System Center Operations Manager 2012 R2 - Post Configurations - Part 2

Hello Everyone,

In this blog, I will explain about some post configurations steps after SCOM Installations like import management pack, About SCOM Agent & it's methods.

To see SCOM Prerequisites & Installation Process, Click Here!

Let's start with step by step process in details... 

Import Management Packs: 

SCOM monitors any application or services based on certain monitoring settings which are available in respective management packs for any application or service. Like, for monitoring any application say Lync application then You need to download and import Lync monitoring pack.

There are mainly 2 types of Management Packs in SCOM:

• Sealed Management Packs: These are the default MPs for certain monitors available in SCOM which can not be customised but can be overrides by creating new rules and save them in new custom management packs. 
• Unsealed Management Pack: These are the downloaded MPs for any application which You want to monitor and are customisable as per required monitoring rules. These MPs are imported in SCOM for configuring monitor of any other applications (or any third party application) which You are using in your environment. You can monitor any application through SCOM if and only if management pack for the application is available/provided by vendor for monitoring through SCOM.

For detailed explanation about Management Packs, Click Here! 

By default, after new deployment of SCOM, We should download and import some Management Packs for monitoring and these MPs list includes: 

• Windows Server
• IIS
• Hyper-V
• Failover Cluster/NLB
• SQL Server
• Other commonly used application like Lync, etc.

Let's start with process for Importing MPs in SCOM.

When You download MP, Run the setup file. This will ask to extract the file in Local Drive. Once You extract the files then You can see available MPs list. 

Now, You have to open SCOM console and Import those extracted lists of MPs in SCOM.

NOTE: Many MP's have other dependent MPs which must be imported first. If any dependency MP is missing then importing MP will fail to install. Then You have to open properties of that failed MP to see the dependent MPs.

Open SCOM Console, click on Administration Tab, Right click on Management Packs and Click on Import Management Packs: 

Click on Add, choose Add from Disk, Select all extracted List of MPs from the extracted Path and Click Install:

Once all MPs are installed then Click on Close:

This is how You have to installed all required MPs in SCOM.

About SCOM Agent:

SCOM Agent is a small setup file which is installed on windows machines which we want to monitor or from the machine where any application which is running and we want to monitor that application through SCOM. 

This agent collects all required data about monitoring of any application or service and send the same to SCOM for generating alerts or reports. 

SCOM Agent installation methods:

There are basically three ways to install SCOM Agent:

• Discovery Method in SCOM Console: If machines is in network, domain joined with authentication rights and reachable to SCOM Machine then we can use this method to discover and install SCOM Agent. This method is also known as Push installation method. Using this method, we can discover Windows, Unix and Linux OS machines. 
• By Running SCOM Setup on machine: When You run setup on machine, There is an option to install agent. Click on it and install SCOM agent. 
• Manual Installation by using command line: You can copy the SCOM Agent file on machine and run the SCOM agent installation command.

NOTE: All methods requires domain authentication (either in same/trusted domain or using certificate authentication for SCOM Machine FQDN) and network reachability in both direction.

This is all about some basic information of some post configuration steps.

In next blog, I will explain about complete SCOM Console overview with screenshots and what all things can be done with SCOM.

In Later posts, I will explain about SCOM Agent installation process step by step, configuring PRO-Tips, reporting and default dashboards in SCOM.

Happy Reading!!!

If You like my posts then follow my updates:

http://www.mdtechskillssolutions.com

Join my Facebook group for updates on trending technologies/technical references/issues etc:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/technicalskillsenhancementworld/