Mason Brian - Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager: Administration Cookbook

Brian Mason is a Systems Engineer at Wells Fargo where he manages over 350,000 resources with CM (note that any views expressed in this book are Brian's and not necessarily those of Wells Fargo). Brian is a 6-time Microsoft MVP for Configuration Manager (CM). He currently runs the Minnesota System Center User Group and its website where he blogs. He can be found answering forum questions on TechNet and myITforum.

I'd like to thank Rod Trent for creating myITforum, a place where people can share ideas and help each other figure out how to use SMS and CM. When I first started with SMS, Microsoft had no such offering so it was great to be able to seek out help and get it fast. I've met brilliant people there over the years. And I'd like to thank my wife, Susan, for allowing me to lock myself away to write. She never complained once.

Big thanks to Greg Ramsey for joining me on this book and his agreement with me to forward any receipts we receive from this book to the Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/).

Greg Ramsey is a Systems Engineer specializing in global systems management for Dell Services. He has a B.S. in Computer Sciences and Engineering from the Ohio State University and is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. Greg co-authored SMS 2003 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach (Apress, 2006) and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager Unleashed (Sams, 2009). Greg is the co-founder of the Ohio SMS Users Group and the Central Texas Systems Management User Group.

I'd like to thank Rod Trent for creating myITforum. Many problems have been solved, friendships forged, new career opportunities offered in that community. I'd also like to thank my wife Tina for her patience, love, and support.

Big thanks to Brian Mason for including me on this book journey, and suggesting to forward any receipts we receive from this book to the Wounded Warrior Project (http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/). Semper Fi.

Torsten Meringer , ConfigMgr MVP since 2005, is a self-employed senior consultant in Germany, starting his own business in 1999. His primary focus is to design, migrate, deploy, train, and troubleshoot Microsoft's deployment and management solutions such as System Center Configuration Manager and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit in small to large-scale companies of over 200,000 clients. Torsten manages the German ConfigMgr blog at http://www.mssccmfaq.de and holds various MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, MCITP:EA certifications.

Kim Oppalfens is a ConfigMgr MVP, and has been for 7 years now.

As an industry expert, Kim is a frequent speaker and ask-the-expert guest at both national and international events, and as such has presented several sessions at the Belgian Techdays. Kim has had the opportunity to present at Microsoft's prestigious MMS event for System Center enthusiasts, making this his third year to present at the most important System Center event worldwide. One topic he is keen on presenting, is the seemingly boring WMI layer.

Kim started Inovativ together with co-owners Kurt van Hoecke and Maarten Goet. Inovativ is a consultancy company specializing in System Center consultancy catering to the medium and large Belgian companies. Inovativ delivers both project consultancy, training as custom development on the different System Center products.

Last but not the least, Kim is a board member on the increasingly successful Belgian System Center User Group.

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Preface

Microsoft'sSystem Center Configuration Manager 2012 ( CM12 ) is arguably the most complex (and feature rich) offering of the System Center suite. CM administrators must be proficient in a variety of technologies in order to effectively design and operate a CM hierarchy. The list of technologies that CM touches on is almost overwhelming, for example, SQL, IIS, MDT, WSUS, WMI, PXE, SSRS, workstation and server operating systems, networking, and more. It should come as no surprise then that CM admins have built themselves a strong network of support. Forums such as Microsoft TechNet and myITforum are daily filled with questions and answers. There are local user groups, online webcasts, and conferences held routinely for admins to learn and share their trials and tribulations.