50373A: Configuring and Managing Microsoft System Center Essentials 2010

Course OutlineModule 1: Installing Essentials 2010
This module describes the architecture
of System Center Essentials 2010. It goes on to discuss hardware and software
requirements, as well as the Essentials 2010 installation
process.Lessons

• Understand features, functionality
  and architecture of System Center Essentials 2010


• Learn the prerequisites, hardware and
  software requirements for Essentials 2010 installation


• Discuss Essentials upgrade and
  installation options, as well as common installation
  issues

Lab : Installing
System Center Essentials 2010

• Exercise 1: Join the Essentials
  2010/Hyper-V host computer to the lab domain


• Exercise 2: Install Essentials
  2010


• Exercise 3: Verify Your Essentials
  2010 Installation

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Describe the features and functionality available in Essentials 2010


• Discuss the underlying architecture leveraged by Essentials


• Describe the prerequisites required for installing Essentials


• Explain upgrade options and identify unsupported configurations


• Demonstrate how to install System Center Essentials 2010

Module 2:
Configuring Essentials
This module explains how to perform
the initial configuration tasks after installing System Center Essentials
21010.Lessons

• Understand how to perform initial
  product configuration tasks with the Configure Essentials Wizard


• Learn how to perform additional
  configuration tasks, such as: adding managed virtualization hosts; importing
  management packs; configuring alert notification


• Discuss how to troubleshoot common
  configuration problems

Lab
: Configuring Essentials 2010

• Exercise 1 Run the Configure
  Essentials Wizard


• Exercise 2: Configure Global Settings
  in Essentials


• Exercise 3: Deploy Agents to
  Domain-based Clients


• Exercise 4: Deploy Agents to
  Workgroup-based Clients [OPTIONAL]

After completing this
module, students will be able to: Identify the tasks that must be performed
after installing Essentials 2010

• Understand the available options in the Essentials configuration
  wizards


• Understand the global settings that can be configured


• Different methods to discover and install the Essentials Monitoring Agent on
  computers targeted for management


• Configure virtualization hosts for management in Essentials


• Import Management Packs


• Configure Notification

Module 3: Managing Computers
This module explains how to prepare, add and group computers for management with Essentials 2010. It goes on to demonstrate how to retrieve settings and inventory of managed computers.Lessons

• Understand how to create and manage
  computer groups


• Discuss how to access hardware and
  software inventory data


• Explain the virtualization management
  tasks available in the Essentials console


• Review the tasks and reports
  available in the Computers space

Lab : Managing Computers

• Exercise 1 Create a Dynamic Group for
  Update and Software Deployment


• Exercise 2: Create Computer Group
  Based on Computer Criteria


• Exercise 3: View Hardware Inventory
  for a Managed Computer

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Describe the features and functionality available in the Computer space


• Explain options for creating computer group


• Demonstrate how to retrieve hardware and software inventory


• Discuss the virtualization management functions available from the Computers
  space


• Describe reports accessible directly from the Computers
  space

Module 4:
Managing Updates
The module explains how to approve and
deploy updates with System Center Essentials 2010. It includes information on
how to automate the update management process if desired.Lessons

• Understand the importance of managing
  updates and characteristics of a good update management plan


• Learn how update management in
  Essentials 2010 can facilitate proactive and automated update
  management


• Understand how to work with update
  management in Essentials 2010 and troubleshoot common issues with as update
  management

Lab :
Configuring Update Management

• Exercise 1: Add a Local
  Update


• Exercise 2: Import 3rd Party Partner
  Catalog


• Exercise 3: Import Content from
  Microsoft Update Catalog


• Exercise 4: Configuring Multiple
  Auto-approvals

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Describe the features and functionality available in the Updates space


• Explain options for viewing and approving updates


• Demonstrate how to automate approval and deployment of updates


• Demonstrate how to verify the progress of update deployment

Module 5: Deploying
Software
This module explains how to install,
update and uninstall software to managed computers with System Center Essentials
2010.Lessons

• Understand how to install and
  uninstall software using Essentials 2010


• Learn about the supported features,
  installation options and installer formats


• Understand how to monitor deployment
  results and troubleshoot common issues

Lab : Deploying Software with Essentials

• Exercise 1. Install Software for a
  Group of Computers


• Exercise 2. Customize and Deploy
  Office 2007


• Exercise 3. Uninstall an Application
  for a Specific Computer

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Explain Essentials software deployment features and functionality


• Explain how to deploy software packages


• Discuss options for customizing package installation


• Upgrading and Uninstalling Software Packages


• Describe how to monitor deployment results


• Demonstrate how to troubleshoot software
  deployment

Module 6:
Monitoring Concepts
This module explains how to configure,
administer and optimize the monitoring functionality in Essentials to monitor
Windows computers and network devices.Lessons

• Learn about management pack
  components and architecture


• Explain how to target monitoring
  according to Microsoft best practices


• Understand how to tune monitoring
  using overrides


• Learn about the Client Network Device
  Monitoring in Essentials 2010

Lab : Monitoring Configuration and Tuning

• Exercise 1. Discover an SNMP-enabled
  Device [OPTIONAL]


• Exercise 2. Create an Unsealed
  Management Pack


• Exercise 3. Create a Dynamically
  Populated Management Pack Group


• Exercise 4. Create an
  Override


• Exercise 5. Create an Agent
  Task


• Exercise 6. Create a Custom Alert
  View


• Exercise 7. Create a Custom Simple
  Windows Event Unit Monitor

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Discuss the architecture and components of management packs in Essentials


• Describe how to use overrides to tune management packs


• Explain best practices for targeting monitoring and overrides in
  Essentials


• Demonstrate how to obtain new management packs and related
  documentation


• Describe network and client monitoring functionality in Essentials

Module 7:
Reporting
The module describes the architecture
and functionality of the reporting feature in System Center Essentials 2010. It
goes on to describe the data retention and grooming settings in the reporting
feature.Lessons

• Understand Essentials 2010 reporting
  architecture, features and limitations


• Learn about reports available in
  management packs for Essentials 2010


• Learn how to produce reports in the
  Essentials console


• Understand how database maintenance,
  grooming and backups are handled by Essentials

Lab : Producing Reports

• Exercise 1: Create an Availability
  Report


• Exercise 2: Create an Inventory
  Report


• Exercise 3: Create an Update
  Deployment Report


• Exercise 4: Create a Configuration
  Change Report


• Exercise 5: Create an Alert
  Report


• Exercise 6: Create an Event Analysis
  Report

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Explain the features included in reporting System Center Essentials
  2010


• Understand how to create a variety of reports offered in System Center
  Essentials 2010


• Explain the differences between reporting in System Center Essentials and
  the enterprise Operations and Systems Management products offered by
  Microsoft


• Understand the limitations of Essentials reporting and how to identify when
  transition to MS enterprise products may be appropriate


• Describe the grooming and data retention for Essentials reporting
  data

Module 8:
Virtualization Management
The module describes the architecture
and functionality of the virtualization management feature in System Center
Essentials 2010.Lessons

• Learn about the capabilities of the
  virtualization management in Essentials 2010


• How to add and manage virtualization
  hosts for management with Essentials 2010


• Understand the function and
  importance of Integration Services for virtual machine
  guests

Lab : Virtual
Machine Management

• Exercise 1: Change Virtual Machine
  Properties


• Exercise 2: Add a Virtual Hard Disk
  to the Library


• Exercise 3: Manage Virtual Machine
  Snapshots


• Exercise 4: Install Virtual Guest
  Services on Virtual Machine

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate how to add a virtualization host to Essentials for
  management


• Describe supported virtualization platforms and scenarios


• Recount the common management tasks available in the Essentials console


• Discuss the importance and function Integration Services in virtualization
  management


• Explain the function of Performance and Resource Optimization
  (PRO)

Module 9:
Virtual Machine Templates and Provisioning
This module describes how to create
virtual machine templates to streamline the provisioning process. It goes on to
explain the process for converting an existing VMware virtual machine to the
Hyper-V platform.Lessons

• Understand the virtual machine
  provisioning and conversion options in Essentials 2010


• Learn how to create and manage
  virtual machine templates with Essentials 2010


• Understand the virtual network
  configuration options available in Essentials 2010


• Learn how to perform a virtual
  machine migration (V2V) to convert VMware guests to the Hyper-v
  platform

Lab : Virtual
Machine Provisioning and Migration

• Exercise 1: Create a Virtual Machine
  Template


• Exercise 2: Provision a Virtual
  Machine from a Template


• Exercise 3: Convert an Existing
  Virtual Machine to Hyper-V

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Explain how virtual machine templates streamline the migration process


• Demonstrate how to create, modify and delete virtual machine templates


• Describe how to sysprep a virtual machine for use as a template


• Demonstrate how to perform a virtual-to-virtual migration


• Demonstrate how to find physical servers that are candidates for
  virtualization


• Discuss how to convert a physical server to a Hyper-V
  guest

Module 10:
Advanced Monitoring and Management Pack Authoring
This module describes the advanced
monitoring functionality available in System Center Essentials 2010. You will
also learn important management pack authoring concepts for creating custom
management packs for your line-of-business applications.Lessons

• Understand advanced monitoring
  features in Essentials 2010, including, Self-tuning


• Thresholds, Synthetic Transaction and
  Distributed Application Monitoring


• Learn about management pack authoring
  concepts and methodology using the Essentials 2010 console

Lab : Management Pack Authoring

• Exercise 1: Create a Custom
  Attribute


• Exercise 2: Creating an Aggregate
  Rollup Monitor


• Exercise 3. Create a Basic Service
  Monitor


• Exercise 4. Create a
  Recovery


• Exercise 5. Create a Custom
  Management Pack Group


• Exercise 6. Create a Web Application
  Monitor

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Describe the advanced monitoring functionality in Essentials, such as
  self-tuning threshold monitors, synthetic transaction monitoring and distributed
  application monitoring


• Explain concepts related to management pack design, such as service and
  health models and their components


• Discuss the requirements for implementing health rollup in a management
  pack


• Demonstrate how to create custom monitoring in the Essentials
  console

Module 11:
Advanced Troubleshooting and Log Analysis
This module covers the log files,
tools and techniques to troubleshoot System Centers Essentials 2010 issues in
depth. The troubleshooting processes for common scenarios related to Essentials
features are described in detail.Lessons

• Understand how to identify and
  troubleshoot common issues in Essentials setup and configuration


• Become familiar with log files and
  tools for troubleshooting client and server side issues


• Learn how to perform detail error
  data collection and analysis for Essentials 2010

Lab : Producing Reports

• Exercise 1: Troubleshoot Automatic
  Updates Client Communication


• Exercise 2: Identify source cause of
  failures using Essentials Setup Logs


• Exercise 3: Identify source cause of
  failures using WindowsUpdate.log


• Exercise 4: Troubleshoot Software
  Deployment Failure


• Exercise 5: Troubleshoot WinRM
  Communications

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Discuss common issues encountered when deploying and using Essentials


• Describe which logs are of interest in troubleshooting a specific issue


• Explain how to analyze a specific log to identify source cause of a problem


• Demonstrate how to verify communication and configuration between Essentials
  and virtual machine hosts


• Determine the source of inventory and deployment issues to managed computers


• Demonstrate how to collect data for detailed analysis by Microsoft
  Support


• Describe the grooming and data retention for Essentials reporting
  data

Module 12:
Essentials Internals
This module presents information on
Essentials core functions and integration with its foundational technologies
(WSUS, SCVMM 2008 R2 and OpsMgr R2) in greater detail. It examines internal
functions such as group synchronization behavior between Essentials and WSUS,
WSUS certificates and how they are leveraged in Essentials, deployment and
inventory functions.Lessons

• Understand how Essentials 2010
  integrates with the some of the foundational technologies upon which it is
  based


• Understand how prepare to recover an
  Essentials 2010 infrastructure after infrastructure or disaster


• Learn how WSUS Certificates are
  leveraged in Essentials publishing and deployment processes


• Learn about Essentials 2010
  management pack rules in which important background tasks are
  implemented

Lab : Producing
Reports

• Exercise 1: Reset Essentials
  Configuration Settings and Re-run Configure Essentials Wizard


• Exercise 2: Understanding Group
  Synchronization


• Exercise 3: Run SCVMM 2008 MPS
  Reporting Tool


• Exercise 4: Perform a diagnostic
  trace in Essentials 2010

After completing this
module, students will be able to:

• Discuss Essentials integration with foundational technologies and related
  key internal processes


• Explain how scheduled agent deployment automates the computer discover and
  agent configuration process


• Describe how software and hardware inventory are collected, and what data
  sources are included in inventory collection


• Describe data that must be backed up in order to recover an Essentials
  installation after server failure


• Discuss how Category Overrides are implemented to limit the amount of rules
  and monitors that are enabled in Essentials by default