If you are moving to an Altiris 7 environment (Symantec Management Platform or Dell Client Management platform), and already have familiarity in working with vPro in an Altiris 6 environment - take a look at this article on Symantec Connect

The article provides 4 quick insights:

• Pre-defined TaskServer jobs for configuring and maintaining
• Checking and fixing the OOB Site Service installation
• Once OOB Discovery is enabled, using Filters to determine what systems have Intel AMT
• Placement of the remote configuration certificate (different than Altiris 6 environments)

This blog entry is primarily for those who are looking to acquiring a VeriSign certificate for vPro remote configuration.  If you've already acquired and are using the certificate, VeriSign will likely be calling you with an update.

On May 17th, VeriSign transitioned to a new root certificate for G1 standard certificates - click here to read statement from VeriSign's website 

Without going into great detail - how does this affect vPro remote configuration with a VeriSign certificate?

The good news is that VeriSign certificates are available for vPro remote configuration.  Take a look at the landing page - http://www.verisign.com/ssl/intel-vpro-technology/index.html

A few items to note about the May 17th event:

• The VeriSign G1 standard certificate has transitioned to their G2 certificate.  The G2 root certificate hash is not currently inside the vPro\AMT platform.
• The VeriSign certificate available for purchase at the landing site are Secure Site Pro certificates... also referred to as G1 Premium.   You will notice a price increase.  The G1 Premium certificate root hash is the same as the former G1 standard.  The difference is the signing\coding required for Premium level.
• If you purchased and are using a VeriSign G1 standard certificate for remote configuration prior to May 17, 2009 - VeriSign will be contacting you before the renewal timeframe (i.e. 1, 2, or 3 years based on what you originally purchased) to discuss options.  PLEASE NOTE: The G1 standard certificate is still valid and will work until issued expiration.  You simply cannot renew to the same G1 standard certificate... since it's no longer being issued.

If you have questions - please blog back. 

If you are gettng ready to upgrade your Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel® AMT) Setup and Configuration Service (Intel SCS or SCS) from version 3.x to 5.x. check out my Intel® AMT SCS V3.3 TO 5.X Upgrade Overview

It covers a couple of items that differ between the versions, especially around locations of your Remote Configuration provisioning certificate.

Do you need guidance for infrastructure preparation for Pro platforms?

The following checklist is for customer infrastructure preparation to ensure you can implement Pro platforms within the customer's corporate production environment.

Infrastructure Prep Checklist for Microsoft SCCM

Learn how Intel has helped top companies, universities, and hospitals shorten the time it takes to do IT, including the following:

• Complete an Asset Inventory

• Solve Hardware Problems

• Solve Software Problems

• Protect all PC's by detecting antivirus agents

In many cases Intel has shortened the time it takes to complete these tasks by 25 to 50 percent, saving money, while also developing a more efficient workflow.

Enterprise Client/Mobility Success Stories

If you are using Altiris as your management console, then check out this new use case document for implementing network filters!

Altiris Use Case: Network Filtering and System Defense

I was recently asked about the security of vPro and Intel Active Management Technology, therefore I started to pull together all the resources I leverage when discussing this topic and help to alleviate concerns of the Information Security folks in the IT shops. here are those links and if you find additional ones that help please add on to the blog.

Hardening Measures Built into Intel® Active Management Technology

http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/articles/eng/3703.htm

AMT System Defense Usecases

http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-1278

Intel® Active Management Technology Protect Use Cases

http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/articles/eng/1031.htm

Intel® Active Management Technology Use Case #7: Hardware-Based Isolation and Recovery (Protect)

http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/articles/eng/1179.htm

If any questions on security of vPro please let me know.

If you are seeing any failures in your log around setting the hostname during a Remote configuration it could be due to a underscore in the host name. Check out Terry Cutlers post on altiris juice @ http://juice.altiris.com/tech-tip/1622/underscore-not-supported-in-intel-amt-hostnames . Terry references the RFC952 - DoD Internet host table specification @ http://www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc952.html. Here are the assumptions from that specification.

ASSUMPTIONS

1. A "name" (Net, Host, Gateway, or Domain name) is a text string up

to 24 characters drawn from the alphabet (A-Z), digits (0-9), minus

sign , and period (.). Note that periods are only allowed when

they serve to delimit components of "domain style names". (See

RFC-921, "Domain Name System Implementation Schedule", for

background). No blank or space characters are permitted as part of a

name. No distinction is made between upper and lower case. The first

character must be an alpha character. The last character must not be

a minus sign or period. A host which serves as a GATEWAY should have

"-GATEWAY" or "-GW" as part of its name. Hosts which do not serve as

Internet gateways should not use "-GATEWAY" and "-GW" as part of

their names. A host which is a TAC should have "-TAC" as the last

part of its host name, if it is a DoD host. Single character names

or nicknames are not allowed.