SCCM 2007 to SCCM 2012
Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012 is now in Beta 2 release. “SCCM 2012” is a considerable rebuild over SCCM 2007. Similar to Novell’s ZenWorks, the main difference in the new version is that it will be much more user-focused rather than computer focused. A dedicated console will be part of the product as well instead of relying on the MMC.
There will be no in-place upgrade path to SCCM 2012. One of the main reasons for this is because SCCM 2012 will switch the SCCM platform to a 64-bit architecture. Microsoft is including a utility to migrate collections, packages, advertisements, tasks sequences, etc. to the new version of the software. This will mean a dual environment during the period of transition and will require additional servers to support the new version.
If you are planning to move to SCCM 2012, start cleaning up your SCCM 2007 environment now. Remove un-needed collections, software update deployments, advertisements, packages, etc. Also thoroughly document what you have in place, what it does and who it is for. You never know what issues may creep up during the migration and if you have solid documentation, correcting any issues will be that much easier.
-Pete Cavanaugh, PEI
