When installing the Xerox CentreWare MOM 2005 MP on a management server, it will require a SQL database and login to create two databases to support discovery and configuration. The setup program uses the DTSRUN executable to create the required databases and default configuration required by the discovery program.
Where you might run into issues is when the SQL service specified during setup is on a remote server. I ran into this issue recently and I wasn’t able to get much information because the DTSRUN command window(s) were flashing on/off the screen too fast. The resolution to my issue was installing the SQL 2000 client component prior to installing the Xerox MP.
Whilewe do not have the same versioning issues with MS-releasedmanagment packs wehad in MOM 2005,backup and versioning of your unsealed management packs can still prevent the need to redo work or restore the database when critical changes are lost.
I created a “poor mans version archive” in an management pack backup scscriptwith built-in versioningfor MOM 2005 some time ago.
We posted a Powershell script for automating export of unsealed MPs as well.
Derek Harkin hastaken this scriptto the next levelto create the equivalent for Operations Manager 2007 in the form of a Powershell script with similar versioning functionality to my MOM 2005 offering, wrapped up in a sample management pack.
Nice work Derek!
A few days ago, Satya published a nice OpsMgr on Windows 2008.
Now, the Windows 2008 support and recommendations for MOM 2005, OpsMgr 2007 and Essentials has been posted on the OpsMgr Team Blog
In the move from MOM 2005 to Operations Manager 2007 and Essentials 2007, I know there is some frustration in the fact that the runtime scripting API had to change. I thought some guidance on converting existing MOM 2005 scripts and creating new ones would be welcome.
So over the next few weeks with a series of scripting articles designed for MOM 2005 folks and folks not to familiar with VBScript, we will tackle Operations Manager scripting in small chunks, providing a new walkthrough every few days. Each successive article will build on our work from the previous in some way. In Part 1, we tackle a simple MOM 2005 Script Conversion and look at the MOMScriptAPI.LogScriptEvent method in an end-to-end walkthrough from concept to implementation.
All samples are Operations Manager 2007 / Essentials 2007 friendly, with versions for both RTM and SP1 included in the management pack download.
- You can download the full article HERE.
- You can download the accompanying Scripting Series Part 1 Management Pack HERE.
Feedback is welcome at http://www.systemcenterforum.org/contact
Merry Christmas to my MOM 2005 friends!
New for MOM 2005 users is the MOM 2005 Alert Detail RSS Feed. Unlike the summary feed that comes with the MOM 2005 Resource Kit, this simple custom RSS feed provides alert details by pulling alert data from the Counterpoint database using an SDK View (see screenshot in figure 2). Note you can make a copy of this file and update the SQL query within to make custom feeds, such as “Critical Alerts Only”, bringing MOM 2005 closer to the functionality available with Operations Manager 2007.
To Deploy: Simply 1) copy this ASP page to the default website on your MOM 2005 Server 2) update the connection string at the top of the file (pictured below) and add the URL to your RSS reader. The result is an article for each new alert generated in the Operations Console. Additional articles are not created for duplicate events (those that increment the alert count).
WHERE TO GET IT:
Download the MOM Alert Detail RSS Feed HERE.
Figure 1 - Connection String Properties (in rssfeed.asp). This sample uses SQL security to connect to the database, but you could update the connection string to use Windows security.
Figure 2 - Sample output from the MOM 2005 Alert Detail RSS Feed
Windows Security Event Audit Management Pack ver 1.1
This MP is designed as a template to get MOM 2005 administrators started in auditing security events. There are some new features in this version, including GPO auditing. I also included a User Guide with Audit Policy guidance to make this a bit easier for the novice to navigate. This MP audits a large number of Active Directory and Windows security events, including
- User and Group (Active Directory and Local)
- Organization Units
- Group Policy Changes* (new)
- Domain Trusts
- Active Directory Topology (sites, site links, subnets)
- Logon Scripts (SYSVOL)
- User and Group (Active Directory and Local)
- Logon Scripts (SYSVOL)
- Local User and Group Events (disabled by default)
*While GPO auditing is difficult due to esoteric Security event logging (events include GPO GUID, but not the friendly name), I used a response script to retrieve the friendly name of the GPO to address this.
Configuration
To get full functionality from this management pack, you must enable object access auditing in Active Directory for Organizational Units and Group Policies. Additionally, you must enable auditing on the SYSVOL share for login script auditing to succeed. See the user guide for details
WHERE TO GET IT
Download the updated Windows Security Event Audit MP HERE.
Resolve alerts via e-mail in MOM 2005
#3 in our countdown is this freeware solution that allows MOM 2005 administrators to actually acknowledge or resolve alerts via e-mail!
David Wallis wrote this app, which runs as a Windows service, called the MOM Email Service, that allows MOM administrators to acknowledge and resolve alerts via email. You essentially setup a mailbox for the service, and by replying to the alert with the word “acknowledged” or “resolved”, the service updates the status of the alert.
If you’re running MOM 2005 Notification Workflow, it does require a small edit to the NWSA XML config files, but I tested and documented all that in detail.
Download the MOM 2005 E-Mail Response Service HERE.
SNMP Probe-based monitors (aka an SNMP GET) are not possible out of the box with MOM 2005. The VBScript at the link below utilizes a free open source .dll to make a management performing probe-based monitoring of possible with very little effort….you just need the OIDs to poll. We’re using this successfully in a couple of production scenarios at present.
Download the script HERE.
Validate the response of your SNMP-enabled device before creating the rules and adding the above response script in MOM 2005.
- Get the mib from the hardware vendor. Then use MIB Browser 1.0 to view the OID tree. MIB Browser can be found HERE.
- If the vendor cannot give you a mib, check mibdepot.com to find the MIB for your device: http://www.mibdepot.com
- Use a tool like bpsnmputil to perform a SNMP GET on the OID to make sure it returns values as expected. Get it HERE.
Update your MOM skills to Operations Manager 2007 at the Operations Manager 2007 Bootcamp! Register in December for training in 2008 at SystemCenterForum and receive a free copy of Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed!
Check the 2008 Bootcamp Schedule and request pricing and availability HERE.
Network Connection Information MP for MOM 2005
#5 on this “Best of” list is the Network Connection Information management pack, written by Patrick Egloff from MS Consulting Services, which adds network connection information to the Roles tab for an agent. Information shown is similar to output from ipconfig /all command, providing verbose details of IP stack configuration in a nice chart format.
Download the Network Connection Information MP HERE
Multi-host Ping Management Pack (with Performance Collection)
Day 1 - Maintenance Mode Utility for MOM 2005
#6 on our list is this custom MP includes a multi-host Ping Performance Collection Rule and associated Views. The rule accepts a comma-separated list of hosts (IP, NetBIOS, FQDN or any combination of these). Round trip ping time (ms) is recorded in custom Performance Object.
Download it HERE.
By popular demand, I am going to introduce (or re-introduce) MOM 2005 administrators to some of the most useful free solutions for MOM 2005 you may not know about. And on Christmas morning, I will unveil something brand new and really cool, especially for MOM 2005.
Let’s start the countdown. At #7, the MOM 2005 Group Maintenance Mode Utility. This command line utility allows you to put a group of computers into maintenance mode with a single command. It can also be run as part of a batch for scheduling maintenance mode.
Check back tomorrow for #6 in our countdown!
Do you have your own MOM 2005 solution you think deserves 15 minutes of fame? Drop me a line and give me the details on our Contact page. We’ll post any submissions between the 26th and News Years Day!
Update your MOM skills to Operations Manager 2007 at the Operations Manager 2007 Bootcamp! Register in December for training in 2008 at SystemCenterForum and receive a free copy of Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed!
Check the 2008 Bootcamp Schedule and request pricing and availability HERE.
If you want to use SNMP polling in MOM 2005, you have to use WMI with scripting to make that happen. I don’t know if you have tried to use WMI to poll SNMP devices, but it is not very easy if you have to import a MIB. I found an easier way to poll SNMP devices in MOM 2005 by using a freeware DLL and polling the SNMP devices via scripting. The DLL is called System Scripting Runtime and it can do a number of things but most importantly it can do SNMP polling based off the OID on SNMP devices.
In the Downloads section of the site is a file called SNMPPoll2005.zip that contains a sample script to poll a single IOD. This script will log an event if polling the OID fails or if a logic condition is not met. The script is designed to run on an interval and another rule checks for a certain event ID and alerts on that.
Argument 1 - DeviceName :target device (ex: 192.168.0.43)
Argument 2 - CommunityString : Community string (ex: public)
Argument 3 - OID : The identifier to poll on the SNMP device (ex: 1.3.6.1.4.1.9.9.27)
System Scripting Runtime
Info: http://www.netal.com/ssr.htm
Download: http://www.netal.com/Software/SSR15.ZIP
SNMP Polling Script
Download: http://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/SNMPPoll2005.zip
Alert: File transfer response - Could not create, resume or complete a BITS job
Issue: File transfers failing for the MBSA management pack
Resolution: The web site providing the MBSA file (’http:/(servername)/MBSA\mssecure.cab)was down. Restarted the web site.
Submitted By: Cameron Fuller [MOM MVP]
Alert: The event log file is full. New event instances will be discarded.
Issue: Server configured with a 512 size and a retention period of 7 days which is insufficient for the amount of information being written to the log.
Resolution: Increased log file to twice the current size, and to override as needed.
Submitted By: Cameron Fuller [MOM MVP]
ReSearch This! is a common repository for sharing your knowledge on how to resolve alerts for Operations Manager 2007, System Center Essentials and Microsoft Operations Manager 2005. It provides a method to search the SystemCenterForum community repository for alert resolutions and to submit information to share how you have resolved alerts in your environment.
I like to think of this as shared “company knowledge” for the community at large.
These management packs are available for download at:
http://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/ReSearchThisOpsMgr.zip (Operations Manager 2007 and SCE)
http://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/ReSearchThisMOM.zip (Operations Manager 2005)
Official Announcement:
SystemCenterForum is proud to announce the creation of a shared repository for how to resolve alerts for Operations Manager 2007, System Center Essentials and Microsoft Operations Manager 2005.
This functionality is available through a management pack called  “ReSearch This!” which was created through contributions from the team at SystemCenterForum and the MVP community members. ReSearch This provides a task which does a lookup based upon the alert information in the SystemCenterForum knowledgebase articles. We have currently uploaded over a hundred articles based upon work done by many individuals including Pete Zerger, Kerrie Meyler, and Cameron Fuller. The goal of this functionality however is to provide an easy to use method for users of OpsMgr, SCE and MOM to be able to share what they have found worked for their environment to resolve the variety of alerts which these products generate. After the management pack is imported, you can click on an alert and from the Alert Tasks choose “ReSearch This!” to search for the alert in the repository. To submit alert information to the shared repository right-click on the alert and from the Alert Tasks choose “Share This!”.
I mentioned in a previous post that an Ops Mgr 2007 user I diagnosed with ScriptScan-itis reported the upgrade to McAfee 8.5i had very favorable results. Apparently not all MOM 2005 users have had such luck with the new version…
Scott Moss dropped me a line regarding his “When we upgraded to 8.5i on our MOM 2005 monitored systems we ran into numerous script errors mainly on the exchange side of the house, b/c they enabled ScriptScan with the upgrade. Once scriptscan was disabled and mom restarted, the mom script errors stopped.”
It seems to me there may be value in an enterprise customer getting into a serious discussion with McAfee support on this issue. It seems rediculus they can’t get this right after 3 years of hearing about the issue. What must be done to get them on the ball?
Get the feature bullets HERE.
Converted release for Operations Manager 2007 in the works no doubt. No native MPs coming until 2008 according to the roadmap.
Here’s a nice freebie from the folks at eXc Software to enhance your Operations Console (Check the screenshot below).
Appearing as an integrated web view in OpsMgr, you can zoom in , out, drag the map, hover over the alert gif for offending device, set initial lat long view, device lat long, etc.
Description:
Using the power of Microsoft technology leveraging Virtual Earth coupled with Operations Manager, eXc brings to you a topical and drill down view of your device alerts providing the knowledge of what’s happening across your infrastructure throughout the globe. Each alert will present itself on the map relative to the LatLong coordinates defined, containing the device name and the alert count eXtracted from your OpsMgr system directly as they occur. You can utilize the virtual earth dynamics to drill down closer to street, city, state, or country level for more drawn out or focused views. Creating additional maps calling out individual locations can be done as well allowing you to display multiple maps for various areas.
I’ve seen this issue on several occasions, and now a fix is available. This solution accelerator was also not well documented. To address this issue, I published a MOM 2005 Notification Workflow Quickstart document some time ago. It can be found HERE.
If you’re still running MOM 2005, this add-on brings flexibility, granularity and self-service to MOM 2005 notifications. I encourage you to give it a try!
When many alerts occur at the same time, Notification Workflow Solution Accelerator version 2.1 does not send notifications in MOM 2005
Get the fix at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/933616/en-us
I was browsing the Quest site today and found two free management packs for monitoring Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM). One for MOM 2005 and one for Operations Manager 2007.
You can download both management packs HERE.
Scott Moss wanted to share a couple of SQL queries that might come in handy for ad-hoc queries or custom reports in MOM 2005. Thanks Scott!
SQL Script 1:
MOM 2005 SQL Query to return Only Managed computers that belong to a Computer Group. This query returns only Agent Managed Computers names for a specific Computer group.
The results will not include Cluster Server names.
select [Name] from ComputerWHERE [IsConfigManager]=0 AND ManagedType = ‘2′ AND(idConfigManager IS NULL OR idComputer <> idConfigManager) ANDIsAddedByServiceDiscovery = 0 AND [Type] <> 67108864Â AND [Name] in (SELECT [ComputerName]FROM [OnePoint].[dbo].[SDKComputerToComputerGroupView]WHERE ComputerGroupName = ‘YOUR COMPUTER GROUP NAME HERE’)Â
– END SQL CODE
SQL SCRIPT 2:
The following SQL Script will return a count of the number of computers that belong to each computer group in your OnePoint Database. This count includes all computers that is in the OnePoint Database, which includes Discovered, Unmanaged and Managed computers. This query can help you identify possible problems with a group or when troubleshooting why Computer group modifications in the Management console take a long time.
SELECT [Rule], COUNT(*) AS [Members]FROM computertocomputerruleviewgroup by [Rule]order by [Members] desc
This is more of a MOM 2005 scenario, but a couple of folks have asked if it’s possible to convert MS Access reports to SQL Reporting Services format. The answer is yes, Report Designer actually provides a wizard for import and conversion of MS Access reports.
See the following article for more info:
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/msaccess/article.php/10895_3373661_
We originally posted this last year, but noticed it didn’t make it into the new site…enjoy.
I am sure I’m not the only one irritated with the lack of SSL support in the Web Sites & Services MP via the sequence capture tool (you can manually edit captures sequences to manually SSL support to a sequence), along with the need to actually capture a sequence for every URL you wish to monitor. Enter the ServerXMLHTTP object, which is native to Windows 2003, Windows XP and Windows 2000 SP3 and later. It’s native, very stable, and offers support for SSL and authentication beyond what is possible with the Web Sites & Services MP.
Here’s an HTTP monitoring script from one of my engineers that delivers:
- Monitor HTTP / HTTPS URL
- Compare a user provided string against content returned.
- Performance charts for response time and availability
- Alerts on response latency
Script Parameters:
- URL: Can be HTTP or HTTPS
ex. http://www.microsoft.com SearchString: Text string that should be somewhere in the HTML code.
- ChartAvailability: Set to 1 if you want to chart your availability. If it set, it will log a performance counter with a value of 1 to signify it is up. A zero to signify it is down.
- LogSuccess: Enables the processing of successful logging of alerts and events. For Troubleshooting only.
- Threshold: A response time threshold in seconds for the site to return the data. If the site exceeds this time, then it will raise an alert. Set to 0 if you want to disable (will also disable the performance counter logging as well).
Get it HERE: http://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/httpmonitor.txt
While the case for Silect in Ops Mgr 2007 is similar in many ways to the MOM 2005, like management pack tuning and versioning, this tool becomes more valuable given the inability to simply and easily view all rules within a management pack, and the greater complexity in rule / monitor authoring versus MOM 2005. The price tag on the full-featured edition really restricts this product to enterprise environments. The less expensive (and full-featured) versions would likely suffice for the mid-market.
Details below…
MP Studio 2007 Key Features
- Manage overrides to increase operational effectiveness
- Quickly and easily review Management Packs before implementation
- Manage and track changes to Management Packs to avoid unexpected changes in service monitoring
- Understand the differences between Management Packs
- Create override Management Packs
MP Studio 2007 Key Benefits
- Ensure your service level management objectives are effectively met
- Manage customizations to your environment using MP Studio’s extensive override management capabilities
- Manage change using MP Studio’s Management Pack version control system
- Reduce alert “noise†by tuning Management Packs before deployment
- Generate Audit History Reports for compliancy requirements
To obtain a free evaluation copy of MP Studio 2007 please Reply to this email or go to http://www.silect.com
MP Studio 2007 Resources
Data Sheet: http://www.silect.com/products/mpstudio2007.pdf
Case Study: http://www.silect.com/products/msncasestudy.pdf
Download an Evaluation Copy: http://www.silect.com/products/product_info.php
Using MOM 2005? Check out MP Studio 2.1. http://www.silect.com/products/mpstudio21.pdf
Thought this was nice query for a detailed event report…
Bryce Kinnamon - Senior Computer Systems Architect: SQL Reporting - Separate Event Parameters into columns
SQL Reporting - Separate Event Parameters into columns
***The Query below can be copied into query analyzer and run without any changes against your SystemCenterReporting DB.***
I was given a task of monitoring a network connection for Up/Down status. The network connection is an ISA VPN connection and ISA will log an event when the VPN tunnel changes to an unavailable state. Unfortunately, ISA does not log an event when the VPN tunnel is working so I had to come up with a way to do that. What I did (with a little help from Pete) was use State Variables to pass data from one script iteration to the next. This way, every time the Timed Event runs, it knows the state of the VPN tunnel.
You can get the sample scripts at the following link.
http://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/StateVariableScript.zip
For more information on how State Variable scripting works, check the following link.
Scripting MOM - Part 4 - Best Practices
Q: Can I convert MOM 2005 management packs without having an active MOM 2005 Management Group?
A: Yes, this can be done with the MOM 2005 to OpsMgr 2007 Migration Wizard.
NOTE: The wizard does require that the MOM 2005 UI be loaded on the Ops Mgr management server where you run the tool. The steps would be as follows:
- Load the MOM 2005 UI (when prompted for a MOM 2005 Mgmt Server during install, simply leave that field blank).
- Make sure the MOM 2005 MP akm files you wish to convert are available (converting MPs from file will be your only option with no MOM 2005 MG)
- Launch the Migration Wizard and select Migrate MPs from file and click Next.
- Select one or multiple MP akm files you wish to convert in the space provided, then click Next
- On the next screen, select the Migrate to file radio button and select a target directory, then click Next.
- On the next screen, click the Migrate button. MPs are converted to Operations Manager .xml format and ready for import.
Then, simply import into Operations Manager 2007 per the normal procedure.
One additional note here. Leave conversion of MS management packs to MS if you can
The Microsoft Windows Servers Base Operating
System management pack 05.0.3500.0010 introduces monitoring of
additional components available within the Microsoft Windows Server
2003 R2 operating system including Identity Management for UNIX(IDMU),
Hardware Management events,NTFS file system monitoring, File Server
Resource Monitoring (FSRM), Shadow Copies for Shared Folders (SCSF)
Monitoring and more (See Management Pack Monitoring Scenarios with the
Management Pack Guide for more information).
Download details: Windows Base Operating System Management Pack for MOM 2005
Includes support for
SQL 2005 SP2; improved product knowledge; improved support for
localized versions (Version : 9.0.2047.0000).
Download details: SQL Server Management Pack for MOM 2005
05/28/2007 - The Microsoft Windows Servers Base Operating
System management pack 05.0.3500.0010 introduces monitoring of
additional components available within the Microsoft Windows Server
2003 R2 operating system including Identity Management for UNIX(IDMU),
Hardware Management events,NTFS file system monitoring, File Server
Resource Monitoring (FSRM), Shadow Copies for Shared Folders (SCSF)
Monitoring and more (See Management Pack Monitoring Scenarios with the
Management Pack Guide for more information).
Download details: Windows Base Operating System Management Pack for MOM 2005
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Robert has a nice write on a product to provide out-of-band notifications in MOM and Ops Mgr - handy if email goes down for sure.
The System Center Connector: SysmanSMS Server For SCOM 2007
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See community solution HERE.
See community solution HERE.
See the full list of Microsoft Management Pack Guides for MOM 2005 MPs HERE.
See the Management Pack Catalogue at Microsoft.com HERE.
See description HERE. (Requires free momcommunity.com login)
See community solution HERE.
See community solution HERE.
Find step-by-step guidance HERE.
See community solution HERE. (Requires free registration at momcommunity.com)
See community solution HERE.
See community solution HERE.
See community solution HERE.
See community solution HERE.
See solution at the PSS Managability blog HERE.
See solution at Technet online HERE.
See “How to Change Any Password in MOM 2005″ HERE.
see http://webpages.charter.net/justin.harter/MOM/Documents/Create%20a%20Task%20to%20Display%20Service%20Packs.pdf
see http://www.securevantage.com/Products/SCMP/Docs/SVT_SCMP_UserGuide_v1.2.pdf
see Technet online solution HERE.
