Source: Words and Software I case you maybe missed this blog. Jeanie Decker is announcing that the  Operator Basics SuperFlow for Operations Manager 2007 is available for download! “Superflow, you wonder? Configuration Manager pioneered this format for delivering information. It provides a complete set of content, which can include videos and animations and interactivity, in a single package. The Operator Basics SuperFlow is intended for front-line operators who are new to Operations Manager and, when they look at all of the content on TechNet, think "where the heck do I start?" Read more on source.

Now the System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 Authoring Resource Kit has been released you may want to know more about Authoring in OpsMgr 2007 R2. Did you know you can find all that info on Microsoft TechNet? Check them out!

There is an updated version of the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for OpsMgr and Windows Deployment Services. The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for Microsoft® System Center Operations Manager outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of Microsoft System Center Operations Manager. The guide takes the reader step-by-step through the process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. Identification and design of the required management groups is presented in simple, easy-to-follow steps, helping the reader to design and optimize management infrastructure. Download the IPD Guides for Windows Deployment Services and System Center Operations Manager at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/ee382254.aspx. Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by: Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process. Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations. Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics. Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.

There is an updated version of the Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for OpsMgr and Windows Deployment Services. The Infrastructure Planning and Design Guide for Microsoft® System Center Operations Manager outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of Microsoft System Center Operations Manager. The guide takes the reader step-by-step through the process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. Identification and design of the required management groups is presented in simple, easy-to-follow steps, helping the reader to design and optimize management infrastructure. Download the IPD Guides for Windows Deployment Services and System Center Operations Manager at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/ee382254.aspx. Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by: Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process. Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations. Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics. Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.

Pete Zerger wrote an article about creating a Console Task to launch a Remote Interactive CmdPrompt for MOM 2005 using PSExec. A customer asked if this also could be done for OpsMgr 2007, this was not as easy as I thought. It turned out that an extra space is added before the servername where psexec wants to connect if you create a Command Line  Console Task. I don’t know why this extra space is added after saving the Console Task yet.   To solve this issue I created a Vbscript which has the servername as argument and can be used to start psexec from within a vbscript. ‘start startpsexec.vbs Option Explicit On error resume next Dim strServer strServer = CStr(WScript.Arguments(0)) Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell") ObjShell.Run ("%comspec% /C psexec.exe \" & strServer & " cmd.exe /S, 4, true") ‘End startpsexec.vbs Prerequisites SysInternals PSTools (these need to be installed on all machines where the OpsMgr Console is being used) Add the PSTools directory to the PATH System variable Startpsexec.vbs script (this vbscript needs to be installed on all machines where the OpsMgr Console is being used) Steps: Save above Vbscript on a location where all OpsMgr Console have access to. (like d:\scripts\startpsexec.vbs) Create a new Console Command Line Task Give the Task a Name like “Remote Interactive CmdPrompt” Target the Task to Windows Server Enter at Application: %WINDIR%\SYSTEM32\cscript.exe Enter at Parameters: D:\Scripts\startpsexec.vbs $Target/Property[Type="MicrosoftWindowsLibrary6062780!Microsoft.Windows.Computer"]/DNSName$ Disable Display output when this task is run. Save Task Result:

Source: Microsoft Download Center Quick Details Version: 1.7 Date Published: 12/19/2008 Language: English Download Size: 221 KB - 5.4 MB* *Download size depends on selected download components. Overview This download contains the following documentation for System Center Operations Manager 2007: Operations Manager 2007 Operations Guide: This guide is a comprehensive resource that can be used to understand and use your Operations Manager 2007 implementation to your best advantage. It teaches the Operations Manager administrator what to do after successfully deploying Operations Manager for the first time as well as serving as a reference for ongoing maintenance. Operations Manager 2007 Deployment Guide: This guide steps you through the deployment process for System Center Operations Manager 2007. The Operations Manager 2007 Design Guide: This guide takes the reader through the necessary steps to develop a complete architectural plan for their OpsMgr2007 implementation. Operations Manager 2007 Migration Guide: This guide is intended to help you understand the migration process from Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 (MOM 2005) to Operations Manager 2007 and the tools that are used in the process. Operations Manager 2007 Report Authoring Guide: This guide provides an overview of the Operations Manager reporting feature, including procedures for generating pre-populated reports and authoring custom reports. There is also reference information for users looking to create custom reports.

Scenario: The Windows NT Service of a buggy application crashes regularly and is restarted automatically with an Recovery Task. You only want to receive an Alert if this happens n-times within a specified time. Steps: Create a Basic Service Monitor which does not generate an Alert. Create a Recovery Task for the Basic Service Monitor in Step 1. Create a Windows Event Repeated Event Detection Monitor.   Step 1. Create a Basic Service Monitor which does not generate an Alert Just create a ‘normal’ Windows Service Monitor. Step 2. Create a Recovery Task for the Basic Service Monitor in Step 1. Change working directory to %windir% Tip: On Windows 2000 servers there isn't being logged that a service is stopped in the System Eventlog. Create another Recovery Task which creates an Eventlog if the service is stopped. You can use the LOGEVENT tool in the Windows 2000 Server Reskit if you want. Step 3. Create a Windows Event Repeated Event Detection Monitor. Configure the EventID which shows that a service is being stopped. Or use your own created Windows NT EventID on a Windows 2000 server. Configure the Repeat Settings for your environment. Info from the OpsMgr Helpfile. Enable the monitor with an Override for the correct computers.

Source: MSExchange.org Rui Silva has written an configuration guide for monitoring Exchange Server 2007 with System Center Operations Manager (OpsMgr) 2007 on MSExchange.org This is part 1 of this 4-part series. On part 2 they will cover how to enable certificate based authentication for the agent running on the Edge server, since this server is not part of the domain.

Source: Wally’s weblog My good friend and former colleague has updated his Un-trusted domain and DMZ monitoring Guide. “The previous guide was for Server 2003 and un-trusted domain or workgroup servers with a standalone CA. I’ve added the scenarios for Server 2008 with an Enterprise Root CA for both un-trusted domains and DMZ servers. One thing I missed when requesting a certificate on Server 2008 was the “Store certificate in the local computer certificate store” option to make the process a few steps shorter. In addition to the Server 2003 Enterprise CA you don't have to create your own template for the client, server authentication. In the Server 2003 Enterprise CA a predefined Gateway server template is present which just have to be activated to use when for client and gateway authentication. The SCOM Gateway client, server certificate can be used for both DMZ and Gateway server scenarios.” You can download the new Un-trusted domain and DMZ monitoring Guide from his SkyDrive folder. Go to his weblog and click on the link there. Now I can finally remove the old one from my old weblog ;-)

Source: Technet Magazine Blog The November 2008 issue of TechNet Magazine is now available online. FEATURE ARTICLES                                                                  Monitoring Windows Server 2008 with OpsMgr 2007 As you deploy Windows Server 2008 into your environment, you’ll need a way to manage and monitor its health, performance, and availability. Fortunately, you can  use the existing System Center tools you are already familiar with. See how you can use OpsMgr 2007 to manage your Windows Server 2008 assets. Using Configuration Manager with Windows Server 2008 Granular Targeting in Operations Manager 2007 Presentation Virtualization with Enhanced Terminal Services Tracking Changes in Your Enterprise Database