Book excerpt: Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 is Microsoft's centralized administration tool that IT departments use to remotely deploy applications, apply security patches, and provide IT hardware and software inventory management and asset control Each chapter features a task and an outline for what is to be accomplished, along with the functionality that is required, the tools or scripts that are necessary, and the ideal results A common environment is presented throughout the text to allow readers to become familiar with it as they advance through the chapters Featured tasks include standardizing and replicating site settings, hardware and software inventory, software metering, reporting software updates, and troubleshooting