I am often asked where to start or where to find the best resources on Configuration Manager. I decided to create a list of the best tools to help you manage your sccm environment. this list will evolve over time, so bookmark this page and come back periodically.
sccm 2012 books
To start learning or deepen your knowledge, these are my book recommendations. You can’t go wrong with these authors. they have been working, talking, blogging about sms/sccm forever.
You are reading: Sccm 2012 r2 books
The first 3 are about sccm in general and the last 3 are more oriented towards system implementations.
System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager: Mastering the Fundamentals System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Unleashed: Supplement to System Center 2012 Configuration Manager 
Mastering System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Stealing with Pride, Vol. 1: Advanced OSD Customizations for MDT 2013 and ConfigMgr 2012 R2 
Deployment Fundamentals, Vol. 4: Deploying Windows 8 and Office 2013 Using MDT 2012 Update 1 Paperback Deployment Fundamentals, Vol. 5: Building a Real-World Infrastructure with Windows Server 2012 R2, Mdt 2013, and Powershell Paperback
Education
here are some links to learn about sccm.
microsoft virtual laboratory | installing an sccm demo environment can be a hassle if you are inexperienced. virtual labs is the place to start with sccm. allows you to run a sccm virtual machine in your web browser for 2 hours
channel 9 | you will find all session recordings of important events like teched and mms. the place to watch and rewatch sessions from top speakers
infrastructure
resources on best practices and tools for installing sccm in your organization
prerequisite installation tool | check and install all prerequisites before installation of a configuration manager
system center 2012 configuration manager sql recommendations | recommendation for sql before installing sccm
sccm database optimization | script and best practices to manage your sql database
maintenance of indexes and statistics | script and best practices to manage your sql database
hydration kit for system center 2012 r2 | build a complete system center 2012 r2 infrastructure and some supporting infrastructure servers, either as virtual machines or physical machines
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migration to sccm 2012 simplified | sccm 2007 to 2012 migration guide
split existing sccm database into multiple sql files | tutorial on how to split your database
wsus cleanup process | good article on how to maintain the susdb database using a weekly maintenance task
network traffic estimates | evaluating the impact of sccm client activity on your network
configuration manager 2012 size considerations | Hardware considerations and system requirements for installing Configuration Manager 2012
management and troubleshooting
scripts and tool to manage sccm on a daily basis.
microsoft sccm toolkit | contains mandatory troubleshooting tools for all configuration manager administrators
wmi & powershell browser | must have tool when playing in wmi and powershell
customer center | designed for IT professionals to troubleshoot the sccm client. Client Center for Configuration Manager provides a quick and easy overview of client configuration including running services and agent configuration in a nice easy to use UI
right-click tools | a console extension to launch actions on your clients and collection
cm12sdk | a good powershell library
client startup script | awesome script to install your clients
osd
front-ends and best practices in operating system deployment.
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uefi and bitlocker hta interface | an interface for your osd implementation
ui++ | another interface for your osd implementation
how to master drivers in sccm 2012 | excellent guide on how to manage drivers in sccm 2012 using apply driver packages
windows beginner guides | a great starting point for deploying your first devices
backup and restore your task sequence using powershell | great tool to restore corrupted task sequences
create a task sequence using powershell | in case you’re lazy
deployment and application packaging
to master application and package deployment.
itninja | community for silent installations of packages and applications
powershell deployment toolkit | provides a set of functions to perform common application deployment tasks and to interact with the user during a deployment
email approval tool | this utility integrates a real approval flow with the standard sccm 2012 request request feature
reports
exploit every bit of data from the sccm database creating simple and effective reports
create custom reports | how to create a dashboard for system center 2012 r2 configuration manager using sql 2012 reporting services and report builder 3.0
scd reports | our own set of custom reports
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