Customer Reviews

Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Administrator's Companion

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like the last guy said, this book is fairly basic. I haven't read the Beta docs, so I can't say if this is just a rehash of the initial white papers. But really...I can't remember a single MS book that's ever been 50-layers below the surface like many experienced Admins want. There's no way you could cover **everything** about SMS/SCCM in one volume.

Provided he/she has a good working knowledge of (a) AD (b) PKI and (c) SMS2003, I'd bet a mid-level Admin could deploy SCCM based on what he/she gets from this book.

Right now, we are in the middle of migrating a (very large) SMS infrastructure over to SCCM. I've found this book to be an invaluable resource. But lets face it - a good SMS/SCCM admin knows where to go if he/she is facing a weighty problem. The depth and breadth of SMS is just that....deep and broad. I honestly can't think of another MS application aside from AD that can do more.

Want to know MS best-practice for designing your upcoming SCCM-infrastructure, plan an SMS-SCCM migration, how to leverage DCM or Software Metering, etc...? Well, here's your book.

Want to figure out how to troubleshoot SMS/SCCM-related WMI issues, troubleshoot your Management Point, trick out your MOF to start collecting DIMM bank info, figure out why you are getting all those SQL errors after making said MOF change? Well, that's where the internet comes in. MYITforum or the Blogcast Repository in particular. Like I said, SMS/SCCM is a very deep and broad application. No one book is going to tell you how to do **everything**.

Steve and team did a good job here painting the 30,000FT view and giving perspective on all the new features. Like I said, its been an invaluable resource.

I've been planning a SCCM 07 install for a while and was using the technet site and webinars to learn the product. I was eagerly waiting for a book laid out in plain english to help me in the process. I am somewhat disappointed.

The author says in the intro that the book is not intended to cover every nuance of the product and then praises the Technet writing team for already having done that. He says "In fact you'll find many references throughout the book that point you to the core documentation for more detailed information."

In many cases when I look up a topic in the book I need clarification on, I find a short paragraph that ends with a URL of a technet article.

The book has helped me organize a better outline in which steps to take to install and configure the product. But it seems the purpose it really serves is to help in finding appropriate articles in the massive technet library easier. But is that worth $59.99?

My company purchased this book for me after we installed SCCM 2007. This book would be better used by someone who is looking to install SCCM 2007. It provides overview information only. There is nothing in this book for post-installation troubleshooting and the topics on log files are very brief and not very helpful.

This book does a good job covering the over-all installation, the new features, and the differences between native mode and mixed mode.

I recommend this book for anyone who is looking to get an idea of what to expect with SCCM 2007, but not for anyone who already has Configuration Manager installed. I hope Microsoft releases a SCCM 2007 Resource Kit book soon.

This is a beginner's book. It is very well explained but a bit prolix. It takes more time than necessary to explain the topics.

I would recomend it to anyone who wants to be familiar with the product.

This book is just a sales pitch for Microsoft to sell you SCCM, nothing more. If you are a administrator of any kind stay away from this book. This works as an overview of SCCM, but if you want a book that discusses how to use SCCM this book isn't it. This book is great for a novice person looking to understand what SCCM does, but it doesn't go over in depth on how to make it do the functions it describes. If you ant to get a book that describes how to use SCCM in to its full potential then look for another book. Want a book to tell you how to configure SCCM, this is not for you. I am sorry if I come across harsh but the author should have never labeled this book the administrator's companion because it is far from that.

Just like the SMS 2003 Administrators Companion, this book is really for someone who has little to no knowledge of the product. It is not really intended to help a seasoned admin or someone who needs to architect a large environment. As a book for someone new to Configuration Manager and having no experience with SMS, I would recommend it.

I am an experience SMS Admin.I purchased this book in hope to get a good understanding of the new features and HOW TO sight for example Asset Intelligence, and OSD. This book did not even cover the AI topic but rather gave an overview. I found technet library more informative in addition to some very good websites in which I googled. I assumed since the SMS 2003 companion was a good read this would have been as well since it was written by the same author. Next time I will wait until I see more reviews.

This book is nice for have an overview of SCCM.

There is not a lot off information about native mode.

It's easy to read it.

And enough for the certification.

Samuel

PS: It's better then the official Microsoft trainning.

You're looking at this title because 1) you are hoping for a book that helps explain in a little more detail some of the obscure settings in SCCM, and 2) you want a book that discusses common pitfalls and issues administrators might run into. Keep looking. As I read through this I became more and more frustrated over the realization that I was simply rereading (albeit in condensed form) the product documentation that comes free with from Microsoft. If you haven't read the product documentation, don't worry - you will as beyond the core content, practically every page has a "for more information, go to [fill in Microsoft Technet URL to product documentation section here]" pull-out.

To add to my disappointment, despite this title being a relatively (to this review) new release, and despite the SCCM update having been in beta for an incredibly long time (and now released for a while), this book does not cover any of the enhancements of SP1/R2, something which would have been at least a small redeeming feature.

The product documentation that comes with SCCM covers more, already comes in PDF format, and is free. Start with that instead of this.

Gives the info I need in a format that is easy to use as a reference document. While I would still recommend training for those who are going to SC:CM from nothing at all, this book is great for Administrators of existing SMS infrastructures. Gives a good look at the new capabilities.

If you are new to SMS and looking for a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know, you may want to look elsewhere.