You now have Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 support for ConfigMgr 2007 and 2007 R2. Service Pack 2 has been released and adds a bunch of new functionality:
“Service Pack 2 for Configuration Manager 2007 delivers new platform support for Windows 7 client, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. In addition, Service Pack 2 delivers continued innovation with Intel vPro technology, support for Branch Cache enabled environments, and continued development for 64 bit architectures.
New Operating System Support
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista Sp2
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Server 2008 SP2
New Features in Out of Band Management
In addition to providing feature parity with SP1 and AMT firmware versions 3.2.1, 4.0 and 5.0, the following new features are supported:
- Wireless management with up to 8 wireless profiles
- End point access control: 802.1x support
- Audit logging
- Support for different power states
- Power control options at the collection level
- Data storage
- Scheduling configuration for in-band provisioning
Asset Intelligence Certificate Requirement Removal
Configuration Manager Service Pack 1 introduced Asset Intelligence v1.5. This version allowed customers to configure an online synchronization to ensure that their catalogue was up to date with the latest Microsoft inventory for both hardware and applications. This initial release required a certificate. With Service Pack 2, the requirement to have the certificate has been removed, so any customer can configure their Asset Intelligence capabilities to connect online and update their catalogue. Software Assurance is not required for this functionality.
64-bit Architecture Development
Service Pack 2 will also continue to deliver new support for x64 architectures, including the following:
- X64 support for Operations Manager 2007 Client Agent
- Update to Management Packs for 64-bit operating systems – SP2 will ship 64-bit performance counters (the management pack is a separate release)
- Remote control support added for x64 XP and x64 Server 2003
Improved Client Policy Evaluation
- Faster policy processing
- More efficient software distribution configured to run at user logon
Branch Cache Support
Support for scenarios where Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 Client are present and Branch Cache is enabled”
Architecturally, the BranchCache support is quite a cool option. Now you can start looking at the need for branch distribution points. Secondary sites are probably still a requirement in bandwidth sensitive branch sites to restrict and control that management traffic in larger individual branch office deployments.
You’re also starting to see how the ConfigMgr team is paying attention to power at the desktop. See what’s happening with the R3 release and you’ll see they are very serious about conserving power in the office.