Microsoft Systems Management Server

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Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) is a Microsoft systems management software product for managing large groups of Windows-based computer systems. SMS provides remote control, patch management, software distribution, OS deployment (requires installation of the SMS 2003 OS Deployment Feature Pack), and hardware/software inventory. Current version is 2003 SP2.

Vintela Management Extensions provides the possibility to manage Unix computer systems from within SMS as well. [1]

There have been three major iterations of SMS. The 1.x versions of the product defined the scope of control of the management server (the site) in terms of the NT domain that was being managed. Since the 1.x versions, that site paradigm has switched to a group of subnets that will be managed together. Since SMS 2003, the site could also be defined as one or more Active Directory site.

The major difference between the 2.x product and SMS 2003 is the introduction of the advanced client. The Advanced Client communicates with a more scalable management infrastructure (the Management Point). A Management Point (MP) can manage up to twenty five thousand Advanced Clients.

The Advanced Client was introduced to provide a solution to the problem that a managed laptop might connect to a corporate network from multiple different locations and should not always download content from the same place within the enterprise (though it should always receive policy from its own site).

Microsoft announced the next generation of the product, "Version 4" at the Microsoft Management Summit in April 2005, with a tentative release for 2006 or 2007. This beta version has just been released, and is available at microsofts SMS site.

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