane of glass to manage physical, virtual,
and mobile clients

Discussion: Deploying Configuration Manager in

Your Organization
What process are you currently using for Asset

Management?

What process are you currently using for Application

Management?

What process are you currently using to ensure system

configuration compliance and license compliance?

What process are you currently using to manage software

updates?

What process are you currently using to deploy or upgrade

operating systems?

Which of the Configuration Manager features will most

benefit your organization today?

Lesson 2: Overview of the System Center 2012

Configuration Manager Architecture
Overview of the Configuration Manager 2012 Hierarchy
What Is a Central Administration Site?

What Is a Primary Site?

What Is a Secondary Site?
Configuration Manager Site System Roles

How Data Flows and Replicates in a Hierarchy

Overview of the Configuration Manager 2012

Hierarchy
Central Administration Site

SQL Database

Primary Site

Primary Site

SQL Database

SQL Database

Primary Site

SQL Database

Secondary
Site

Each site is identified by a a unique 3-character

code
SQL
Database

Central administration site can be used for

reporting and management only
Primary sites can only be parents of secondary
sites
Secondary sites now have their own database

What Is a Central Administration Site?

A central administration site:

Is required to use a multi-site hierarchy

Must be the first site built if you use a multi-site hierarchy

Is used for administration and reporting
Requires a SQL database
Does not process client data

Does not support client assignment

Has a limited number of site system roles

What Is a Primary Site?

To use Configuration Manager, you must have at least one
primary site
Primary sites:
Can be in a child relationship to a Central Administration site,
which can only be set during installation
Cannot be a child to another primary site
Manage clients in well-connected networks

Require a SQL database

Replicate their data to a Central Administration site if part of a
hierarchy
Supports client assignment

Consist of one or more systems hosting various site system roles

What Is a Secondary Site?

A secondary site:
Is optional
Must be in a child relationship to a primary site, which is set in the
secondary site during installation

Is used when network bandwidth usage needs to be controlled

Requires SQL Server Express or a SQL Server database to store
configuration information
Replicates its collected client data to its parent site using filebased replication
Does not support client assignment
Consists of one or more systems hosting various site system roles

Configuration Manager Site System Roles

Default site system roles are installed when System Center
Configuration Manager setup is run
Optional site systems roles are added post installation to support
specific features

Default Site System Roles

Optional Site System Roles

Site server

Distribution point

Site system

Management point

Component site server

Reporting services point

Site database server

Software update point

SMS Provider not

displayed in the console

State migration point

How Data Flows and Replicates in a Hierarchy

SQL Replication is automatically configured at installation
Secondary sites receive a subset of global data
Secondary sites do not generate SQL data
Global data is configuration
information

Site data is operational

information

Central Administration Site

Primary
Site

Primary
Site

Secondary
Site

Parent-child file-based
replication

Secondary
Site

Secondary-to-secondary filebased replication

Lesson 3: Overview of the Configuration

Manager Console
The Configuration Manager Console Panes
The Assets and Compliance Workspace

The Software Library Workspace

The Monitoring Workspace
The Administration Workspace

Using Console Organization Features

Using Search

The Configuration Manager Console Panes

Workspaces

Navigation Pane

Ribbon

Results
Pane

Preview
Pane

The Assets and Compliance Workspace

Has nodes for the users and devices

discovered in your hierarchy
Has nodes for the collections used to
organize the users and devices in
your hierarchy

Has other nodes that are used to

monitor and manage the software
and configuration settings on the
client devices in the hierarchy

The Software Library Workspace

Is split into three main nodes

Application Management is used to

create and manage the software
that will be deployed in your
hierarchy
Software Updates is used to
manage the updates for operating
systems and software
Operating Systems is used to
mange the operating systems being
deployed through Configuration
Manager

The Monitoring Workspace

Centralizes all the features used to
extract information from the
database about the operations in
you hierarchy
Alerts are administrator configurable
and provide pop-up in the
management console
Queries can find any information
stored in the database
Reporting helps provide
management friendly reports about
the stored data
The status based nodes report
information reported by clients and
system processes about ongoing
operations

The Administration Workspace

Provides management capability for

the Configuration Manager
components
Hierarchy configuration contains the
settings for discovering users and
devices in your hierarchy
Site configuration contains the
settings for the sites and the servers
in the sites
Security contains the settings for the
security applied to you hierarchy

Using Console Organization Features

Some nodes allow you to

create folders

Folders can be nested to

create a hierarchy of objects

Objects can only be in one

folder

Configuration Items, Baselines, Drivers,

and Applications can be categorized

Categories are not stored in a hierarchy

Categories are used with the Search

feature

Objects can be tagged with multiple

categories

Using Search
Selected node displayed for local searches

Type search phrase here

Use Add Criteria to make complex searches
Search can be used to find anything you have access to in your

Hierarchy

The Search bar is located at the top of the results pane

Free text searches find the search phrase on any property
Criteria searches allow you to specify the fields to search

Local searches only search the current node

Global searches are used to search all objects

Lab A: Exploring the Configuration Manager Console

Exercise 1: Exploring the Configuration Manager Console
Exercise 2: Searching in the Configuration Manager

Console

Logon information

Virtual machine 10747A-NYC-DC1-A

User name

Contoso\Administrator

Password

Pa$$w0rd

Estimated time: 30 minutes

10747A-NYC-CFG-A

Lab Scenario
A new Configuration Manager environment has just been
recently deployed in your organization. To familiarize
yourself with the new tools that you are going to use,
explore the console and test the search features built into
the console.

Lab Review
Where would you find the node for managing Collections?
When would you use a local search?

What is the benefit of saving a search?

Lesson 4: Tools for Monitoring and

Troubleshooting a Configuration Manager Site
Monitoring Site and Component Status
Demonstration: Modifying Status Summarizers and Status

Filter Rules

Overview of Status Message Queries

Managing Components by Using Configuration Manager

Service Manager

What Are Configuration Manager Log Files?

Viewing Log files with the Configuration Manager Trace

Log Tool

Demonstration: Using Reports to View Site Information

Monitoring Site and Component Status

Demonstration: Modifying Status Summarizers

and Status Filter Rules
In this demonstration, you will see how to:
Modify a Status Message Summarizer

Modify a Status Filter rule

Overview of Status Message Queries

You can view status messages sent to a site from client

devices by using a status message query

You can run default queries or create customized queries

Managing Components by Using Configuration

Manager Service Manager
Launched from the ribbon in the Monitoring workspace by using

the Start button when either the Site Status or Component Status
nodes are selected

Displays content either by Components and then Server or by

Server and then Component

Provides query option to see the current status

What Are Configuration Manager Log Files?

All client and site components in Configuration Manager record
process information in individual log files

By default, logging is enabled for all services

By default, server log files have a maximum size of 2 MB

By default, server logs are in the <InstallationPath>\LOGS

folder

Viewing Log files with the Configuration Manager

Trace Log Tool
The Configuration Manager Trace Log Tool is a manually installed tool
The Configuration Manager Trace Log Tool simplifies analysis of log files
because of its highlighting, filtering, and error-lookup features

Pause Button

Entries with
specific text
identified with the
Highlight tool

Errors
automatically
identified with a
red background

Demonstration: Using Reports to View

Site Information
In this demonstration, you will see how to:
View reports in the Configuration Manager console

View reports in a web browser

Lab B: Monitoring and Troubleshooting a

Configuration Manager Site
Exercise 1: Configuring Status Summarizers
Exercise 2: Managing Components by Using Configuration

Manager Service Manager

Exercise 3: Monitoring Site and Component Status

Exercise 4: Reviewing Log Files by Using the Configuration

Manager Trace Log Tool

Logon information

Virtual
machine

10747A-NYC-DC1-A

User name

Contoso\Administrator

Password

Pa$$w0rd

Estimated time: 30 minutes

10747A-NYC-CFG-A

Lab Scenario
The status messages and log files included with
Configuration Manager are all preconfigured with settings
that should work for most environments. However, you may
face situations that require you to adjust the various
settings. After your site is up and running, you will
frequently monitor the status messages and log files to
confirm that tasks have completed or to troubleshoot and
find a reason if some task has not completed successfully.
In this lab, you will monitor your environment by reviewing
the status messages and log files.

Lab Review
What is the difference between Site Status Messages and

Component Status Messages?

When would you modify the Status Summarizers?

Why were some of the components in a stopped state?
Why were there so many more entries between the

milestones in the log file and the same milestones in the

status messages?

Module Review and Takeaways

Review Questions
Tools