Delivering the parents of System Center, MOM 2004 and SMS 2003, so to speak, will be the more immediate goal, while Microsoft educates partners and customers about DSI and SDM and prepares to broadly distribute the technologies. Microsoft plans to release SMS 2003 final, or gold, code in September. The product currently is near the final stages of beta testing. SMS is used to configure and maintain Windows systems, as well as helping to manage security and bug fix patches. Microsoft plans to extend SMS capabilities through the release of add-on components, or feature packs that would start becoming available within about six months after the final is issued. The software titan is expected to release details about the first two feature packs on Tuesday. The first will add management support features for Pocket PC-based devices, such as handhelds and mobile phones. "There also is a brand new feature on OS provisioning," Hamilton said. The add-on component would add provisioning management features and support for imaging tools, such as those from PowerQuest or Symantec. To more efficiently manage their systems, many companies erase the copy of Windows installed on their PCs and replace the OS with an identical version that also includes the appropriate hardware drivers and software applications for their work environment and corporate network. The practice is known as provisioning, or reimaging. Microsoft's decision to provide a provisioning management tool might surprise some customers. In 2000, the company told businesses that provisioning PCs would have to pay twice for Windows, once for the copy they erased from the hard drive and again for the one they imaged onto the computer. More than a year later, Microsoft partly backed down from the provisioning position. Windows XP users have full reimaging rights. Businesses subscribing to one of Microsoft's volume licensing plans also can reimage Windows 2000 systems, according to Microsoft. "At this point, Microsoft has gotten more comfortable with the whole concept of imaging because it's becoming the mechanism by which they deploy operating systems using their own provisioning tools," said IDC analyst Al Gillen. But Microsoft also is responding to customer demand, Hamilton said. "A lot of (customers) roll out brand new images on their desktops--either they have OEMs do it or they reimage themselves," he explained. In another scenario, a help desk might choose to re-image a PC, returning the computer's software build to its original state, to resolve ongoing problems. Feature packs won't be the only extras Microsoft has on tap. The company also plans to discuss its next generation of management packs. The add-ons available for MOM, BizTalk Server and other products enhance management capabilities by providing preconfigured modules and other tools. "We'll be (demonstrating) those for the first time and talking about that being available December of next year," Hamilton said. Some of those new management packs would be for MOM 2004, which is getting a major overhaul. In preparing the next version of MOM, Microsoft will attempt to address ease of deployment and usability changes many businesses had asked for. Customers want "to get this product deployed in days rather than weeks or days rather than hours", Hamilton said. He also touted new analysis tools, a new reporting engine, a data warehouse component and changes to the user interface.
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