The Application Compatibility Toolkit Connector (ACT Connector) is a Configuration Manager 2007 feature that enables administrators to determine the availability of device drivers that are required for the Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP operating system, and also determine the compatibility of applications with Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP. By using the ACT Connector, you can send a list of devices that is collected by Configuration Manager 2007 to Microsoft to obtain information about device driver availability. Using the information provided by the ACT Connector, an administrator can determine what, if any, actions must be taken to get device drivers compatible with destination computers. The ACT Connector also provides information about the compatibility of applications with Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP by using the data that ACT collected.

Application Compatibility Toolkit Connector (ACT Connector)

The ACT Connector is a feature that is installed in the Configuration Manager 2007 administrator console. It is used to assist with evaluating computers for Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP operating system readiness. The ACT Connector can provide hardware readiness reports without any additional configuration. However, if you plan to evaluate application readiness as part of your Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP planning, you must install the Application Compatibility Toolkit on your network.

For more information about installing the Configuration Manager 2007 ACT Connector, see How to Install the Configuration Manager 2007 Application Compatibility Toolkit Connector.

Configuring the Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) Server

If you plan to evaluate Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP application compatibility as part of your Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP deployment planning, you must install ACT, and then install the Configuration Manager 2007 ACT Connector. For more information about configuring ACT on your network, see Application Compatibility (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=91277).

Data Collection Package

The data collection package (DCP) is a package that is created in ACT, and then is deployed to Configuration Manager 2007 computers. The DCP collects information about applications so that ACT can evaluate whether the application is compatible with the Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP operating system. For more information about deploying the DCP, see How to Create the Application Compatibility Toolkit Connector Data Collection Package.

ACT Connector Reports

The ACT Connector creates reports in the category Windows Upgrade Assessment. The reports are provided to assist in three primary areas:

  • Planning a Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP deployment.

  • Gathering appropriate device drivers prior to deploying Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP.

  • Assessing the installed applications prior to deploying the Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP operating system.

The reports are available to help plan a Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP deployment and contain the following information:

  • Computers that meet Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP system requirements.

  • Computers with devices installed that have device drivers compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP.

  • Computers with installed applications compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP.

This information provides a high-level analysis of hardware and application compatibility with Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP. The reports display which device drivers are available either in the driver catalog or with Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP. You can also create reports that display the readiness of a specific Configuration Manager 2007 collection for Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP. For more information about creating reports, see How to Manage Application Compatibility Toolkit Connector Reports.

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