Category: Update

New Version: Insight Control for Microsoft System Center 7.2

Insight Control for Microsoft System Center is a package of integration kits that aim to integrate HP Hardware and Software with Microsoft System Center. Here is the description of these integration kits taken from the HP site:

System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) support:

  • The HP ProLiant and BladeSystem Management Packs expose the native capabilities of ProLiant and BladeSystem servers and enclosures to help prevent problems from occurring by proactively monitoring and managing hardware health and intelligently responding to hardware events on servers running Windows.
  • The HP ProLiant Agentless Management Pack manages the health of ProLiant Gen8 servers without the need for loading OS-based SNMP agents or WBEM providers. It can also be used to monitor the health of servers that do not have an OS yet loaded, as well as ProLiant Gen8 servers running any operating system that has a supported Agentless Monitoring Service (such as VMware ESXi).
  • The HP ProLiant Linux and VMware Management Packs provide the ability to monitor hardware health and configuration, as well as to receive HP hardware alerts, on ProLiant servers running Linux and VMware ESX.
  • Supports SCOM 2007 and SCOM 2012 (including SP1) for all HP SCOM management packs.

 

System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) support:

  • The HP Performance Resource Optimization (PRO) Management Pack reduces unplanned downtime by proactively automating live migration of Hyper-V virtual machines based upon HP pre-failure and predictive hardware alerts from ProLiant servers. Supports SCVMM 2008.
  • HP SCVMM 2012 Integration Kit provides HP WinPE and production drivers for ProLiant servers to assist with OS deployment via SCVMM 2012 (including SP1).
  • The HP ProLiant Updates Catalog can be used by SCVMM 2012 (including SP1) to provide simplified Windows driver and firmware updates via a rotating, automated workflow for Hyper-V clusters.

 

System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) support:

  • The HP ProLiant Server Operating System Deployment (OSD) feature provides quick and reliable Windows deployment to bare metal HP servers, including pre-deployment hardware and BIOS configuration, and post-OS HP driver and agent installation.
  • The HP ProLiant Updates Catalog ensures consistency and maximizes uptime with simplified Windows driver and firmware updates using the HP Service Pack for ProLiant.
  • The HP ProLiant Hardware Inventory Tool provides detailed component level inventory of every managed HP Windows server.
  • Supports SCCM 2007 and SCCM 2012 (including SP1).

 

Let’s look what has changed from 7.1 version:

Support for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) 2012 SP1

  • Management packs certified with SCOM 2012 SP1
  • Support for Windows Server 2012 monitoring

 

System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) Management Pack Updates

  • Updated system discovery rule for BladeSystem Management Pack
  • Updated WMI Provider for ProLiant DL980

 

Support for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2012 SP1

  • Updated SCCM 2012 Integration Kit to support SCCM 2012 SP1 (supported only when SCCM 2012 SP1 is installed on Windows Server 2012)
  • Updated HP ProLiant Updates Catalog to support SCCM 2012 SP1
  • Support for Windows Server 2012 deployment and updates
  • Note: The HP SCCM 2012 Integration Kit is only supported on SCCM 2012 SP1 installed on Windows Server 2012
  • Note: OS deployments to Windows Server 2008 R2 Core are not supported

 

Support for Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCCM) 2012 SP1

  • Updated SCVMM 2012 Integration Kit to support SCVMM 2012 SP1
  • Updated HP ProLiant Updates Catalog to support SCVMM 2012 SP1
  • Support for Windows Server 2012 deployment and updates

 

Updates to support HP Service Pack for ProLiant (SPP)

  • Updated SCVMM 2012 & SCCM 2007/2012 Integration Kits
  • New Drivers and firmware from SPP 2013.02.0
  • New software bundles included in the HP ProLiant Updates Catalog to support Windows Server 2012

 

So we now have full SC 2012 SP1 and Windows Server 2012 support. This is great job of HP releasing support so soon after GA of SC 2012 SP1.

If you are wondering what have changed like versions on the SCOM management packs look here:

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Keep in mind that new versions of the management pack for HP servers and blades will come only in this bundle Insight Control for Microsoft System Center. No separate downloads will be released. HP Storage Management Pack for now stays separate download and it is not provided in this package.

To download this new version go here. You only need to download Insight Control for System Center 7.2 DVD ISO – Mar 2013 for the System Center integration kits.

System Center Cloud Services Process Pack Updated to Support SM 2012 SP1

You have noticed that System Center Cloud Services Process Pack (CSPP) for OM 2012 SP1 was released a month later than IT Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) Process Management Pack. Microsoft needed more time to test CSPP with different languages in order to make sure it is fully compatible with SCSM 2012 SP1. The pack is part of System Center 2012 SP1 – Service Manager Component Add-ons and Extensions. You can download the updated pack here.

Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 CU6

For those who still use iSCSI Software Target on Windows Server 2008 R2 there is an update. CU6 was released but I couldn’t find any information what has been fixed. Download is located here.

Microsoft Security Compliance Manager

Solution Accelerator team have just released the final 3rd version Security Compliance Manager. Here are the key features of the new version:

  • Integration with the System Center 2012 Process Pack for IT GRC: Product configurations are integrated into the Process Pack for IT GRC to provide oversight and reporting of your compliance activities.
  • Gold master support: Import and take advantage of your existing Group Policy or create a snapshot of a reference machine to kick-start your project.
  • Configure stand-alone machines: Deploy your configurations to non-domain joined computers using the new GPO Pack feature.
  • Updated security guidance: Take advantage of the deep security expertise and best practices in the updated security guides and the attack surface reference workbooks to help reduce the security risks that you consider to be the most important.
  • Centralized Management of Your Baseline Portfolio: The centralized management console of the Security Compliance Manager provides you with a unified, end-to-end user experience to plan, customize, and export security baselines. The tool gives you full access to a complete portfolio of recommended baselines for Windows client and server operating systems, and Microsoft applications. The Security Compliance Manager also enables you to quickly update the latest Microsoft baseline releases and take advantage of baseline version control.
  • Security Baseline Customization: Customizing, comparing, merging, and reviewing your baselines policy configurations just got easier. Use the customization capabilities of the Security Compliance Manager to duplicate any of the recommended baselines from Microsoft and quickly modify security settings to meet the standards of your organization’s environment.
  • Multiple Export Capabilities: Export baselines in formats like XLS, Group Policy objects (GPOs), Desired Configuration Management (DCM) packs, or Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) to enable automation of deployment and monitoring baseline compliance.
  • Available policy configuration baselines include Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Hyper-V, Windows 8, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Windows Internet Explorer 10, Windows Internet Explorer 9, Windows Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft Office 2010 SP1, Microsoft Office 2007 SP2, Exchange Server 2010 SP2 and Exchange Server 2007 SP3.

 

You can download the tool from here.

System Center 2012 – Service Manager Component Add-ons and Extensions

After the general availability of SC 2012 SP1 there are some additional downloads that needs to be updated. This time IT Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) Process Management Pack for SCSM is updated to work with SP1. Along with this management pack usually System Center Cloud Services Process Pack is also released but this time this is not the case. On the download page it is marked as coming soon. Let’s hope we will have it in one or two weeks maximum. IT Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) Process Management Pack  can be downloaded from here.