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Hello All: SCCM task sequence fails to deploy windows 7 image to a machine with a brand new unformatted hard drive. Is there a work around for this problem. Thanks!!

Hi, I decided to share our basic space requirements for our SCCM instance, managing approximately 500 computers/servers , as I have not really seen documentation related to this before. Before you start implementing SCCM , it's always good to first pause, and concider the layout. Currently we use three sccm servers, for our purposes, lets call them SCCMA , SCCMB, and SCCMC On SCCMA you would keep a distribution point, and WSUS, and allot of roles, at your discretion . It is important that you have a seperate hard-drive for WSUS , and a Seperate one for your distribution point(Added before installing this role~very important, and set to take preference over your c: drive). Wsus, and your distribution points can easily take up up to 100gb each if fully utilized, and depending on the implementation. It is also important that you leave room for growth on your c: drive for SCCM components ( Please also note, that it is not best practice to have sccm on your C: drive). SCCMB: This server would ideally be used for your SQL database, and maybe some SCCM roles, not that resource hungry. Here it is vital to store your database on a separate hard-drive as to avoid long disc ques, and increase the overall responsiveness of the sccm system. SCCMC: This server is usually perfect for pxe boot functionality, and works perfectly to prioritise pxe traffic, as the server would be dedicated to this role. As with any distribution point role, have a second hard-drive, installed before installing the role, and with enough space to handle operating sstem, boot image, driver , etc storage requirements (This should not go over 50gb neccesarily, depending on implementation) . Note to always assign more space, rather than less. Physical processing power, and memory requirements: Remember, SCCM servers are quite resource intensive, and it is vital that they have good network connectivity to your systems (1gbps is a good thought) . Processing power requirements is usually not that bad, and two virtual processors should usually do the trick, depending on the amount of roles installed on the server. Ram requirements: This is where bottlenecks tend to occur on these systems, and when it's busy polling systems, or performing maintenance it can really utilize your memory. It is vital them to have atleast 12gb ram on each of your sccm servers, also dependant on the roles, and the amount of users the servers would be responsible for. If you can think, or see anything you do not agree with, please don't be hesitant to post.

Please point me in the right direction if this has already been covered somewhere else... I'm looking for a way to easily monitor the hard drive health of about a 100 win7 desktops in a windows domain. We do use SCCM2007. Is there a free or pay tool that would work, maybe send me emails if a hard drives SMART status degrades? I see tons of single system tools but need one with good enterprise level or centuralized monitoring and reporting abilities. Thanks for any suggestions. Fred