Configure Your Client Agents

Client agents are System Center Configuration ManagerĀ 2007 components that run on top of the base client components.

If you install only the Configuration Manager Client without enabling any client agents, Configuration Manager 2007 cannot manage the client. Every client agent that you enable lets you use a different feature of Configuration Manager 2007. You can configure the client agents to suit your environment.

Did you install Configuration Manager 2007 using simple Setup, or custom Setup?

  • If you installed Configuration Manager 2007 with the simple Setup option, some client agents were enabled by default.

  • If you installed Configuration Manager 2007 with the custom Setup option, you had the opportunity to select which client agents you wanted to enable.

How to Enable and Configure Client Agents

Use the following procedure to enable and configure client agents. For a description of each client agent, see the following section.

To enable and configure client agents:

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System CenterConfiguration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site code> - <site name> / Site Settings / Client Agents.

  2. Right-click the client agent you want to configure, and then click Properties.

  3. Enable and configure the client agent. For more information, see the Help topic for each property page.

  4. Click OK.

Client Agents

The client agents available in Configuration Manager 2007 are listed in the following table.

Client Agent Description

Computer Client Agent Properties

Configures how often client computers retrieve the policy that gives them the rest of their configuration settings.

For example, after you configure the other client agent settings, Configuration Manager puts those settings into policy and sends them to the management point and client computers poll for them on the schedule you configure.

This agent also controls settings that are shared by several Configuration Manager features, such as how often users are prompted with reminders and what customized organization names users see with the reminders.

Device Client Agent Properties

Configures all of the properties specific to mobile device clients.

Mobile device clients have settings for software distribution, software inventory, hardware inventory, and file collection.

This agent also controls the polling interval used by mobile device clients.

Hardware Inventory Client Agent

Enables and configures the agent that collects a wide variety of information about the client computer.

Information about the computer hardware is most commonly collected, but you can inventory any information stored in the Windows Management Instrumentation repository of the computer, such as registry keys.

You can configure how often the client computer checks its inventory and sends the information to the site.

Software Inventory Client Agent

Enables and configures which files Configuration Manager inventories and collects.

Copies of collected files are stored in the Configuration Manager database.

Advertised Programs Client Agent

Enables and configures the software distribution feature.

Desired Configuration Management Client Agent

Enables the client agent that evaluates whether computers are in compliance with configuration baselines that are assigned to them.

You can also configure the default compliance evaluation schedule for assigned configuration baselines.

Remote Tools Client Agent

Enables Configuration Manager remote control and configures Configuration Manager integration with Remote Assistance.

Network Access Protection Client Agent

Enables Configuration Manager Network Access Protection, which allows you to configure how client computers are evaluated for compliance with software updates. If client computers are not in compliance with the configured policies, for example, if they do not have specified software updates, a Network Policy Server on Windows ServerĀ® 2008 can prevent the client computers from accessing network resources until they complete remediation measures.

Configuring this client agent without proper planning and deployment can prevent your client computers from accessing the network.

Software Metering Client Agent

Enables the agent that monitors which software is run and how often and configures how often software metering data is collected.

Software Updates Client Agent

Enables the agent that scans for and installs software updates on client computers.

This agent allows you to configure how often clients are reevaluated for software updates that were previously installed.

Before you can use the software update feature, you must also install Windows Server Update Services and configure a software update point.

There is no client agent for operating system deployment.

See Also

Concepts

Understanding Configuration Manager Clients
Understanding Configuration Manager Features
Choose Which Configuration Manager Features You Need