Gmail themes

Following the footsteps of Google's personalized homepage, Gmail added themes. Once the new option is enabled in your account (as usually, Gmail's new features are slowly rolled out), you'll find a tab named "Themes" in the settings page and you'll be able to choose from 30 themes. "We wanted to go beyond simple color customization, so out of the 30 odd themes we're launching today, there's a shiny theme with chrome styling, another one that turns your inbox into a retro notepad, nature themes that change scenery over time, weather driven themes that can rain on your mailbox, and fun characters to keep you in good company," mentions Gmail's blog.

Unlike other webmail services, Gmail has never provided too many customization options and users had to rely on themes created for third-party extensions like Stylish, which usually slowed down Gmail and weren't resilient to code changes.

Gmail's help center provides an interesting tidbit about the new themes: "In some cases, you can also customize by location. Some themes change during the day, and we use the location information you provide to correctly time these changes with your local sunrise, sunset, and/or weather. If you select one of these themes, you'll see a Country/Region drop-down menu appear."

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Thanks,
http://paddymaddy.blogspot.com/

my Google Group

Yep I have other Google Group in the public

 

http://groups.google.co.in/group/ms-technologies-ans-by-pavan/browse_thread/thread/4049a1df34452f6a?hl=en
 

 

 

SCCM 2007 Software Updates Standard Reports

Microsoft provides 34 standard reports, grouped in five categories.

Note that the collection specified does not have to be one used in a corresponding deployment unless note otherwise below. Appropriate information will be reported for whatever computers are in the specified collection. This allows reporting on coarser or finer levels of computers as desired.

<secondary> in a report title means it is linked from other reports.

Software Updates - A. Compliance

These reports show the degree to which portions or all of your network are in compliance. Reports can be based on Collections, Update Lists, Updates, Deployments, Vendors, or specific computers. They can provide high level summary data, and linked reports permits drilling down to details that can be used to increase the compliance rates.

• Compliance 1 - Overall Compliance
  • Description: This report returns the overall compliance data for an Update List.
  • Specify Upate List & Collection
  • Lists number and percentage of computers in each state
  • Links to Compliance 8, listing all computers in that Update List with a specific state
• Compliance 2 - Specific software update
  • Description: This report returns the compliance data for a specified software Update.
  • Specify Collection and Update
  • Lists number of machines installed, required, not required and unknown, with percentages compliant, not compliant and unknown
  • Links to Compliance 7, which lists numbers by state. That links to Compliance 9, which lists individual computers in a specific state.
• Compliance 3 - Update list (per update)
  • Description: This report returns the compliance data for software updates defined in an Update List
  • Specify Update List and Collection
  • Lists individual updates in the list with approved status and statistics as in Compliance 2
  • Links to Compliance 7, which lists numbers by state. That links to Compliance 9, which lists individual computers in a specific state.
• Compliance 4 - Deployment (per update)
  • Description: This report returns the compliance data for software updates defined in a Deployment
  • Specify Deployment and Collection
  • Lists individual updates in the list with approved status and statistics as in Compliance 2
  • Links to Compliance 7, which lists numbers by state. That links to Compliance 9, which lists individual computers in a specific state.
• Compliance 5 - Updates by vendor/month/year
  • Description: This report returns the compliance data for software updates released by a vendor during a specific month and year. To limit the amount of information returned, you can specify the software update class and product.
  • Specify Collection, Vendor and Year, Month (optional), Update Class (Securiity Updates, Critical Updates, etc) (optional) and Product (optional)
  • Lists individual updates in the list with approved status and statistics as in Compliance 2
  • Links to Compliance 7, which lists numbers by state. That links to Compliance 9, which lists individual computers in a specific state.
• Compliance 6 - Specific computer
  • Description: This report returns the software update compliance data for a specific computer. To limit the amount of information returned, you can specify the vendor and software update classification.
  • Specify computer, vendor (optional) and update class (optional)
  • Lists each update in the requested vendor and class, showing status of approved, installed, required and deadline.
  • Links to no other reports.
• Compliance 7 - Specific software update states <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns the count and percentage of computers in each compliance state for the specified software update. For best results, start with 'Compliance 2 - Specific software update' and then drill into this report to return the count of computers in each compliance state.
• Compliance 8 - Computers in a specific compliance state for an update list <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all computers in a collection that have a specific overall compliance state against a software update list. For best results, start with 'Compliance 1 - Overall Compliance' to return the count of computers in each of the compliance states and then drill into this report to return the computers in the selected compliance state.
• Compliance 9 - Computers in a specific compliance state for an update <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all computers in a collection that have a specific compliance state for a software update. For best results, start with 'Compliance 2 - Specific software update'. Next drill into 'Compliance 7 - Specific software update states ' to return the count of computers in each compliance state, and then drill into this report to return the computers in the selected compliance state.

Software Updates - B. Deployment Management

These reports are designed to help manage update deployments.

• Management 1 - Updates required but not deployed
  • Description: This report returns all vendor-specific software updates that have been detected as required on clients but that have not been deployed to a specific collection. To limit the amount of information returned, you can specify the software update class.
  • Specify Collection, Vendor, Update Class (optional)
  • Lists each update applicable to at least one computer, with the number and percentage of computers that require the update
  • Links to no other reports
• Management 2 - Updates in a deployment
  • Description: This report returns the software updates that are contained in a specific deployment.
  • Specify Deployment
  • Lists each update in the deployment with compliance statistics
  • Links to States 5 which lists each state for a selected update. That report links to States 6 with the list of computers in a selected state.
• Management 3 - Deployments that target a collection
  • Description: This report returns all software update deployments that target a specific collection
  • Specify Collection (no data will be returned for collections that were not used in deployments)
  • Lists individual deployments with times Available, Deadline and Last Modified
  • Links to Management 2 to provide details about selected deployment
• Management 4 - Deployments that target a computer
  • Description: This report returns all software update deployments that target a specific computer.
  • Specify Computer name
  • Lists individual deployments with times Available, Deadline and Last Modified
  • Links to Management 2 to provide details about selected deployment
• Management 5 - Deployments that contain a specific update
  • Description: This report returns all deployments that contain a specific software update. Use this report to track the deployments that have targeted the software update to clients in the associated collection.
  • Specify Software Update
  • Lists individual deployments with times Available, Deadline and Last Modified
  • Links to Management 2 to provide details about selected deployment
• Management 6 - Deployments that contain an update list
  • Description: This report returns all deployments that contain all of the software updates defined in a specified Update List.
  • Specify Update List
  • Lists individual deployments with times Available, Deadline and Last Modified
  • Links to Management 2 to provide details about selected deployment
• Management 7 - Updates in a deployment missing content
  • Description: This report returns the software updates in a specified deployment that do not have all of the associated content retrieved, preventing clients from installing the update and achieving 100% compliance for the deployment.
  • Specify Deployment
  • Lists update, number of computers missing content
  • Links to Management 8 to provide details of computers missing a selected update
• Management 8 - Computers missing content <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all computers that require a specific software update contained in a specific deployment that is not provisioned on a distribution point. For best results, start with 'Management 7 - Updates in a deployment missing content' to return all software updates in the deployment that have not been provisioned, and then drill into this report to return all computers that require the software update.

Software Updates - C. Deployment States

These reports help track the status and results of a Deployment.

• States 1 - Enforcement states for a deployment
  • Description: This report returns the enforcement states for a specific software update deployment, which is typically the second phase of a deployment assessment. For the overall progress of software update installation, use this report in conjunction with 'Evaluation state for a specific software update deployment'.
  • Specify Deployment
  • Lists deployment name, Time Available and Deadline, with number of computers and percentage last reporting each state
  • Links to States 4 with details of computers with the selected state
• States 2 - Evaluation states for a deployment
  • Description: This report returns the evaluation state for a specific software update deployment, which is typically the first phase of a deployment assessment. For the overall progress of software update installation, use this report in conjunction with Enforcement state for a specific software update deployment.
  • Specify Deployment
  • Lists deployment name, Time Available and Deadline, with number of computers and percentage last reporting each state
  • Links to States 4 with details of computers with the selected state
• States 3 - States for a deployment and computer
  • Description: This report returns the states for all software updates in the specified deployment for a specified computer.
  • Specify Deployment, Computer Name
  • Lists each update with state and error status ID
  • Links to States 7, showing status messages for the selected update
• States 4 - Computers in a specific state for a deployment <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all computers in a specific state for a software update deployment. For best results, start with 'States 1 - Enforcement states for a deployment' or 'States 2 - Evaluation states for a deployment' to identify the states for the deployment, and then drill into this report to return all computers in the specific state.
• States 5 - States for an update in a deployment <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns a summary of states for a specific software update targeted by a specific deployment. For best results, start with 'Management 2 - Updates in a deployment' to return the software updates contained in a specific deployment, and then drill into this report to return the state for the selected software update.
• States 6 - Computers in a specific enforcement state for an update <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all computers in a specific enforcement state for a specific software update. For best results, start with 'Management 2 - Updates in a deployment' to return the software updates contained in a specific deployment, drill into 'States 5 - States for an update in a deployment ' to return the states for the selected software update, and then drill into this report to return all computers in the selected state.
• States 7 - Error status messages for a computer <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all status messages for a given Update or Deployment on a particular Computer for a given Status Message ID.

Software Updates - D. Scan

These reports help manage scanning.

• Scan 1 - Last scan states by collection
  • Description: This report returns the count of computers in each of the compliance scan states returned by clients during their last compliance scan filtered on a given Collection.
  • Specify Source (WSUS server) and collection
  • Lists number of machines with each scan state
  • Links to Scan 3, listing machines with selected scan state and showing last scan date/time
• Scan 2 - Last scan states by site
  • Description: This report returns the count of computers in each of the compliance scan states returned by clients during their last compliance scan.
  • Specify Update Source, Site
  • Lists number of machines with each scan state
  • Links to Scan 4, listing computers and last scan time with selected scan state
• Scan 3 - Clients of a collection reporting a specific state <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all computers that are assigned to a specific site server and that reported a specific state during their last compliance scan filtered on a giiven collection.
• Scan 4 - Clients of a site reporting a specific state <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns all computers that are assigned to a specific site server and that reported a specific state during their last compliance scan.

Software Updates - E. Troubleshooting

These reports help identify and troubleshoot problems.

• Troubleshooting 1 - Scan errors
  • Description: This report returns a grouped listing of all the different scan errors on the site along with a count of the number of clients which are failing because of these errors.
  • Specify Update Source, Collection
  • Lists Scan errors with number of failing clients
  • Links to Troubleshooting 3
• Troubleshooting 2 - Deployment errors
  • Description: This report returns a grouped listing of all the different deployment errors on the site along with a count of the number of clients which are failing because of these errors.
  • Specify Deployment
  • Lists Deployment errors with number of failing clients
  • Links to Troubleshooting 4
• Troubleshooting 3 - Computers failing with a specific scan error <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns a list of the computers on which scan is failing because of a specific error.
• Troubleshooting 4 - Computers failing with a specific deployment error <secondary>
  • Description: This report returns a list of the computers on which the deployment of update is failing because of a specific error.

Software Updates - F. Distribution Status for SMS 2003 Clients

These reports help manage updates applied to SMS 2003 clients.

• Distribution 1 - Advertisement Status for SMS 2003 clients
  • Description: This report lists all software distribution advertisements for the selected update. For each advertisement it also shows the advertisement state and count of machines in that state. This report also covers additional advertisement states available for software update advertisements.
  • Specify Type (Microsoft Update), Update
  • Lists (unknown)
  • Links to no reports
• Distribution 2 - SMS 2003 clients with a specific update advertisement state
  • Description: This report shows a list of computers which are in a specific state of an advertisement. This report also covers additional advertisement state available for software update advertisements.
  • Specify Advertisement, Distribution Status, Update Distribution Status (optional)
  • Lists (unknown)
  • Links to no reports
  • 
    -------------------
    Thanks,
    http://paddymaddy.blogspot.com/
    

Difference Between SCCM & Essentails

The main difference between SCCM & Essentails is that Essentials supports up to 500 clients and 30 servers. That's the limit, if your organization is bigger than that go for SCCM. Essentials don't include support for OS Deployment but you can solve that by using MS Deployment Toolkit 2008, which is a free product and use it side by side. Essentials also include features from Operations Manager for monitoring of servers

-------------------
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http://paddymaddy.blogspot.com/

Differences Between System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and SMS 2003

I found this nice article explaining the differences between System Center Configuration Manager 2007 and SMS 2003.

It's categorized to what's new, what's changed and what's the same.

Definately worth reading for those planning to migrate to ConfigMgr 2007.

-------------------
Thanks,
http://paddymaddy.blogspot.com/

Configuration Manager in Multiple Active Directory Forests

From MSLink

 

Configuration Manager primary sites can be configured to span multiple Active Directory forests. It is not supported to install secondary sites in a remote Active Directory forest from their parent primary site. It is supported for a Configuration Manager 2007 site hierarchy to have primary sites or clients in a remote Active Directory forest.

When deploying Configuration Manager 2007 across multiple Active Directory forests, plan for the following considerations when designing your Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy:

• Communications within a Configuration Manager 2007 site
  
• Communications between Configuration Manager 2007 sites
  
• Support for clients across forests
  
  • Configuring clients across Active Directory forests
    
  • Approving clients (mixed mode) across Active Directory forests
    
  • Roaming support across Active Directory forests
    

Cross-Forest Communications within a Configuration Manager Site

There are only two supported scenarios in which site systems within a single site are supported across Active Directory forests:

• The System Health Validator point, used with Network Access Protection.
  
• Internet-based client management, which supports the following site systems installed in a separate forest to the site server:
  
  • Management point
    
  • Distribution point
    
  • Software update point
    
  • Fallback status point
    

  In either supported scenario, even if there is a two-way trust between the two forests, or external trusts between the site server's domain and the site system domain, you must specify a Windows user account for installation and configuration of the site system.

  There is an additional cross-forest configuration that applies to the site systems that support Internet-based client management. When these site systems are installed in a different forest than the site server, and you want to ensure that communication is only ever initiated from the site server to the site systems, and never from the site systems to the site server, enable the site system option Allow only site server initiated data transfers from this site system. In an Internet-based client management scenario where these site systems are installed in a perimeter network, this configuration ensures that all connections between these site systems and the intranet are only initiated from the intranet, and not from the untrusted network. It is therefore a more secure solution than accepting connections into the intranet that are initiated from the perimeter network. However, if you choose this cross-forest configuration, be aware of the following considerations:

  • You must configure a Windows user account for installation, even if there is a trust relationship between the two forests.
    
  • This configuration results in some latency in sending status messages to the site, with a decrease in performance on the site server.
    

  Important
  All other site systems within a site that are not listed above must reside within the same Active Directory forest. They can be installed in different domains within the forest, with the exception of the site server, SMS Provider computer, reporting point, and site database server which must all reside in the same domain.

  Cross-Forest Communications between Configuration Manager Sites

  Data is sent between sites in a Configuration Manager 2007 hierarchy to enable central administration within a distributed model. For example, advertisements and packages flow down from a primary site to a child primary site, and inventory data from child primary sites are sent up to the central primary site. This information is sent between site servers in the hierarchy when the site communicates with a parent or child site. Data sent between sites is signed by default, and because sites in different Active Directory forests cannot automatically retrieve keys from Active Directory, manual key exchange using the hierarchy maintenance tool (Preinst.exe) is required to configure inter-site communication.

  When one or more primary sites in the Configuration Manager 2007 site hierarchy are located within different Active Directory forests, an Active Directory forest trust is not required to enable site-to-site communication as long as domain user accounts are properly configured in the sender address properties for each site. If you do not configure domain user accounts as site address accounts in the sender address properties of each site, the site server computer accounts will be used. If the site server computer accounts are used as the site address accounts, all Active Directory forests must be configured for the Windows Server 2003 forest functional level and have a two-way trust to enable site-to-site communication to succeed.

  Cross-Forest Client Support

  If you have clients that are in a different forest than their assigned site server's forest, use the following information to ensure that they are configured correctly.

  Configuring Clients across Active Directory Forests

  Configuration Manager 2007 clients on the intranet use Active Directory Domain Services as their primary method of service location and configuration. If you have clients that reside in a separate forest, they will not be able to retrieve information that is published to Active Directory Domain Services by their assigned site server.

  For these clients to be managed, you must ensure that alternative methods are available for the following:

  • Site compatibility check to complete site assignment
    
  • Service location for management points, and the server locator point if this is not directly assigned
    
  • Native mode configuration
    

  Configure these clients as if Active Directory Domain Services is not extended for Configuration Manager 2007. The information that these clients will need, together with additional configuration steps is listed in the section "Feature and Function Considerations for Extending the Active Directory Schema for Configuration Manager" in the following topic: Decide If You Should Extend the Active Directory Schema.

  Approving Clients (Mixed Mode) Across Active Directory Forests

  If the site is in mixed mode and you are using the site configuration of Automatically approve computers in trusted domains, you must configure the management point with an intranet fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

  For more information about approval, see About Client Approval in Configuration Manager and for procedural information about how to specify the management point's FQDN, see How to Configure the Intranet FQDN of Site Systems.

  Roaming Support across Active Directory Forests

  Clients can perform global roaming within the forest of their assigned site if all sites within the hierarchy publish site information to Active Directory Domain Services. Roaming allows clients to download software distribution package content from distribution points closest to them when they roam within the boundaries of a sibling site, a site higher in the hierarchy than their assigned site, or are otherwise not within the boundaries of their assigned site.

  If the Active Directory schema has not been extended for Configuration Manager 2007, or sites are not publishing site data to Active Directory Domain Services, clients can use a server locator point to perform regional roaming. Regional roaming allows clients to find local software distribution package content when the site that they roam into is lower in the hierarchy than their assigned site. If a server locator point is not deployed, regional roaming is supported if all management points are registered in WINS or DNS.

  See Also

  Tasks

  How to Configure Internet-Based Site Systems to Allow Only Site Server Initiated Data Transfers
  How to Automatically Publish the Default Management Point to DNS
  

  Concepts

  About Network Access Protection and Multiple Active Directory Forests
  Determine If You Need a Server Locator Point for Configuration Manager Clients
  Determine Server Placement for Internet-Based Client Management
  Overview of Internet-Based Client Management
  
  -------------------
  Thanks,
  http://paddymaddy.blogspot.com/
  

SCCM Patch Management Enterprise Compliancy Report

SCCM Patch Management Enterprise Compliancy Report ---originally available in http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/cstauffer/archive/2008/10/17/sccm-patch-management-enterprise-compliancy-report.aspx

As most of you know if you have read any of the reports that I have posted in the past, here at the Commonwealth we use collections to track agencies. This report will show you an overall status and then a breakdown of each agency. This is done by grabbing the parent collection and listing each agency.

**********************************************************

Note: You will need to change your ScopeID to match your location and the Collection ID in the last Select statement to your parent Collection.

**********************************************************

--AuthListID=ScopeId_8BF42CAA-F2A7-4063-A86D-C427EAB89450/AuthList_DC329234-6F0F-4256-879B-FBA1E43A2F0B
--CollID=SMS00001

declare @CI_ID int; select @CI_ID=CI_ID from v_ConfigurationItems where CIType_ID=9 and CI_UniqueID='ScopeId_8BF42CAA-F2A7-4063-A86D-C427EAB89450/AuthList_DC329234-6F0F-4256-879B-FBA1E43A2F0B'

declare @CollCount int, @NumClients int; select @CollCount = count(*), @NumClients=isnull(sum(cast(IsClient as int)), 0) from v_ClientCollectionMembers ccm where ccm.CollectionID='SMS00001'

Select
    CollectionName=vc.Name,
    NumberInCollection=@CollCount,
    NonClients=@CollCount-@NumClients, 
    PComputers=convert(numeric(5,2), (@CollCount-@NumClients)*100.00 / isnull(nullif(@CollCount, 0), 1))
from v_Collection vc
where vc.CollectionID='SMS00001'

SELECT   v_Collection.Name
, sn.StateName AS Status, COUNT(*) AS NumberOfComputers
, CONVERT(numeric(5, 2)
, ISNULL(COUNT(*), 0)* 100.00 / ISNULL(NULLIF (@CollCount, 0), 1)) AS PComputers
, 'ScopeId_8BF42CAA-F2A7-4063-A86D-C427EAB89450/AuthList_DC329234-6F0F-4256-879B-FBA1E43A2F0B' AS AuthListID

FROM         v_ClientCollectionMembers AS cm INNER JOIN
                      v_UpdateListStatus_Live AS cs ON cs.CI_ID = @CI_ID AND cs.ResourceID = cm.ResourceID INNER JOIN
                      v_Collection ON cm.CollectionID = v_Collection.CollectionID LEFT OUTER JOIN
                      v_StateNames AS sn ON sn.TopicType = 300 AND sn.StateID = ISNULL(cs.Status, 0)
WHERE     (cm.CollectionID = 'SMS00001')
GROUP BY sn.StateName, v_Collection.Name
ORDER BY NumberOfComputers DESC

SELECT     v_Collection.Name, sn.StateName AS Status, COUNT(*) AS NumberOfComputers, CONVERT(numeric(5, 2), ISNULL(COUNT(*), 0)
                      * 100.00 / ISNULL(NULLIF (@CollCount, 0), 1)) AS PComputers
FROM         v_ClientCollectionMembers AS cm INNER JOIN
                      v_UpdateListStatus_Live AS cs ON cs.CI_ID = @CI_ID AND cs.ResourceID = cm.ResourceID INNER JOIN
                      v_Collection ON cm.CollectionID = v_Collection.CollectionID INNER JOIN
                      v_StateNames AS sn ON sn.TopicType = 300 AND sn.StateID = ISNULL(cs.Status, 0) AND cm.CollectionID IN
                          (SELECT     subCollectionID
                            FROM          v_CollectToSubCollect
                            WHERE      (parentCollectionID = 'PA100043'))
GROUP BY sn.StateName, v_Collection.Name
ORDER BY v_Collection.Name DESC

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Thanks,
http://paddymaddy.blogspot.com/