Why does the Configuration Manager console use HTTP to the Internet and what would stop working if this is blocked by my firewall?

The Configuration Manager console uses HTTP to the Internet in two scenarios :

* When you use the geographical view from the Site Hierarchy node in the Monitoring workspace, which uses Internet Explorer to access Bing Maps.

* When you use the Configuration Manager help file and click a link to view or search for information on TechNet.

If you do not require these functions, your firewall can block HTTP connections from the console without additional loss of functionality to Configuration Manager.