System Center Configuration Manager 2007 : The Configuration Manager Console - Console Deployment

1. Supported Platforms

Microsoft supports the Configuration Manager console on the following Microsoft platforms:

• Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 or above.

• Windows Vista, all editions.

• Windows Server 2003, all editions with Service Pack 1 or above.

• Windows Server 2008, all editions other than Server Core. Server Core is only supported with Configuration Manager 2007 with SP 1 or higher.

2. Prerequisites

Prior to installing the console, ensure the intended system has met the following prerequisites:

• Microsoft Management Console 3.0

• .NET Framework 2.0 or higher

• At least 100MB (megabytes) free disk space

To make sure you meet all the prerequisites before you start the installation wizard, you can choose to run the prerequisite checker from the splash screen initiated from the Configuration Manager 2007 installation media.

3. Installation Using the Configuration Manager Setup Wizard

After meeting the prerequisites discussed in the previous section, start installing the console by running the Configuration Manager Setup Wizard. If you are using the ConfigMgr installation CD, the wizard will automatically start. If installing from the file system, you can start the setup manually by opening the splash.hta file, found in the root of the installation media. Perform the following steps to install the console:

1.	The first screen presents several options, including running the prerequisite checker, reviewing the release notes, and installing ConfigMgr. Figure 1 displays this screen. Figure 1. The Configuration Manager 2007 splash screen
2.	Select Install Configuration Manager 2007 to proceed to the welcome screen. This screen suggests steps you should take prior to starting the installation wizard. When you are ready, click Next in the welcome screen, displayed in Figure 2. Figure 2. The Configuration Manager 2007 welcome screen
3.	The next screen shows the available setup options, displayed in Figure 3. Select Install or upgrade an administrator console. Click Next to continue. Figure 3. Choose one of the available setup options.
4.	The following screen, displayed in Figure 4, is the Microsoft Software License Terms screen. Ensure you read the license agreement, and select the option “I accept these license terms.” Click Next to advance to the next screen. Figure 4. Microsoft software license terms
5.	On the Customer Experience Improvement Program Configuration page displayed in Figure 5, you can choose to join the program. Microsoft uses the Customer Experience Improvement Program to gather information regarding your ConfigMgr installation. Figure 5. The Customer Experience Improvement Program Configuration screen When you participate in the program, information regarding the health and performance of ConfigMgr components and your server is sent to Microsoft in a summary file. Microsoft uses this information for analysis and future releases of ConfigMgr. Select whether or not to participate in the program, and click Next to continue. You can always decide to opt out later.
6.	You now are requested to specify a destination folder for installing the console, as displayed in Figure 6. Type the path or select the Browse option to specify the location where setup will install the console installation files. Click Next. Figure 6. Specifying the destination folder
7.	The next screen, shown in Figure 7, is the Site Server screen. Specify the name of the primary site server you want to connect to in the console and then click Next to continue. Figure 7. Specifying the server you want the console to initially connect to
8.	You now advance to the Settings Summary screen, displayed in Figure 8. Verify the details you specified in the previous steps, and either click Back to change the information or click Next to proceed to the next step. Figure 8. Verifying your settings
9.	Once you verify your settings, the wizard automatically performs an installation prerequisite check. Notice in Figure 9 that the prerequisite checker is displaying two warnings. You can double-click any prerequisite listed to display details regarding that problem, with information on how to resolve outstanding issues. Figure 9. Installation Prerequisite Check results You can also troubleshoot by checking the ConfigMgrPrereq.log, located in the root of the system drive. When all the prerequisites are met (or there are only warnings), the Begin Install button becomes available. Click Begin Install to start installing the console.
10.	The Setup Action Status Monitoring screen shows the progress and status of all the installation actions (see Figure 10). When all actions are complete, click Next to continue. Figure 10. Displaying installation status
11.	Figure 11 shows the final page of the wizard, which displays the installation completion status. If the installation failed, you can review ConfigMgrSetup.log by clicking the View Log button. This log file is located in the root of your system drive. Figure 11. Completing the Configuration Manager Setup Wizard

When the installation is successful, you can select the option Launch the Configuration Manager console after closing. Click Finish to complete and close the wizard.

4. Unattended Console Installation

Instead of using the Configuration Manager Setup Wizard, you can install the console in unattended mode. An unattended installation can be used to deploy the console silently to multiple systems at once, potentially using ConfigMgr software distribution, or with a group policy object (GPO).

Before installing the console to multiple systems, verify that every targeted system is on a supported platform and that all the required prerequisites, are met. You can choose to check these requirements using the ConfigMgr hardware and inventory functions.

When you install the console using the setup wizard, as in the previous section, the wizard asks you to specify a number of settings. For an unattended installation, you can use an initialization file to specify these settings in advance.

The initialization file is a text file and can be created using Windows Notepad. The following information is required in the initialization file:

[Identification]
Action=InstallAdminUI
[Options]
SMSInstallDir=<Specify the installation directory>
ParentSiteServer=<Specify the primary site the console must connect to>
SDKServer=<Specify the SMS provider>

Specify the required options, and save the initialization file with an extension of .ini. As an example, you might name the file AdminConsole.ini.

To start the unattended setup and combine the initialization file with the setup installation files, run the following command from the command prompt or in a batch file:

<installation media location>\SMSSETUP\BIN\I386\SETUP.EXE
/script <path to your .ini file>

The installation will run in silent mode, meaning no installation screens will display during setup. To check for errors, review ConfigMgrSetup.log, which is located at the root of your system drive.

Finding Console Information on an Installed Server

Two areas are used to populate information for the console—the Windows Registry and the file system.

Registry information related to the console is located under

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MMC\Snapins\FX:{6de537a5-7a1c-4fa4-ac3a-1b6fc1036560}

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\ConfigMgr

The console files are located in several places on the file system:

• %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminUI.

• %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Configuration Manager\AdminUI\bin\adminconsole.msc.

• The cache is stored at %HOMEPATH%\Application Data\Microsoft\MMC\adminconsole.

This file retains custom settings for the console, as well as connections to site databases.