Kheng Ho Toh, 123RF.com

Manage your servers with System Center Essentials

Virtual Focus

Article from ADMIN 03/2011

By Thomas Joos

Microsoft's System Center Essentials allows Windows administrators to manage virtual and physical server installations. We look at the options.

System Center Essentials [1] is a server technology for managing, updating, and monitoring servers and workstations in the enterprise. The focus is mainly on monitoring servers, error diagnostics, inventorying, and software distribution. The solution is designed mainly for companies who deploy Microsoft solutions and who are planning to introduce virtualization or already have virtual servers.

Monitoring and Management

Microsoft System Center Essentials (SCE) 2010 is designed for medium-sized enterprises with a maximum of 50 servers and 500 workstations. The product is a development of System Center Essentials 2007 and is based on technologies from the Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM), System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), and Windows Server Update Services.

SCE is not just a front end for these products: Microsoft merged the products in SCE 2010 for optimum integration with the network. Although SCOM, SCVMM, and SCCM are individual solutions that target large-scale enterprises, Microsoft designed SCE for medium-sized businesses. The installation is far simpler, and you don't need a complex server infrastructure. Microsoft integrated the most important functions of the server versions, facilitated the installation by providing wizards, and optimized controls by reducing administrator interaction to a single interface (Figure 1).

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