One of the more popular community-developed applications for Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 and System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) 2007 is Ron Crumbaker's Web Essentials. Web Essentials was an application that gives a web-based console to those products. Microsoft, despite years of customer complaints, simply couldn't develop their own web console due to being tied to the old Microsoft Management Console (MMC) companywide. Of course, with ConfigMgr 2012, they have finally moved beyond the limited MMC, but still haven't produced a console with web capability.
A web console creates huge value for administrators of ConfigMgr, allowing them to simply connect to their ConfigMgr sites and manage the endpoints through any web browser. This means they can provide remote management using an interface that is more responsive and less clunky that anything Microsoft has provided.
Ron's Web Essentials tools, which can still be found HERE in the 'Documents' section, haven't been updated to work with ConfigMgr 2012. Many have requested an update, but like us all, Ron has just gotten busy with other things. He is still supporting the version for ConfigMgr 2007 and SMS 2003, but not planning any major revamp any time soon.
Due to the popularity and the community desire to have something, myITforum community member, Scott Keiffer, has taken on the challenge to build his own web-based console for ConfigMgr 2012. Scott recently released an early version of his application, called Configuration Manager Web Frontend, and you can download it now.
Download it from here: Configuration Manager Web Frontend
The download page has a brief history about the application, why it was developed, how it was built, what features it currently includes, and also what's planned for the near future.
Current features include:
- Deploy both Applications and Packages
- Quick computer information
- Remote tools
- Role based administration support
- Realtime deployment status
