My previous post explained how to import the DFS Replication management pack using the Operations Manager console. In this post, let’s explore how to set up the management pack and configure it to monitor the health of DFS Replication.
Select computers to be monitored
The first step is to configure Operations Manager to monitor the servers running DFS Replication that make up your replication infrastructure. This can be done using the Administration option in the Operations Manager console. To configure computers to be monitored using Operations Manager, perform the following operations:
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In the Operations console, click Administration .
- In the Administration pane, click Device Management .
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In the Administration Overview pane, click Required: Configure computers and devices to manage .
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This brings up the Computer and Device Management Wizard .
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Select Windows computers in the wizard.
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In the following page, select the Automatic computer discovery option.
- Follow the instructions in the wizard and let the discovery scan run.
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The wizard discovers all computers in the domain. Select the computers you would like to manage.
- Remember to select Agent as the Management Mode in the wizard.
After this, the wizard proceeds to install the agent on all computers you have selected for monitoring.
Once the agent has been installed on all the computers you have selected for monitoring, you should be able to see entries for each of the computers in the list of Agent Managed computers. By the end of this step, Operations Manager will also be done pushing the DFS Replication management pack out to these monitored computers.
At this stage, the management pack is now setup to perform basic monitoring for the DFS Replication service. You will notice that it has discovered that the DFS Replication service is running on the computers you’ve selected for monitoring.
However, for many of the discovery rules to work properly, we need to perform some post-install configuration. For example, you will notice that the management pack does not discover replication group members and settings configured for them. You will also notice that the Backlog Monitoring is empty. These features need some additional configuration settings.
These post installation configuration steps are detailed below.
Configure the management pack
After you import the DFS Replication Management Pack, follow these configuration steps.
1) Enable the Agent Proxy setting on all monitored computers
If you do not enable the Agent Proxy setting on servers running the DFS Replication service, the discovery rule ‘Replication Group Discovery’ fails to run. To enable the Agent Proxy setting on all computers you would like to monitor, perform the following steps:
- Open the Operations console, and then click Administration .
- In the Administration pane, click Agent Managed .
- Double-click the name of a server running the DFS Replication service.
- Click the Security tab.
- Select Allow this agent to act as a proxy and discover managed objects on other computers .
- Repeat these steps for each server running the DFS Replication service that you want to monitor.
2) Allow WMI through the Windows Firewall on all monitored computers
The DFS Replication management pack uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) scripts extensively for its discovery rules. Therefore, it will not work if a monitored computer’s firewall has been configured to disallow WMI connections.
3) Create a new management pack for customizations
Most official management packs (including the DFS Replication Management Pack) are sealed so that you cannot change any of the original settings in the management pack file. However, you can create customizations, such as overrides or new monitoring objects, and save them to a different management pack. By default, Operations Manager 2007 saves all customizations to the Default Management Pack. As a best practice, you should instead create a separate management pack for each sealed management pack that you want to customize. Creating a new management pack for storing overrides has the following advantages:
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It simplifies the process of exporting customizations that you created in your test and preproduction environments to your production environment. For example, instead of exporting the Default Management Pack that contains customizations from multiple management packs, you can export only the management pack that contains customizations for a single management pack.
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You can delete the original management pack without first deleting the Default Management Pack. A management pack that contains customizations is dependent on the original management pack. This dependency requires that you delete the management pack with customizations before you can delete the original management pack. If all of your customizations are saved to the Default Management Pack, you must delete the Default Management Pack before you can delete an original management pack.
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It is easier to track and update customizations to individual management packs.
For more information about management pack customizations and the Default Management Pack, see About Management Packs in Operations Manager 2007 ( http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108356 ).
Optional configuration – enable backlog monitoring
The next blog post explains how to perform optional configuration steps for the DFS Replication management pack . This includes enabling the backlog monitoring feature.
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