This up-to-the-minute supplement to System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed brings together practical, in-depth information about System Operations Manager 2007, including major enhancements introduced with the R2 release, as well as essential information on other products and technologies OpsMgr integrates with and relies upon.

 

Drawing on their unsurpassed deployment experience, four leading independent OpsMgr experts with a half dozen leading subject matter experts show how to take full advantage of new Unix/Linux cross platform extensions, Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 integration, PowerShell extensions, and much more. They also present in-depth coverage of using OpsMgr with virtualization, authoring new management packs, and maximizing availability.

 

A detailed “OpsMgr R2 by Example” appendix presents indispensable tuning and configuration tips for several of OpsMgr R2’s most important management packs. This book also contains the world’s most compre- hensive collection of OpsMgr R2 reference links.

  • Discover and monitor Linux and Unix systems through OpsMgr with the new Cross Platform Extensions
  • Utilize Microsoft’s upgraded management packs and templates for monitoring operating systems, services, and applications
  • Monitor your system with the Health Explorer and new Visio add-in
  • Create OpsMgr 2007 R2 reports and queries utilizing SQL Server 2008
  • Understand how Windows Server 2008 and OpsMgr integrate
  • Use PowerShell and the OpsMgr Shell to automate common management tasks
  • Efficiently manage virtualized environments (Hyper-V or ESX vCenter)
  • Author your own OpsMgr custom management packs
  • Implement advanced high availability and business continuity management
  • Use targeting to apply the appropriate monitoring to each component
  • Master advanced ACS techniques for noise filtering, access hardening, and auditing

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



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.



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.





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



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



Introduction 1

Part I Operations Management Overview and Concepts

1 Operations Management Basics 11

2 What's New 63

3 Looking Inside OpsMgr 97

Part II Planning and Installation

4 Planning Your Operations Manager Deployment 137

5 Planning Complex Configurations 203

6 Installing Operations Manager 2007 233

7 Migrating to Operations Manager 2007 277

Part III Moving Toward Application-Centered Management

8 Configuring and Using Operations Manager 2007 303

9 Installing and Configuring Agents 369

10 Complex Configurations 425

11 Securing Operations Manager 2007 471

Part IV Administering Operations Manager 2007

12 Backup and Recovery 539

13 Administering Management Packs 593

14 Monitoring with Operations Manager 647

Part V Service-Oriented Monitoring

15 Monitoring Audit Collection Services 739

16 Client Monitoring 797

17 Monitoring Network Devices 845

18 Using Synthetic Transactions 903

19 Managing a Distributed Environment 949

Part VI Beyond Operations Manager

20 Automatically Adapting Your Environment 1005

21 Reading for the Service Provider: Remote Operations Manager 1047

22 Interoperability 1095

23 Developing Management Packs and Reports 1141

Part VII Appendixes

A OpsMgr by Example: Configuring and Tuning Management Packs 1229

B Performance Counters 1261

C Registry Settings 1271

D Active Directory and Exchange 2003 Management Pack Parameters 1295

E Reference URLs 1305

F On the CD 1323

Index 1329


Microsoft Hybrid Cloud Unleashed brings together comprehensive and practical insights into hybrid cloud technologies, complete CloudOps and DevOps implementation strategies, and detailed guidance for deploying Microsoft Azure Stack in your environment.

Written by five Microsoft Cloud and Datacenter Management MVPs, this book is built on real-world scenarios and the authors’ extraordinary hands-on experiences as early adopters. Step by step, the authors help you integrate your optimal mix of private and public cloud, with a unified management experience that lets you move workloads at will, achieving unprecedented flexibility.

The authors also guide you through all aspects of building your own secure, high-performance hybrid cloud infrastructure. You’ll discover how Azure Stack enables you to run data centers with the same scalability, redundancy, and reliability as Microsoft’s Azure data centers; how to integrate Azure infrastructure and platform services with internal operations; and how to manage crucial external dependencies. The book concludes with a deep dive into automating and customizing Azure Stack for maximum reliability, productivity, and cost savings.

Detailed information on how to
  • Run a private/hybrid cloud on your hardware in your data center, using APIs and code identical to public Azure
  • Apply ITIL and DevOps lifecycles to your hybrid cloud implementation
  • Gain a deep understanding of Azure Stack architecture, components, and internals
  • Install and configure Azure Stack and master the Azure Stack Portal
  • Integrate and utilize infrastructure, core, and custom resource providers
  • Effectively provision, secure, and manage tenants
  • Manage, monitor, troubleshoot, and back up Azure Stack with CloudOps
  • Automate resource provisioning with PowerShell, the Azure CLI, templates, and Azure Stack’s API
  • Write your own Azure Resource Manager templates
  • Centrally automate cloud management and complex tasks connected to external systems
  • Develop customized, production-ready Azure Stack marketplace items

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

 

System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Unleashed is a comprehensive guide to System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) 2007. ConfigMgr 2007 helps you manage servers and desktops, integrates SMS 2003 “feature pack” functionality, and adds new capabilities. It enables you to assess, deploy, and update servers, clients, and devices across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments, including clients that connect only over the Internet. This book guides you through designing, deploying, and configuring ConfigMgr 2007 with detailed information on topics such as capacity planning, security, site design and hierarchy planning, server placement, discovery, native mode, and using Windows Server 2008. You will learn how to tackle challenges such as setting up DCM and OSD, customizing inventory, creating queries and using query results, and configuring asset intelligence.

 

Detailed information on how to…

 

•  Understand how ConfigMgr works

•  Plan your ConfigMgr deployment

•  Manage Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

•  Architect for performance

•  Install or migrate to ConfigMgr 2007 with Windows 2003 or Windows 2008

•  Discover and manage clients

•  Create and distribute packages

•  Understand patch and compliance management

•  Create queries

•  Use reports

•  Deploy operating systems

•  Secure ConfigMgr 2007

•  Perform site maintenance

•  Back up ConfigMgr components

 

Using System Center 2012 Orchestrator, you can capture and document processes across your entire IT organization, establishing the automation you need to deliver advanced cloud services and self-adjusting computing resources.

Authored by five leading System Center experts, this comprehensive reference and technical guide brings together all the knowledge you’ll need to architect, install, implement, integrate, and maximize the value of your own Orchestrator solutions. The authors introduce current best practices based on large-scale enterprise implementations they’ve personally led or participated in.

This up-to-date guide shows how to apply Orchestrator’s major improvements to implement IT process automation in any environment, including private clouds. You’ll start with context: what Orchestrator does, how it has evolved, how it works, and essential architecture and design techniques. Next, the authors help you make crucial up-front decisions about activities, runbooks, security, and administration. Finally, you’ll find expert guidance for integrating Orchestrator with the rest of System Center and with Windows Azure cloud services—including advanced automated workflows that encompass both data center and cloud.

Detailed information on how to…
• Understand System Center 2012 Orchestrator’s capabilities, evolution, architecture, and design, including SP1 improvements and R2
• Successfully install System Center 2012 Orchestrator and migrate smoothly from Opalis Integration Server 6.3
• Take full advantage of Orchestrator’s advanced new runbook automation capabilities
• Configure activities associated with runbook control, systems, scheduling, monitoring, files, email, notification, and data handling
• Design runbooks for fault tolerance and optimal performance
• Enforce strong security using roles, permissions, and auditing
• Deliver integration capabilities for Operations Manager, Service Manager, Configuration Manager, Virtual Machine Manager, and Data Protection Manager
• Automate end-to-end data center/ cloud workflows with integration packs and PowerShell
• Create your own integration packs with Orchestrator Integration Toolkit (OIT.SDK)
• Support Orchestrator 2012, troubleshoot problems, and discover the best web and third-party resources

Since Microsoft introduced System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, it has released two sets of important changes and improvements: Service Pack 1 and R2. This comprehensive reference and technical guide focuses specifically on those enhancements. It offers 300+ pages of all-new “in the trenches” guidance for applying Configuration Manager 2012’s newest features to improve user and IT productivity across all corporate, consumer, and mobile devices.

An authoring team of world-class System Center consultants thoroughly cover System Center integration with Microsoft Intune and its mobile device management capabilities. They fully address Microsoft’s increased support for cross-platform devices, enhanced profiles, changes to application management, operating system deployment, as well as improvements to performance, security, usability, and mobile device management.

The essential follow-up to System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Unleashed, this new supplement joins Sams’ market-leading series of books on Microsoft System Center.

• Use ConfigMgr 2012 R2 with Windows Intune to deliver people-centric management to any user, any device, anywhere
• Simplify BYOD registration and enrollment, and enable consistent access to corporate resources
• Integrate new mobile device management capabilities into the Configuration Manager console without service packs, hot fixes, or major releases
• Provision authentication certificates for managed devices via certificate profiles
• Automate repetitive software- and device-related tasks with PowerShell cmdlets
• Centrally control roaming profiles, certificates, Wi-Fi profiles, and VPN configuration
• Configure User Data and Profiles to manage folder redirection, offline files/folders, and roaming profiles for Windows 8.x users
• Enable users to access data in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments
• Manage devices running OS X, UNIX, Linux, Windows Phone 8, WinRT, iOS, and Android
• Understand the new cross-platform agent introduced in ConfigMgr 2012 R2
• Automate Windows setup with OSD
• Prepare for, configure, install, and verify successful installation of the Windows Intune connector role
• Respond to emerging challenges in mobile device management

System Center Service Manager 2010 offers enterprises a complete, integrated platform for adopting and automating service management best practices, such as those found in ITIL and Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). Now, there’s a comprehensive, independent reference and technical guide to this powerful product.

 

A team of expert authors offers step-by-step coverage of related topics in every feature area, organized to help IT professionals quickly plan, design, implement, and use Service Manager 2010. After introducing the product and its relationship with the rest of Microsoft’s System Center suite, the authors present authoritative coverage of Service Manager’s capabilities for incident and problem resolution, change control, configuration management, and compliance. Readers will also find expert guidance for integrating Service Manager with related Microsoft technologies.

 

This book is an indispensable resource for every IT professional planning, installing, deploying, and/or administering Service Manager, including ITIL, MOF, and other IT consultants; system administrators; and developers creating customized solutions.

 

• Understand Service Manager’s architecture and components

• Discover how Service Manager supports ITIL and MOF processes

• Accurately scope and specify your implementation to reflect organizational needs

• Plan to provide redundancy, ensure scalability, and support virtualization

• Design, deploy, and maintain Service Manager with security in mind

• Use Service Manager’s consoles and portals to provide the right resources to each user

• Create complete service maps with Service Manager’s business services

• Fully automate incident management and ticketing

• Implement best processes for identifying and addressing root causes of problems

• Systematically manage the life cycle of changes

• Use Service Manager to strengthen governance, risk management, and compliance

• Customize Service Manager’s data layer, workflows, and presentation layer

• Use management packs to simplify service desk customization

• Make the most of Service Manager’s reporting and dashboards

 

System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch provides a total systems management solution for a people-centric world. It can deploy applications to individuals using virtually any device or platform, centralizing and automating management across on-premise, service provider, and Microsoft Azure environments. In System Center Configuration Manager Current Branch Unleashed, a team of world-renowned System Center experts shows you how to make the most of this powerful toolset.

The authors begin by introducing modern systems management and offering practical strategies for coherently managing today’s IT infrastructures. Drawing on their immense consulting experience, they offer expert guidance for ConfigMgr planning, architecture, and implementation. You’ll walk through efficiently performing a wide spectrum of ConfigMgr operations, from managing clients, updates, and compliance to reporting. Finally, you’ll find current best practices for administering ConfigMgr, from security to backups.

Detailed information on how to:
  • Successfully manage distributed, people-centric, cloud-focused IT environments
  • Optimize ConfigMgr architecture, design, and deployment plans to reflect your environment
  • Smoothly install ConfigMgr Current Branch and migrate from Configuration Manager 2012
  • Save time and improve efficiency by automating system management
  • Use the console to centralize control over infrastructure, software, users, and devices
  • Discover and manage clients running Windows, macOS, Linux, and UNIX
  • Define, monitor, enforce, remediate, and report on all aspects of configuration compliance
  • Deliver the right software to the right people with ConfigMgr applications and deployment types
  • Reliably manage patches and updates, including Office 365 client updates
  • Integrate Intune to manage on-premise and mobile devices through a single console
  • Secure access to corporate resources from mobile devices
  • Manage Microsoft’s enterprise antimalware platform with System Center Endpoint Protection
Using this guide’s proven techniques and comprehensive reference information, you can maximize the value of ConfigMgr in your environment–no matter how complex it is or how quickly it’s changing.