System center operations manager 2007 unleashed / Kerrie Meyler; Cameron Fuller; John Joyner. With Andy Dominey.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This book is your most complete source for in-depth information about Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007!

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System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed is a comprehensive guide to System Center Operations Manager (OpsMgr) 2007. Like its MOM 2005 predecessor, OpsMgr 2007 helps you implement operations management, but with a far different and more holistic approach from MOM 2005''s focus on individual servers.

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This book guides you through designing, deploying, and configuring OpsMgr 2007. You will find detailed information and hands-on experience on topics such as estimating database sizes and designing redundant OpsMgr configurations. You learn how to tackle challenges such as setting up ACS, establishing client monitoring, using and creating synthetic transactions and distributed applications, and developing management packs and reports.

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Size your OpsMgr databases Architect for redundancy and performance Install or migrate to OpsMgr 2007 Secure OpsMgr Back up OpsMgr components Understand how monitors and rules work Manage different aspects, including ACS, client monitoring, synthetic transactions, and distributed applications Extend OpsMgr Develop management packs and reports nbsp;

CD-ROM includes:

Database sizing spreadsheet Utilities, management packs, and reports Microsoft''s best practices for rule and monitor targeting and PowerShell Cheat Sheet Live Links--more than 200 hypertext links and references to materials, connectors, sites, and newsgroups related to OpsMgr Contents

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Introduction nbsp;1

Part Inbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Operations Management Overview and Concepts

1nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Operations Management Basics nbsp;11

2nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; What''s Newnbsp; 63

3nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Looking Inside OpsMgrnbsp; 97

Part IInbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Planning and Installation

4nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Planning Your Operations Manager Deployment nbsp;137

5nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Planning Complex Configurations nbsp;203

6nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Installing Operations Manager 2007nbsp; 233

7nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Migrating to Operations Manager 2007 nbsp;277

Part IIInbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Moving Toward Application-Centered Management

8nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Configuring and Using Operations Manager 2007 nbsp;303

9nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Installing and Configuring Agents nbsp;369

10nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Complex Configurationsnbsp; 425

11nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Securing Operations Manager 2007 nbsp;471

Part IVnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Administering Operations Manager 2007

12nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Backup and Recoverynbsp; 539

13nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Administering Management Packsnbsp; 593

14nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Monitoring with Operations Manager nbsp;647

Part Vnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Service-Oriented Monitoring

15nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Monitoring Audit Collection Services nbsp;739

16nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Client Monitoring nbsp;797

17nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Monitoring Network Devices nbsp;845

18nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Using Synthetic Transactions nbsp;903

19nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Managing a Distributed Environment nbsp;949

Part VInbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Beyond Operations Manager

20nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Automatically Adapting Your Environment nbsp;1005

21nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Reading for the Service Provider: Remote Operations Manager nbsp;1047

22nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Interoperability nbsp;1095

23nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Developing Management Packs and Reports nbsp;1141

Part VIInbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Appendixes

Anbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; OpsMgr by Example: Configuring and Tuning Management Packs nbsp;1229

Bnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Performance Counters nbsp;1261

Cnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Registry Settings nbsp;1271

Dnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Active Directory and Exchange 2003 Management Pack Parameters nbsp;1295

Enbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Reference URLsnbsp; 1305

Fnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; On the CD nbsp;1323

Indexnbsp; 1329

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Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 1)
• Part I Operations Management Overview and Concepts
• 1 Operations Management Basics (p. 11)
• 2 What s New (p. 63)
• 3 Looking Inside OpsMgr (p. 97)
• Part II Planning and Installation
• 4 Planning Your Operations Manager Deployment (p. 137)
• 5 Planning Complex Configurations (p. 203)
• 6 Installing Operations Manager 2007 (p. 233)
• 7 Migrating to Operations Manager 2007 (p. 277)
• Part III Moving Toward Application-Centered Management
• 8 Configuring and Using Operations Manager 2007 (p. 303)
• 9 Installing and Configuring Agents (p. 369)
• 10 Complex Configurations (p. 425)
• 11 Securing Operations Manager 2007 (p. 471)
• Part IV Administering Operations Manager 2007
• 12 Backup and Recovery (p. 539)
• 13 Administering Management Packs (p. 593)
• 14 Monitoring with Operations Manager (p. 647)
• Part V Service-Oriented Monitoring
• 15 Monitoring Audit Collection Services (p. 739)
• 16 Client Monitoring (p. 797)
• 17 Monitoring Network Devices (p. 845)
• 18 Using Synthetic Transactions (p. 903)
• 19 Managing a Distributed Environment (p. 949)
• Part VI Beyond Operations Manager
• 20 Automatically Adapting Your Environment (p. 1005)
• 21 Reading for the Service Provider: Remote Operations Manager (p. 1047)
• 22 Interoperability (p. 1095)
• 23 Developing Management Packs and Reports (p. 1141)
• Part VII Appendixes A OpsMgr by Example: Configuring and Tuning Management Packs (p. 1229)
• B Performance Countersp1261
• C Registry Settings (p. 1271)
• D Active Directory and Exchange 2003 Management Pack Parameters (p. 1295)
• E Reference URLs (p. 1305)
• F On the CD (p. 1323)
• Index (p. 1329)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Introduction The process of operations management is a combination of people, procedures, and tools--all three are necessary, and the absence of one component can put an entire enterprise solution at risk. At a more granular level, operations management is about correlating what may appear to be seemingly unrelated events and data across machines to determine what information is significant to your operational environment versus what is not. With System Center Operations Manager 2007, Microsoft continues its commitment to providing a solid monitoring and management product. Although Microsoft licensed NetIQ's Operation Manager technology in 2000, not until Operations Manager 2007 did Microsoft put its finishing touches on reengineering the product. Now in its third major release, the software formerly known as "MOM," or Microsoft Operations Manager, has been rewritten and rebranded into Microsoft's System Center product line. Operations Manager 2007 concentrates on end-to-end application monitoring, moving beyond its previous server monitoring focus. Operations Manager 2007 monitors the health of an application, defined and measured by the health of the various pieces that make up that application. In today's environment, applications are no longer monolithic, so monitoring health typically includes network devices and the various pieces of a distributed application. Monitoring at the component level means that if a database used by an application has a problem, Operations Manager knows which application is affected. Operations Manager 2007 also brings to the plate the capability to manage security and audit data, client machines, and common desktop applications, and collect and report on user application errors. Rather than being evolutionary in its changes as are most version updates to an application, Operations Manager 2007 is truly revolutionary in its approach to monitoring when compared to its MOM 2005 predecessor. Successfully implementing Operations Manager requires planning, design, and a thorough understanding of how to utilize its many capabilities. This complete guide for using Operations Manager 2007 from the authors of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed gives system administrators the information they need to know about Operations Manager 2007 and what it can do for their operations--from an overview of why operations management is important, to planning, installing, and implementing Operations Manager 2007. System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed provides a comprehensive guide to this newest version of Microsoft's premier management product. As always, we do have a disclaimer: Resources and management packs related to the product continue to change rapidly. Sometimes it seemed that even before we finished a chapter, the information was changing. This has been particularly challenging because Microsoft is close to releasing its first service pack for Operations Manager 2007 as we complete this book. We have done our best to present the information as it relates to both the released version and the service pack, even as that continues to take shape. The information in the book is current as of the time it was written, and the authors have done their best to keep up with the constant barrage of changing management packs, utilities, URLs, and Knowledge Base articles. Part I: Operations Management Overview and Concepts Part I of this book introduces the reader to Operations Manager 2007 (OpsMgr), outlining its features and functionality and comparing and contrasting it to MOM 2005. Chapter 1, "Operations Management Basics," discusses the concepts behind operations management and Microsoft's management approach, and introduces Microsoft's management suite of products. An overview of ITIL and MOF (and an alphabet soup of other acronyms) is included, along with a discussion of how the different MOF quadrants relate to Operations Manager. Chapter 2, "What's New," appropriately tells you just that. You will find there is an incredible amount of new functionality in this version! We also cover the history of Operations Manager and compare OpsMgr 2007 with MOM 2005 and System Center Essentials 2007. Chapter 3, "Looking Inside OpsMgr," discusses the Operations Manager components, its processing flow and architecture, and how management packs work. Part II: Planning and Installation Before diving into OpsMgr's setup program, it is best to take a step back to map out the requirements for your management environment and plan your server topology. Chapter 4, "Planning Your Operations Manager Deployment," discusses the steps required for successfully planning an Operations Manager installation. We also introduce our OpsMgr databases sizing spreadsheet and discuss the logic behind the sizing calculations. Chapter 5, "Planning Complex Configurations," addresses advanced implementations of OpsMgr. We also discuss planning for redundancy and designing large and more interesting environments. In Chapter 6, "Installing Operations Manager 2007," we discuss hardware and software requirements before going through the steps to install the various server components in a management group. Chapter 7, "Migrating to Operations Manager 2007," discusses the required steps to migrate from an existing MOM 2005 environment to OpsMgr 2007. Note that the process is a migration, not an upgrade. If you have MOM 2005, you will want to read this chapter--because not everything can be migrated. Part III: Moving Toward Application-Centered Management With OpsMgr 2007 installed, how does one start using it? Part III moves beyond setup to post-installation activities and potential adjustments to your initial configuration. Chapter 8, "Configuring and Using Operations Manager 2007," discusses what you need to know to get started with OpsMgr. We provide an overview of the Operations console and a drilldown into its functionality. Chapter 9, "Installing and Configuring Agents," goes through the details of computer discovery, the different techniques for implementing agents, and potential problems related to agent installation. Chapter 10, "Complex Configurations," discusses various management server and management group configurations, and presents suggestions for implementing redundant components. In Chapter 11, "Securing Operations Manager 2007," we discuss role-based security, Run As Profiles and Accounts, required accounts, and mutual authentication, as well as when you need and how to install certificates. We also discuss security for the ACS component, an optional but highly recommended part of your OpsMgr implementation. Part IV: Administering Operations Manager 2007 All applications require administration, and OpsMgr is no exception. Chapter 12, "Backup and Recovery," discusses the components required for a complete backup and recovery plan, and the steps for designing a disaster recovery plan. Chapter 13, "Administering Management Packs," covers the components of a management pack, how to troubleshoot, deploy, and manage management packs, and the details of converting, importing, and exporting management packs into your OpsMgr environment. Chapter 14, "Monitoring with Operations Manager," discusses the different monitors and rule types in Operations Manager and their functionality. It also covers creating alerts, overrides, resolution states, notification workflow, and approaches for tuning monitors and rules. Part V: Service-Oriented Monitoring In this section of the book we get into what Operations Manager 2007 is really about--using it to ease the pain of monitoring and managing your environment, from end-to-end. We discuss using OpsMgr to manage different aspects of your environment. Chapter 15, "Monitoring Audit Collection Services," focuses on auditing and security monitoring concerns. Audit Collection Services is a new component with OpsMgr 2007 that is a valuable addition to your monitoring toolkit. In Chapter 16, "Client Monitoring," we discuss new capabilities in OpsMgr for client monitoring. We also cover managing crash errors using the new Agentless Exception Monitoring functionality. Chapter 17, "Monitoring Network Devices," shows how to use Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) with OpsMgr and discusses monitoring hardware and network devices. Chapter 18, "Using Synthetic Transactions," talks about simulating connections into applications to verify their performance. Chapter 19, "Managing a Distributed Environment," discusses OpsMgr's capability to monitor the various pieces and components that make up the distributed applications commonly used in today's multisystem computing environment. These chapters talk about the issues faced by administrators in each of these areas, and they show how Operations Manager 2007 helps to monitor operational issues and maintain application health and stability. Part VI: Beyond Operations Manager In this section we look at extending one's use of Operations Manager 2007 with connectors, third-party management packs, and customization. We also look at Microsoft's direction for operations management. Chapter 20, "Automatically Adapting Your Environment," begins the last part of the book by looking at how you can use Operations Manager 2007 to automatically adapt your environment as changes occur. Chapter 21, "Reading for the Service Provider: Remote Operations Manager," talks about utilizing OpsMgr 2007 in conjunction with System Center Essentials 2007 in Microsoft's hybrid product designed for use by service providers. In Chapter 22, "Interoperability," we cover connecting to other management groups, the role of product connectors in communicating with other management systems and third-party enterprise consoles, and integration between OpsMgr 2007 and other System Center components. This chapter also discusses management packs that monitor hardware, other operating systems, and network components. Chapter 23, "Developing Management Packs and Reports," discusses the process of customizing OpsMgr using management packs and reports. Although XML plays a big part in this, we also discuss other tools, including the role the Authoring and Operations consoles play in developing management packs. Appendixes This book contains six appendixes: Appendix A, "OpsMgr by Example: Configuring and Tuning Management Packs," is a compilation of articles from the OpsMgr by Example series published in our Operations Manager blog ( http://ops-mgr.spaces.live.com ). Appendix B, "Performance Counters," discusses the performance counters specific to Operations Manager. Appendix C, "Registry Settings," discusses some of the more significant Registry settings used by Operations Manager 2007. Appendix D, "Active Directory and Exchange 2003 Management Pack Parameters," lists parameters for shared scripts in the Active Directory (AD) and Exchange 2003 management packs. Appendix E, "Reference URLs," provides references and descriptions for many URLs helpful for OpsMgr administrators. These are also included on the CD as live links. Appendix F, "On the CD," discusses the utilities on the CD accompanying this book. Conventions Used in This Book Here's a quick look at a few book elements designed to help you get the most out of this book: Text that you are supposed to type is styled in bold type, as in the following examples: In the Properties dialog, enter Agent View in the Name field. Open the Operations Manager command shell and enter the following command: C:\DumpMPContents.ps1 --mpDisplayName:'< management pack name >' When a line of code is too long to fit on only one line of this book, it is broken at a convenient place and continued to the next line. The continuation of the line is preceded by a code continuation character (). You should type a line of code that has this character as one long line without breaking it. Note For Extra Information - The Note box presents asides that give you more information about the current topic. These tidbits provide extra insights that give you a better understanding of the task. In many cases, they refer you to other sections of the book for more information. Tip Quick Ideas - Tips point out quick ways to get the job done, or good ideas or techniques. Caution Important Information - Cautions contain warnings or significant material about potential pitfalls, including information critical to the proper functioning of your system. About the CD This book includes a CD containing scripts, utilities, and examples referred to throughout the book. It also includes live links from Appendix E to save you the trouble of having to type in what sometimes are lengthy and strange-looking URLs. The Operations Manager 2007 Resource Kit (Wave 1) is also on the CD. Who Should Read This Book This book is targeted toward systems professionals who want to be proactive in managing their operational environments. These individuals are responsible for the operational health of the operating system and the subsystems running within it. This book should be a useful tool for system administrators regardless of the size of their organization or the industry in which it resides. By providing insight into Operation Manager's many capabilities, discussing tools to help with a successful implementation, and sharing real-world experiences, we hope to enable a more widespread understanding and use of System Center Operations Manager. (c) Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved. Excerpted from System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed by Kerrie Meyler, Cameron Fuller, John Joyner, Andy Dominey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Kerrie Meyler , MA, BA, MCT, MCSE, CNA, MOM MVP, is an independent consultant and trainer with more than 15 years of Information Technology experience. A previous Senior Technology Specialist at Microsoft, she focused on infrastructure and management solutions, presenting at numerous product launches. Kerrie was also a Management Insider, presented at internal Microsoft conferences, and received company recognition and awards, including a SPAR MGS award. Kerrie presented on Operations Manager 2007 and gave several podcasts at TechEd 2007. As an MCT, she worked with Microsoft Learning on Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) for several courses, and did the "beta teach" for course 2250, "Implementing Microsoft Operations Manager 2000." More recently, Kerrie participated in the alpha walkthrough for Certification Exam 70-400, "Configuring Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007." She also participated in defining the domain objectives for Certification Exam 70-402, "IT Operations and Service Management." Kerrie is the lead author of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed , and was awarded the MOM MVP award just as this book was being completed.

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Cameron Fuller , BS, MCSE, MOM MVP, is a Managing Consultant for Catapult Systems, an IT consulting company and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with numerous competencies, including Advanced Infrastructure and Network Infrastructure Solutions. He focuses on management solutions, and serves as the Microsoft Operations Management Champion for Catapult. Cameron''s 15 years of infrastructure experience include work in the retail, education, healthcare, distribution, transportation, and energy industries. Cameron continually focuses on improving his existing business and technical skill sets through hands-on experience and leveraging certifications, including MCSE (since NT 3.51), MCSA, A+, Linux+, Server+, and CCSA. Cameron is also a public speaker, presenting on Operations Manager 2007 at TechEd 2007, co-presenting with Microsoft on MOM 2005 at TechEd 2005, and the MOM 2005 product launches in Dallas and Tulsa. He is the co-author of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed.

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John Joyner , LCDR USN-R, BS, MCSE, MOM MVP, is a presenter and inventor in the systems management space. A senior architect at ClearPointe--a leader and pioneer in the Managed Services Provider (MSP) industry--he has been using Microsoft systems management technologies to deliver SLA-based guarantees of application performance in multi-tenant environments since 2001. John received his B.S. in Business Administration on a U.S. Navy scholarship. As a Navy computer scientist, he deployed Microsoft Mail to the battlefield for NATO in the former Yugoslavia in 1995, and then took Exchange 4.0 afloat in 1996 for the first Internet-connected aircraft carrier battle group deployment in history. John retired a Lieutenant Commander from the Navy in 1998 and has worked for ClearPointe since then. He has provided consulting services on behalf of Microsoft to design some of the world''s largest Operations Manager deployments. John speaks Italian and Dutch, and visits his daughter in Amsterdam as often as possible. John is a contributing author of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Unleashed , and was recently selected as a MOM MVP.

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Contributor

Andy Dominey , MCSE, MOM MVP, has been in the IT industry for 8 years. He started out as a field service and support engineer and worked his way up to systems administrator, responsible for MOM, Active Directory, Exchange, web hosting, SAN technology, and clustering for an Exchange hosting provider based in the United Kingdom. He is currently working as a Senior Consultant for 1E, a Windows-management firm based in the United Kingdom. Andy has a number of large-scale MOM and OpsMgr deployments to his credit and is an avid evangelist for the product. He was also awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for MOM for the past 3 years. Andy authored Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Field Guide (Expert''s Voice) .

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