Add as a preferred source on Google


News

SP3 Beta Bows for Systems Management Server 2003

Microsoft has begun the open beta of Service Pack 3 for its aging Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003.

Besides bug fixes, SP3 provides some new capabilities, not least of which is support for Windows Vista.

Administrators can deploy Vista using the SMS 2003 Operating System Deployment Feature Pack update and manage Vista clients with SMS 2003 SP3, according to Microsoft statements.

The service pack also enables IT staffers to deploy applications to Vista client computers. Additionally, software and hardware inventories can be performed on those PCs using a new library of more than 400,000 software titles.

Among other new features, new license reports enable administrators to compare the Microsoft applications installed with licenses purchased as well as view how those titles were obtained -- for instance, through volume licensing, retail or OEM.

Other report features let managers view applications by category to see how many different applications with similar functions and versions are deployed in an organization - which can be useful for auditing, for upgrade planning and for performing software consolidation evaluations.

The beta of SMS 2003 SP3 can be downloaded here.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

Featured

  • Microsoft Dismantles RedVDS Cybercrime Marketplace Linked to $40M in Phishing Fraud

    In a coordinated action spanning the United States and the United Kingdom, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) and international law enforcement collaborators have taken down RedVDS, a subscription based cybercrime platform tied to an estimated $40 million in fraud losses in the U.S. since March 2025.

  • Sound Wave Illustration

    CrowdStrike's Acquisition of SGNL Aims to Strengthen Identity Security

    CrowdStrike signs definitive agreement to purchase SGNL, an identity security specialist, in a deal valued at about $740 million.

  • Microsoft Acquires Osmos, Automating Data Engineering inside Fabric

    In a strategic move to reduce time-consuming manual data preparation, Microsoft has acquired Seattle-based startup Osmos, specializing in agentic AI for data engineering.

  • Linux Foundation Unites Major Tech Firms to Launch Agentic AI Foundation

    The Linux Foundation today announced the creation of a new collaborative initiative — the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF) — bringing together major AI and cloud players such as Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and other major tech companies.

Most   Popular