Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) provides four key functions that are vital in managing desktop computers. These include:

• Collect hardware and software inventory. SMS offers methods for gathering information about the hardware and software on a client. Once information has been collected, there are several means available for viewing and querying the information.
  
  
• Distribute and install software. SMS provides the functionality to distribute software files throughout an enterprise and to install these files on unattended client computers, as well as run commands on client computers.
  
  
• Meter sofware usage reporting and enforcement. SMS provides a means for metering the usage of any executable file and managing software licenses for specified applications.
  
  
• Troubleshoot hardware and software problems. Several utlities ship with SMS to provide software, hardware, and network diagnostic information. In addition, utlities are provided that allow you to remotely remedy client computers.
  

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Help Desk Support Benefits

• The hardware and software inventory data provides information on the client computer configuration, so a technician does not have to rely on the user to know her hardware and software configuration.
  
• Diagnostic utilities can be run from a technician's computer to deliver realtime information about a client computer.
  
• Remote tool utilities allow an information technology professional to take control of a client computer, chat with a user, to copy files to a client computer, to restart a computer, and to start a program on the client Access to remote tool utilities can be controlled at the site level or by the user.
  
• Network Monitor allows an administator to capture and track network tgraffic flowing to and from individual client computers or the entire network. In addition, Network Monitor includes event monitors and special facilities, called experts, to analyze captured data.
  
• Network Trace allows an administator to view the network of site systems, determine their status, and view the assigned site system roles and SMS components.
  
• Health Monitor allows an administrator to monitor the current status of cmputers running NT 4.0+ by using real-time data. It displays overall status of the monitored computers using color coded icons representing status of the system. Health Monitor detects events generated when specific conditions occur that would indicate a problem such as low disk space or high CPU utilization.