Microsoft Assessment Configuration Pack for ENERGY STAR Power Management: SC ConfigMgr 2007 Guide

ConfigMgr 2007: Using the Microsoft Assessment Pack for ENERGY STAR Power ManagementIntroduction

ConfigMgr 2007 (System Center Configuration Manager 2007) remains in use in many organizations that have long-lived IT infrastructures. One useful addition for organizations aiming to reduce energy consumption and comply with ENERGY STAR guidelines is the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit’s Assessment Configuration Pack (ACP) for ENERGY STAR Power Management. This article explains what the assessment pack does, how it integrates with ConfigMgr 2007, planning and deployment steps, interpreting results, and practical tips for moving from assessment to implementation.

What the Microsoft Assessment Configuration Pack for ENERGY STAR Power Management is

The Microsoft Assessment Configuration Pack for ENERGY STAR Power Management is a set of predefined assessment rules and reporting templates created to evaluate client power settings and behavior against ENERGY STAR recommendations. It uses inventory and assessment capabilities to collect power-related data (such as idle timeout settings, sleep/hibernate settings, display timeouts and wake-on-LAN configurations) and produces reports that identify machines which deviate from ENERGY STAR guidelines. The pack can be used to:

• Discover current power policy settings across desktops and laptops.
• Measure actual power behavior where available (for example, last active times, sleep/wake events).
• Provide prioritized lists of candidates for remediation.
• Generate baseline reports to measure improvements after policy changes.

Note: The assessment pack is intended for planning and reporting — it does not itself push policy changes. For remediation you will use ConfigMgr’s compliance settings, Group Policy, or Configuration Manager baselines to enforce desired settings.

How it fits with ConfigMgr 2007

ConfigMgr 2007 provides inventory, reporting, and software distribution capabilities that pair with the assessment pack’s rule definitions and reporting templates. Typical integration points:

• Hardware and software inventory: collects attributes the ACP needs.
• Asset Intelligence and custom inventory classes: extend data gathered if required.
• Reporting Services (SSRS): hosts and formats the ACP reports.
• Collections and queries: build target groups of devices identified by the assessment for remediation or pilot testing.

In practice, you use the ACP to analyze the environment, then feed results into ConfigMgr collections and remediation workflows.

Pre-deployment planning

1. Scope and objectives

   • Decide whether the assessment will cover the entire enterprise or pilot groups (e.g., imaging/build lab, sales laptops).
   • Define success metrics (e.g., percentage of devices with ENERGY STAR-compliant idle timeouts).

2. Data sources and prerequisites

   • Ensure ConfigMgr 2007 inventory is enabled and current. Full hardware inventory should run and complete at least once before assessment.
   • Confirm SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is available and accessible for ConfigMgr reporting.
   • Verify that clients have the necessary inventory agent versions and that discovery methods are functioning.

3. Security and access

   • Determine who will access the assessment reports and who can act on remediation recommendations.
   • Arrange rights for the account that will import and run the ACP reports (usually ConfigMgr site server or reporting user).

4. Pilot selection

   • Choose representative pilot collections: desktops, corporate laptops, power-user laptops, and test labs.

Installing and importing the Assessment Configuration Pack

1. Obtain the ACP

   • Download the Microsoft Assessment Configuration Pack for ENERGY STAR Power Management from the Microsoft/partner distribution point where the ACP is provided (note: at the time of writing, Microsoft frequently distributes ACPs as part of the MAP Toolkit or separate downloads — check your organization’s software repository).

2. Review the package contents

   • Typical content includes XML or CSV rule definitions, SQL/Report Definition Language (RDL) files for SSRS, and documentation describing each rule and report.

3. Importing reports into SSRS

   • Open the SQL Server Reporting Services web interface or use the ConfigMgr console’s reporting node.
   • Upload the RDL files to the appropriate reporting folder (for example, a custom “ENERGY STAR Power Management” folder).
   • Configure data sources for each report to point at your ConfigMgr reporting database (typically SMS_REPORTING).

4. Deploy or enable any required inventory extensions

   • If the ACP requires custom inventory classes or add-ins, import them into ConfigMgr and initiate a hardware inventory cycle for clients.

5. Validate import

   • Run a few sample reports against pilot collections to ensure the reports render and return data.

Running the assessment

1. Timing considerations

   • Run reports after a full hardware inventory cycle has completed for the targeted collections. For best results run reports at least 24–48 hours after enabling any custom inventory to capture fresh data.

2. Key reports and their meaning

   • Compliance summary: high-level percentage of systems meeting ENERGY STAR recommendations.
   • Non-compliant device list: machine names, last inventory time, specific non-compliant settings.
   • Power settings breakdown: distribution of idle timeouts, sleep/hibernate configurations, display timeout values.
   • Wake event analysis: frequency of wake events that may prevent devices from reaching low-power states.

3. Interpreting results

   • Look for clusters by model, OS, or user group; laptops often differ from desktops.
   • Distinguish between managed policy settings (Group Policy/ConfigMgr) and user-overridden settings or hardware/driver limitations.
   • Pay attention to devices that cannot support certain power states (older BIOS/firmware or peripheral constraints).

From assessment to remediation

1. Choose remediation method

   • Group Policy: best for domain-joined clients where AD Group Policy is already used for power settings.
   • ConfigMgr Desired Configuration Management (DCM) / Baselines: allows setting and checking of registry/settings, and can run remediation scripts.
   • Commercial power management solutions: for advanced scheduling, reporting, or wake-on-LAN coordination.
   • Scripts and scheduled tasks: for environments without GPO or where targeted changes are needed.

2. Create pilot enforcement

   • Build ConfigMgr collections from non-compliant device lists.
   • Deploy a baseline or configuration item that enforces ENERGY STAR settings to a pilot collection first.
   • Monitor for user impact and technical issues (e.g., devices failing to resume, VPN or remote access disruption).

3. Monitor and iterate

   • Re-run the ACP reports periodically (e.g., 30/60/90 days) to measure adoption and effect.
   • Use compliance reports from ConfigMgr to track baseline success rates.
   • Tweak settings or exemptions for power-sensitive groups (e.g., servers, point-of-sale systems).

Reporting and stakeholder communication

• Executive summary: translate technical findings into business metrics (projected energy savings, carbon reduction estimates, and potential cost savings).
• Technical report: include device lists, common issues, and remediation plan.
• Change management: communicate schedule, scope, and rollback plans to affected users.

Common pitfalls and troubleshooting

• Stale inventory data: reports show outdated settings if hardware inventory hasn’t recently run.
• Incomplete data for wake event analysis: some systems or drivers don’t report wake statistics reliably.
• Conflicting policies: Group Policy can override ConfigMgr baselines or local settings; ensure a single authoritative control method.
• BIOS/firmware limitations: older devices might not support modern sleep states; consider hardware replacement for high-impact savings.
• Remote workers: laptops frequently stay awake due to remote access tools or VPN software—consider targeted policies that account for remote usage patterns.

Practical tips

• Start small: pilot with a manageable collection (100–500 devices) to validate assessment accuracy and remediation steps.
• Exempt critical systems: identify and exclude servers, lab systems, and devices that must remain awake.
• Use user communication: explain why power changes happen and provide simple guidance for overriding (if allowed) and how to request exemptions.
• Combine with software updates: schedule remediation during maintenance windows to reduce user impact.
• Track energy savings: estimate power reduction using device wattage averages and decreased active hours to quantify ROI.

Example ConfigMgr workflow (concise)

1. Ensure hardware inventory runs and populates power-related attributes.
2. Import ACP RDLs into SSRS and verify data connections.
3. Run the Non-compliant Devices report and export results.
4. Create a ConfigMgr collection from the exported list.
5. Deploy a configuration baseline or Group Policy to the collection.
6. Monitor compliance and re-run ACP reports to measure improvements.

Conclusion

Using the Microsoft Assessment Configuration Pack for ENERGY STAR Power Management together with ConfigMgr 2007 gives IT teams a structured way to assess current power settings, prioritize remediation, and measure progress. While the assessment pack is reporting-focused and won’t change device settings by itself, it provides the insight needed to implement targeted, measured power-management policies—reducing energy use and supporting corporate sustainability goals.