System Center Configuration Manager 2012

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System Center Configuration Manager (CM07 or SCCM or ConfigMgr or Configuration Manager), formerly Systems Management Server (SMS), is a systems management software product by Microsoft for managing large groups of Windows-based computer systems. Configuration Manager provides remote control, patch management, software distribution, operating system deployment, network access protection, and hardware and software inventory.

Configuration Manager provides key management capabilities around application delivery, desktop virtualization, device management, and security that make it possible to enable productivity amidst device proliferation – while also reducing costs.

User-Centric Application Delivery

In the 2012 release, Configuration Manager takes a new "user-centric" approach to application delivery. You can establish policies and relationship rules that allow Configuration Manager to evaluate user identity, application dependencies, device type, and network connection in order to deliver the optimum application experience to users from whatever device or devices they happen to be using.

Desktop Virtualization

Configuration Manager is key component of Microsoft Desktop Virtualization solutions. It provides asset, usage, and desired configuration management for personal and virtual desktops on a single infrastructure. It also integrates with Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V) to deploy and manage virtual and physical applications, allowing you to easily scale application deployment throughout the enterprise as fully streamed virtual applications, locally delivered packages, or both.

Device Management

Configuration Manager provides baseline management for all Exchange Active Synch (EAS) aware devices, helping your organization inventory, remote wipe, or enforce PIN codes from the same unified management infrastructure that you are using for your physical and virtual client management. For Windows Phone and Symbian devices, you can also perform full client configuration and policy and health management.

Security

Configuration Manager serves as the management infrastructure for System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection. By aligning the client compliance and remediation capabilities of Configuration Manager with the antimalware and vulnerability protection features of Endpoint Protection, you can manage and protect your entire client infrastructure in a single solution. This consolidation can help you lower infrastructure costs and improve insight into the health and safety of your entire client environment.

The latest release also continues to provide core client management capabilities around:

• Compliance & Settings Management
• Power Management
• Software Update Management
• Operation System Deployment
• Asset Intelligence
• Client Health
• Inventory 

Benefits

Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager makes it easier for you to empower users to be productive with a unified infrastructure that delivers and manages user experiences across corporate and consumer devices.

Empower User Productivity

With Configuration Manager, you can empower users with the services they need to be productive from anywhere, on whatever device they choose. The solution:

• Manages a wide range of mobile devices, with a single administrative console for policies, asset management, and compliance reporting.
• Provides optimized personalized application delivery based on user identity, device type, and network capabilities.
• Allows users to securely self-provision applications with an easy-to-use web catalog.

Unify the IT Management Infrastructure

Configuration Manager helps you to streamline operations with a unified infrastructure that integrates client management and protection across mobile, physical and virtual environments. The solution:

• Provides a single, unified tool to manage all your client desktops, thin clients, mobile devices, and virtual desktops.
• Consolidates antimalware protection, vulnerability prevention and remediation, and compliance reporting in a single infrastructure.
• Reduces infrastructure costs through server role consolidation and scalability enhancements.

Simplify Administration

Configuration Manager makes it easier and faster to administer client systems and offers improved visibility and enforcement options for maintaining system compliance. The new release:

• Continues to deliver world-class inventory, operating system deployment, update management, assessment, and settings enforcement—with exceptional support for Windows.
• Makes day-to-day tasks easier by organizing administrative tasks by role, allowing administrators to define an application once for delivery across multiple devices. 
• Provides continuous settings enforcement to automatically identify and remediate non-compliant machines. 

Requirements for SCCM

SCCM 2012 beta2 has couple of requirement before you can install the software:

    Microsoft SQL 2008 Service Pack 1 with Role up 10 or 12
    Windows Server Update Services 3.0 SP2
    Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5.1
    Microsoft .Net Framework 4
    Active Directory Scheme needs to be extended with SCCM 2012 classes

Like SCCM 2007 several roles and features of Windows Server 2008 R2 needs to be installed and configured:

    Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS)
    Remote Differential Compression
    IIS 7 (with IIS6 Management compatibility , ASP.NET, Static Content Compression, Webdav and the common IIS and security features)

Before starting the installation, you still need to manually extend the Active Directory Scheme by starting the extadsch application. It will create the Systems Management Container and extend the AD Scheme with the right classes.
 
 For more information visit SCCM