Microsoft System Management Server (SMS) is network management software designed to help companies lower their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by helping them install and maintain operating systems and applications, discover system configurations, and perform remote helpdesk operations. This title is the first to thoroughly document this complex and poorly understood product. Administrators who perform day-to-day support for software management, the project manager, and consultant who must plan and deploy SMS will be extremely interested in this book. SMS 2.0 Administration includes a detailed explanation of how to design, deploy, and manage Microsoft SMS 2.0 in an enterprise environment. It follows the evolution of a software management system from initial design, through the implementation life cycle, to day-to-day management and usage of the system. Includes a case study that explains how SMS 2.0 has been designed, deployed, and managed in this large enterprise environment.

Table of contents

Part 1: Introduction to SMS

Chapter 1: Overveiw and Purpose of SMS

Chapter 2: Conceptual Overview

Chapter 3: Planning and Design

Chapter 4: Prerequisites

Part 2: Installization and Configuration

Chapter 5: Installation and Upgrade

Chapter 6: Security

Chapter 7: Microsoft Management Console

Chapter 8: Clients

Chapter 9: Software Metering

Part 3: Usage

Chapter 10: Software Packages

Chapter 11: Software Distribution

Chapter 12: Collection

Chapter 13: Inventory adn Y2K Compliance

Chapter 14: Remote Tools

Chapter 15: Queries and Reports

Chapter 16: Tools

Part 4: Trobleshooting and the Future

Chapter 17: Status and Logs

Chapter 18: Administration

Chapter 19: Moving Forward

Chapter 20: Appendixes

Chapter 21: Index