Moc 2596 Managing Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 (Sms)

Introduction

This five-day instructor-led course provides students with the knowledge and skills to manage Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). Students will learn how to configure SMS components and how to manage the ongoing operations of an SMS infrastructure.

Audience

This course is intended for SMS Administrators who are responsible for configuring and managing one or more SMS sites and all supporting systems. They have one to three years of experience supporting multiple desktop and server computers running Microsoft Windows® 2000 or Windows 2003 in medium to large enterprise organizations.

At Course Completion

After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the features and infrastructure of Systems Management Server 2003 (SMS)

• Explore the SMS Site Architecture

• Deploy SMS clients

• Discover SMS resources

• Collect inventory and monitor software usage

• Query and report data

• Distribute software

• Implement Software Update Tools

• Use SMS Remote Tools for client support

• Work with SMS Hierarchies

• Perform site maintenance, backup, and recovery tasks

Prerequisites

Before attending this course, students must have:

• Completed Course 2272, Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows XP Professional, or equivalent knowledge

• Completed Course 2277, Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 Network Infrastructure: Network Services, or equivalent knowledge

• System administrator–level working knowledge of:

• Deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting for Windows-based personal computers

• TCP/IP networking

• SQL Server

• Active Directory® directory service

Microsoft Certified Professional Exams

No Microsoft Certified Professional exams are associated with this course currently.

Course Materials

The student kit includes a comprehensive workbook and other necessary materials for this class.

Course Outline

Module 1: Overview of Systems Management Server 2003

Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 provides powerful desktop administration tools for managing hardware inventory, software inventory, software distribution, and remote client troubleshooting. As an SMS administrator, you will need to know how to configure and manage these tools. This module introduces the key features of SMS 2003, explains differences between SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003, and describes the primary components of the SMS 2003 infrastructure.

Lessons

• Where SMS Fits in the Windows Server System

• Describing How SMS 2003 Features Provide Change and Configuration Management

• Explaining SMS Hierarchies

• Explaining SMS Site-to-Site Communication

• Explaining SMS Site and Roaming Boundaries

• Discussion: Overview of Systems Management Server 2003

Practices

• Identifying Products in the Windows Server System

• Describing the Features of SMS

• Identifying SMS Site Roles

• Identifying Site-to-Site Communication Considerations

• Identifying SMS Site Boundaries

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the position of SMS in the Windows Server System

• Describe the features of SMS 2003 and how they provide change and configuration management

• Describe SMS site hierarchies

• Describe SMS site-to-site communication

• Describe the role of SMS site boundaries and roaming boundaries

Module 2: Exploring SMS Site Architecture

In this module, you will learn how Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 is implemented as a site. You will explore the properties of the principal site system—the SMS site server. You will learn how to install and use the SMS Administrator console and other tools that allow administration and support of an SMS implementation. You will also learn about the new role of the Active Directory directory service in SMS and how SMS uses related technologies such as Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), and the Windows Installer (MSI).

Lessons

• Introduction to the SMS Site Server

• Exploring the SMS Administrator Console and the SMS 2003 Toolkit 1

• Explaining the Role of Active Directory in SMS 2003

• Explaining How SMS Uses Dependent Technologies

• Discussion: Exploring SMS Site Architecture

Practices

• Reviewing the SMS Site Server Installation Log and Verifying Installed Services

• Exploring the SMS Administrator Console and the SMS 2003 Toolkit 1

• Exploring the System Management Container

• Verifying SMS Settings in WMI

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the SMS site server and its components

• Use the SMS Administrator console and the SMS 2003 Toolkit 1

• Describe how SMS uses Active Directory

• Describe how SMS uses dependent technologies such as Internet Information Server (IIS), BITS, WMI, and MSI

Module 3: Preparing to Deploy the SMS Clients

In this module, you will learn how to prepare for Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) client deployment. This process involves configuring and deploying the site systems required to support clients and using discovery methods to identify resources.

Lessons

• Introduction to the SMS Clients

• Discovering Resources

• Deploying the Site Systems That Support Client Installation and Client/Server Communication

• Discussion: Preparing to Deploy the SMS Clients

Practices

• Determining Which Clients to Deploy

• Discovering Resources

• Deploying the Site Systems That Support Client Installation

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the Legacy Client and Advanced Client, how to determine which SMS client to use, and how the SMS client gets assigned to a site.

• Describe resource discovery and the methods used to discover resources.

• Explain the guidelines to configure, deploy, and troubleshoot the site systems used by SMS to support clients.

Module 4: Deploying SMS Clients

In this module, you will learn to deploy the Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) Advanced Client and the SMS Legacy Client. You will learn about available installation methods and their benefits. You will also learn how to isolate problems that you might encounter during Advanced Client installation.

Lessons

• Deploying the Advanced Client

• Deploying the Legacy Client

• Isolating Problems When Installing SMS Clients

• Discussion: Deploying SMS Clients

Practices

• Installing the Advanced Client

• Explaining the Differences Between the Installation Methods and When to Use Each Method

• Installing the Legacy Client Using a Logon Script

• Describing the Characteristics of the Legacy Client Installation Methods

• Identifying the Common Causes of Installation Problems

• Using Troubleshooting Techniques to Solve Common Installation Problems

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Deploy the SMS Advanced Client.

• Deploy the SMS Legacy Client.

• Isolate problems that you might encounter during Advanced Client installation.

Module 5: Collecting Inventory and Software Metering

In this module, you will learn to use Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) hardware and software inventory collection features to collect a wide variety of information about client computers and files in an SMS hierarchy. By collecting hardware and software inventory data with SMS 2003, you can build a rich database of details about the computers in your company. You will also learn to use software metering to identify which applications are being used in your company.

Lessons

• Introduction to Inventory Collection

• Collecting Inventory Information

• Extending Inventory Collection

• Configuring Software Metering

• Discussion: Collecting Inventory and Software Metering

Practices

• Explaining How Your Organization Can Use Inventory Collection

• Collecting Software Inventory Information

• Extending an Inventory Collection

• Using the Software Metering Client Agent

After completing this module, students will be able to:

• Describe the inventory collection process.

• Collect hardware and software inventory information.

• Extend inventory collection.

• Use the Software Metering Client Agent.

Module 6: Querying and Reporting Data

You can create and run queries to locate objects in a Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) site database that match your query criteria. Queries are most useful for extracting information related to resource discovery, inventory data, and status messages. Reports allow systems administrators to easily organize and display information about the computers managed by SMS. Reports are managed in the SMS Administrator console, but they are viewed in either the SMS Administrator console or Internet Explorer. In this module, you will create, run, and view queries and reports. You will also learn how to deploy the reporting point site system.