Important updates regarding SCCM 2007 R2

SQL Server 2008 is now supported on Configuration Manager 2007 RTM and SP1

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (RTM and SP1) now supports the use of SQL Server 2008 as a site database.  In order to upgrade a site-server database to SQL 2008 there are 2 hot fixes required:

• ConfigMgr 2007 RTM customers must apply hot fix KB955229
• ConfigMgr 2007 SP1 customers must apply hot fix KB955262

The following are requirements when performing a clean install on a SQL Server 2008 database:

• A clean install of ConfigMgr 2007 RTM on a SQL Server 2008 database is not supported.  You must first install SQL Server 2005, upgrade to SQL Server 2008 and then apply hot fix KB955229
• A clean install of ConfigMgr 2007 SP1 on a SQL Server 2008 database is supported, but should apply hot fix KB955262

Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is now supported for Configuration Manager 2007 RTM and SP1

Support will be provided for client management, site server roles, and the administrator console running within a Hyper-V environment.   There are no hot fixes required for the release to support configuration scenario.  This applies to customers running Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V RTM installed.

Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) 5.0.03 is now supported on Configuration Manager 2007 RTM and SP1 with the ACT Connector

Customers leveraging the ACT Connector may download ACT 5.0.3 which released on September 2, 2008.  The following is a summary of the Application Compatibility Toolkit Connector:

Update Compatibility Evaluator: Update Compatibility Evaluator Now Supports Vista and Server ’08 in addition to Win2K, XP and Server ’03 that were previously supported.

Windows Internet Explorer 8 Support: We now support Windows Internet Explorer 8. The Internet Explorer Compatibility Evaluator as well as the Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool are capable of identifying issues on websites and web applications when they are run on IE8.

Major Bug Fixes:

SUA:

• SUA Crashes if AppVerifier Log Entry is Badly Formed
• Failure to Create Shim Database Entry if Product Name Contains Special Characters: SUA was unable to create a shim database entry for an application if the application name contained special characters. This issue has been resolved in ACT 5.0.3.
• CorrectFilePaths Shim Fix: There was a bug in the Standard User Analyzer because of which the CorrectFilePaths shim (used to redirect the path to which files created by the application are written) was only shimming a single file-path relocation even if multiple files needed to be redirected. This has been fixed in the current version of ACT.

ACM:

• The Application Compatibility Manager no longer requires elevation of user privileges to run in Vista.

.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 is now supported on Configuration Manager 2007 RTM and SP1

The .NET Framework 2.0 is a dependency for the Admin Console and the Desired Configuration Manager (DCM) feature of the client.  Typically the .NET Framework is a side-by-side (SxS) installation so compatibility is not a concern.  However, the .NET Framework 3.5 install performs an upgrade to the .NET Framework 2.0 and .NET Framework 3.0 behind the scenes, this is now fully supported.

I'm A PC!

Well it looks like Microsoft decide to fight back at Apple's Mac VS PC Ads with an really nice interactive campaign.

In this campaign called "I'm A PC" , Microsoft is saying: "PC is not a stereotype! and If you’re a PC, you belong to a community of more than a billion individuals, working, playing, and connecting. Doing their own thing. If you’re a PC, we want to celebrate you. So stand up. Show your face and we’ll show the world what a PC really looks like.

PC is not a stereotype!

And neither are you. "

check out the web site: I'm a PC

check out this cool ad too (with thanks to Lior Zoref blog):

Dario Raffle - Solution Briefing for IT managers convention

At the end of the convention, Dario's project manager Asaf Nakash did the raffle of a voucher for a luxury vacation at the Golan heights.

Check out if you are the winner!

Solution Briefing for IT managers convention

Calendar Printing Assistant for Outlook 2007

With the upcoming holidays, many of us wish to print our calendar.

The good folks at Redmond offer a add-in named “Calendar Printing Assistant for

Outlook 2007” available for download from this URL.

This add-in enables you to design your own template for printing a customized calendar,

display appointments, tasks & to do items from your outlook profile.

You can choose use either the new added calendar templates or create your own.

SP1 for the Calendar Printing Assistant for Outlook 2007 is available for download from

this URL.

OS Deployment with Configuration Manager 2007 Presentation

I'll be presenting a session tomorrow about OS Deployment with Configuration Manager 2007 at a Microsoft Solution Briefing conference.

OS Deployment can be a major time consumer in an IT shop, I will demonstrate that when done right, it can be achieved using minimal effort and in much less time then expected.

For more information, check out my presentation:

App-v 4.5 Solution Accelerator is now Available!

Following Microsoft announcement of App-v 4.5 RTM (known previously as "Soft Grid") from the beginning of September, Microsoft just publish the Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) for this version.

Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) is a series of planning and design guides created to clarify and streamline the planning and design process for Microsoft infrastructure technologies.

The App-v 4.5 RTM will be include as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) 2008 R2 that will be available in the next couple of weeks (for more information about MDOP 2008 R2 read our post).

You can find the new App-V 4.5 IPD guide as well as IPD guides for OpsMgr 2007, Active Directory, IIS and much much more at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AD3921FB-8224-4681-9064-075FDF042B0C&displaylang=en.

Get Virtual Now conference raffle winner

At the end of a very successful conference, Dario's project manager Asaf Nakash presented

a voucher for a luxury weekend  at the Golan heights to the raffle winner Simcha Kopel.

Microsoft’s Virtualization Launch - Key Takeaways

I had the opportunity today (16.9.08) to participate in Microsoft’s getVIRTUALnow event, and to present the session "Physical and Virtual Server Management"

I presented my take on data center management, which involves automating management tasks in response to system\application states.

It was impressive to see the number of vendors that were present in the event. Microsoft seem to be quick in building the required ecosystem of partners that will push it's Virtualization offerings greatly in my opinion.

The main point in my presentation was that when looking at the data center (or IT environment) as a whole, tools like Systems Center Operations Manger and Systems Center Virtual Machine Manager (that has integration built into them from the grounds up) really stand out in the crowd in comparison to tools that are built for a specific environment (like managing only virtual machines).

One of the demonstrations involved Performance Resource Optimization (PRO) which is one of VMM’s top features, as it allows administrators to automate practically any type of response to a given condition, including responding to application, virtualization, system, storage, or network events.

For more demonstrations, take a look at Liran's post - "Get Virtual Now with Hyper-V Technology".

Also, You are more then invited to check out a bunch of pictures we took at the event - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=55996&id=15415483905&ref=mf

MDOP 2008 R2 RTMs

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2008 R2 has been released to manufacturing (RTM) and will be available to download in the next couple of weeks.

This version of MDOP will include the highly acclaimed Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5 (also called App-V) but there are a lot of other new and useful upgrades and improvements in MDOP 2008 R2 as well:

Asset Inventory Service 1.5 (AIS)

Asset Inventory Service is a hosted inventory service that scans and analyzes all the applications on customers’ desktops and translates inventory data into useful and actionable information. Basically, it’s a company-wide monitor that allows customers to track the software that they have deployed within their organization. With 1.5, customers can now see license reconciliation along with inventory information. This allows them to clearly see if all software deployed within their enterprise is compliant with license agreements. Having deployment and licensing information in one place is critical to software asset management, specifically when looking at true-ups, renewals, and license reallocation. This new version of the service will be available in November 2008.

Advanced Group Policy Management 3.0 (AGPM)

Advanced Group Policy Management 3.0, which enables governance and change controls over the deployment of group policy objects in your IT environment, adds customizable permissions to enforce the use of the Group Policy change management tool within an organization. This new feature gives AGPM administrators the ability to customize the permissions that are set on production GPOs controlled by AGPM. Enhanced Tracking allows customers to use AGPM for compliance with branch specific regulations. The new version of AGPM is compatible with Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1, and offers full support for 64 bit machines, as well as and the newly introduced Group Policy Preferences. It’s a major overhaul that makes AGPM a true “must-have.”

Get Virtual Now with Hyper-V Technology

Come & visit our booth at the "Get Virtual Now" conference at Avenue Airport City.

Amit Gatenyo will deliver a lecture about the advantages of Hyper-V for you organization

with emphasis on management.

At our booth you can see the Hyper-V technology in action via our presentations, and

learn more about how Dario IT Solutions can assist your organization's IT needs.

Hyper-V Capabilities Demo 

My Presentation on Physical and Virtual Server Management

Management of Virtual Machines is not just about managing the VM's themselves but also the workloads that run in them. The key to managing the entire IT infrastructure is the integration of both physical and virtual machine management into a single set of tools.

I'll be giving a presentation on the subject tomorrow (16/9/08) at the Microsoft getVIRTUALnow convention that will be held in Airport City, Israel.

In this session I will give an overview & demo of real-world costumer implementation who uses OpsManager 2007 to locate service disruption and then utilize Hyper-V in order to dynamically create additional servers, add them to clusters and automatically direct users to use them.

This session will also demonstrate the concepts and benefits behind the integration of Physical and Virtual Management, along with how the System Center family of products provide that capability to the IT administrator.

If you are interested in learning how to push your IT environment to new automation heights, this session is an absolute must.

For more details, you can view the whole presentation here (with some Screenshots from the demo):

Performance on Hyper-V

The BiztTalk team has published great content on TechNet that could be leveraged to implement and measure performance of SharePoint Server or Project Server virtualization on Hyper-V:

• Measuring Performance on Hyper-V
  • Measuring Disk I/O Performance
  • Measuring Memory Performance
  • Measuring Network Performance
  • Measuring Processor Performance

• Tools for Measuring Performance
• Optimizing Performance on Hyper-V
  • Allocate 110%–125% of the Hardware Resources to the Hyper-V Virtual Machines
  • Optimize Hyper-V Performance
  • Optimize Performance of Disk, Memory, Network, and Processor in a Hyper-V Environment
  • Optimize BizTalk Server Solution

Even if you are not interested in BizTalk, this is a good guide performance wise!

Some interesting posts on DFS-R

Check out the following posts:

1. What is the purpose of the 'Deleted' folder in DFSR?
2. DFSR and Bitlocker work together + performance tests
3. Five Common Causes of “Waiting for the DFS Replication service to retrieve replication settings from Active Directory”
4. What are the Schema Extension Requirements for running Windows Server 2008 DFSR?
5. New DFSR Data Restoration Script

Comparing Windows 2008 versions to identify the right virtualization solution

I've been asked so many times about the feature differences between Windows 2008 editions in regard to Hyper-V and I want to clarify it once and for all: