Intel Communities : Blog List - Microsoft Manageability

Remote Configuration Certificate getting ready to Expire on my SCCM SP2 Site server

william.york@intel.com — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:51:04 GMT

On mmy SCCM Site server, I was looking througurah my AMTOPMGR.log and I noticed the following entry:

Error: The provisioning certificate with the thumbprint 55B7AF313A725CA10BB47A382494A3BD2927D1FB will expire in 1 day(s). Please ensure that this certificate is renewed. (CertID = 1)

In looking at my Provisioning Certificate loaded on my SCCM SP2 site server, I did find out the expiration date was about to hit.

So I will let this cert expire so I can report out what happens to an environment that has their provisioning certificate expire. I will add more of these learnings after this expiration date hits. More to come....and then type for me to re-purchase this cert so my lab continues to provision.

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager SP2 Wireless Support Overview

webadmin@intel.com — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:38:11 GMT

One of the new additions to Config Manager SP2 is native support of wireless access for managing clients with AMT. Microsoft has built in support for configuring enterprise level wireless profiles such as WPA2-Enterprise. These are wireless profiles that support RADIUS authentication using an authentication server to decide whether or not a given client is allowed to access the network. Config Manager SP2 does not support wireless profiles that use pre-shared keys (PSK). If you use security standards like WPA2-PSK/WPA2-Personal in your environment you will need to use the scripting framework tool to generate a script that can configure this option outside of Config Manager.

Mohan Veeramachaneni has put together several guides that explain how to configure the back-end RADIUS authentication components and access point configuration.

Cisco ACS

Configure Cisco ACS Server for Navigating Secure Networks with AMT/vPro

Microsoft NPS

Simple Configuration of Microsoft NPS as Radius for 802.1X - Part 1

Simple Configuration of Microsoft NPS as Radius for 802.1X - Part 2

Microsoft IAS

Step-by-step Guide for Navigating Secure Networks (802.1x) with Intel® AMT™ using Microsoft® SCCM SP1 & Microsoft® Radius (IAS)

Matt Royer has a blog entry that covers wireless profile management in Config Manager SP2. The process he outlines is still the same in the release version of SP2.

http://communities.intel.com/community/openportit/vproexpert/microsoft-vpro/blog/2009/06/05/a-closer-look-at-sccm-sp2-beta-oob-wireless-management-wireless-profile-management

Key things to remember about wireless management with Config Manager

Config Manager will not update a wireless profile that is currently in use.
Config Manager now uses DNS entries to resolve client names. You may run into a case where a client has switched between a wired or wireless connection and AMT is temporarily inaccessible due to delays in DNS update propagation. DNS caching on your Config Manager server can also cause this to occur. You can try running the “ipconfig /flushdns” command from a command prompt to clear the local DNS cache on your Config Manager server.
Launching a Serial-over-LAN session over a wireless connection while the client’s OS is using that same connection will cause the wireless network to be cut off to the OS.

Microsft System Center Configuration Manager SP2 Released! New vPro Use Cases included!

webadmin@intel.com — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:52:12 GMT

Microsoft has just released System Center Configuration Manager Service Pack 2. In addition to providing feature parity with SP1 and AMT firmware versions 3.2.1, 4.0 and 5.0, the following new features are supported:

Wireless management with up to 8 wireless profiles
End point access control: 802.1x support
Audit logging
Support for different power states
Power control options at the collection level
Data storage
Scheduling configuration for in-band provisioning

You can download it from the following location:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=3318741a-c038-4ab1-852a-e9c13f8a8140#tm

--Matt Royer

Intel WS-MAN Translator Build 568 released... SCCM SP2 Ready!

webadmin@intel.com — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:15:29 GMT

The Intel WS-MAN Translator build 568 has just been released. The new features of this build included:

Validated with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Service Pack 2
Enhances legacy support for wireless profiles, 8021.x profiles, and 3rd party data storage
Enhanced Kerberos authentication and Kerberos ticket handling

There are known issues and feature gaps with the previous versions (builds less than 568) of the Intel WS-MAN and Microsoft SCCM SP2. It is recommended that customers upgraded to Intel WS-MAN Translator build 568 when upgrading to SCCM SP2. SCCM SP1 customers will also see stability and performance increases by upgrading to this WS-MAN Translator build.

--Matt Royer

Updated version of the SCS to SCCM Migration Utility Available

webadmin@intel.com — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:37:11 GMT

An updated version of the SCS to SCCM migration utility has just been released. For those customers that were previously activated on the SMS Add-on and the Intel SCS, this utility will help ease your migration to SCCM SP1 or the upcoming SCCM SP2. This new version has been tested and validated to support up to SCS 5.x and SCCM SP2.

The SCS to SCCM migration utility is used to prepare Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) systems, that were configured using the Intel® Setup and Configuration Service (Intel® SCS) and managed by any management console, to be configured and managed by Microsoft* System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).

The migration utility is an executable (SCS_2_SCCM_Migration_Utility.exe) that performs the following:

Creates a Comma Separated Values (CSV) file containing information on all Intel AMT systems configured by the Intel SCS that are to be migrated. This CSV file includes the data about these systems that is needed by SCCM and is imported to SCCM before the actual migration.
Performs a series of tasks (including partial unconfiguration) that bring the Intel AMT systems to a state that will enable the SCCM to configure them.
Removes the records of the migrated Intel AMT system from the SCS database.

Once the Intel AMT systems are unconfigured they will send out “Hello” messages to SCCM, which will then configure the systems.

The SCS to SCCM migration Utility can be downloaded from the following location: http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-amt-setup-and-configuration-service-scs-to-microsoft-system-center-configuration-manager-sccm-system-migration/

--Matt Royer

Class Highlights: PROS002 Increasing Client Manageability w/Intel vPro and Microsoft ConfigMgr 2007

webadmin@intel.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:53:47 GMT

PROs002 class overview

Wired/wireless & Indepent of OS / Power state

*today is the announcement of SCCM SP2

Extending the wireless capabilities of SCCM

Config Mgr 2k7 features:

*setup & config

*discovery / inventory/audit

*remote console

* power control

*Bring vpro scenarios to your groups & collections – just making it part of your daily cycle’s.

“huge extension” in the out of band scenario

Power Management:

(site configuration, client relationship, collection based management). Ability to do specific targeting to the client.

Help desk efficiency

· remotely restart computer

· interactive remote boot

· remotely interact with bios

· review core system HW inventory and audit info

3 Key messages for SCCM SP2

*Automate deployments

Increase Deployment reliability

Extend remote deployment scenarios to inpocrporate (reboot via id-r-reboot to PXE services.

Service pack 2 – MS SCCM

- vPro integration

- win7 enablement

- Better together keeps ringing thru.

Here's what we have been waiting for.. SCCM SP2 - RC ready to go.

Microsoft & Intel working together on an IDF class - SCCM SP2 & vPro

webadmin@intel.com — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:21:31 GMT

Check out Jeff Wettlaufer and Matt Royer talking about their upcoming class and partnership.

Key in the class is the integration elements and what we (Intel & Microsoft) have been working on. PROs002 is the class code for the session.

A closer look at SCCM SP2: The more subtle changes with SCCM SP2

webadmin@intel.com — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:33:08 GMT

This information is based on Microsoft’s Release Candidate of System Center Configuration Manager Service Pack 2 and is subject to change.

There are several new features / changes that are coming with ConfigMgr SP2 related to AMT / vPro functionality. As noted in previous articles, some of the more obvious changes are:

OOB Wireless Management: Wireless Profile Management

Provide configuration of up to eight (8) wireless profiles per site that are available to AMT clients assigned to that site
Set the wireless information during AMT provisioning and configure all required profile settings (SSID, key management, encryption, etc.
Send wireless profile operations to the Intel translator on AMT systems with revisions earlier than 3.2.

End Point Access Control: 802.1x support

Provision 802.1x settings on AMT wireless clients during AMT provisioning
Send 802.1x settings operations to the Intel translator on AMT systems with revisions earlier than 3.2.1

Data Store (3PDS)

Write string data into 3PDS on AMT through OOB management console

Access Monitor: Audit Log

Enable or Disable Audit Log (no critical event settings)
View Audit Log through OOB Console

Remote Power Management

Power State Configuration

However, Microsoft has also made some more subtle changes between SCCM SP1 and SP2 to improve the end user experience that you may have not notice.

In-band Provisioning attempt schedule: With SCCM SP1, in-band provisioning was hard coded to initiate once every 24 hours. SCCM SP2 now supports the ability to set the provisioning attempt schedule to a configurable value within the Out of Band Management Properties - Provisioning Schedule Tab.
Handling wired and wireless contented clients with in-band provisioning: To provision an AMT / vPro client with SCCM 2007, first stage provisioning must be completed on the wired interface. With SCCM 2007 SP2, the wired interface information will be sent along with the AMT One Time Password (OTP) during agent initiated in-band provisioning. Second stage provisioning can then occur over either wireless or wired interface (which one is resolved by DNS).
Out of Band Provisioning disabled by default: The ability to use Out of Band provisioning (provisioning through AMT hello packet initiation) is configurable and defaulted to disabled with SCCM 2007 SP2. If you are using Out of Band provisioning, you will need to enable it after upgrading from SCCM SP1 to SCCM SP2. This is configured on the Out of Band Management Properties - General Tab.
Opening the Out of Band Console ensures an updated Kerberos token: With SCCM SP1, occasionally you would run into a scenario where the Out of Band Management Console would attempt to connect with an expired or involved Kerberos token; this would prevent OOB Console from properly authenticating with the AMT / vPro Client. This was common if you tried to connect to an AMT / vPro client immediately after an AMT client reprovision. The Out of Band Management Console with SCCM SP2 now refreshes the Kerberos token to ensure a proper connection.
AMT / vPro client provisioning prevented if Configuration Manager Client is blocked or not approved: If an SCCM client is block or not approved within with the site server, SCCM will not allow you provision an AMT / vPro client.
AMT PKI Certificates are revoked during an Update Management Controller: If you have wired or wireless 802.1x authentications being used, SCCM will revoke these certificates and new certificate will be requested & issued. As a clarifying note, the AMT TLS certificate used to secure the manageability traffic will not be revoked during this process.
Power control available for collection execution: SCCM SP2 now allows the execution of an AMT power control on an entire collection just by right clicking on the collection and selecting Out of Band Management -> Power Control. Previously with SCCM SP1, you were required to multi-select all the clients in that collection to perform the same function.
Serial over LAN (SOL) requires manual initiation with the Out of Band Management Console: With SCCM SP1, when you opened the Out of Band Management Console, the SOL session was automatically started. In SCCM SP2, you are now required to open and close the Serial over LAN connection via a new button or with the new Tools menu option.
IDE-Redirect Log renamed: What was previous known as the System Audit Log in SCCM SP1 within the Out of Band Management Console has been renamed to IDE-Redirect Log. This was done to allow the AMT Audit Log to assuming that name.
Working with AMT Data Storage: Within SCCM SP2, you are now able to interact with the AMT / vPro 3rd Party Data Store through the new button added in Out of Band Management Console labeled Data Storage. Note that the data storage is limited to ASCII characters and length of 4096 bytes.

--Matt Royer

SCCM Agent initiated provisioning of AMT / vPro clients with firmware 2.x

webadmin@intel.com — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:28:40 GMT

Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager can provision an AMT / vPro client in two different capacities: Bare metal and Agent Initiated. Bare metal provisioning begins with the AMT client sending a “hello packet” to the SCCM Out of Band Service Point; if the AMT client is approved and authorized to be provisioned, SCCM will initiated the provisioning process. Agent Initiated provisioning begins with the SCCM Client Agent pulling down the “Automatic Provisioning” policy from the SCCM Policy Server; if the SCCM Client Agent receives the policy, the Agent will negotiated a One Time password (OTP) with the AMT ME firmware and send the provisioning request along with the OTP to the Out of Band Service point to begin the provisioning process.

Bare Metal / Hello Packet Initiated Provisioning
For Bare Metal provisioning to work properly on AMT / vPro Clients with firmware 2.x, there are a couple of prerequisites that must be met.

SCCM Server

SCCM SP1 with Rollup Hotfix KB960804 or higher (full list of required hotfixes found here: http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-1897Required Software Bundles and HotFixes (KB’s) for System Center Configuration Manager SP1
Intel WS-MAN Translator installed and configured (Download available from here: http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-ws-management-translator/ )
SCCM configured for Out of Band Management (SCCM Quick Start Guide: http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-1754)

AMT Client

AMT Firmware version that support PKI provisioning with SCCM. For AMT 2.x Desktops and Laptops, you will want to ensure that you have a minimum of AMT Firmware 2.2.20 (Desktop) and 2.2.20 (Laptop). Note: For AMT Desktops with firmware 3.x, you will want to ensure that you have firmware 3.2.2 or above to meet the minimal requirements. AMT Laptops with firmware 4.x and Desktops with firmware 5.x have the minimum requirements meet from the initial firmware release.

SCCM Client Agent Initiated Provisioning
In addition to the prerequisites needed for Bare Metal provisioning, SCCM Agent initiated provisioning requires a couple additional items.

AMT Client

AMT ME / HECI Driver installed (available from your OEM driver website)
Execution of RNGSeedCreator.exe (Download available from here: http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-3807). RNGSeedCreator.exe is an executable that is ran on an AMT / vPro client with firmware version 2.x that has never been configured or provisioned; this utility generates a random number for the firmware to support the OTP used during the SCCM Agent Initiated Provisioning process. For SCCM PKI provisioning to complete successfully, the random number generated by RNGSeedCreator.exe must be completed prior to initiating provisioning via the SCCM Client Agent.Note: AMT / vPro clients with firmware version 3.x and higher do not need to have the RNGSeedCreator.exe ran prior to SCCM Agent Initiated provisioning.

If your AMT clients do not meet the minimal firmware version for PKI based provisioning (Bare Metal or Agent Initiated), you can use the software distribution capabilities within SCCM to remotely upgrade the AMT firmware and drivers; check out the following Blog / Video which walks you through creating this software package. Similar to upgrading the AMT firmware with SCCM Software distribution, you can also use the same Software Distribution process to run the RNGSeedCreator.exe utility on your 2.2 (Desktop) and 2.6 clients. If you wish to combine the firmware upgrade and RNGSeedCreator.exe execution into a single SCCM advertisement, you can construct a single task sequence that runs both the Firmware upgrade and RNGSeedCreator.exe software packages. A guide on how to accomplish this has been included in the RNGSeedCreator download package.

Once the firmware has been upgraded to the minimal firmware version to support PKI provisioning and the RNGSeedCreator.exe has been run, SCCM Agent Initiated provision can complete successfully on 2.2 and 2.6 clients.

--Matt Royer

MSFT updates to help with SCCM SP1 Troubleshooting

webadmin@intel.com — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:37:19 GMT

Microsoft has recently updated the Configuration Manager Documentation Library for out of band management for SP2, including revisions to troubleshooting issues. Some of these revisions are also applicable to Configuration Manager 2007 SP1, but they can't publish them with their monthly updates because of the new SP2 content. Rather than waiting until SP2 is released, they have included the revisions here that affect existing customers using out of band management in Configuration Manager 2007 SP1.

http://blogs.technet.com/configmgrteam/archive/2009/08/13/updated-troubleshooting-information-for-out-of-band-management-sp1.aspx

--Matt Royer