INTRODUCTION
Microsoft’s System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch represents the software company’s continuing maturation of its systems management platform. As Microsoft has moved to updating Windows at an ever-faster cadence, software that interacts with it must also adopt a faster pace to remain aligned with the operating system. This is certainly true of Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr), which previously incorporated the year of its release as part of its name but now goes by Current Branch, with updates approximately three times a year. Microsoft designed Configuration Manager Current Branch to be part of its Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, which enables it to keep pace with Windows 10 updates and provide support for new Windows features as they become available. This book discusses Configuration Manager Current Branch as of version 1710.
Configuration Manager provides a total solution for systems management in a people-centric world. Beginning with ConfigMgr 2012, ConfigMgr can deploy applications to users rather than devices. Applications are not limited to those running on Windows; they can also be deployed to Linux, UNIX, OS X, iOS, Windows Phone, Symbian, and Android operating systems. Configuration Manager enables unified management to large groups of computers across on-premise, service provider, and Microsoft Azure environments, enabling administrators to manage deployments and security of devices and applications across an enterprise in an automated fashion. While its most frequently used feature is software deployment, ConfigMgr also encompasses operating system deployment (OSD), patch management for operating system and other software updates, mobile device management, endpoint management, and more.
Part I: Configuration Manager Overview and Concepts
This book begins with an introduction to configuration management, including initiatives and methodology. This includes Dynamic System Initiative (DSI), the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). Although some to consider this to be more of an alphabet soup of frameworks than constructive information, these strategies and approaches give a structure to managing one’s environment—from system configuration and inventory management to proactive management and infrastructure optimization. More importantly, implementing Configuration Manager is a project, and as such, it should include a structured approach with its own deployment. Chapter 1, “Configuration Management Basics,” starts with the big picture and brings it down to the pain points that system administrators deal with on a daily basis, showing how Configuration Manager plans to address these challenges.
Chapter 2, “Configuration Manager Overview,” shows how Configuration Manager has evolved from its first days in 1994 as Systems Management Server (SMS) 1.0, and introduces key concepts and feature dependencies. In Chapter 3, “Looking Inside Configuration Manager,” the book begins to peel back the layers of the onion, discussing the design concepts behind Configuration Manager Current Branch, major ConfigMgr components, its relationship with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), the ConfigMgr database, and more.
Part II: Planning and Installation
Before installing any software, you need to spend time planning and designing its architecture. ConfigMgr is no exception. Chapter 4, “Architecture Design Planning,” begins this discussion with developing a solution architecture and assessing your environment; it covers licensing, hierarchy and site planning, planning considerations for specific ConfigMgr services, and implementation considerations. Chapter 5, “Network Design,” steps through the network concepts to consider when planning a ConfigMgr architecture and deployment.
When it is time to implement your design, read Chapter 6, “Installing and Updating System Center Configuration Manager,” which steps through the installation and update process; and Chapter 7, “Upgrading and Migrating to ConfigMgr Current Branch,” which discusses how to move from a Configuration Manager 2012 to a ConfigMgr Current Branch environment.
Part III: Configuration Manager Operations
The third part of this book focuses on ConfigMgr operations in your environment, which is where you will spend the bulk of your time. This includes navigating through the console, discussed in Chapter 8, “Using the Configuration Manager Console.” Using ConfigMgr requires an installed client on managed systems, as covered in depth in Chapter 9, “Client Management.” Day-to-day operations include managing compliance settings, covered in Chapter 10, “Managing Compliance,” and software distribution, discussed in Chapter 11, “Creating and Managing Applications,” Chapter 12, “Creating and Using Deployment Types,” Chapter 13, “Creating and Managing Packages and Programs,” and Chapter 14, “Distributing and Deploying Applications and Packages.” ConfigMgr operations include activities such as patch management (discussed in Chapter 15, “Managing Software Updates”), integrating Intune with ConfigMgr (Chapter 16, “Integrating Intune Hybrid into Your Configuration Manager Environment”), managing mobile devices (Chapter 17, “Mobile Device Management”), and conditional access (Chapter 18, “Conditional Access in Configuration Manager”). Also covered are endpoint management (Chapter 19, “Endpoint Protection”), running queries (Chapter 20, “Configuration Manager Queries”), reporting (Chapter 21, “Configuration Manager Reporting”), and operating system deployment (Chapter 22, “Operating System Deployment”). These chapters discuss those key functionalities and their use in System Center Configuration Manager.
Part IV: Configuration Manager Administration
This last part of the book discusses administration of your ConfigMgr environment. This includes security requirements (Chapter 23, “Security and Delegation in Configuration Manager”) and backups and maintenance (Chapter 24, “Backup, Recovery, and Maintenance”).
Part V: Appendixes
By this time, you should have at your disposal all the tools necessary to become a hybrid cloud expert. The last part of the book includes five appendixes:
Appendix A, “Configuration Manager Log Files,” discusses the myriad log files used by Configuration Manager that are helpful when trying to troubleshoot assorted issues.
Appendix B, “Co-Managing Microsoft Intune and ConfigMgr,” discusses how you might move workloads from ConfigMgr to Microsoft Intune, functionality first available with ConfigMgr Current Branch 1710.
Appendix C, “Reference URLs,” incorporates useful references you can access for further information about Configuration Manager, which is also included as live links available for download under the Downloads tab at Pearson’s InformIT website, at http://www.informit.com/title/9780672337901.
Appendix D, “Available Online,” discusses value-added content available for download under the Downloads tab at Pearson’s InformIT website, at http://www.informit.com/title/9780672337901.
(Online Only) Appendix E, “Extending Hardware Inventory,” takes a deep dive into how to extend hardware inventory. This appendix is available at Pearson’s InformIT website at http://www.informit.com/title/9780672337901, under the Downloads tab.
Lab Environment
While developing this book, the authors used a lab environment provided by ClearPointe Technology. The ConfigMgr site hierarchy, installed in the odyssey.com domain, consisted of a CAS (Armada), two primary site servers (Athena and Ambassador), and a secondary site server under Athena (Charon). See Chapter 2 for a diagram of the hierarchy used in the Odyssey lab.
Disclaimers and Fine Print
The authors want to offer several disclaimers. While the authors of this book have made every attempt to present information that is accurate and current as known at the time, they are not infallible. Any updates and corrections will be provided as errata on the InformIT website at http://www.informit.com/title/9780672337901.
Thank you for purchasing System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed. The authors hope it is worth your while.