United States Change | All Microsoft Sites
Microsoft Home | Servers and Tools | Infrastructure | System Center
Find answers to frequently asked questions about Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007.
Q. What is System Center Essentials 2007?
A.
Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 (Essentials 2007) is a new management solution in the System Center family of IT systems management products specifically designed for midsize businesses. Essentials 2007 provides a unified management solution that enables IT professionals in midsize organizations to proactively manage their IT environment with increased efficiency.
Q. Can I evaluate Essentials 2007?
You can find instructions to download and try the Evaluation release of Essentials 2007 with Service Pack 1, here.
Q. Can I upgrade my trial version of Essentials to a full product?
Yes. At any point during the 90-day evaluation period you can purchase Essentials 2007 through retail or volume license, and enter the product keys to convert the product to a full working version in the Licensing Wizard (Programs—System Center Essentials 2007—System Center Essentials 2007 Licensing Wizard). No re-installation is necessary. For pricing and licensing information, go here.
Q. In what languages is Essentials 2007 available?
Essentials 2007 is available in the following languages: English, German, French, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Italian, Russian, and Portuguese.
Q. What types of IT management tasks can I perform with Essentials 2007?
Essentials 2007 provides the following IT management capabilities.
Proactive monitoring and troubleshooting diagnostics for your Windows-based servers, Windows-based clients, applications and network devices.
Update management for Microsoft and third-party applications and devices.
Software deployment of MSI and EXE installed software packages, including third-party applications, and Office 2007.
Hardware and software inventory with 30+ attributes collected for things like available disk space, RAM, and installed applications with version number.
Integrated reporting including 50+ reports for things like inventory, update deployment status, and automated daily health status reports for your IT environment.
Q. Is Essentials 2007 a "bundle" of Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) and Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)?
No. Essentials 2007 is a new, unified IT management solution built on the following foundation technologies:
System Center Operations Manager 2007
Windows Server Update Services 3.0
SQL Server 2005
Microsoft Update
Q. What kinds of devices can I manage with Essentials 2007?
From a single console, Essentials 2007 allows you to manage your Windows-based servers, Windows-based clients, applications, services and SNMP-capable network devices.
Q. What Microsoft Windows operating systems are supported for management with Essentials 2007 SP1?
Windows 2000 Pro SP4, Windows XP SP2 (x86 and x64), Windows Vista (x86 and x64)
Windows 2000 Server SP4, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and R2 (x86 and x64), Windows Server 2008
Q. If I have branch offices, how many Essentials 2007 servers do I need?
Essentials 2007 is a single server solution, so it does not require a connection to other Essentials 2007 servers.
Q. Does Essentials 2007 support Virtualization?
Essentials 2007 will manage virtualized Windows environments, within the 30 server and 500 client limits. The Essentials server itself can be run on a virtualized OS. In addition, when used in conjunction with Virtual Machine Manager Workgroup Edition, both products provide a broader set of management capabilities for virtualized environments.
Q. What operating system and hardware do I need to run Essentials 2007?
Operating System:
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 or R2, Standard or Enterprise Edition, or Microsoft Windows Server 2008.
Hardware Requirements:
12 GB of free disk space (20 GB to store updates locally)
CPU can be x86 or x64-based, at least 2.0 GHz
1 GB of RAM (2 GB recommended)
Other Prerequisites:
Active Directory
SQL Server 2005 (SP2 required for running on Windows Server 2008)
Internet Information Services 6.0 (IIS 7.0 required for running on Windows Server 2008)
.NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0
Q. When will full product support be in effect for Windows Server 2008?
Full product support for Windows Server 2008 will be announced within 90 days of the Essentials 2007 SP1 release.
Q. Are there special prerequisite considerations for running Essentials 2007 SP1 on Windows Server 2008?
Yes. SQL Server 2005 SP2 and IIS 7.0 must be installed on Windows Server 2008 before installing Essentials 2007 SP1. Only SQL Server 2005 SP2 is supported on Windows Server 2008. Install SQL Server 2005 SP2 before beginning Essentials 2007 SP1 setup, because SQL Server 2005 Express Edition cannot be installed by Essentials 2007 SP1 setup on Windows Server 2008.
Q. Can I run Essentials in 32-bit mode and my management database in 64-bit mode, or vice-versa?
Yes. With Service Pack 1, Essentials 2007 now supports a mixed mode of operation between 32-bit and 64-bit environments.
Q. Can Essentials manage computers joined to workgroups?
Yes. With Service Pack 1, Essentials 2007 now supports managing workgroup-joined computers.
Q. What other enhancements does Service Pack 1 provide?
The new improvements of System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 include:
Support for:
Managing workgroup-joined computers
Monitoring SNMPv1 network devices
Multiple auto-approval rules in update management
A remote SQL Server 2005 instance on a computer with a different architecture (x86 or x64) than that of the computer running the Essentials 2007 management server
Running Essentials 2007 on Windows Server 2008
Management packs for Windows Server 2008
Improved:
Backup and disaster recovery guidance
Management pack quality
Performance, usability, and supportability
Third-party updated management experience
For more information visit the SP1 resource page.
Q. Can I migrate to Essentials 2007 from an existing installation of Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) 2005 Workgroup Edition?
Yes. Essentials 2007 provides support for migrating management packs from both Operations Manager 2005 and Operations Manager 2005 Workgroup Edition. You can also choose to establish side-by-side operation with Essentials 2007 to preserve mission critical data. You can find specific guidance in the System Center Essentials 2007 Migration Guide.
Q. What happens if I grow beyond the 30 Server and 500 Client management limits of System Center Essentials 2007; can I migrate to System Center Operations Manager 2007 and System Center Configuration Manager 2007?
Yes. You can find specific guidance in the System Center Essentials 2007 Migration Guide.
Q. How many servers, clients and network devices can I manage with Essentials 2007?
With Essentials 2007, you can manage up to 30 Windows-based servers (not including the Essentials server) and 500 Windows-based clients. Essentials 2007 will not track or limit the number of SNMP-capable network devices you want to manage, however performance parameters may limit you to approximately 75 network devices.
Q. How much will Essentials 2007 cost?
You can find detailed pricing and licensing information here.
Q. What do I need to buy to manage additional clients and servers?
You need to buy additional ML License Packs. Please note that all purchases of additional ML license packs must be made through the same channel on which the Essentials Server was purchased; additional ML License Packs purchased through Volume License will not work on Retail and OEM Essentials Server installations. For more details on license packs see here.
System Center Web Sites
System Center Essentials
FAQ
Try it
Buy it
