yep now Microsoft(R) System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Dashboard

 

 

 

SMS reports
added Asset and other reports to the collections
SCCM reports added
SQL Server Reporting services added to enchance the reports and now what???
yep now Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Dashboard

About the Configuration Manager Dashboard

IT Challenges

IT administrators and IT support staff need easier access to key information about software and operating system deployments, client health, and compliance with regulations.  They must ensure that their systems and software meet the configuration requirements established for the organization.  And they need the ability to track this information without having access to a System Center Configuration Manager console.

Solution

The Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Dashboard lets customers track application and operating system deployments, security updates, the health status of computers, and IT compliance with key regulations—with an easy to use, customizable Web interface.  Because the Dashboard is built on Windows® SharePoint® Services, IT staff can access information without using the Configuration Manager console. The Dashboard is a free Solution Accelerator, and fully supported by Microsoft.

Key features of the Dashboard include:

• Easy access to key information without using the Configuration Manager console  
• Centralized view of Configuration Manager data sets
• Data can be viewed in graph, table, or Dundas gauge formats
• You can create custom dashboards for different departments, based on site user's group membership.

Join the Beta Program for the Dashboard

The Configuration Manager Dashboard is now in Beta release (English only).  Click here to join the beta.

Link: https://connect.microsoft.com/InvitationUse.aspx?ProgramID=4505&InvitationID= SCD-BGMB-FK9M&SiteID=14

How the Dashboard Works

The Configuration Manager Dashboard is designed to work with an existing Configuration Manager 2007 infrastructure. The Dashboard queries the Configuration Manager site database and uses the resulting data set to present key infrastructure metrics in a graphical format.

The Configuration Manager Dashboard uses SharePoint Web parts to manage and display data sets:

• Microsoft Dashboard Configuration Web Part. Use this Web part to create and modify the SQL queries that produce the data sets and the other properties that govern how the Dashboard displays the data sets.
• Microsoft Dashboard Viewer Web Part. Use this Web part to display the data sets. A Dashboard Viewer Web Part displays one data set at a time. The Configuration Manager Dashboard can contain multiple copies of the Dashboard Viewer Web Part at once, each copy displaying a different data set.

The following figure shows how users can interact with the Web parts to retrieve and display data.

Figure 1. Configuration Manager Dashboard Process Flow

The Configuration Manager Dashboard process flow involves the following sequence of activities:

1. An IT Service Manager requests a new data set.
2. The IT Administrator uses the Dashboard Configuration Web Part to define the new data set.
3. The IT Administrator stores the configuration information for the new data set (the information is saved in the Windows SharePoint Services Content database).
4. The IT Administrator adds a new copy of the Dashboard Viewer Web Part to the default Configuration Manager Dashboard and then modifies the Web part to display the new data set.
5. The IT Service Manager browses to the Configuration Manager Dashboard site.
6. Windows SharePoint Services queries the Configuration Manager site database as specified by the data set configuration.
7. Windows SharePoint Services renders the new data set using the Dashboard Viewer Web Part.

Requirements for the Configuration Manager Dashboard

The Configuration Manager Dashboard integrates with an already functioning deployment of System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and has no additional infrastructure requirements. It is assumed that Configuration Manager 2007 and the Configuration Manager site database are configured in accordance with Microsoft installation guidance.

The following table lists software requirements for the Configuration Manager Dashboard.

Table 1. Configuration Manager Dashboard Software Requirements

Infrastructure	Resource
Operating System	See requirements for Configuration Manager 2007
Software	Configuration Manager 2007 R2 or SP2 Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP2 Note   Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 SP2 is supported as an alternative to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
Browser	Microsoft Internet Explorer® 7.0 or Internet Explorer 8.0.

Note   For more information about the software requirements for the Configuration Manager Dashboard, see the appropriate sections in the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Dashboard: User Guide or the System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Dashboard release notes.

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Thanks,

Powershell Command R

In Ps you used some commands and you want to recall your last used command, then simply type "r" without codes, that's all it will repeat the last command

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Thanks,

Pablo Picasso  - "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."

opps!! I forgot my basics...Keyboard Symbols

The following chart displays the character symbols, name and Latin-1 number on a standard keyboard in their approximate position on the keyboard. Most characters from any Roman based language can be created on any computer using the American Standard Code for Information Interchange or ASCII using a single byte. Most computers and software also recognized American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) formatting standards as well

 

~ tilde (rhymes with Hilda)
! exclamation mark
@ I just know it as the 'at' symbol
# hash
$ dollar (don't tell me you didn't know that one. ;-D )
% per cent
^ caret (I think that's the correct spelling and I think it's pronounced cah (as in cat) and then ray so cah-ray)
& ampersand
* asterisk
( left bracket
) right bracket
_ underscore
- hyphen
= equals
+ plus (bet you had to go to school to learn the last two - lol)
{ left parenthesis
} right parenthesis (these are also called "curly brackets")
[ forgotten
] also forgotten but it's the right one! I think they are just known as square brackets but do have a proper name.
| pipe - the picture on the key looks like two lines, one above the other.
\ backslash
: colon
; semi-colon
" inverted comma
' apostrophe
< left angled bracket or left chevron
> right angled bracket or right chevron
, comma
. fullstop
? question mark
/ slash

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Thanks,

Mike Ditka  - "If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn't have given us arms."

PowerShell: File cannot be loaded because the execution of scripts is disabled on this system error in PowerShell

File cannot be loaded because the execution of scripts is disabled on this system error in PowerShell

SOLUTION:

The reason for this error is the security setting on your pc that does not allow you to execute a script.  This is the so-called Execution Policy. By default, the Execution Policy is set to Restricted. This setting means that you may not run any PS1 script at all.

An overview of the policy levels:

Restricted: Individual cmdlets can run, but not saved Powershell scripts. This is the default setting.
AllSigned: Scripts can run, but must have a digital signature even if written on the local computer. Prompts you before running scripts from trusted publishers.
RemoteSigned: Scripts written on the local computer do not need a digital signature, but any script downloaded from outside (email, IM, Internet) must have a signature to execute. 
Unrestricted: Any script can run, but scripts downloaded from outside will run with a warning.

If you're working on a desktop and just experimenting with PowerShell, the best is to set the policy-level to Unrestricted. This allows you do everything with annoying security boundaries. Just be careful not to run every script you download from the internet :)
If you're working in a production environment and only want to run self-written scripts, the RemoteSigned level should be loosy enough.

To change the Execution Policy to Unrestricted, type the following command in Powershell

Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted

To change the Execution Policy to RemoteSigned (to run your own scripts), type the following command in Powershell

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

If you have any question left, feel free to leave a comment. By choosing to be informed when someone posts a reply, you will immediately receive an email after someone replies

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Thanks,

ADST and AD Daily health Checks

 Active Directory Snapshot Tool (ADST)

ADST tools is the one like MBSA it checks everything about AD healthchecks.

Below are the complete tools for AD health checks

Test

Frequency
AD Convergence	Daily
DCDiag – General	Daily
FRS Convergence	Daily
Performance Info	Daily
Replication Status	Daily
Account Policies	Weekly
Backup Status	Weekly
Database Info	Weekly
DCDiag – DNS	Weekly
DNSLint	Weekly
DNS Information	Weekly
Event Logs	Weekly
Exchange DSAccess	Weekly
GPOTool	Weekly
IP Information	Weekly
Large Groups	Weekly
OS Information	Weekly
Replication Configuration	Weekly
Site Configuration	Weekly
Subnet Information	Weekly
SYSVOL Information	Weekly
Time Configuration	Weekly
WINS 1B and 1C	Weekly
AD Object Count	Monthly
Forest / Domain Information	Monthly
Machine Account Info	Monthly
Orphaned GPTs	Monthly
Partition ACLs	Monthly
Security Updates	Monthly
Unlinked GPOs	Monthly
User Account Info	Monthly
Account Lockouts	As needed
ADST Dependencies	As needed

-------------------
Thanks,

Pablo Picasso  - "Computers are useless. They can only give you answers."

VBSCRIPT FILE VERSION ON LIST OF SYSTEMS TO EXCEL

Set Fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Set InputFile = fso.OpenTextFile("MachineList.Txt")

Do While Not (InputFile.atEndOfStream)

strComputer = InputFile.ReadLine

Set objExcel = CreateObject("Excel.Application")

objExcel.Visible = True

objExcel.Workbooks.Add

intRow = 2
objExcel.Cells(1, 1).Value = "System Name"

objExcel.Cells(1, 2).Value = "Version"

Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")

Set colFiles = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from CIM_Datafile Where Name = 'c:\\windows\\system32\\mshtml.dll'")

For Each objFile in colFiles
objExcel.Cells(intRow, 2).Value = objFile.Version
objExcel.Cells(intRow, 1).Value = strComputer

objExcel.Range("A1:B1").Select

objExcel.Selection.Interior.ColorIndex = 19

objExcel.Selection.Font.ColorIndex = 11

objExcel.Selection.Font.Bold = True

objExcel.Cells.EntireColumn.AutoFit

 Next
loop

Set objSheet = objExcel.ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets(1)

Set objRange = objExcel.Range("B1")

objRange.Sort objRange,1,,,,,,1

' loop

MsgBox "Done"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' THIS SCRIPT IS NOT WORKING AS EXPECTING IT IS OPENING MANY EXCEL FILES WITH CORRECT OUTPUT.. ANYWAY IT MIGHT USEFULL TO ME
-------------------
Thanks,

Mike Ditka  - "If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn't have given us arms."

VBSCRIPT FOR FILE VERSION CHECK

 

Set Fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Set InputFile = fso.OpenTextFile("MachineList.Txt")

Do While Not (InputFile.atEndOfStream)

strComputer = InputFile.ReadLine

 

Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")

Set colFiles = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
    ("Select * from CIM_Datafile Where Name = 'c:\\windows\\system32\\drivers\\tdx.sys'")
For Each objFile in colFiles
    Wscript.Echo objFile.Version &" " & strComputer
   
    'Wscript.Echo "Version: " & strComputer

Next

loop
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Thanks,

Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach  - "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."