As we continue our look at Microsoft’s System Center Certifications, we’ll take a deep dive into System Center Configuration Manager. SCCM is a tool for IT Managers looking for a solution that consolidates management of multiple computing environments.

System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)

Consolidation and simplification are the hallmarks of SCCM. Assess, deploy, and update your servers, clients, and devices — across not only physical, but virtual, distributed, and mobile platforms. Processes that may have been previously managed under multiple products, can now be controlled under one dashboard.

Required Skills

Those interested in the SCCM certification should have at least one year of experience using Systems Management Server (SMS) or Configuration Manager 2007. Candidates should also have experience using Active Directory and the Windows server system.

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Today’s enterprise computing environments are more complex than their predecessors. Internet connectivity, smartphones and the mobile workforce make managing these corporate networks a challenge for even the most seasoned IT professional.

In response, a new crop of software solutions have been developed to help simplify systems management. Microsoft’s solution center is one such application. It consolidates physical and virtual management of data centers, client/server and other devices under one umbrella.

The result is a solution that not only helps save time, but improves productivity. And increased productivity ultimately means reduced costs.

In order to demonstrate expertise in this space, Microsoft has developed the Microsoft System Center Certification.

This article, the first in a series about the Microsoft System Center certifications, will provide an overview of the four System Center certification exams.

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To the uninitiated, the so-called green features installed with Windows Server 2008 R2 might seem like nothing more than corporate charity aimed at environmentalists. While companies are all too eager to bask in the good guy status generated by incorporating energy saving measures and processes into their products, there is actually a significant business reason driving the inclusion of these features in products like Windows Server.

For decades, corporations have been building data centers and server rooms complete with raised floors and their own separate air conditioning systems to deal with the large amounts of heat generated by powerful servers, storage systems, and other components. These rooms were driven by necessity because overheating can cause the most stable of systems to fail. And, as processors became faster, and hard drives spun even more quickly, the amount of heat they generated grew by leaps and bounds.

Along the way, something else began to emerge, data centers with their own separate power supplies and generators. At first, these innovations were driven by the need for 24/7 server usage and a business necessity to achieve as near-zero downtime as possible. But, as data centers and server rooms grew, there emerged another necessity, the ability to get enough power to these massive computer centers without having to completely re-engineer the whole building’s power distribution system.

Wasted Power = Wasted Money

On the smallest of scales, the new power management capabilities built into Server 2008 R2 offer only small energy savings at best. A single server running the fastest processors, hard drives, and components won’t draw much more power than that old space heater the receptionist on the third floor keeps under the desk. However, like many things, when one stops to add all of the little differences up, the result ends up being a very big difference.

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What’s your main goal this year?

Let me guess… is it increasing productivity, while at the same time saving your company some time and money?

Well, you’re not alone. These days, the main goal for many businesses is increasing productivity and having a mobile workforce that can access information instantly, saving valuable resources. Internal employees and external clients need accurate up-to-date information, even when they are on the go.

If your network is running Windows Server 2008 R2 and your clients are using Windows 7 you can take advantage of Direct Access to connect your mobile workforce.

Why Use Direct Access?

Direct Access has many advantages over Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and is meant to be a VPN replacement. With Direct Access the connection between the client computer and the company Intranet is as seamless as using the Internet, while at the same time being more secure than a VPN. P

lus your clients won’t have to worry about authentication and the several steps involved with establishing a VPN connection or dealing with the hassles of re-establishing a connection if the VPN is lost. Going through a VPN can also slow down Internet connections, so that is another advantage of using Direct Access instead of a VPN.

In spite of Direct Access creating a seamless connection on the client side, you as the administrator will have some work to do, to get Direct Access installed and configured correctly. But it is well worth the effort because not only is client productivity increased, network security is increased as well.

Direct Access creates a bi-directional connection which allows you to update client computers behind the scenes, whenever they are connected to the Internet. This means that you can install software updates and other security patches without the client actually being connected to the company Intranet.

If you truly want to understand how Direct Access works Microsoft suggests you familiarize yourself and understand:

• TCP/IP architecture,
• IPv6 addressing,
• IPv6 forwarding and routing,
• IPv6 transition technologies,
• how Internet Protocol security (IPsec) protocols work to protect network traffic,
• and how to create a public key infrastructure (PKI) with Active Directory Certificate Service (AD CS).

In this article I will touch on all these subjects but I won’t go in depth; consider this your introduction to Direct Access.

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Server 2008 R2 is the latest and greatest server operating system from Microsoft. It is chocked full of new enhancements to make creating and managing your network easier.

Server 2008 is easier to deploy and has added reliability. Security has increased enabling you to create a policy driven network that will keep your servers, data, and business safe.

Improvements in virtualization help to consolidate servers and make more efficient use of hardware.

There are also many enhancements to terminal services. Web administration is much easier from diagnostics and development to applications. Plus there are enhancements with the latest version of Internet Information Services.

Those who are creating a new Server 2008 R2 network from the ground up, can take advantage of all of these enhancements and more.

7 Server Management Improvements in Server 2008 R2

Today we’ll focus on seven improvements in managing your network, which is one of the most time consuming tasks for any network admin. Fortunately, Server 2008 R2 has several improvements in server management that will make your job much easier.

Here are the 7 server management improvements we’ll cover today:

1. Server Manager — the first one is the improved server manager itself, which makes administration of a single server a snap using the integrated Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
2. Windows PowerShell — management of multiple servers can be automated using the Windows Power Shell command line scripting language.
3. Windows Deployment Services — is an updated version of the Remote Installation Services which is used to set up new workstations and servers.
4. Windows Reliability and Performance Monitor — makes it easy to monitor system performance.
5. Data Center Power Consumption Management — improvements in the methods of reducing power consumption.
6. Remote Administration — enhancements for remote management through graphical management consoles that integrate with Server Manager.
7. Identity Management — which helps keep your network as secure as possible.

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