System Center 2012 R2 is RTM..So What is New ?!!!

As many of you already know System Center 2012 R2 release today and you can download from MSDN website. So this is a quick post about new features in each product

 

What’s New in VMM in System Center 2012 R2

 

What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager

 

What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 Service Manager

 

What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 App Controller

 

What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager

 

What’s New in System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator

 

What’s new in System Center 2012 R2 – DPM

System Center Orchestrator 2012 First look

Welcome to the beta release of System Center Orchestrator 2012. Orchestrator provides orchestration, integration, and automation of IT processes through the creation of runbooks, enabling you to define and standardize best practices and improve operational efficiency.

System Center Orchestrator System Requirements

Hardware

The following minimum hardware configuration is required for Orchestrator:

• 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM or above (2 GB recommended)
• 200 megabyte (MB) of available hard disk space
• Dual-core CPU or better

Operating system

The following table lists the supported operating systems for Orchestrator.

Management server, Runbook server, Orchestrator web service –> Windows Server 2008 R2

Runbook Designer, Runbook Tester –> Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2

Software

The following software is required to install Orchestrator:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
• .NET Framework 4 (if you are installing the Orchestration console or web service)
• Microsoft Silverlight 4 (for the Orchestration console only)

How to Prepare your Computer for System Center Orchestrator

before you install System Center Orchestrator 2012, perform the following steps to prepare your computer:

• Ensure your computer meets the minimum system requirements.
• Add the user you are going to use as the Orchestrator service account to the local Administrators group on your computer.
• Enable the “Log on as a service” policy for the user.

To add a user to the Administrators group

1. Log on to the computer where you are going to install Orchestrator as a user with administrative credentials.

2. Open Server Manager. On the taskbar, click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Manage.

3. In the navigation pane, expand Configuration, expand Local Users and Groups, and then click Groups.

4. In the Groups list, right-click Administrators, and then click Properties.

5. Click Add.

6. Enter the user account that you want to use as the Orchestrator service account, click OK, and then OK again.

To enable the “Log on as a service” policy

1. Log on to the computer where you are going to install Orchestrator as a user with administrative credentials.

2. On the taskbar, click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Local Security Policy.

3. Expand Local Policies, and then click User Rights Assignment.

4. Right-click Log on as a service, and then click Properties.

5. Click Add User or Group.

6. Enter the user account that you are going to use as the service account, click OK and then OK again.

How to Install System Center Orchestrator

Use the following steps to install the beta version of System Center Orchestrator 2012.

To install Orchestrator

 

Double-click the SetupSCO.exe program to start the Setup wizard for System Center Orchestrator 2012.

 

On the Welcome page of the Setup wizard, click Install Orchestrator.

Provide a name and company information for the product registration. Review and accept the Microsoft Software License Terms, and then click Next.

Select the features that you want to install. For this version, ensure that all features are selected, and then click Next.

To view a description of each feature and the requirements for the feature, expand each section.

Your computer is now checked for required hardware and software. If you meet all the requirements, you are taken directly to step 9. If not, proceed with the following steps.

Review any items that did not pass the prerequisite check. For some requirements, such as Microsoft .NET Framework 4, you can use the link provided in the Setup wizard to install the missing requirement. Others, such as Windows PowerShell or the Internet Information Services (IIS) role, can be installed or configured by Setup.

 

 

After you address any missing prerequisites, click Verify Prerequisites Again.

Click Next to continue.

1. Enter the user name and password for the Orchestrator service account. This account is used to run runbooks and access remote resources. For more information about this account and how it is used, see How to Prepare your Computer for System Center Orchestrator.

   Click Next.

 

Enter the name of the server and the name of the instance of SQL Server that you want to use for Orchestrator. You can also specify whether to use Windows Authentication or SQL Server Authentication, and whether to create a new database or use an existing database. Click Next.

 

Enter the name of the local or Active Directory user group that will be used to manage Orchestrator. For more information about this user group and how it is used, see Understanding the System Center Orchestrator Management Group.

If you want to enable the user account or group to access the Runbook Designer remotely, select that option.

 

Click Next.

 

Enter the port numbers that you want to use for the Orchestration console and the web service. By default these are 81 and 82, respectively. Click Next.

Enter the installation location for Orchestrator. The default location is C:\Program Files(x86)\Microsoft System Center\Orchestrator 2012. Click Next.

Review the installation summary. If you have to make any changes, click Previous. To proceed with the installation, click Install.

If the installation finishes successfully, you can select to start the Runbook Designer automatically, and then click Close.

If installation does not finish successfully, review the features that did not install. View the log files for each feature to identify any issues. Resolve the issues, and then run the Setup wizard again.

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator 2012 beta out

Apparently, today is orchestration day: Microsoft System Center Orchestrator 2012 beta out: http://goo.gl/rXCYQ

Orchestrator provides orchestration, integration, and automation of IT processes through the creation of runbooks, enabling you to define and standardize best practices and improve operational efficiency.

 

Microsoft provides CEP program https://connect.microsoft.com/site1211

CEP Program provides IT professionals a structured approach to evaluating System Center Orchestrator 2012 product before their final release. Members of this program are able to evaluate early versions of products with guidance from the product team and by sharing of experiences and best practices among a community of peers.

After you have applied and been accepted to a program, you will be invited to a product specific site on Connect. It is important to note that although a program may have started in the past,  applicants will continue to be accepted and simply asked to catch up on the materials that have been previously published.

I will start some blogging about how to install and configure new System center Orchestrator… The fun just began