You can now download Deployment 4 Beta 3, the next version of BDD 2007, at Microsoft Connect. You will need this invitation ID: BDDP-QMYH-VWTH. Deployment 4 is a must-have tool for Windows Vista/XP and Windows Server deployment. The new version has a couple of interesting new features.

(more…)

SCCM 2007, the successor of SMS 2003 is finally out. I already blogged about its new features some weeks ago. I still didn’t have time to try it, but a colleague is about to install it in a test environment as I write. So I hope I’ll be able to report about some experiences soon. Ah, I almost forgot to mention where I’ve heard about its release first. Actually, this news didn’t show up elsewhere in my RSS feeds or I rather managed to overlook it somehow. Another explanation is that all the Microsoft watchers are too busy reporting about service pack release dates.

It’s my first day after vacation, and I am somewhat overwhelmed by the number of new releases relevant to my work, even though, I tried to keep myself updated through my RSS feeds. This post is more or less a to-do-list for me. If you are sys admin in a Windows shop, you’re probably in the same situation.

(more…)

There were a lot of announcements at the Microsoft Management Summit 2007 (MMS). I just summarized the most interesting ones:

(more…)

I just read this now, but the Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 SP3 Beta has been available for download at Microsoft Connect for some days. Most importantly, regarding its Windows Vista support.

(more…)

Some days ago I wrote about the limited support of SMS 2003 SP2 for Windows Vista. Today, I deployed Vista in my testing environment using the OS Deployment Feature Pack for SMS 2003 SP2. My experiences are comparable to the first part of my test.

(more…)

Microsoft SMS 2003 SP2 (Systems Management Server) only offers limited support for Windows Vista. You have to wait for SMS 2003 SP3 in order to use all its features. So far, I didn’t find an official Microsoft document with more details about the supported features. I am currently playing with SMS 2003 SP2 to find out how compatible it is with Vista, and if it can be used to manage Vista.

(more…)

MSI (Microsoft Installer) is, meanwhile, the de-facto standard for installing Windows programs. It is advisable to only use this format in order to keep the Windows Installer database of installed products consistent. If your software deployment solution doesn’t allow you to create MSI files, you have to use a third party tool. Usually, these tools are called MSI packagers. Sometimes you’ll also find “MSI repackagers” since they are used to re-create the original installation package. This post lists several MSI packagers.

(more…)