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04-10-2011, 01:58 PM
Microsoft is rolling out to interested testers this week Beta one of the Configuration Manager v.Next, a brand new systems-management product within the company;s Technique Center family.I;m not a fan with the ‘v.Subsequent; codename convention that some teams at Microsoft have been adopting. But that;s how the Softies are referring to the subsequent release of Microsoft;s Technique Center Configuration Supervisor client-management product.System Middle Configuration Manager is the successor to what (long ago and far away) used to be called Methods Management Server (SMS). It is a server-based item that provides patch management,Office 2007 Pro (http://www.msoffice2007key.com), software distribution,Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 (http://www.office2007key.in), operating method deployment, inventory services and other capabilities to large groups of Windows-based clients.System Center Configuration Manager v.Subsequent also is going to support “multiple device types” (which may mean Windows Phones and/or non-Windows PCs — it;s not entirely clear to me). v.Next is going to allow users to “seamlessly access their data from virtually anywhere,Office Pro 2007 (http://www.office-2007-key.co.uk), across multiple device types while providing IT with unified management tools and centralized control,” according to a brand new blog post on the Program Center team blog. There will be an end-user self-service software portal, the ability to manage both PCs and devices in a unified way and new role-based administration capabilities in the item.v.Subsequent requires Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2,Windows 7 Key (http://www.windows-7-key.co.uk/), but distribution points can run on Windows Server 2003. It also requires SQL Server 2008 SP1 or later,Office Professional 2010 Key (http://www.msoffice2010key.com/), as SQL Reporting Services is the only supported reporting solution.There;s no word on when Configuration Manager v.Next is due (not even a year). Last I heard, (back in October 2009), Microsoft was testing Method Middle Configuration Manager 2007 R3. I;ve asked if v.Next is the 2007 R3 release. (I think the answer is no, but I;ve spent too much time searching the Web and being unable to tell for sure. Awaiting the official Microsoft word on that one.)Update: One reader said he;s been told Configuration Manager 2007 R3 is due out in December 2010 and v.Subsequent is due to ship in the second half of 2011.In other product-related news of potential interest to IT pros, Microsoft has rolled out an update to one of its Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) components.App-V is Microsoft;s application-virtualization piece of MDOP. Microsoft delivered the final version of App-V 4.6 in February 2010. But on May 26, Microsoft released Service Pack (SP) 2 of App-V 4.5. The SP2 update adds support for Office 2010 (http://www.office2010key.us/) and SQL Mirroring, plus the usual bug fixes.