When you first install Operations Manager 2007, you may be a bit overwhelmed with all the information that is available to you (if you could figure out what it is and how to find it!), and the fact that you have to forget most of the things you learned if you had MOM 2005. However, there is training available, several books are out – I may be a bit biased, but System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed is the best one available, and there are also numerous utilities and software available for OpsMgr 2007, some of which is at no charge.
Be aware that the software listed in this article is not supported by its author(s) unless otherwise stated.
First off, Microsoft has released the System Center Operations Manger 2007 Resource Kit, a collection of tools available for download at https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/opsmgr/bb625978.aspx. The webpage includes a description of each of the 8 utilities available at this time.
Another great place to look is at Boris Yanushpolsky’s blog, https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky. Boris is an OpsMgr Program Manager focusing on the SDK and PowerShell, which are utilized by many of his utilities. Boris has been quite prolific over the past year in developing and publishing utilities. Utilities documented and available on his blog include:
- Putting a computer into Maintenance Mode using PowerShell https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/07/25/putting-a-computer-into-maintenance-mode.aspx
Put specific components into Maintenance Mode
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/19/what-if-i-dont-want-to-put-the-whole-computer-into-maintenance-mode.aspx- Take a group and puts all computers in the group (including the health service and healthservice watcher) into Maintenance Mode https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2008/03/04/one-more-maintenance-mode-script.aspx. This is enhanced at https://scom2k7.blogspot.com/2007/08/new-maintenance-mode-tool-for.html by Timothy McFadden. and at System Center Forum at https://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/GroupSchedMaint.txt.
Display what is in Maintenance Mode
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/06/so-what-is-in-maintenance-mode.aspxPowerShell script to stop Maintenance Mode
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/30/stoping-maintenance-mode.aspxEnabling proxying for agents – select a computer group, browse the members, and multiselect the right computers and enable/disable proxying.
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/02/enabling-proxying-for-agents.aspx. An improvement was developed by Clive Eastwood which you can get at https://ianblythmanagement.wordpress.com/2007/09/14/agent-proxy/.Disabling/Enabling multiple rules/monitors/discoveries at once
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/04/disabling-enabling-multiple-rules-monitors-discoveries-at-once.aspxPowerShell scripts showing what diagnostics and recoveries exist in your installation
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/06/so-what-about-diagnostics-and-recoveries.aspxA PowerShell script to help show the thresholds your monitors have
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/07/so-what-thresholds-do-my-monitors-have.aspxPowerShell script to list all the performance collection rules in a management group
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/07/similar-script-but-for-perf-collection-rule.aspxOverride Explorer – show what overrides exist in a management group (nice!)
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/09/override-explorer-v3-3.aspx (version 3.3)Automate setting up URL monitoring, doing it in batch
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/11/automating-the-setup-of-web-site-monitoring.aspxAutomate port monitoring using PowerShell
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2008/06/20/automating-port-monitoring-using-powershell.aspxPowerShell cmdlet that uses the SDK to add/remove users to a user role – this one really helps!
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/13/adding-users-to-a-user-role.aspxUse PowerShell to specify a RunAs Account for a RunAs Profile
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/16/specifying-a-run-as-account-for-a-run-as-profile.aspxConfigure a Run As profile for agents in bulk using the Run As Profile configuration helper
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2008/02/28/run-as-profile-configuration-helper-v1.aspxThe MPViewer – display what’s in a management pack before importing it! This one is very popular and had gone through numerous enhancements
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2008/06/25/mpviewer-1-7-now-works-with-latest-e12-mp.aspx (many updates, now at 1.7)Script to convert a sealed management pack to readable XML (also discussed in System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed)
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/08/16/unsealing-a-management-pack.aspxUse PowerShell to dump what’s in a management pack
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/10/what-s-in-my-management-pack.aspx- Backup script to export mangement packs – this can run on any computer (not just the RMS) that has the OpsMgr console and Command Shell installed. https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2008/04/30/mp-backup.aspx. System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed also has backup scripts, if you have purchased the book.
Display what discoveries are disabled by default
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/08/disabled-discoveries.aspxFind out what groups a particular computer is a member of
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/26/which-groups-is-a-particular-computer-member-of.aspxRetrieve all groups and then contents of each group and the types of objects contained in each group
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/26/creating-an-event-log-unit-monitor-using-the-sdk.aspxUse the SDK to create a unit monitor
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/26/creating-a-unit-monitor-using-the-sdk.aspxUse the SDK to create an Event Log unit monitor
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/10/26/creating-an-event-log-unit-monitor-using-the-sdk.aspxUse the SDK to create a performance collection rule
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/11/02/creating-a-performance-collection-rule-using-the-sdk.aspxUse the SDK to create overrides
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2008/01/17/creating-overrides-using-the-sdk.aspxRetrieve rules and monitors targeted to a particular class (target)
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/11/21/retrieving-rules-and-monitors-targeted-to-a-particular-class-target.aspxEnumerate Windows Event log manual reset monitors
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/12/09/enumerating-windows-event-log-manual-reset-monitors.aspxCreate a new task with overridable parameters
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2007/12/11/creating-a-new-task-with-overridable-parameters.aspxModule Explorer – provides some visibility into the library of modules and information about each module
https://blogs.msdn.com/boris_yanushpolsky/archive/2008/06/18/module-explorer-v2.aspx
In addition to Boris’ utilities and scripts, others have written tools with similar types of functionality. System Center Forum (http://systemcenterforum.org) includes downloads for OpsMgr 2007 (white papers, utilities, and scripts); some of these they have developed, others they post as a courtesy for others. See https://www.systemcenterforum.org/downloads/#OperationsManager2007, https://www.systemcenterforum.org/downloads/#Reports, and https://www.systemcenterforum.org/downloads/#Scripts for current listings. Some of the interesting ones include:
- Eugene Bykov posted a PowerShell snippet that will add a new Reporting User Role in Operations Manager (https://blogs.msdn.com/eugenebykov/archive/2007/10/13/creating-new-report-operator-user-role.aspx), it was enhanced by Neal Browne of System Center Forum to work at the command line and be parameter driven, available at https://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/AddReportingUserRole.zip.
- Microsoft’s Joseph Chan provided a script during the OpsMgr 2007 beta test cycle to enable ACS groups in bulk. This was modified by System Center Forum and is available at https://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/ACSBulkEnableGroupDisplayName.zip.
- Search a group of machines to find if a rule is deployed https://www.systemcenterforum.org/find-a-rule-using-powershell-in-ops-mgr-2007/
- Resolve alerts older than a specified number of days https://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/ResolveAlertsOlderThanX.zip
If you have purchased the System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed book, it includes a CD with a number of utilities written by the authors, along with other utilities the authors have collected and distribute as a convenience. The CD also includes Appendix E, “Reference URLs”, with over 200 live links to URLs associated with OpsMgr 2007 – this includes useful blog entries, websites, whitepapers, and downloadable utilities.
The OpsMgr database sizing calculator, written by the authors and included on the CD, is also posted in several places based on the calculations published at https://ops-mgr.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!3D3B8489FCAA9B51!171.entry. These include https://systemcenterforum.org/wp-content/uploads/SCOM2007DBestimatorv1.xls. The CD includes an updated version of the calculations in that article. Ian Blyth has a separate calculator at https://blogs.technet.com/momteam/archive/2007/10/15/opsmgr-2007-database-and-data-warehouse-size-calculator.aspx.
You will also want to check out Rod Trent’s myITforum (www.myitforum.com) for utilities and links to those written by others.
This is just a partial listing of what is available, and my apologies to anyone who thinks they were left out (leave a comment about it so people will know!). There is a ton of stuff out there, so if there is a function you’re looking for a tool for, just do a search (Google, MSN etc) on it and see what you find!
