System Center 2012 SP1 now available

Late December, Microsoft released System Center 2012  Service Pack 1 on TechNet and MSDN and is available to download if you have access to either site.  It will be generally available over the next couple of weeks.

So what’s the big deal?  Well. we now get management support for Windows Server 2012 and Windows  8. Without this service pack, there’s no management support for those operating  systems in System Center 2012 which was rather frustrating considering we have had Windows 8 and Server 2012 available to us for some time now.

We also have the ability to manage mobile devices with SP1 . The list of devices that can be managed with the service  pack in place includes Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets, Windows Phone 8 smartphones,  Windows To Go memory sticks, Windows Embedded Standard 8 devices and Mac OS X  client devices.

I am sure we will see other announcements with regards to MDM (Mobile Device Management) over the fore coming weeks. One exciting feature Microsoft has hinted at is some licensing changes to come associated with Windows Intune, the cloud based Management Platform. We are hoping that Windows Intune users will gain the rights to use System Center 2012  Configuration Manager. Windows Intune is set for an “early 2013”  update.

Some other noticeable improvements are expected with SP1 including:

• PowerShell’s  automation capabilities in System Center Configuration Manager 2012 will be  able to be tapped.
• The ability to move virtual machines from on-premises  environments to Windows Azure will be enabled in System Center 2012 Virtual  Machine Manager.
• System Center 2012 Data Protection Manager will  support the Windows Azure Online Backup Service.

Finally, SP1 is an important product release due to the fact that many of  Microsoft’s partner-built applications are waiting on it. An example of this is the management  products built by hardware partners on Windows Server 2012, such as  HP and Dell, depend on the release of SP1.

System Center 2012 Configuration Manager SP1 Announced

If you don’t already know, TechEd 2012 North America is on now. One of the exciting news that has been announced is the service pack 1 of Configuration Manager 2012 which so far we only know it by the codename v.Future. In the overview session of Configuration Manager presented by Wally Mead and Mark Florida they’ve announced the upcoming improvements that will be available when SP1 finally is released.

Here’s what I’ve captured from the videos on the upcoming enhancements in SP1

1. Platform support

• Windows 8
• Windows 8 tablet (Intel SoC)
• Max OS X (application management and endpoint protection is included)
• Linux and Unix

2. Operating System Deployment: Windows To Go support

3. Application delivery

• Windows 8 apps
• Deep link applications
• Network cost support

4. Triggering email from the in-console alerts not just for endpoint protection alerts

5. Flexible hierarchy management

• Ability to add a new CAS
• Migration between ConfigMgr 2012 hierarchies

6. Hierarchy easier to control

• When: Schedule replication for a given link
• What: SQL Server distributed views
• How much: Compression for SQL server data

7. Software Updates Management

• Fallback to WU/MU for content
• Definition update 3 times a day

8. Endpoint Protection

• Real-time administrative actions

9. Settings Management: User Profile and Data Management

• Client side caching
• Roaming user profiles
• Folder redirection

10. Operating System Deployment

• BitLocker – TPM and PIN support. Used space BitLocker
• Prestage media now supports WIM, applications, drivers, package/programs

11. New PowerShell provider where tasks is exposed in the console

At last we have support for Mac OS X, Linux and Unix Not to mention new devices like Windows 8 tablets. Not very often you see a Mac in a Microsoft demo.