The following table lists the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for Configuration Manager 2007 computer clients.

Hardware Component	Requirement
Processor	233 MHz minimum (300 MHz or faster Intel Pentium/Celeron family or comparable processor recommended).
RAM	Minimum operating system requirement or at least 128 MB minimum (256 MB or more recommended; 384 MB required if using operating system deployment).
Free Disk Space	350 MB minimum for a new installation; 265 MB minimum to upgrade an existing client. (By default, the temporary program download folder on clients is preconfigured at client installation to automatically increase to 5 GB if necessary and if 5 GB or more is available.)
Network Adapter	Client computers must have network connectivity to Configuration Manager 2007 site systems to enable client installation and management. Note Network Address Translation (NAT) is not supported in Configuration Manager unless the site is configured for Internet-based client management and the client detects that it is on the Internet.  For more information about this site configuration, see Overview of Internet-Based Client Management.

The Mobile Device Client requires 0.78 MB of storage space to install. In addition, mobile device management logging on the mobile device can require up to 256 KB of storage space.

The following table lists the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for Configuration Manager 2007 site systems.

Configuration Manager 2007 site system roles are not supported on any operating system prior to Windows Server 2003 SP1. Configuration Manager 2007 site system role installation is explicitly not supported on the following operating system versions:

• Windows NT 4.0 Server
  
  
• Windows 2000 Server
  
  
• Windows 2003 Server with no service pack installed
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 Core installations
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 Foundation Edition installations
  
  

The Configuration Manager 2007 client is not supported on any operating system prior to Windows 2000 SP4. Installing the Configuration Manager client is explicitly not supported on the following operating system versions:

• Windows 95
  
  
• Windows 98
  
  
• Windows Millennium Edition
  
  
• Windows XP Media Center or Home Edition
  
  
• Windows XP Professional Edition with less than SP2 applied
  
  
• Windows Vista Starter, Home Basic, or Home Premium Edition
  
  
• Windows NT Workstation 4.0
  
  
• Windows NT Server 4.0
  
  
• Windows 2000 Server SP3 and earlier
  
  
• Windows 2003 Server with no service pack installed
  
  
• Windows CE 3.0
  
  
• Windows Mobile Pocket PC 2002
  
  
• Windows Mobile SmartPhone 2002
  
  

All Configuration Manager 2007 site systems must be members of a Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 Active Directory domain.

Configuration Manager 2007 Active Directory schema extensions provide many benefits for Configuration Manager 2007 sites, but they are not required for all Configuration Manager 2007 features. For more information about Active Directory schema extension considerations, see Decide If You Should Extend the Active Directory Schema.

If you have extended your Active Directory schema for SMS 2003, you should update your schema extensions for Configuration Manager 2007. Updating the Active Directory schema for Configuration Manager 2007 can be performed before or after upgrading to Configuration Manager and will not interfere with existing SMS 2003 site or client functionality. For more information about extending the Active Directory schema for Configuration Manager 2007, see How to Extend the Active Directory Schema for Configuration Manager.

The Configuration Manager 2007 site database can be installed on either the default instance or a named instance of SQL Server supported by the version of Configuration Manager 2007 you are using. The SQL Server instance used to host the site database can also be configured as a SQL Server failover cluster in an active/passive cluster, or multiple instance, configuration.

It is not supported to install Configuration Manager 2007 site servers or any site system server role other than the site database server on a Windows Server cluster instance. However, physical node computers of a Windows Server cluster instance can be managed as Configuration Manager 2007 clients.

Note
SQL Server database mirroring is not supported for the Configuration Manager 2007 site database.

In SMS 2003, the mppublish.vbs script, supplied with the SMS 2003 installation files, was used to configure Microsoft SQL Server site database replication between the site database server and SQL Server site database replicas used to support management points and server locator points. Because Configuration Manager 2007 introduces new site database views and functions that are not replicated by the mppublish.vbs script, the script is not supported for configuring SQL Server site database replication in Configuration Manager 2007 sites. For information about how to configure replication to support management points and server locator points, see How to Configure SQL Server Site Database Replication.

English SQL Server (codepage 1252) or Configuration Manager installations are supported on any localized operating system. For example, the English language version of SQL Server can be installed on a Dutch language version of a supported server operating system to support an English language Configuration Manager installation.

Localized SQL Server installations (codepage 1252) are supported to host the site database for the same-language operating system installation supporting either the English or the same-language localized version of Configuration Manager. For example, a Japanese language SQL Server installation using the 1252 codepage can be installed on a Japanese language version of a supported server operating system to support either a Japanese or English language Configuration Manager installation.

Localized SQL Server or Configuration Manager installations are supported on any same-language operating system installation. For example, the German language version of SQL Server can be installed on a German language version of a supported server operating system to support a German language Configuration Manager installation.

The following table describes the supported language version interoperability for localized Configuration Manager 2007 site installations. For more information about deploying Configuration Manager 2007 sites in multi-language environments, see Deploying Configuration Manager Sites in International and Multi-Language Environments.

Configuration Manager 2007 is designed to work with any hardware that is certified on the Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for the version of the operating system that the Configuration Manager component is installed on. Configuration Manager 2007 site server roles require NTFS file systems so that directory and file permissions can be set. Because Configuration Manager 2007 assumes it has complete ownership of a logical drive when it uses naming conventions, site systems running on separate computers can’t share a logical partition on any storage technology, but they could each use their own logical partition on a physical partition of a shared storage device.

Following are important support considerations for the listed storage technologies:

• Storage Area Network. Using a Storage Area Network (SAN) is supported as long as a supported Windows-based server is attached directly to the volume hosted by the SAN.
  
  
• Single Instance Storage. Configuring distribution point package and signature folders to be configured on a Single Instance Storage (SIS)-enabled volume is not supported. It is also not supported for a Configuration Manager 2007 client's cache to be configured on a SIS-enabled volume.
  
  

  Note
  Single Instance Storage (SIS) is a feature of the Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 operating system.

• Removable Disk Drive. It is not supported to install Configuration Manager 2007 site system or client components on a removable disk drive.
  
  

All Configuration Manager 2007 site systems must be members of a Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 Active Directory domain. This requirement includes site systems that support Internet-based client management in a perimeter network.

Note
It is not supported to change the domain membership or computer name of a Configuration Manager 2007 site system after it is installed.

Configuration Manager 2007 provides support for clients in workgroups. It is also supported for a client to be moved from a workgroup to a domain or from a domain to a workgroup.

To support workgroup clients, the following requirements must be met:

• During client installation, the logged-on user must possess local administrator rights on the workgroup system. The only account that Configuration Manager 2007 can use to perform activities that require local administrator privileges is the account of the user that is logged on to the computer.
  
  
• The Configuration Manager client must be installed from a local source on each client machine. This requirement ensures that a local source for repair and client update application will be available for the client.
  
  
• Workgroup clients must be able to locate a server locator point for site assignment because they cannot query Active Directory Domain Services. The server locator point can be manually published in Windows Internet Name Service (WINS), or it can be specified in the CCMSetup.exe installation command-line parameters.
  
  
• Workgroup clients must use the Network Access Account to access package source files on distribution points. If a Network Access Account is not configured, clients cannot access content on the distribution point. For more information, see Example Package Access Scenarios.
  
  

Although workgroup computers can be Configuration Manager 2007 clients, there are inherent limitations in supporting workgroup computers, including the following:

• Workgroup clients cannot locate their default management point from Active Directory Domain Services, and instead must use DNS, WINS, or a server locator point. DNS is recommended for workgroup clients. For more information, see Configuration Manager and Service Location (Site Information and Management Points).
  
  
• Active Directory system, user, or user group discovery is not possible.
  
  
• User-targeted advertisements are not possible.
  
  
• The client push installation method is not supported for workgroup client installation. For more information about installing the Configuration Manager client on workgroup computers, see How to Install Configuration Manager Clients on Workgroup Computers.
  
  
• Global roaming is not possible. For more information about client roaming capabilities and behavior, see About Client Roaming in Configuration Manager.
  
  
• Using a workgroup client as a branch distribution point is not supported. Configuration Manager 2007 requires that all site systems, including branch distribution point computers, are members of an Active Directory domain.
  
  
• The out of band management feature is not supported for workgroup computers. For more information about out of band management, see Out of Band Management in Configuration Manager 2007 SP1 and Later.
  
  

Configuration Manager 2007 supports client installation and all site server roles in the following virtualization environments:

• Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 (with no service pack and SP1)
  
  
• Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V
  
  
• Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008
  
  
• Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP)
  
  

For more information about the Server Virtualization Validation Program (SVVP), visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=134672.

Note
Configuration Manager 2007 does not support Virtual PC or Virtual Server guest operating systems running on Macintosh.

Configuration Manager 2007 cannot manage virtual machines unless they are running. An offline virtual machine image cannot be updated nor can inventory be collected using the Configuration Manager client on the host computer.

No special consideration is given to virtual machines. For example, Configuration Manager 2007 might not determine that an update needs to be re-applied to a virtual machine image if it is stopped and restarted without saving the state of the virtual machine to which the update was applied.

The Configuration Manager console cannot be used to fully manage an SMS 2003 primary site. You can use an SMS 2003 Administrator console snap-in to manage SMS 2003 primary sites on a computer that does not have the Configuration Manager console installed, or you can install the Configuration Manager console on a computer that already has the SMS 2003 Administrator console installed on it. When hosting both consoles on the same computer, there are planning factors that should be considered before installing a Configuration Manager 2007 console on a computer that already has the SMS 2003 Administrator console installed on it. For more information about planning for Configuration Manager 2007 console installations, see Planning for the Configuration Manager Console.

The Configuration Manager console can manage an SMS 2003 secondary site connected to a Configuration Manager 2007 primary parent site, with the following limitations:

• You cannot change the accounts or passwords of SMS 2003 secondary sites in the Configuration Manager console.
  
  
• You cannot create or configure RAS sender addresses on SMS 2003 secondary sites.
  
  
• You cannot configure Active Directory Security Group Discovery on an SMS 2003 secondary site.
  
  

SMS 2003 clients can be assigned to a Configuration Manager 2007 site. SMS 2003 clients that are assigned to a Configuration Manager 2007 site are fully interoperable and continue to support SMS 2003 functionality but are not capable of supporting new Configuration Manager 2007 features. However, assigning Configuration Manager 2007 clients to SMS 2003 sites is not supported, and they will not function properly.

Ensure that the boundaries defined for your Configuration Manager site are set properly. When installing Configuration Manager clients by using auto assignment, ensure that Configuration Manager clients are not within the boundaries of an SMS 2003 site.

Configuration Manager 2007 clients can be assigned to only one site. When auto assignment is used to assign clients to a site during client installation and more than one site has the same boundary configured, the actual site assignment of a client cannot be predicted. If boundaries overlap across multiple Configuration Manager 2007 or SMS 2003 site hierarchies, clients might not get assigned to the correct site hierarchy or might not even get assigned to a site at all.

Note
Physical node computers of a Windows Server–based cluster instance can be managed as Configuration Manager 2007 clients.

Console sessions controlled by remote assistance are supported, except for simultaneous use of Configuration Manager Remote Tools.

Invoking remote assistance from the Configuration Manager console requires that the Configuration Manager console computer and the client computer that will be connected to remotely are running one of the following operating system versions:

Note
For details on operating system service packs, editions, and architectures supported for remote assistance in Configuration Manager 2007, review the topic in this documentation that describes the version of Configuration Manager 2007 that you are running.

• Windows Embedded
  
  
• Windows XP
  
  
• Windows Vista
  
  
• Windows Server 2003
  
  
• Windows Server 2003 R2
  
  
• Windows Server 2008
  
  

Fast User Switching, which is available in Windows XP editions not joined to a domain and in Windows Vista editions, is not supported in Configuration Manager 2007.

Configuration Manager 2007 cannot manage more than one operating system on a single computer. If there is more than one operating system on a computer that must be managed, tailor the discovery and installation methods used to ensure that the Configuration Manager client is installed only on the operating system that needs to be managed.