The post Are there any SCCM / ConfigMgr Site Codes I can’t use? appeared first on FAQShop.

This is one article/ post I’ve been meaning to write for as long as I can remember and now is the time. Ever since I’ve worked with SMS/ ConfigMgr (14 years now – yikes), one issue I’ve come across is that people don’t realise that although a Site Code can be three alphanumeric characters you cannot use the MS-DOS (Disk Operating System if you’ve only ever worked with computers that run Windows reserved names (names of items such as ports) such as “AUX” (Auxillary Port), “CON” (Console), “LPT” (Line Print Terminal) amongst others As this applies to all versions of SMS and ConfigMgr I’ve added the article to all sections:

• ConfigMgr 2012 – Are there any Site Code Combinations I should avoid using?
• ConfigMgr 2007 – Are there any Site Code Combinations I should avoid using?
• SMS 2003 – Are there any Site Code Combinations I should avoid using?
• SMS 2.0 – Are there any Site Code Combinations I should avoid using?

The post [ConfigMgr 2012][ConfigMgr 2007][SMS 2003][SMS 2.0] Are there any Site Code Combinations I should avoid using? appeared first on FAQShop.

It’s sad to read that on April 12th SMS 2.0 (the version I first cut my teeth on), will reach the end of it’s extended support lifecycle. As a result of this Microsoft has announced it is retiring the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT) or Extended Security Update Inventory Tool (ESUIT) for SMS 2.0 AND SMS 2003.

Read on to see what you options are:

“On April 12^th, 2011 SMS 2.0 will reach the end of its extended support lifecycle.  At that time, the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT) or Extended Security Update Inventory Tool (ESUIT) for SMS 2.0 and SMS 2003 will be retired and will no longer be available for download.  Updated catalogs will not be provided after that date.

You are encouraged to begin planning your upgrade to Configuration Manager 2007 to deploy Software Updates.  For customers remaining on SMS 2003 SP3 the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) is also an option.

Why Upgrade?

The SMS 2.0 SUS Feature Pack and the SMS 2003 Scan Tools ship the Office Update Inventory Tool (OUIT) to scan for Office products.  The Office Detection Tool, the scan engine and catalog for OUIT, was deprecated on July 2009.  Without upgrading you cannot scan for Security Updates on Microsoft Office products.

In addition, the Security Update Inventory Tool (SUIT) that is based on the MBSA 1.2 scan engine and catalog, does not support Internet Explorer 7 or later.  The Extended Security Update Inventory Tool (ESUIT) is also affected.  These tools and their limited scope of application can cause a risk to an organization if they are utilized as a scanning and update validation resource.  Microsoft recommends a migration to more recent tools for your environment such as System Center Configuration Manager 2007 for Software Updates or the ITMU for SMS 2003 customers.  Note that SMS 2003 mainstream support ended in January 2010, and SMS 2003 is currently in extended support.

In summary, the SMS 2003 Scan Tools and the SMS 2.0 SUS Feature Pack do not support the following:

• SQL Server, MSDE, or Windows MSDE
• Internet Explorer 7 or later
• 64-bit Applications
• Windows Vista or later
• Microsoft Office

 Will You Lose any Scan Capabilities Upgrading to ITMU or Configuration Manager? 

The following products will not be supported using the latest software update tools because they are not published into Microsoft Update:

• BizTalk 2000 which reaches end of life on July 2011
• BizTalk 2002 which reaches end of life July 2012
• Commerce Server 2002 which reaches end of life July 2013

 Administrators deploying security updates to these products can continue to use the legacy catalogs until April 12^th, 2011, and then will need to deploy the hotfixes using Software Distribution.  Administrators should still upgrade to ITMU for deploying security updates to all other products.

Administrators who are considering upgrading to Configuration Manager 2007 should note that the legacy scan tools are not supported.  We recommend you use Software Distribution for the products above after upgrading.

How Can I Deploy Security Updates using Software Distribution?

Guidance can be found at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc917507.aspx.  This was written for SMS 2003 but the same steps will work for Configuration Manager 2007.

 — Yvette O’Meally”

Original post here:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/configmgrteam/archive/2011/01/05/announcement-sms-scan-tools-are-being-retired.aspx

The post Microsoft announces the Retirement of the SMS Scan Tools appeared first on FAQShop.