Helmers Blog

Next week there will be two interesting TechNet WebCasts about System Center. Live participation features interactive technical presentations and the ability to participate in real-time question-and-answer sessions.

• Software Distribution with System Center Configuration Manager Thursday, December 13, 2007 11:30 AM Pacific Time (What time is this in my region?)
• Optimizing Desktop Management with System Center Configuration Manager and Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualization Tuesday, January 15, 2008 1:00 PM Pacific Time (What time is this in my region?)

If you missed out some of the latest webcasts you can view them via the links below :

• Microsoft System Center for Server Infrastructure Optimization The Microsoft System Center family of products enables IT managers to deploy and manage servers quickly and easily to reduce total cost of ownership (TCO), improve service levels, and increase organizational agility. In this webcast, Microsoft discusses how they are addressing your management needs to optimize server infrastructure.
• Optimizing Your Remote and Branch Office Infrastructure with Microsoft System Center Organizations are increasingly adapting their remote and branch office IT infrastructure with the same focus on reducing costs, ensuring security and compliance, and the business need to be more agile. In this webcast, Microsoft discusses how Microsoft System Center supports customers’ efforts to meet the unique challenges of accomplishing these tasks at the very frontline of your organization.
• System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 Overview Download this webcast to be among the first to see the new features in System Center Data Protection Manager 2007, including protection of virtual servers, Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies, and Windows desktops, along with disaster recovery capabilities.
• Software Update Management with System Center Configuration Manager In this session, Microsoft highlights and demonstrate key software update management improvements, including: deep integration with Windows Server Update Services; using a policy-based infrastructure to deploy software updates; better performance on clients; managing non-Microsoft software updates with the System Center Update Publisher tool; and simplifying the administrative experience of managing updates.

Trika announced the SCCM Beta exam today on her blog :

If you fancy System Center Configuration Manager, you might like to take the beta for 70-401: TS: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring. Feel free to share with colleagues. If you don’t know much about betas, read this or this first.

Invitation

You are invited to take beta exam 70-401: TS: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring. If you pass the beta exam, the exam credit will be added to your transcript and you will not need to take the exam in its released form.

By participating in beta exams, you have the opportunity to provide the Microsoft Certification program with feedback about exam content, which is integral to development of exams in their released version. We depend on the contributions of experienced IT professionals and developers as we continually improve exam content and maintain the value of Microsoft certifications.

71-401: TS: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring counts as credit towards the following certification(s).

•  Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuration

Availability

• Registration begins: November 21, 2007
• Beta exam period runs: November 28, 2007– December 18, 2007
• Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately. Beta exams have limited availability and are operated under a first-come-first-served basis. Once all beta slots are filled, no additional seats will be offered.
• Testing is held at Prometric testing centers worldwide, although this exam may not be available in all countries (see Regional Restrictions). All testing centers will have the capability to offer this exam in its live version.
• Regional Restrictions: India, Pakistan, China

Registration Information

• You must register at least 24 hours prior to taking the exam.
• Please use the following promotional code when registering for the exam: B401
• Receiving this invitation does not guarantee you a seat in the beta; we recommend that you register immediately.

To register in North America, please call:

•  Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)

Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:

•  Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 User Assistance team has created a set of quizzes to help you assess your understanding of the dependencies and requirements for key features of Configuration Manager.

The System Center Configuration Manager 2007 User Assistance team has created a set of quizzes to help you assess your understanding of the dependencies and requirements for key features of Configuration Manager. These quizzes are intended to raise your level of awareness of the some of the nuances of these features before you configure and use them. They can also be used to help train other Configuration Manager administrators within your organization. Each quiz consists of 10 questions that can be answered Yes or No. Regardless of your answer, the quiz will display the correct information, and include one or more links to the corresponding related content located in the Configuration Manager 2007 Documentation Library located on the Configuration Manager TechCenter. We are testing the usefulness of this format, and ask for your feedback on the format and the content contained in each quiz.

Please send feedback to SMSDOCS@Microsoft.com.

The following quizzes are available:

Configuration Manager 2007 Client Installation Quiz

I think the quizzes can also help you preparing for the upcoming beta exam where I wrote about earlier.

Download the quizzes

Today Trika announced on her blog that the next beta exam will be probably available at the end of this month (next week!). The next three betas will be the MCTS exams for Windows 2008 (71-640, 71-641, 71-642), the exact date isn’t sure but it could be somewhere between the end of November (next week!) and the the end of December.

The beta MCITP exams (the ones I have to take) will begin somewhere late December 2007! In both cases (the MCTS and MCITP), invitations to the beta will go out following the standard process :

• Microsoft employees notified via internal distribution list
• MCTs notified via private MCT newsgroups
• Customers notified by invitation only (must be registered to MCP newsletter to receive). Customers who hold MCSA or MCSE on Windows Server 2003 will most likely be the people who receive an invite.

More Info about the SCCM Exam :

Sander Zegveld tipped me about the promo code you have to use the schedule the exam (for free) : TSCCM (The promocode mentioned at his source was wrong, check my latest post about the SCCM Beta exam for the correct one)

From the same source comes the date when the exam wil be available : November, 28th!

This are the exam objectives :

1. Deploying a System Centre Configuration manager 2007 Server 1.1. Setup and configure AD Schema 1.2. Migrate from SMS 2003 heirarchy to SCCM 2007 1.3. Configure an SCCM 2007 heirarchy 1.4. Setup and configure security accounts 2. Configuring an SCCM infrastructure 2.1. Configure client agents 2.2. Configure site boundaries 2.3. Configure core site system roles 2.4. Configure discovery methods 2.5. Configure client installation 2.6. Configure SCCM infrastructure for internet-based client management 3. Managing resources 3.1. Build an SCCM collection using queries 3.2. Mater software usage 3.3. Manage assets 3.4. Manage inventory flow 3.5. Identify unhealthy clients 4. Distributing Applications 4.1. Manage packages 4.2. Manage Progreams 4.3. Manage adverts 4.4. Schedule distribution 4.5. Track success/failure for distributions 4.6. Manage distribution points 5. Deploying operating systems 5.1. Capture reference computer image 5.2. Mange task sequences 5.3. Configure site system roles related to operating system deployment 5.4. Deploy operating system packages 5.5. Customise state migration 5.6. Deliver applications 6. Securing a network infrastructure 6.1. Configure Network Access Protection (NAP) 6.2. Maintain NAP 6.3. Migrate ITMU to WSUS 6.4. Deploy software updates 6.5. Manage vulnrability compliance 7. Manageinang and maintaining an SCCM infrastructure 7.1. Manage system health 7.2. Configure automatic maintenance tasks 7.3. Create custom reports 7.4. Maintain clients 7.5. Manage systems by using Desired Configuration Management 7.6. Manage Wake On LAN The candidates for this exam are:

• Use ConfigMgr to mange and deploy software and asset management.
• Have 1+ years experience of SMS.
• Have working knowledge of new features of ConfigMgr.
• Experience using AD and Windows Server System.

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 is the next-generation release of Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003. Leverage deep integration with the 2007 Microsoft Office system, the Windows Vista operating system, Windows Server 2008, and Exchange Server 2007 to promote your systems-management solutions. And generate new sales revenue by extending of one of the most secure, well-managed, and cost-effective platforms in the industry.

Download Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 VHD