Access the Configuration Manager applet
from the control panel (on x64 systems, look in a subfolder for x86
control panel icons). Table 1
describes each of the tabs in the Configuration Manager control panel
applet, also called the Configuration Manager Properties dialog box.
(All log files mentioned in Table 1 are located on the ConfigMgr client.)
Table 1. Configuration Manager Properties Dialog Box
| Tab | Description |
|---|
| General | Displays
discovery information for the client. Includes information such as
Active Directory site name, ConfigMgr site code, IP address and subnet,
management point, and more. This information can prove very helpful
when troubleshooting client issues. |
| Components | Displays
each component of the ConfigMgr client agent, with the version. The
status column will show all components as installed, and depending on
client agent configuration, some components will be enabled. Click the
Repair button (requires administrative rights) to force the client to
reinstall using the local installation source. |
| Actions | Client
actions occur on a predefined schedule (some by the administrator with
client agent configuration, and others defined internally by
ConfigMgr). Simply highlight the action and then click Initiate Action
to execute the action. Here is a brief description of each action: Branch Distribution Point Maintenance Task—
This task verifies pre-staged packages and downloads additional
packages that are targeted for the distribution point. More information
is available at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb681046.aspx. Watch PeerDPAgent.log for details. Discovery Data Collection Cycle—
Forces the client to forward discovery data (the same as Heartbeat
Discovery data) to the client’s management point. Watch
InventoryAgent.log for details. File Collection Cycle— Watch InventoryAgent.log for details. Hardware Inventory Cycle— Watch InventoryAgent.log for details. Machine Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle— Also often referred to as the polling interval
for the client. Queries the management point for new/updated policy
assignments that target computers. Watch PolicyAgent.log and
PolicyEvaluator.log for details. Software Inventory Cycle— Watch InventoryAgent.log for details. Software Metering Usage Report Cycle—
Gathers software metering information from the client and forwards it
to the management point. Watch SWMTRReportGen.log and mtrmgr.log for
details. Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle—
Triggers the client to evaluate all targeted deployments for software
updates. Watch UpdatesDeployment.log, WUAHandler.Log,
UpdatesHandler.log, and UpdatesStore.log for details. Software Updates Scan Cycle—
Triggers the client to run a new scan for software updates. Watch
ScanAgent.log, WUAHAndler.log, UpdatesHandler.log, and UpdatesStore.log
for details. User Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle—
Similar to Machine Policy Retrieval and Evaluation Cycle, but queries
the management point for new/updated policy assignments that target
users and user groups. Watch PolicyAgent.log and PolicyEvaluator.log
for details. Windows Installer Source List Update Cycle— Manages the source list for self-healing of Windows Installer–based applications. Watch SrcUpdateMgr.log for details. View http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb892810.aspx for more details.
|
| Advanced | Click
the Discover button to force the client to rediscover its assigned
site. View ClientLocation.log for details. You can also specify the DNS
suffix for site assignment (if required for your environment), as well
as modify the Temporary Program Download folder (also known as client cache). |
| Updates | You
can configure Software Updates to install at a time more convenient for
you, provided your desired time occurs before a deadline for installing
software updates. |
| Configurations | Displays
DCM baselines applicable to this system. You can click Evaluate to
reevaluate the baseline. You can also view the DCM report if you are an
administrator on the computer. |
| Internet | If
the client is communicating in native mode, the Internet tab appears
and is configurable. Specify the Internet-based management point (using
FQDN) and any required proxy information required for communication. |
Out of Band Management
Out
of Band (OOB) Management allows you to remotely connect to and manage a
system when the operating system is corrupt or when the system is
powered off or in a sleep or hibernate mode. In-band management
involves managing a system as you have with ConfigMgr 2007 and SMS
2003—that is, managing a system through the Windows operating system.
With Out of Band Management, you can even manage the ConfigMgr system
when the hard drive has failed. Think of Out of Band Management as
giving you the opportunity to troubleshoot (and hopefully resolve) a
problem without sending a person onsite to fix it. Here is a list of
basic functions you can perform using the OOB service point:
Powering on one or many computers (for example, to apply security patches during off-peak business hours)
Powering off one or many computers
Restarting a computer into PXE or from a boot image file, to reimage a computer
Reconfiguring BIOS settings
Configuring advertisements and Software Updates to use Wake On LAN to wake up systems to apply patches
Fallback Status Point
If
you have an FSP in your environment and specify an FSP during client
installation, you can use ConfigMgr Web Reporting to view the status of
client installation in your environment. Use the following reports to
review client installation received from the fallback status point:
Client Assignment Detailed Status Report
Client Assignment Failure Details
Client Assignment Status Details
Client Assignment Success Details
Client Deployment Failure Report
Client Deployment Status Details
Client Deployment Success Report
Client Approval
Another
new feature in ConfigMgr 2007 is client approval. If your ConfigMgr
site is configured in mixed mode, all clients must be approved to
communicate with the assigned site. A client will successfully install
and assign to a ConfigMgr site, but client approval must occur before a
client can obtain content from the site. You can manually approve
clients (the most secure), automatically approve all clients (the least
secure), or automatically approve all clients in the trusted domain
(somewhere in between the most and least secure).
