Introduction to SCCM
Microsoft system center configuration manager (SCCM) is a Microsoft product developed to manage and update software products. SCCM configuration manager provides a highly flexible, automated solution to the full deployment and configuration of personal desktops, laptops from any initial state, including bare-metal deployments. This enables IT, administrators, to provide an end-to-end solution for the installation and configuration of windows, by delivering the applications, updated patches, and security fixes in a single distribution. This also allows a large number of computers can run on many operating systems. The operating system may be Windows, Linux, UNIX, and IOS.
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SCCM Tools
As we know that SCCM tools can be differentiated into client-based and server-based tools. First, we will discuss client-based SCCM tools.
Client-based SCCM tools:
1. CM trace tool
This is one of the important System center configuration management tools. It is mainly used to view and monitor user log files. In general, these log files are usually stored in Configuration manager and client component manager (CCM) format. Log file uses the plain ASCII and Unicode text files like Windows log installer.
Important CM traces tool options:
The below are important options available:
1. General tab:
This option offers the following methods;
a. Update interval: This option controls the CM trace tool checks for any modification and loads the new file lines.
b. Highlight: this option is used to set the colors to the log lines, by default, the basic color is yellow.
c. Columns: this option configures the logline columns that are available in the log view files and displays the text formats, components, and thread.
2. Printing tab:
The printing tab helps to print the log files and displays them in a proper format.
3. Advanced tab:
The advanced tab helps to update the log view files in any interval and also loads a large number of lines.
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Client spy is also a configuration management tool. This tool is mainly used to perform various activities like troubleshooting software, inventory, software meeting, and software distribution configuration.
Features of Client spy:
Below are the key features of the Client spy tool:
a. helps to display all current software deployment and hardware inventory.
b. Maintain the software distribution history and file collections.
c. Offers client memory cache configuration and latest inventory report date.
d. IDMIF collections and discovery data records.
e. Software inventory major and minor version management.
3. Deployment monitoring tool:
This is one of the popular configuration tools and available as a graphical user interface designed to assist application troubleshooting, update the latest software, and baseline configuration deployment.
Features of Deployment monitoring tool:
1. This tool can be run as an administrator and used to troubleshoot deployments.
2. Helps to perform troubleshoot deployment on the remote side, launch software tools, and connect them to a remote machine.
3. Export the XML format log files and share them with other tools and uses the common platform for communication purposes.
4. Import the export data to a different machine and use them to run offline mode.
5. This tool is read-only and it does not change any state on the client side.
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4. Policy spy:
Policy spy is one of the important configuration management tools and this is mainly used to view and helps to troubleshoot the policy system on configuration manager files.
Features of Policy spy:
a. User needs to run the Run Policyspy.exe file to open your user interface files.
b. By using command line syntax, you can save more information on command line usage.
c. This tool offers limited options to support automation and batch file processing.
d. Helps to connect to the configuration management client policy on a remote computer.
5. Power viewer tool:
This is also a type of system center configuration management tool and used to view the power status on a configuration manager client.
Features of Power Viewer tool:
a. Helps to display the power capabilities and power setting of any local computer.
b. View all the power events and summarize them at 12.00 A.M every day.
c. Display all the daily activities and client activity charts. Sleep mode is considered as a power-off status.
6. Send schedule tool:
This tool is used to trigger the evaluation on the client-side and schedule the trigger on the client-side.
Features of send schedule tool:
1. Use this tool to trigger an inventory schedule and compliance evaluations.
2. Run this tool to initiate the necessary schedule on the client.
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Server-Side SCCM Tools:
1. DP job queue manager tool:
This is one of the SCCM server-side tools and used to manage the troubleshoot content distribution job.
Features of DP job queue manager tool:
a. This tool helps to display the jobs that act as a transfer manager stored in the queue.
b. This also shows the job status and helps to perform tasks like execution, running, and retrying the job schedule.
c. Collects the information from the site server and later distributed them on system windows.
d. This tool is connected through the site provider and triggers them to reflect any changes from a remote distribution point.
2. Collection evaluation viewer:
This is one of the server site SCCM tools and used to gather information from various sources.
Features of Collection evaluation viewer:
1. With the help of this tool, you can collect both historic and live data values.
2. Helps to display the evaluation queue status.
3. The time required to collect the data evaluation.
4. Helps to evaluate the current data value.
5. Enable you to find the start and complete the collect evaluation.
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3. Content library explorer:
This is also a Site server tool and mainly used to maintain the contents which are used to manage the configurations.
Features of Content library explorer:
a. Helps you to explore the configuration contents which are available on the distribution point.
b. Find out the trouble shoot issues with content library explorer.
c. perform activities like copy packages, contents, and file management for the content library.
d. helps to validate the packages on a remote distribution point.
4. Content ownership tool:
This is a very important server site SCCM tool. It helps to change the ownership of the orphaned packages in the configuration manager.
Features of Content ownership tool:
a. Helps to display all the orphaned packages in the windows configuration manager.
b. view the status of the site connection.
c. Helps you to filter packages by name, code, and package type.
d. Change the content assignment for one or more configuration packages with actions.
e. helps to view the progress of content ownership transfer activity.
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Benefits of SCCM:
The following are the key benefits of using a system center configuration manager, let me make a list of few benefits:
1. User can enroll the devices which configure the device for management with Windows Intune. The user can then use the company portal for any access to corporate applications.
2. Data from Windows Intune is sync with the configuration manager which provides unified management across both on-premises and in the cloud.
3. As part of the registration process, a new device object is created in the Active directory. Establishing a link between the user and the Microsoft device.
4. User can register BYD devices for single-sign on and access to corporate data with workplace join as a part of this; a certificate is installed on the device.
5. IT can publish access to corporate resources with the web application proxy based on device awareness and the user identity. Multi-factor authentication can be used through Windows Azure active authentication.
Conclusion:
In this SCCM tools blog, we have explained the major tools which are used to perform various activities in the configuration manager. The SCCM tools can be differentiated on the basis of Server site and client site approach. If you are a Windows system configuration expert, then learning these SCCM tools is considered to be an essential part of your IT career. To know more about SCCM, there are a lot of SCCM communities available worldwide, you can also get expert advice.
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