[This is prerelease documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

To start managing objects, you must first decide which computers and network devices you want to manage. The Computer and Device Management Wizard queries Microsoft Active Directory for all desktop and server computers and network devices in your environment. The wizard then displays a list of the discovered objects and allows you to choose which of those you want to manage.

The wizard prepares those objects for management by populating the database with information about those objects, and by installing management agents as appropriate. To install the agent on computers, Essentials 2007 uses the Microsoft System Center Essentials Monitoring Agent software package, which is based on a Windows Installer application and is configured to handle the installation of the agent on the computers that you chose to manage.

Important
If you delete or modify the Microsoft System Center Essentials Monitoring Agent software package, the Essentials 2007 deployment will fail and you will not be able to manage computers in your organization.

This wizard contains the following pages:

How to Start the Computer and Device Management Wizard

After System Center Essentials Setup is complete, the first time that you open the console on the Management Server links to several required configuration tasks are displayed, allowing you to complete the entire required initial configuration.

To Start the Computer and Device Management Wizard from the Getting Started Screen

  1. After Setup is complete, open the Essentials 2007 console.

  2. In any Overview pane, click Configure computers and devices to manage.

To Start the Computer and Device Management Wizard from Device Management

  1. In the Essentials 2007 console, click Computers.

  2. In the navigation pane, and click Add new computers and devices.

See Also