With Essentials 2007 you can manage Windows-based computers as well as SNMP-enabled devices, such as routers, print servers, and computers running operating systems other than Windows. In Essentials 2007, these managed items are collectively referred to as objects.
 Note |
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| In Essentials 2007, objects are also distributed services, such as e-mail, and sub-components of an object, such as a hard disk. For the purposes of the Essentials 2007 documentation, unless stated otherwise, object is used to refer to Windows-based computers, computers running operating systems other than Windows, and network devices. |
Essentials 2007 objects are agent-managed computers and network devices.
Agent-Managed Computers
An agent-managed computer is a Windows-based computer that has the Essentials 2007 agent installed. Agent-managed computers and the Essentials 2007 management server must be in the same domain or in two-way trusted domains.
There are two methods for installing the Essentials 2007 agent on Windows-based computers:
- Discover and deploy the agent from the Essentials 2007
console. For more information, see How to Discover and
Prepare Objects for Management in System Center Essentials
- Install the agent with the Essentials 2007 Setup
program.
| Note |
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| The Essentials 2007 agent requires the Microsoft XML 6.0 Parser. You can download the MSXML 6.0 Parser, also referred to as Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0, from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=76343. The MSXML 6.0 Parser is installed automatically with the agent if the agent is deployed from the Essentials 2007 console. |
Network Devices
Network devices are SNMP version 1 or 2 enabled network devices and computers running operating systems other than Windows that are discovered by using the Essentials 2007 console. You then assign an Essentials 2007 management server or an agent-managed computer to provide remote (proxy) agent functionality for the objects.
Device manufacturers can create management packs that contain rules and tasks for their specific device. If the vendor of your devices has not yet created a management pack, you can still configure Essentials 2007 to discover hardware devices on your network within a specified range of IP addresses and at the same time determine which protocol version it is using. In addition, you can configure rules and monitors that use SNMP GET to collect data and SNMP SET to run tasks such as resetting the device.