All things SMS, System Center Configuration Manager, Active Directory, Group Policy, Virtualization, Security, Gadgets, Technology, and the Daily Thoughts of an SMS Engineer named Anthony Clendenen.

The Daily Ramblings of an SMS Engineer

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New Tool for DCM

April 04, 2008

This tool coverts Security Content Automation Protocol files into DCM packs. It is in public beta and you can get it here . Overview The SCAP Conversion Tool for DCM can convert any SCAP stream files into DCM Configuration Packs for use with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007. This Beta release includes a user guide that provides detailed instructions for using this command-line tool, as well as detailed information about the mapping between the SCAP protocol and DCM. Please note...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: , , , , ,

OneNote PowerToys

March 30, 2008

If you don't know I am a HUGE OneNote fan and have converted countless people from using Notepad, Notepad2, Word, paper, you name it to using OneNote since it first came out in Office 2003. (If you are only interested in the the list of OneNote PowerToys, skip this section and scroll down). Some of my favorite things are the ability to write anywhere, assign "tags" to notes, copy and drag from anywhere, any application, webpage, pdf - anywhere into a OneNote page, and have it enter...  ... Read the full post or  the 2 comments. Filed under: , , , , , ,

ConfigMgr SDK (final) Released

March 18, 2008

Microsoft released the ConfigMgr SDK yesterday. You can get the download here . It includes DCM Digest Authoring guide, DCM digest schema, a SUM gadget that gives you current status messages on patches you have deployed, samples on creating admin console extensions, OSD custom task sequences and more. Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer | 1E http://configmgr.com © Anthony Clendenen Technorati Tags: ConfigMgr , SCCM , SDK , Gadget  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,

Defrag Your Hard Drive

January 01, 2008

How often do you defrag your hard drives? Do you think it is often enough? Defragging your drives can make a substantial difference in performance, seek times as well as the health of your drive can be improved if you defrag your drives on a regular basis. Keep in mind that hard drives are mechanical devices and eventually one of those moving parts is going to fail and you can extend the life of your drives by making them work less when you try to get a file. Don't believe me? How about ExtremeTech...  ... Read the full post or  the first comment. Filed under: , , , ,

AVG Anti-Virus 7.5 Professional for FREE

December 26, 2007

Computer Active is giving away the Pro version of AVG for free. I use the free version of AVG on several computers at home and it works fine, you get those annoying widows during updates because it is free, with Pro you can turn that off. Right now it looks like their servers are being flooded but you have until Jan. 17th with the option to stop the offer at anytime, which means they only have so many licenses. Direct download . Details here . Regards, Anthony Anthony Clendenen | Solutions Engineer...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: , ,

How To Upgrade SMS 2003 to ConfigMgr

December 17, 2007

Back at the end of September I was preparing my home lab for ConfigMgr testing. Since then I have been trying to get back to this article to proof it and tidy it up for publishing. After a number of requests and a light amount of work after 15 hour day today I am sitting in my hotel room, eating mediocre room service, while the Bears are beating the Vikings on MNF, so what better time to do it. Here are the basic software prerequisites for upgrading from SMS 2003 to ConfigMgr: MMC 3.0 .NET Framework...  ... Read the full post or  the 3 comments. Filed under: , , ,

ConfigMgr Toolkit Available for Download

November 16, 2007

This toolkit includes many of the classics along with a few new hits. Overview The following list provides specific information about each tool in the toolkit. Client Spy - A tool to help troubleshoot issues related to software distribution, inventory, and software metering on Configuration Manager 2007 clients. Policy Spy - A policy viewer to help review and troubleshoot the policy system on Configuration Manager 2007 clients. Trace32 - A log viewer that provides a way to easily view and monitor...  ... Read the full post or  be the first to comment. Filed under: , , ,