Administering Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM)

Duration : 5 days

This five-day course describes how to use Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager and its associated site systems to efficiently manage network resources. In this five-day course, you will learn day-to-day management tasks, including how to manage applications, client deployment, client health, hardware and software inventory, operating system deployment, and software updates by using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. You also will learn how to optimize Microsoft Endpoint Protection (Antivirus), manage compliance, and create management queries and reports.

There is no certification associated with this course.

Audience

This course is for experienced information technology (IT) professionals, typically described as Enterprise Desktop Administrators (EDAs). These EDAs deploy, manage, and maintain PCs, devices, and applications across medium, large, and enterprise organizations. A significant portion of this audience uses, or intends to use, the latest release of Configuration Manager to manage and deploy PCs, devices, and applications.

Prerequisites

Objectives

After completing this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the features Configuration Manager and Endpoint Manager (Intune) include, and explain how you can use these features to manage PCs and mobile devices in an enterprise environment.
• Analyze data by using queries and reports.
• Prepare a management infrastructure, including configuring boundaries, boundary groups, and resource discovery.
• Deploy and manage the Configuration Manager client.
• Configure, manage, and monitor hardware and software inventory, and software metering.
• Identify and configure the most appropriate method to distribute and manage content used for deployments.
• Distribute, deploy, and monitor applications for managed users and systems.
• Maintain software updates for PCs that Configuration Manager manages and deploy third-party updates.
• Implement Endpoint Protection for managed PCs.
• Manage configuration items and baselines, to assess and configure compliance settings and data access for users and devices.
• Configure an operating-system deployment strategy by using Configuration Manager.
• Manage and maintain a Configuration Manager site.

Contents

Module 1: Managing computers and mobile devices in the enterprise

This module describes the features of Configuration Manager that you can use to perform complex management tasks, including the following tasks:

• Hardware and software inventory.
• Application management.
• Operating system deployment.
• Settings management.
• Software update management.
• Remote client troubleshooting.
• Protection from malware.

Lessons

• Overview of systems management by using enterprise management solutions
• Overview of the Configuration Manager architecture
• Overview of the Configuration Manager administrative tools
• Tools for monitoring and troubleshooting a Configuration Manager site

Lab : Exploring the Configuration Manager tools

• Searching in the Configuration Manager console
• Using Windows PowerShell with Configuration Manager
• Using Configuration Manager Service Manager to manage components
• Monitoring site and component status
• Reviewing log files by using the Configuration Manager Trace tool

Module 2: Analyzing data using queries and reports

The Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager database stores a large amount of data about the resources in your environment. You might not always want to perform all management tasks on all resources simultaneously. Therefore, to help you locate devices or user objects in your environment that meet specific criteria, you can create queries. You then can use these queries to create collections or to find additional information about specific resources. This module describes queries and methods of creating and running them. In addition to queries, you can run reports to view various types of information related to your Configuration Manager environment. To run Configuration Manager reports, you must install and configure a reporting services point, which this module details.

Lessons

• Introduction to queries
• Configuring Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)

Lab : Creating and running queries

• Creating data queries
• Creating subselect queries
• Creating status message queries

Lab : Configuring SSRS

• Configuring a reporting services point
• Create and configure data and status message queries.
• Configure and manage SSRS and the reporting services point.

Module 3: Preparing the management infrastructure to support PCs and mobile devices

This module explains how to prepare the management infrastructure, including configuring boundaries, boundary groups, and resource discovery. Additionally, it describes how Configuration Manager can make deployment possible through user and device collections.

Lessons

• Configuring site boundaries and boundary groups
• Configuring resource discovery
• Configuring user and device collections

Lab : Configuring boundaries and resource discovery

• Configuring boundaries, boundary groups, and fallback relationships
• Configuring Active Directory discovery methods

Lab : Configuring user and device collections

• Creating a device collection
• Creating a user collection
• Configuring a maintenance window
• Configure boundaries and boundary groups.
• Configure resource discovery.
• Organize resources using device and user collections.

Module 4: Deploying and managing clients

This module explains the supported operating systems and devices, the software requirements, and the different methods for installing the Configuration Manager client. This module also describes some of the default and custom client settings that you can configure. After installing the client software, you can configure the client settings to perform routine management tasks.

Lessons

• Overview of the Configuration Manager client
• Deploying the Configuration Manager client
• Configuring and monitoring client status
• Managing client settings in Configuration Manager

Lab : Deploying the Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager client software

• Preparing the site for client installation
• Deploying the Configuration Manager client software by using client push installation

Lab : Configuring and monitoring client status

• Configuring and monitoring client health status

Lab : Managing client settings

• Configuring client settings
• Describe the requirements and considerations for installing the Configuration Manager client software.
• Deploy the Configuration Manager client software.
• Configure and monitor client status.
• Manage Configuration Manager client settings.

Module 5: Managing inventory for PCs and applications

This module provides an overview of inventory collection, and explains how you can manage the information collected. You also will learn about the process of collecting hardware and software inventory, initiating inventory cycles, and initiating and securing inventory collection. This module also covers the use of software metering to monitor program usage.

Lessons

• Overview of inventory collection
• Configuring hardware and software inventory
• Managing inventory collection
• Configuring software metering

Lab : Configuring and managing inventory collection

• Configuring and managing hardware inventory
• Manage inventory collection.

Lab : Configuring software metering

• Configuring software metering

Module 6: Distributing and managing content used for deployments

Configuration Manager clients obtain content, such as packages, applications, software updates, and even operating system images, from distribution points. Configuration Manager relies on the distribution point infrastructure to provide content management functionality. In this module, you will review the content management features, configure distribution points, and learn how to distribute and monitor content. You also will perform content validation and content prestaging.

Lessons

• Preparing the infrastructure for content management
• Distributing and managing content on distribution points

Lab : Distributing and managing content for deployments

• Installing a new distribution point
• Managing content distribution
• Prepare the infrastructure for content management.
• Distribute and manage content on distribution points.

Module 7: Deploying and managing applications

In this module, you will learn about the methods for creating, deploying, and managing applications with Configuration Manager. You also will learn to use the Software Center to install available applications. You will learn about managing deployments on unconventional applications.

Lessons

• Overview of application management
• Creating applications
• Deploying applications
• Managing applications

Lab : Creating and deploying applications

• Creating applications with requirements
• Deploying applications

Lab : Managing application supersedence and removal

• Managing application supersedence
• Uninstalling an application

Module 8: Maintaining software updates for managed PCs

This module explains how to use the software updates feature in Configuration Manager to implement an end-to-end management process for the complex task of identifying, deploying, and monitoring software updates to your Configuration Manager clients.

Lessons

• The software updates process
• Preparing a Configuration Manager site for software updates
• Managing software updates
• Configuring automatic deployment rules
• Monitoring and troubleshooting software updates

Lab : Configuring the site for software updates

• Configuring and synchronizing the software update point

Lab : Deploying and managing software updates

• Determining software update compliance
• Deploying software updates to clients
• Configuring automatic deployment rules

Module 9: Implementing Endpoint Protection for managed PCs

Configuration Manager provides a number of security-related features that you can use to help protect client computers from malware threats, and to configure specific Windows Firewall settings for clients. Based on System Center Endpoint Protection (Endpoint Protection) functionality, Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager supports the deployment, management, and monitoring of antimalware policies and Windows Firewall settings on client computers. This module explains how to use configure Endpoint Protection Configuration Manager to implement Endpoint Protection and deploy and monitor Endpoint Protection policies.

Lessons

• Overview of Endpoint Protection in Configuration Manager
• Configuring, deploying, and monitoring Endpoint Protection policies

Lab : Implementing Microsoft System Center Endpoint Protection

• Configuring the System Center Endpoint Protection point and client settings
• Configuring and deploying Endpoint Protection policies
• Monitoring Endpoint Protection
• Configure Endpoint Protection to detect and remediate malware and security vulnerabilities.

Module 10: Managing compliance

Many enterprise organizations require systems, such as servers, laptops, desktop computers, and mobile devices, to meet specific configuration and compliance requirements. Compliance settings in Configuration Manager can play a key role in identifying existing configurations, discovering systems that have adverse configuration changes, and remediating these settings automatically when necessary. This module describes the compliance settings that you can manage using Configuration Manager. You will learn to use these settings to maintain configuration requirements.

Lessons

• Overview of Compliance Settings
• Configuring compliance settings
• Viewing compliance results

Lab : Managing compliance settings

• Managing configuration items and baselines
• Viewing compliance settings and reports
• Configuring remediation in compliance settings
• Using compliance information to create collections

Module 11: Managing operating system deployment

You can use the operating system deployment feature in Configuration Manager to create operating system images that you can deploy to unmanaged computers and those managed by Configuration Manager. There are several scenarios in which you can deploy operating systems by using Configuration Manager, including when you are working with new systems or when you are upgrading existing ones. Operating system deployment uses both Configuration Manager and Windows components to manage and deliver operating system images. You can configure settings on a reference computer prior to capturing an image of its operating system or by using task sequences that Configuration Manager creates after you deploy the image to a target system. This module explains how to use Configuration Manager to create a strategy for operating-system deployments. And also, it explains how to manage Windows as a service.

Lessons

• An overview of operating system deployment
• Preparing a site for operating system deployment
• Deploying an operating system
• Managing Windows as a service

Lab : Preparing the site for operating -system deployment

• Managing the site system roles used to support operating system deployment
• Managing packages to support operating system deployment

Lab : Deploying operating -system images for bare-metal installations

• Preparing the operating system image
• Creating a task sequence to deploy an image
• Deploying an image

Module 12: Managing and maintaininga Configuration Manager site

This module explains how to use manage and maintain a Configuration Manager site. It describes role-based administration, Remote Tools, and the site maintenance tasks that you can manage by using Configuration Manager. Additionally, it explains how to back up and recover a Configuration Manager site system.

Lessons

• Configuring role-based administration
• Configuring Remote Tools
• Overview of Configuration Manager site maintenance
• Backing up and recovering a Configuration Manager site

Lab : Configuring role-based administration

• Configuring a new scope for Toronto administrators
• Configuring a new administrative user

Lab : Configuring Remote Tools

• Configuring the Remote Tools client settings and permissions
• Managing desktops by using Remote Control

Lab : Maintaining a Configuration Manager site

• Configuring maintenance tasks in Configuration Manager
• Configuring the Backup Site Server task
• Recovering a site from a backup