Mastering System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 [Paperback]

Chris Mosby (Author), Ron D. Crumbaker (Author), Christopher W. Urban (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2009 | ISBN-10: 047017367X | ISBN-13: 978-0470173671 | Edition: 1

Mastering System Center Configuration Manager 2007 provides intermediate and advanced coverage of all aspects of the product, including planning and installation, upgrading Systems Management Server 2003, deploying software and operating systems, security, monitoring and troubleshooting, and automating and customizing SCCM 2007 with scripts.

The authors take a hands-on approach by providing many real-world scenarios to show readers how to use the tool in various contexts. This anchors the conceptual explanations in practical application. This book's web site will contain a collection of ready-to-use scripts with directions for implementing them in network systems.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Centralize Management of Your IT Infrastructure with SCCM 2007 R2

Deploy software, roll out patches and updates, and track every version of hardware, software, processes, or procedures within your IT infrastructure or enterprise network with the powerful Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 (SCCM) and the step-by-step instruction in this comprehensive guide.

If you're a systems administrator or IT manager handling a complex Windows Server network, this book is a must. It details all aspects of SCCM 2007 R2, including planning and installation, upgrading, handling security, automating and customizing with scripts, troubleshooting, and much more. Real-world scenarios show you how to apply what you're learning in a variety of contexts—and you'll find pages of useful techniques and tactics to help you master this important, complex tool.

Coverage includes:

• Understanding systems and operations management

• Planning a configuration manager infrastructure

• Reviewing interoperability with Systems Manager Server 2003

• Distributing, deploying, and updating software

• Managing mobile devices and setting up network access protection

• Monitoring inventory, software metering, and reporting

• Troubleshooting utilities and preparing for disaster recovery

Centrally Manage Large Groups of Computer Systems

Control the Configuration of Both Software and Hardware

Streamline Administrative Tasks with Remote Tools

Upgrade from Systems Management Server 2003

Learn in the Context of Real-World Scenarios and Tasks

About the Author

Chris Mosby started his career with SMS when he was a temporary employee with a subcontractor of the Department of Energy on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Chris, who had never even heard of SMS, was told ‘‘Here is the software and a server;make it work.’’ After a fewmonths of testing, his first SMS site went online in August of 1999, and he has been working with SMS and Configuration Manager ever since.
Chris is an active member of the 200,000-member myITforum (www.myitforum.com/), the premier site for the SMS and Configuration Manager community, since day one. He has written a handful of articles (www.myitforum.com/contrib/default.asp?cid=271) and posts several times a day to his myITforum blog about various topics such as security and patch management (http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/cmosby/default.aspx). In addition, Chris was awarded the Most Valuable Professional award in Configuration Manager from Microsoft, for the third time, for the period of April 2008 to June 2009.

Ron Crumbaker is the CTO of myITforum and is very active in the community space. Ron is currently a four-time MVP in the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager area. Ron has written blogs, articles, and another book on various Microsoft topics. He has spoken at many Microsoft Management Summit conferences. In addition, Ron has three wonderful children, Nate, Abby, and Cole, as well as a lovely wife, Martha. Ron is very active in his church and is an ordained deacon and youth minister at his local church. Ron is a huge Camaro fan and is very excited to see the rerelease of the Camaro in 2010!

Christopher W. Urban is a management tools product specialist working within the Midwest district for Microsoft. He started his computer endeavors during high school while programming COBOL, RPG, and Basic. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Christopher started his professional computer career in the public education sector doing technology integration.
In 1994, Christopher received his first Microsoft Certified Professional designation under Windows 3.51. Through the years, Christopher has attained various certifications and achievements such as MCSE, MCT, and MVP. Christopher was the founder of LearnSMS.com, which provided task-based, online video training, prior to joining Microsoft. In 2007, he was awarded the Management Insider Top Gun Award. Christopher currently runs theMicrosoft Management track within the Chicago Windows User Group ( http://portal.cwug.net).
Christopher resides in southern Wisconsin with his wife, Ruthie, of 11 years; his son, Noah; and his daughter, Olivia. When not working on technical information or solutions, he can be found gaming on Xbox, tinkering with home automation, or sport fencing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 1 edition (April 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047017367X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470173671
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1.4 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #594,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars "Mastering SCCM" is a misnomer April 19, 2009

By Chris Lee Mullins

Format:Paperback

This book reads like an exam prep guide. And while its nice that they've integrated some of the additional functionality found on R2 and SP1, this entire affair is a gloss-over. Given the names attached to this book (Chris Mosby in particular), and the fact that its release had been delayed by a whole year, I was expecting so much more.

That said, its a great book for beginners and old SMS admins coming to grips with new SCCM functionality. It does a great job showing how SCCM fits in with the whole ITIL/MSMOF thing, good chapter on the WSUS/SCCM integration (although the SCUP role is barely mentioned - a **huge** oversight). The Asset Intelligence and Desire Config Mgt chapters are good, but very general. Nothing "advanced" here.

Where it trips **mightily** is in the OSD chapter. It almost exclusively focuses on Windows Vista. Nothing about additional functionality to be had from IBM / Dell / HP deployment packs, nothing about Windows XP and the challenges you'll face with AHCI/SATA/SAS drivers. Deploying servers? Nope. Details about using the most powerful Task Sequence step "Run Command Line"? Forget about it. I realize its very subjective, but some good **working** examples would have been nice.

Another confusing oversight - as the previous reviewer mentioned, there's nothing here about running SCCM on 2008. Having done the deed myself, that particular task all but cries out for a chapter of its own.

After over a year in the pipeline, I was expecting so much more...again, especially from the individuals who wrote this book. By and large, its as much a disappointment as Microsoft's own SCCM Admin guide - another "introduction" to SCCM.

The bottom line - a great guide for beginners and SMS-to-SCCM migrators. You'll get a working infrastructure by following the guide. However, its a very poor reference for advanced SCCM admins looking to wring additional functionality from an already-existing infrastructure.

And I get it - admins like myself aren't the target audience. But let's be truthful with regard to the title of the book. You won't "master" SCCM with "Mastering SCCM 2007". You'll barely be touching the surface.

That's two down. Let's hope "Unleashing SCCM 2007" does it better.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Screenshot after screenshot after screenshot... April 9, 2009

By Jase T. Wolfe

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Had I know that "Mastering" meant nothing but screenshot after screenshot of the SCCM wizards, I'd have passed as for the most part this information is either self-evident, available via the dialog's own "Help" button, or easily looked up on TechNet or from the SCCM's own (huge) CHM help file.

Although many complain that there are no actual walk-thrus from Microsoft, Mastering (which is mostly walk-thrus) falls short of being a true asset as it uncovers little more than you would had you experimented in a lab and just read the free documentation.

When it comes to a title you might want to use to help resolve issues, pointing out that the chapter dedicated to troubleshooting is only 21 pages will give you an idea of what to expect. You'll find yourself with only 38 pages to cover the Operating System Deployment section, 2 pages to cover application virtualization, and (despite being just release and including the R2 enhancements) not a mention of running SCCM on Windows Server 2008.

The free Microsoft documentation (if you were to print it) is over 3,500 pages - "Mastering" is around 545 pages, almost all of which is just focused on click by click console tasks. Very disappointing.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Worthless Collection of Screenshots November 8, 2010

By Clay Moore

Format:Paperback

The only thing mastered here is SnagIt as there are 450 pages of screenshots and 100 pages of text describing the screenshots. No best practices, no useful real-world examples, just page after page of pictures. I have relied on the Mastering series of books from Sybex since the NT4 days and this book is by far the worst in the series. The publisher should change the title to 'A Passing Glance at SCCM' and make no claims that this will help you learn much at all about this product. Congratulations to the authors at hitting their page count quota, though.