Tim Vander Kooi's Blog

One of the things I have been working on for a while now, is getting ForeFront Client Security (FCS) installed and running on my network with System Center Essentials 2007. The SCE team has come out with a description of how to setup SCE and ForeFront to work in the same environment (http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=1797488&SiteID=17). Unfortunately for me, this guide wasn’t available yet when I implemented these products together on my network. Fortunately for you, this guide was not available when I implemented these products together, and I believe I have found some excellent tips along the way to assist anyone else attempting this not at all trivial feat.

First, let me give a few details about my environment to give some perspective to what I am about to say. I did this install on a network with approximately 250 clients and 40 servers. I do not run any additional Microsoft products on my SCE server due to concerns around the SQL Reporting Services and possible incompatibilities, but I do run a number of other applications on my SCE server including 3 others that use the local SQL install for their databases. Performance for all the applications including SCE is excellent, although if we have 3 or more remote consoles open for SCE simultaneously performance does take a hit. Now on to my install. 

As the above TechNet post states, you cannot install any Forefront role on your SCE server except for the distribution role. This being said, obviously, you need a separate server on which to install the other roles of ForeFront. I am happy to report that, although Microsoft does not recommend that you do it, ForeFront for a small install base (like most SCE users are) will run very nicely on a virtual server. I installed all of the ForeFront roles with the exception of Distribution on my virtual server and everything works great. I also never installed the distribution role to my SCE server (again my fear of messing up my SCE installation while in production rears its ugly head) and all my clients still get their FCS updates with no problem.

Well, it is about time I got caught up out here. It’s been a while since I posted, due to the large number of upgrades and migrations I’ve been running at work.

Since early this year I have migrated from Exchange 2003 to Exchange 2007, replaced my existing anti-virus software with ForeFront Client Security, rolled out XP SP3 and Office 2007 SP1, installed a pilot program of Vista SP1, upgraded our AD from 2003 to 2008 and starting next week I am heading a full blown MOSS 2007 implementation. It makes me tired just typing it all.

Oh and I almost forgot that stuck in the middle of it all was TechEd 2008 in Orlando where I worked the System Center Essentials booth for Microsoft as well as doing a couple of talks and moderating a Birds of a Feather session for SMBs dealing with Microsoft and the overwhelming number of solutions they offer us. 

It’s been crazy and incredibly busy, but what a great set of solutions we are getting set up for the future!

I will be blogging all about the transitions that we have been going through as well as some of the gotchas I discovered along the way.

Stay tuned…