An Introduction to Microsoft SMS Topaz Wally Mead Program Manager SMS Enterprise Team Microsoft Corp

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An Introduction to Microsoft SMS TopazWally
MeadProgram ManagerSMS Enterprise
TeamMicrosoft Corporation
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Agenda

• Why another release of SMS?
• Overview of major Topaz features
• Implementation details, scalability issues, and
  how things work
• Upgrading to Topaz
• Questions and answers

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Why SMS Topaz?

• The operating system is NOT taking over SMS
  functionality
• Still value-add for SMS beyond Microsoft
  Windows 2000 or Windows XP
• There will continue to be some overlap in
  features, such as remote control and software
  deployment
• Microsoft is committed to management, which
  includes SMS
• The personal computer environment has changed
  dramatically in the years since SMS 2.0 was
  designed
• Current product cannot easily be adapted to new
  requirements without many add-on products

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Why These Features in Topaz?

• Our goal is to create a quality product that has
  compelling features and is an easy upgrade for
  SMS 2.0 customers
• This feature set reflects the most common
  customer requests
• These are not final commitments
• Specific features and dates are subject to change
  (as always)
• Your feedback on the feature set is important
• We need your help in tuning the final feature set
• Send comments to smswish_at_microsoft.com

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Major Topaz Features

• Mobile client support
• Active Directory/Windows 2000 integration
• New Software Metering feature
• Integrated Web-based reporting
• Delta replication
• Elimination of logon points
• Usability and performance improvements

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Mobile Client Support Requirements

• Customers tell us they have an increasing number
  of laptop computers
• SMS 2.0 doesnt work well in low bandwidth,
  dial-up, or wide area scenarios
• Mobile clients often roam from one subnet to
  another SMS 2.0 behavior perceived as broken
• Customers want to be able to support both
  download and execute, as well as execute from
  distribution point
• Download and execute needs to be bandwidth
  sensitive and able to restart interrupted
  distributions

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Topaz Remote Client Support

• New SMS client code specifically designed for
  remote users
• Designed with a goal of preserving the common
  administrative experience
• Client not bound to site via subnet boundaries
  manually assigned to the managing site
• BITS (Drizzle) support
• Background Intelligent Transfer Services
• BITS API will ship in XP/.NET Server
• Bandwidth aware
• Byte level checkpoint restart
• Download and execute mode
• Streamlined install preload or normal setup
• New IIS-based Management Point server role
• HTTP and MSMQ communication to server
• Windows 2000 and Windows XP or above

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Mobile Client Support

• Not intended to replace the standard (desktop)
  client
• Lacking full feature set of desktop client
• Does hardware and software inventory and
  software distribution
• Remote control and software metering under
  evaluation (not currently features)
• Remote client managed via primary site
• Management Point requires IIS and SQL Server
• Only supports Windows 2000 and above

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Mobile Client Roaming Behavior

• The managing site doesnt change as the client
  roams to new sites
• Management policy (client agent settings and
  advertisements) continue to originate from
  managing site
• Remote clients must be managed by a primary site
• Client will utilize closest distribution or
  drizzle points
• Remote client can use secondary site distribution
  points

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Mobile Client Run from Network or Download and
Execute

• Remote client can either run package from
  distribution point or download and execute
  locally
• Advertisement properties options
• If local distribution point available - run from
  DP
• If local distribution point not available -
  download and execute
• Administrator can specify which subnets members
  are allowed to roam to and use software
  distribution, and which subnets should disable
  software distribution when roaming

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Mobile Client Inventory Enhancements

• New software inventory options
• WMI provider to inventory ARP installed programs
• WMI provider to inventory Windows Installer
  component status
• File System inventory better selection criteria
• Wildcards, directories, and subdirectories
• Helps reduce inventory traffic

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Mobile Client Client Installation

• No automatic discovery and installation methods
• Networking logon discovery and client
  installation no longer exist in Topaz
• Client installation is a standard installation
• SMS package advertised to desktop client
• Group Policy deployment
• Preloaded in operating system image
• Manual installation
• Once remote client is installed, desktop client
  installation is prevented

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Active Directory Support Requirements

• Customer feedback suggested to NOT make the next
  release of SMS require Active Directory
• SMS 2.0 supports, but doesnt exploit, Active
  Directory
• However, customers who have AD may wish to
  leverage the organizational structure in SMS
• Many customers have already taken advantage of
  SMS and Active Directory with the ADSync
  utilities
• The most common customer request was to integrate
  Active Directory container membership and SMS
  inventory for software distribution targeting

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Topaz Windows 2000 and Active Directory Support

• Active Directory site boundaries
• Includes both IP subnets and Active Directory
  site names
• Active Directory discovery methods
• System Discovery allows discovery of new
  systems from Active Directory computer accounts
• User Discovery allows discovery of users and
  their Active Directory containers
• Heartbeat Discovery allows updating of the
  Active Directory containers for systems assigned
  to an SMS site
• Integration of Add/Remove Programs and Software
  Distribution
• Creation of packages directly from MSI files

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Topaz Active Directory Site Boundaries

• Topaz allows definition of SMS site boundaries
  from Active Directory site names
• Either both, just site names, or just IP subnets
• IP subnets need only be defined in one place and
  leveraged by SMS
• Mixed IP subnets and Active Directory site
  boundaries can be used to define an SMS site
• Active Directory site boundaries allow real IP
  subnets to be logically subnetted or supernetted
  to split or combine subnets

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Topaz Active Directory Targeting

• Targeting computers
• Active Directory system discovery gathers domain,
  OU, site, and Active Directory security groups
  for computers
• Targeting users
• Active Directory user discovery gathers domain,
  OU, and Active Directory security groups for
  users
• Global, universal, nested groups, and
  non-security groups supported
• Allows more complex targeting via collections
• All users in the Sales-OU and the Remote-User
  global group
• All computers in the Server-OU, and in the
  Redmond-Site and in the Terminal-Server-Universal-
  Group with greater than 512 MB of RAM

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Creating Topaz Packages Directly from MSI files

• PDF files are not required
• Package definition files are still fully
  supported
• The Create Package From Definition Wizard can use
  the MSI file directly
• All MSI files are ready to be used as SMS
  packages
• SMS Installer can create native MSI files

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Topaz ARP (Add/Remove Programs) Integration

• Topaz can display advertisements in Add/Remove
  Programs
• Configurable per package as a package property
• SMS advertisements appear the same as Group
  Policy advertisements
• Single location to go to for software
• Categories are supported, but only a single
  category per program
• Supported on Windows 2000 and Windows XP clients
  with either the mobile or desktop client

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Topaz Web-based Reporting

• A new Web-based extensible reporting tool
• Customized groups and reports
• A set of automatically maintained high
  performance SQL views
• View schema documented and supported
• View schema based on SMS Provider schema
• Replaces Crystal Reports for Topaz
• Better security than the current optional version
• Internationalized versions

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New Software Metering Feature

• Completely rewritten software metering
  functionality
• More scalable, less expensive to implement
• Similar to inventory architecture
• Uses WMI-based client-side providers
• Provides offline metering functionality
• Usage reporting
• Denial by time of day and/or security group
• Integrated into SMS administrative console and
  database
• No license limit enforcement (online metering)

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Using Topaz Software Metering

• Rules are set at each site
• Multi-site configuration Resource Kit tool will
  provide ability to clone rules to large number of
  sites
• Metering data is transaction oriented in nature
  and can contain a large amount of data
• A spreadsheet to calculate collected usage data
  will be provided
• Usage data can be blocked from flowing up the
  hierarchy to the parent site
• Existing SMS 2.0 metering data and rules are not
  migrated to Topaz

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Topaz Delta Replication

• SMS 2.0 always resends the entire package source
  to child sites
• Even if only a single file changes
• Very expensive on bandwidth and processor
• Topaz will detect changes and send only changed
  files to child site
• Great usage of WAN links and less processor use
• Topaz will automatically repair child site
  package source if they get out of sync
• If package is in use at child site, update cant
  occur
• Supports SMS 2.0 child sites (no deltas) as well
  as Topaz child sites (with deltas)

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Upgrading to SMS Topaz

• No direct upgrade from SMS 1.2
• Upgrade from SMS 2.0 is a simple process, just
  like a service pack
• Reduced platform support
• SMS site systems must be Windows 2000 or above
• No NetWare support, no SQL Server 6.5 support
• No Windows 95 or lower support
• Remote client supports only Windows 2000 and
  above
• Remote client designed to gracefully upgrade over
  existing client
• Common administrative experience preserved

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SMS Topaz Timeline

• Tier 1 and Tier 2 Early Adopter Program (EAP)
  candidates selected
• Beta 1 Scheduled for October 2001
• Release dates based on beta feedback

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Summary

• SMS is a strategic product to Microsoft
• SMS Topaz will be of solid quality and a great
  feature set that customers will be excited about
• SMS Topaz will build on the strengths of SMS 2.0
• New features include
• Mobile client support
• Active Directory integration
• Delta replication
• Web reporting
• Usable and scalable software metering
• If not already on SMS 2.0, install or upgrade to
  SMS 2.0 today

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