Introducing SCCM 2007 for beginners

Introducing SCCM 2007 for beginners, a starting step to dig in later


As a beginner myself for 'SCCM 2007', I think, I can provide the general view of this concept of System Center Configuration Manager. I have never heard of SCCM before and don’t even know a product of this kind from Microsoft. Initially, when I was introduced to it and heard about its features and advantages, I felt I was lost and cannot catch up to it as I was completely new. But the most striking and cool thing of Microsoft that keeps its competitors run for their money which is its user friendliness and ease of learning and getting used to it. Some of the numerous features and advantages it offer are Distributing packages, Collecting hardware and software inventory, Distributing software updates and Remotely administrating operating systems and even deploying them. Added to these, are some exceptional features like Wake on LAN, Internet based computer management and many more. But let’s go with pure basic and core features for now in the document. With all its features, SCCM by far is the easiest and cool product to reduce the total cost of ownership for large organizations.


Let me remind you, I am a beginner and have no idea on SCCM or SMS before and most of it even now. I just knew that SCCM 2007 is an upgrade of System Management Server 2003 (SMS 2003). I mean to say, to work with SCCM, knowing SMS is not a must, but a bonus.

Keeping in mind the below mentioned, easily understandable components of SCCM will do 90% of our understanding on it.

1) Configuration Manager Client : As the name says, it is any desktop/laptop/server/mobile device that Configuration Manager manages.

2) Configuration Manager Site Server : Server on which configuration manager is installed and that manages Configuration manager site. This site server can be a primary or secondary, the condition for being primary, it needs access to SQL server.

3) Configuration Manager Site System : It is a server which performs one or more Configuration manager roles for a site. There are nine roles that this site system can perform. Management point, Server locator point, Distribution point, reporting point, State migration point, System health Validator point, PXE Server point, Fallback status point and software update point.


Coming to the concept of sites in SCCM, just have a glance of these few lines and that should be it.

A configuration Manager site is defined by SITE BOUNDARIES which can be IP subnets, AD sites or IP ranges and manages the resources with in that boundary.

A configuration manager primary site is the one that can be administered by any site above it in the hierarchy. It can also administer all child sites below it. It should have access to SQL server database. It supports all site system roles.

Configuration manager secondary site doesn’t have access to SQL database and can be managed only by its parent site. But it can manage its child site in the hierarchy.

Configuration manager central site is a primary site that resides on top of the site hierarchy and can administer any site in the hierarchy.


Just few lines back, we read about Configuration manager site system that it performs nine mentioned roles for a site. Let’s get to know about them crisply.

1. Distribution point: As the name suggests, CM site system stores package files and scripts needed for a package to be executed on client machines.

2. Management point : CM clients cannot communicate with CM site server directly and vice versa. This communication is done via Management point.

3. Reporting point : Its a site server that stores report files used for web based reporting functionality for SCCM.

4. Server Locator Point : In lame words, used to locate management Point needed to install client softwares.

5. FallBack Status point : Generally used for debugging. It helps for monitoring and identifying problems during client installations.

6. State migration point : It stores the user's state migration data when a computer's OS is migrated.

7. System health Validator point : Used along side with Network Access Protection feature in SCCM.

8. PXE Service point : It responds to machines requesting for deployment of OS through PXE.

9. Software Updation point : Used along side with Windows Server Update Services(WSUS). For now, it’s responsible for all software updates in the site.


Now that we knew, what SCCM is for, we can easily read and follow any technical document which comes our way.