MP Update: Hyper-V MP Update with WinSvr 2008 R2 monitoring

The Windows Server 2008 /R2 Hyper-V Management Pack was released today. This management pack provides health and performance monitoring capabilities at the host and virtual machine levels for Hyper-V systems on Win6 and Win7 workloads (pending release of WS 2008 R2 and Server OS MP for WS 2008 R2).

Features include monitoring of critical host services and disk performance thresholds, monitoring of virtual machines and virtual hardware health from host perspectives, and visualization and complete application roll-up from host level to virtual machine component level to guest operating system level in a virtualized environment.

Download it here

This Management Pack is supported on both the OpsMgr 2007 SP1 and R2 platforms.

MP Update: SQL Server MP 6.0.6549.0 is released

There is a new update to the SQL Server MP.

The following is what is updated:

• Fixed performance issues caused by excessive CPU utilization and script timeouts from Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) queries in the following management pack discoveries: Discover SQL Server 2005 Database Engines (Windows Server), Discover SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services (Windows Server), Discover SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (Windows Server), Discover SQL Server 2008 Database Engines (Windows Server), Discover SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services (Windows Server), Discover SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services (Windows Server).
• Fixed an issue where SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services and Reporting Services discoveries were not reliably discovering these objects on instances of SQL Server that did not have the Database Engine installed.
• Removed the hard-coded exception in rules and monitors that prevented the monitoring of the System, Temp, and Master databases.
• Improved the means by which database discoveries recognize auto growth enabled settings. Database discoveries now recognize both “KB” and “%” growth settings; previously the database discoveries recognized only the “KB” growth setting.
• Corrected typographical errors in product knowledge and improved the quality of the text

The above was described by the MP creator, Cory Delamarter and can be found on this blog post http://blogs.technet.com/momteam/archive/2009/04/01/sql-server-mp-version-6-0-6569-0-is-now-released.aspx

To download the updated MP, go to the MP Catalog: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/opsmgr/cc539535.aspx

Multi Host Ping Monitoring

In a recent deployment, our customer had asked how they would be able to perform some constant connectivity testing. So, we installed the Multi Host Ping Monitoring MP that can be downloaded from SystemCenter Forum. We've been using this MP since 1.0 and works pretty well.

This cool and simple MP can be used to test connectivity to a URL as well and provides alerts when the threshold for time out seconds are breached.

Intervals for the testing can be configured and these return as collection data to run performance analysis on.

It also comes with pre-defined views! What more can you ask for! :)

You can get it here... http://www.systemcenterforum.org/multi-host-ping-mp-20-beta-now-available/

Management Pack Roadmap till Q3 2008

Quite a few people has asked me what the availability of Management Packs there are and what's coming soon. So i thought i'd share this with you. This was actually pulled out from MS. Hope it helps you plan on what's coming.

New look Management Pack Guides

Boss!! the Plane!! the Plane!!!...

What's arrived?? Well the new site for Management Pack Guides that is.

Management Pack Guides for Operating Systems and Technologies
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc540358.aspx

Management Pack Guides for Server Products
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc540357.aspx

What I like about this new site is the bottom that has the option to provide or read community content. This is important as we get notes from the field.

MP Catalog Update

The Windows 2003 Cluster Management Pack has been updated. Hurray Hurray! Time to pop yet another bottle of champagne! .. damn.. where are the glasses..

go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=AC7F42F5-33E9-453D-A923-171C8E1E8E55&displaylang=en&displaylang=en

Take note however that the previous MP has to be uninstalled prior to installing this one. The following has to be removed:

Microsoft.Windows.2003.Cluster.Management.Monitoring Microsoft.Windows.2003.Cluster.Management.Library Microsoft.Windows.Cluster.Management.Monitoring Microsoft.Windows.Cluster.Management.Library

If you are unaware of steps to delete.. follow this simple to follow guide.. :)

1. Locate all management packs that reference MP to be deleted. You can use MPViewer
2. Export those management packs (to back up)
3. Delete all management packs, including your custom MP files
4. Import new MP files with more recent version
5. Re-import backed-up custom management packs (referencing older version of MP within your custom MP is not a problem when newer version of that MP exists in the system)

Cluster Monitor away!!!

Exchange 2007 MP is here!

The Exchange MP is here... The Exchange MP is here... hi ho the dearieyah.. the Exchange MP is here...

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/opsmgr/bb847850.aspx