Shaun Cassells at MyITForum.com

Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM or ConfigMan) 2007, PowerShell, scripting and security (including patching), Finance, Fitness and Fun

March 2007 - Posts

SCCM 2007: State of the Union. TechSexy!!!!

What is TechSexy?

Product launch monicker!  For the next 5 months!

 

Definition: n. adj.: describes that which is both hot & hip in the world of technology and beyond.  Can be applied to both people and objects.

 

They can be:

            Hot & fresh (cutting edge gadgets)

            Have cool powers like configuration

            They are cool for their nostalgic kitsch factor – such as the discs

 

After a sample size of 1400 people,  it is official.  Ed Aldrich is TechSEXY! 

 

Top 10 other things we considered to make ConfigMgr more “TechSexy”

10.    Get more sexy actor/actress to endorse

9. Rating scheme on the UI

      G rated – soft and fluffy

      PG – throwing things

      R – “Desired” ConfigMgr with custom UI!

8.  Drag and Drop

      Doesn’t work everywhere

  1. Role-based, task basked voice-activated admin console
    1. Deploy Vista and it just worked!

6. Partner with Nintendo Wii for ConfigMgr

      Its all political

5. Pink fur on the ConfigMgr product box

4. Force Feedback controller for ConfigMrg admin console

3. Voice module for client for advertised software

      AOL eat your heart out.  23 languages

2. Create “TechSexy” icon pack

      “Desired” ConfigMgr

      Network access “Protection”

      ASSet management

  1. Show it off in Vegas 2008!!

 

 Other news covered after the top 10

ITCU HP client catalog for SMS

            Driver and patch information for their business class desktop and laptop hardware

            Won’t do BIOS!  Cause of security parameters

 

SMS 2003 SP3 is RC1 as of last Friday

 

DSL – definitive software library

Track where it was installed from!  Think of it this way, you can do a report who installed software via sms.. and who installed it from some network share. 

 

Https.  Adding the S doth not make you secure!

 

PKI and Certificate management is going to be the next big requirement.  Time to learn how to do it.

 

Annoucement: The company Brabeon? will be providing configuration packs for ConfigMgr.  To measure compliance with SOX and HIPPA and other standards.

 

Neato new server types for SCCM 2007

SMP state migration point.  OS deployment – store state centrally to transfer to new workstation

Branch DP – BITS designed distribution point.  XP or VISTA

Software Update Point – SUP

FSP – fallback status point – native mode security.  If a client fails to connect.  Web connect has certificate problem cannot contact MP to put trouble log up so it connects to

PSP – PXE service Point.  WDS deployment

 

System Center Configuration Manager 2007

Sorting works for collections

Search folders – think outlook rules

Multi select + Drag and Drop

DSUW is dead.  Long live patch management.  You can now resize a window.  CONCEPT!  Who knew?

 

Upcoming Time Line

Configuration Manager 2007 SP1

            Changes to support Vista SP1 and LHS

            Key CSS reported bugs and CDCRs (critical design change requests)

            When?  1st half 2008

Configuration Manager 2007 R2

            OS Deployment Updates

                        Multicast (with LH Server), unknown machine

            Enterprise Sale Application Virtualization (SoftGrid)

            SQL Reporting Services integration

            Forefront integration

            When – 2nd half-ish of 2008

Posted: Mar 27 2007, 02:01 PM by scassells | with 3 comment(s)
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Tuesday Keynote: Delivering on Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI) is a senior. 4 years old.

Delivering on Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI) is a senior.  4 years old.  Out of 10 Harry Potter eat your heart out.  The vagueness of the dream is now coming in well defined clarity.

 

**Warning the following are my notes so they are a bit disjointed. Head for the bold keywords**

 

SDM => SML

System Definition Model is now Systems Modeling Language?

 

Microsoft has completely rewritten there licensing model to include Virtualization.   So you can create or run many instances of the windows operating system.  You are now monitored on the run time environment.  - Bob Muglia

 

Interoperability Virtualization provides the ability to run Suse or Novell, or Xen on the same box as Windows OS. 

 

Windows Server Longhorn

Most important feature of Windows server longhorn?  It's the next version - Bob Muglia

Umm yeah, that unfortunately is going to MS in trouble.  Vista is having some of the same issues.  People are not adopting the next big thing because it's next.  Where is the killer app and why would I spend my money.  MS is not entitled to our hard earned capital.  Earn it just like we do every day.  I'm sure it was just a slip and not really the sentiment he was trying get across.

 

Command line: Oclist  That keyword listd available processes like: Bitlocker, Dhcp, dns, etc

 

**8 core virtual machine.   Longhorn VM running Longhorn x64 with 8 cores.  However, the VM only had 768 megs of ram.

 

 

Virtual Machine Manager.  

Easy to use Physical to Virtual conversion. VMware or Physical host Groups.  Hot swappable between formats.   Backend is PowerShell for the Virtual machine Manager.  Same integration as available in Exchange 2007 and System Center Operations Manager.  

 

Hot News: PowerShell integration will be completed with SCCM 2007 before it is released Early September 2007.

 

Meta Models

Industry Commitment to Models

EMC2 and Cisco are partnering for systems and networking.

ANA Networking Platform is using SML.

 

Microsoft waited to provide a service desk product.  Because they believed without a SML that there was no way integrate the Help Desk software with all the server support.  They now have a model.  Woo ooo here she comes, she's a man eater!

 

System Center Operations Manager 2007

In case you missed it last Thursday.  System Center operations Manager 2007 is RTM.  Available for purchase first week of April.  (next week)

 

MOM 2005 was more or less tracking hardware.  2007 is extension to software health IF the company follows the SML.  

 

From the presentation if you read closely, they spent 1236.00 at a Tijuana Bar.  One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila, Dirty Dirty Floor!

 

Problem Path.  Allows you to highlight only items of issue and drill down to the lowest level quickly.  Grays out everything else.  neato

 

Error reporting.  Yeah so what?  Fun is the fact that you can set up a fix path so people can repeat the fix by simply clicking a button.  Think interactive knowledgebase and fix.    If the problem is repeated you can have SCOM run the task by trigger.

 

Microsoft is extending System Center Support to "Heterogeneous World"

Engyro Corportation

Quest Software

AmberPoint

Tidal Software

Centrify

Jalasoft

Opalis

eXc Software

 

Network-Aware Service management with System Center Operations Manger (next version 2010?)  How are going to do this?  Partnership of EMC2 smarts product.  BiDirectional Connector with EMC for SCOM 2007 management pack.

Good Morning Microsoft Management Summit 2007

Check in and arrival at this conference is always a dream.  How is it possible to get all your info and check in less than 3 minutes?  I wish my travel was this easy!  A simple photo idea and you get your first bit of SWAG.  

 

Attendee tip:  Lanyards sponsored by 1E are color coded.  Alumni have purple, freshman have black and the media is red.

 

Attendee tip:  Double check your room assignments.  Why?  Well I was going to a specific lab that was supposed to be intro to Optimization Manager in room 20.  What I didn't notice was it was supposed to be room 20a and I walked into 20d.  A Hands On Lab for DCMv2 for SQL.  I didn't notice anything was amiss until 20 minutes had later.  No worries, half the fun of these conferences is the ability to learn new technology.   DCMv2 lab was not working, so I took the opportunity to learn PowerShell (beta name = Monad)   In summary, read room numbers and if you don't enjoy and learn all you can.

Posted: Mar 27 2007, 01:48 PM by scassells | with 1 comment(s)
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Sending a HTTP post from a command prompt (scripted)

Below is a quick script to send HTTP information to a website.

This is extremly powerful for submitting information from a workstation to a SQL database.   How does it get to a database from an HTTP post?  

  1. create an *.asp page on an webserver
  2. have the *.asp page take command line parameters and pass them to a SQL insert string
    • Why do SQL on server?  Well it keeps the password and / or security rights on your website and not distributed to clients 

'==========================================================================
'
' NAME: HTTPPost.vbs
'
'
' COMMENT: Sends HTTP Post commands to a website
'
' ARGUEMENTS:  Two separated by a SPACE.
'    First arguement is the website to post To
'    Second arg is the status to post
'    Example:
'    HTTPPost.vbs "http://<WebSite>/default.asp" "Cname=MyComputer&Site=SMS"
'
'==========================================================================

On Error Resume Next
Set objShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set objArgs = WScript.Arguments
If objArgs.Count < 2 Then
' ERROR:  Missing Arguments
 iErrorCode = 3503
 strErrorDescr = "The command contains an invalid number of arguments."
 objShell.LogEvent 1, "HTTPPostFailed with error code:" & iErrorCode & "[" & strErrorDescr & "]"
 WScript.quit iErrorCode
Else
 ' Set arguemented URL
 strURL = objArgs(0)
 ' Set argumented Request
 strRequest = objArgs(1)
 If objArgs.Count > 2 Then
  For I = 2 To objArgs.Count - 1
     strRequest = strRequest & " " & objArgs(I)
  Next
 End If
End If

HTTPPost strURL,strRequest
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
 objShell.LogEvent 1, "HTTPPostFailed with error code:" & Err.Number & "[" & Err.Description & "]"
 WScript.Quit Err.Number
End If

Set objArgs = Nothing
WScript.Quit

Function HTTPPost(sUrl, sRequest)
  set oHTTP = CreateObject("Microsoft.XMLHTTP")
  oHTTP.open "POST", sUrl,false
  oHTTP.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
  oHTTP.setRequestHeader "Content-Length", Len(sRequest)
  oHTTP.send sRequest
  HTTPPost = oHTTP.responseText
End Function