The beta of Configuration Manager Service Pack 1 is now available for download on the Microsoft Download Center.


One of the great new benefits of this platform are Windows 8 apps, and ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 allows you to deploy and update these apps alongside your existing native and virtual applications.

SP1 will support the deployment and management of Windows to Go USB drives, as well as enable you to more easily manage policies for new Windows 8 client-side caching, roaming user profiles, and folder redirection features.

For mobile workers, ConfigMgr 2012 SP1 Beta will include the new ability to detect 3G and 4G network connections to prevent delivering software at a time when data charges may apply.

The Beta includes updates and enhancements to the following System Center 2012 components:

Virtual Machine Manager:

• Improved Support for Network Virtualization
• Extend the VMM console with Add-ins
• Support for Windows Standards-Based Storage Management Service, thin provisioning of logical units and discovery of SAS storage
• Ability to convert VHD to VHDX, use VHDX as base Operating System image.

Configuration Manager:

• Deployment and management of Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012
• Distribution point for Windows Azure to help reduce infrastructure costs
• Automation of administrative tasks through PowerShell support
• Management of Mac OS X clients and Linux and UNIX servers
• Real-time administrative actions for Endpoint Protection related tasks.

Data Protection Manager:

• Improved backup performance of Hyper-V over CSV 2.0
• Protection for Hyper-V over remote SMB share
• Protection for Windows Server 2012 de-duplicated volumes
• Uninterrupted protection for VM live migration.

App Controller:

• Service Provider Foundation API to create and operate Virtual Machines
• Support for Azure VM; migrate VHDs from VMM to Windows Azure, manage from on-premise System Center.

Operations Manager:

• Support for IIS 8
• Monitoring of WCF, MVC and .NET NT services
• Azure SDK support.

Orchestrator:

• Support for Integration Packs, including 3rd party
• Manage VMM self-service User Roles
• Manage multiple VMM ‘stamps’ (scale units), aggregate results from multiple stamps
• Integration with App Controller to consume Hosted clouds.

Service Manager:

• Apply price sheets to VMM clouds
• Create chargeback reports
• Pivot by cost center, VMM clouds, Pricesheets.

Server App-V:

• Support for applications that create scheduled tasks during packaging
• Create virtual application packages from applications installed remotely on native server.