Scom 2007 monitors types

Monitor types:

Ø      Unit: monitors a specific item, such as single event or performance counter. These can be used as a basis for roll up monitors.

Ø      Aggregate rollup: monitors a group of monitors with the rollup state being either best or worst of reflection.

Ø      Dependency rolls up: a roll up of other monitors on which the parent monitor is dependent. Example, AD is dependent on DNS , you could alert that AD is having a problem is DNS is not available.

Ø      Static threshold: monitors that watch for specific values and compare the result to predefined values

Ø      Self tuning thresh hold: A mini – AI that watches performance counters in an effort to glean what a normal value should be. Thresh holds are created based on ascertained normal values.

Scom 2007 monitors and there functions

Monitors: determines health information and make sure items are working within specifications. Raise an alert if not.

Monitor can have up-to 3 status:

1. Success

2. Warning

3. Error

Types of monitors:

Roll up monitors

Aggregate rollup monitors, dependency rollup monitors.

Unit monitors:

SNMP, WMI PERFORMANCE, Log files, windows events, windows services, windows performance counters, scripting, WMI events.

Managing monitors:

Monitor types:

Ø      Unit: monitors a specific item, such as single event or performance counter. These can be used as a basis for roll up monitors.

Ø      Aggregate roll-up: monitors a group of monitors with the roll-up state being either best or worst of reflection.

Management pack components

Object discovery: management packs contains items necessary to discover managed objects. Discovery can be accomplished with registry , WMI, scripting, OLE DB, LDAP or custom code. If too much is discovered use override to limit the object discovery,

Monitors: which determine health information and make sure items are working within specifications. Raise an alert if no. only state change events are stored in the data warehouse for future reporting.

n      Roll up monitors: aggregate rollup monitors, dependency roll up monitors.

n      Unit monitors: SNMP, WMI performance, log files, windows events, windows services, windows performance counters, scripting, WMI events

Aggregate rollup monitors

is a collection of several other monitors, state can be monitored on either a best – case or worst             case basis.

• Best case – if any one of the child monitors is healthy, the overall aggregate monitor will show up healthy.
• Worst case – if any one of the child monitors is not healthy, the overall aggregate monitor will not be healthy.

Dependency roll up monitor: very similar to roll up monitor but more flexible and granular

Example: Will raise an alert if 5 or 8 DNS servers are down.

Rules: a rule is capable of raising an alert to an operator, but the objects included in the rule cannot be monitored for health.

Tasks: like the name implies, an MP task is a method that performs some action based on rules that are defined. Among other actions a task can run a program or script or reset a failed service.

Views: customized look at items that might be unique to a particular management pack.

Knowledge: what caused a particular alert? How was it addressed?

Run as profile: discovering objects, running scripts and gathering information requires credentials that can access the appropriate resource. 

 

Windows credentials

SNMP community string

Basic authentication

Digest authentication

Binary authentication

Action account

Overrides: is a way by which an operator can customize a sealed management pack.

SCOM 2007 Agentless Monitoring

Monitoring a system without installing agents.. example : we install an agent on a SQL server and that agent will also monitor other system.. this is called proxy agent.

We need to have only 10 agentless managed computers per management server

When we need to make a computer run as proxy agent..

Operations manager console --- administration --- device management --- right click on agent and select properties --- chose security tab and select agent proxy

SCOM 2007 Agent installation

When we can either install agents by discovery wizard or go manually to each computer with the agent setup file and install. If we install manually we can any one having this setup can install it on any system. This would be a security concern. In order to avoid this situation. SCOM admin needs to approve the request of installation.

Once we have installed the agent on server or client machine, it will be in a pending status until approved by admin.

Practice: operations manager console ---- administration --- device management --- pending management. We can see the pending agent install.We need to right click on the computers and select approve.

Post installation recommendations SCOM 2007

1. After installing operations manager 2007, wait for a day before doing any other activities

2. Run the operations manager console from another system other then root management server

3. Verify the health of operations manager management group and related components

Installing operations manager 2007

Pre installation steps:

           

Understand the management server action account:

Can be specific as a local system account or a domain user account, with domain user account preferred

This account is used to gather data and perform actions on your management servers.

Recommended: use a domain user account

----     appropriate permissions will be assigned during the setup process

--      this account should be installed before installing scom  

Create an AD operations manager administrator group

Place into this group the accounts the users that will be allowed to manage all aspects of operations manager 

Add the domain user you have created to local administrator group on scom and database server.

If you forget this step you will have many errors.

What are the roles of management packs?

1. A management pack is an XML document that extends the monitoring capabilities of operations manager 2007.
2. Management packs are authored to monitor specific hardware and software elements by indicating, in details, exactly what should be looked at and how it should be looked at.
3. when you install the operations manager by default we will receive dozens of management packs
4. Management packs are written by programmers with in-depth system and application knowledge. It’s sort of like expert watching your system.

What is new in SCOM 2007 R2?

Exchange 2007 client access server monitoring management pack template.

Import management packs wizard

Support for discovery and monitoring of unix and linux based computers.

Service level monitoring

Support for SQL server 2008

Native monitoring for IIS 7

Support for large scale monitoring of URL’s