First published on CloudBlogs on Jun, 17 2009
[Today's post is provided by
Michael Cureton
]
The System Center Configuration Manager team would like to announce the release of the public beta for Configuration Manager Service Pack 2. This beta is now available for download for all customers.
Service Pack 2 for Configuration Manager 2007 delivers new platform support for Windows 7 client, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. In addition, Service Pack 2 delivers continued innovation with Intel vPro technology, support for Branch Cache enabled environments, and continued development for 64 bit architectures.
You can access more information and download the beta by registering for the Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 Open Beta Program on Connect at
https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=3005&InvitationID=%20CM72-HDRW-G3V6&...
. It can also be found in the Connection Directory sorting by "Connection Name" and is listed under System Center Configuration Manager 2007.
What's New?
New Operating System Support
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Windows 7
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Windows Vista Sp2
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Windows Server 2008 R2
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Windows Server 2008 SP2
New Features in Out of Band Management
Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 improves on the Intel AMT integration provided in Service Pack 1. SP2 adds full feature support for computers that have the Intel vPro chip set and AMT firmware versions 4 & 5. In addition to providing feature parity with SP1 and AMT firmware versions 3.2.1, 4.0 and 5.0, the following new features are supported:
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Wireless management with up to 8 wireless profiles (mobile ONLY)
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End point access control: 802.1x support
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Audit logging
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Power policy extensions
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Data storage
Asset Intelligence Certificate Requirement Removal
Configuration Manager Service Pack 1 introduced Asset Intelligence v1.5. This version allowed customers to configure an online synchronization to ensure that their catalog was up to date with the latest Microsoft inventory for both hardware and applications. This initial release required a certificate. With Service Pack 2, the requirement to have the certificate has been removed, so any customer can configure their Asset Intelligence capabilities to connect online and update their catalog. Software Assurance is not required for this functionality.
64-bit Architecture Development
Service Pack 2 will also continue to deliver new support for x64 architectures, including the following:
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X64 support for Operations Manager 2007 Client Agent
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Update to Management Packs for 64-bit operating systems - SP2 will ship 64-bit performance counters (the management pack is a separate release)
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Remote control support added for x64 XP and x64 Server 2003
Improved Client Policy Evaluation
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Faster policy processing
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More efficient software distribution configured to run at user logon
Branch Cache Support
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Support for scenarios where Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Client are present and Branch Cache is enabled
We invite you to register for the Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2 Open Beta Program on Connect at
https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=3005&InvitationID=%20CM72-HDRW-G3V6&...
.
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Michael Cureton
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties and confers no rights.
