introducing system center

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Introducing Microsoft System Center

David Chappell, Chappell & Associates

January 2007

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 2007. All rights reserved.


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Contents

MANAGING A MODERN COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT........................................................................................3

SYSTEMSMANAGEMENT: THECHALLENGES...................................................................................................................3

ADDRESSINGTHECHALLENGES: WHATSYSTEMCENTERPROVIDES.................................................................................4The System Center Family.................................................................................................................................... ..... 4

Capturing Knowledge: Model-Based Management........................................................................................... ......... .5

A CLOSER LOOK: THE SYSTEM CENTER TECHNOLOGIES................................................................................5

SYSTEMCENTEROPERATIONSMANAGER2007...............................................................................................................5

Servers and gents....................................................................................................................................................!

"ser #nter$a%es............................................................................................................................................ ......... .... &Management 'a%(s................................................................................................................................................... )

Servi%e Monitoring.................................................................................................................................................. *+

,eporting Servi%es....................................................................................................................................... .......... .*+SYSTEMCENTERCONFIGURATIONMANAGER2007........................................................................................................11

Servers and gents.................................................................................................................................................. *

So$tware eployment and "pdate................................................................................................................ ......... ...*esired Con$iguration Monitoring................................................................................................................... ........ */

sset #ntelligen%e.............................................................................................................................................. ...... *4,eporting Servi%es....................................................................................................................................... .......... .*4

n side: The ,ole o$ 0indows Server "pdate Servi%es.............................................................................................*5SYSTEMCENTERSERVICEDES!................................................................................................................................15

1Servi%e es(2 0or($lows.......................................................................................................................................*!

The Con$iguration Management ata3ase................................................................................................................*&SYSTEMCENTERDATAPROTECTIONMANAGER200".................................................................................................... 1#

SYSTEMCENTERESSENTIALS2007...............................................................................................................................20

SYSTEMCENTERVIRTUALMACHINEMANAGER............................................................................................................23

SYSTEMCENTERCAPACITYPLANNER200"...................................................................................................................24

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: A SYSTEM CENTER SCENARIO...............................................................24

CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................................................27

FOR FURTHER READING..........................................................................................................................................27

ABOUT THE AUTHOR........................................................................................................................................... ..... 28

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Managing a Modern Computing Environment

oft!are and the hard!are it depends on are critical to nearly every "usiness today. #he only !ayto $a%e sure that these essential resources are availa"le !hen theyre needed is to $anage the$

!ell. #hese t!o facts i$ply an inescapa"le truth' effective $anage$ent of co$puter syste$s is

funda$entally i$portant to virtually every $odern organi(ation.

)et effective $anage$ent isnt the entire goal. Managing a $ulti*vendor distri"uted environ$ent is

inherently co$ple+, !hich $eans that it can "e e+pensive. #he real goal of syste$s $anage$ent

is to provide the reuired availa"ility at the lo!est possi"le cost.

Doing this reuires effective $anage$ent soft!are. #he "iggest e+pense in syste$s $anage$ent

is typically the salaries of the people !ho do it, and so auto$ating as $uch of the !or% as possi"le

$a%es good sense. -sing the right tools lets these people use their ti$e $ost efficiently.

Microsofts yste$ Center, a fa$ily of $anage$ent products, ai$s at providing these tools.yste$ Center includes technologies that help auto$ate the $ost co$$on $anage$ent tas%s,

and it also provides tools to help # professionals detect, diagnose, and correct pro"le$s in their

co$puting environ$ent. /ith support for $anaging "oth /indo!s*"ased syste$s and others,

yste$ Center targets a variety of pro"le$s and a range of organi(ations.

Systems Management: The Challenges

#heres no !ay around it' syste$s $anage$ent is hard. eeping a co$ple+ asse$"lage of

hard!are and soft!are !or%ing !ell every $inute of every day is a tall order. And !hen this

hard!are and soft!are are produced "y various vendors and interact in a $yriad of !ays, the

$anage$ent challenge gets even harder.

#he usual !ay to solve a co$ple+ pro"le$ is to "rea% it do!n into a group of si$pler pro"le$s.

1or syste$s $anage$ent, those pro"le$s include the follo!ing'

Monitoring the hard!are and soft!are in a distri"uted environ$ent to detect issues, then

providing tools to fi+ those issues. Doing this !ell $eans $ore than ust responding to outages

and other incidents. t also reuires $onitoring the health of syste$s to prevent pro"le$s

"efore they occur.

Auto$ating the ti$e*consu$ing process of installing, updating, and patching soft!are. 3ther

aspects of syste$ configuration $ight also "e auto$ated, such as $aintaining up*to*date

descriptions of the hard!are and soft!are in the environ$ent.

4roviding i$ple$entations of standard processes for syste$s $anage$ent. 5ather thanta%ing a purely technical vie!, # organi(ations increasingly vie! syste$s $anage$ent in

ter$s of !hat # provides to the "usiness as a !hole. Co$$only %no!n as ITService

Management, this perspective relies on a process*oriented approach. 3ffering auto$ated

support for co$$on $anage$ent processes, such as those defined "y the # nfrastructure

6i"rary #68, can i$prove the uality of syste$s $anage$ent.

9andling "ac%up and restore of /indo!s file server data. :iven ho! cheap dis% space has

"eco$e, an attractive !ay to do this is !ith regular copies to a "ac%up servers dis%.

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Addressing the $onitoring and configuration reuire$ents of s$aller organi(ations. #he

speciali(ed tools used "y large organi(ations can "e too co$ple+ for fir$s !ithout full*ti$e

$anage$ent staff. 1or situations li%e this, a si$pler, $ore unified approach is "etter.

Managing virtual $achines. As faster hard!are lets $ore applications run on each $achine,

organi(ations are increasingly using virtuali(ation to isolate those applications. #ools for

creating and $anaging virtual $achines can $a%e this process faster and easier.

i(ing installations properly "y providing tools for esti$ating the reuired resources. #his is

especially i$portant for $ission*critical applications such as electronic $essaging, "ut its also

useful in other areas.

;o one product can reasona"ly address all of these challenges. nstead, Microsoft has chosen to

group its syste$s $anage$ent technologies into a single fa$ily, e+ploiting !herever possi"le the

co$$onality that e+ists across these diverse pro"le$s. #hat fa$ily is yste$ Center.

Addressing the Challenges: What System Center rovides

#o introduce yste$ Center, its useful to ta%e a uic% tour through the products this fa$ily

contains. ts also i$portant to %no! a "it a"out the idea of $odel*"ased $anage$ent, a concept

used "y several yste$ Center products. #his section loo%s at "oth of these areas.

The System Center !amily

#he products included under the yste$ Center u$"rella address the challenges descri"ed

earlier. #hose products are'

System Center Operations Manager 2007. #he successor to Microsoft 3perations Manager

M3M8 200ervice Des%? !ill

provide i$ple$entations of funda$ental # ervice Manage$ent processes, including incident

$anage$ent, pro"le$ $anage$ent, and change $anage$ent. #he e+pected release date

for this product is so$eti$e in the first half of 200@.

System Center Data rotection Manager 200!. As its na$e suggests, Data 4rotection

Manager provides data "ac%up and restore for /indo!s file servers.

System Center "ssentia#s 2007. #o let less*speciali(ed # staff in s$aller organi(ations

$anage their environ$ents $ore effectively, ssentials provides a tool that unifies t!o of the$ost i$portant $anage$ent functions' $onitoring distri"uted syste$s and auto$ating

soft!are installation. ssentials is scheduled for release in the first half of 2007.

System Center $irtua# Mac%ine Manager. A ne! %ind of $anage$ent tool for the ne! age of

virtuali(ation, this product helps $anage$ent staff !ith the process of consolidating

applications onto virtuali(ed servers. ts e+pected release date is so$eti$e in the second half

of 2007.

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System Center Capacity #anner 200!. Capacity 4lanner is a tool for deter$ining !hat

hard!are resources !ill "e reuired to run an application, such as +change erver 200=, to

$eet specific perfor$ance and availa"ility goals.

#he services provided "y the yste$ Center products are a concrete e+pression of the goals

Microsoft laid out in its Dynamic Systems Initiative &DSI'. D is a "road effort ai$ed at i$proving

#s a"ility to $eet an organi(ations "usiness de$ands !hile still lo!ering the costs of $anagingits co$puting resources. 5eaching these goals reuires so$e ne! approaches, a reality that Ds

creators recogni(ed. 4erhaps the $ost i$portant of these, an idea called mode#()ased

management, is descri"ed ne+t.

Capturing #no$ledge: Model%&ased Management

/hile $anage$ent tools are certainly useful, its people !ho really %no! ho! to $anage syste$s.

4eople are e+pensive, ho!ever, and so one !ay to lo!er the cost of $anage$ent is to capture

$ore hu$an %no!ledge in soft!are. Creating $odels of the syste$s "eing $anaged can "e an

effective approach to doing this.

#o!ard this end, Microsoft defined the System Definition Mode# &SDM'. An BM6*"ased language,

DM allo!s creating a for$al definition of a $achine, an application, and other co$ponents of a$anaged environ$ent, along !ith descriptions of the relationships a$ong these co$ponents.

-sing this $odel, a $anage$ent technology can $a%e $ore intelligent decisions a"out !hat to do

and !hen to do it.

Microsoft created DM to provide a co$$on language for descri"ing syste$s. n $id*200, a

group of vendors including Microsoft, A, MC, CA, Cisco, Dell, 94, M, and un pu"lished an

initial draft of the Service Mode#ing *anguage &SM*'. ased largely on DM version =, the

language used in yste$ Center, M6 is intended to provide an industry*!ide standard for

$odeling co$ple+ # services and syste$s. 3nce this standard is co$plete, "oth $anage$ent

soft!are vendors and third parties !ill have a co$$on language for descri"ing the ele$ents of a

$anaged environ$ent.

#he $ove to $odel*"ased $anage$ent is visi"le in several parts of yste$ Center. /hile notevery $e$"er of the fa$ily currently ta%es this approach, DM is used in so$e of yste$

Centers $ost i$portant products, including 3perations Manager, Configuration Manager, and

>ervice Des%?. DM is also used in other Microsoft products, such as the Distri"uted yste$

Designers provided !ith Eisual tudio #ea$ yste$. :oing for!ard, e+pect to see $odeling

"eco$e an even $ore funda$ental part of ho! Microsoft and other vendors address the pro"le$s

of syste$s $anage$ent.

A Closer 'oo(: The System Center Technologies

:etting a grip on !hat yste$ Center provides reuires understanding the "asics of each of its

$e$"ers. #his section provides a short tutorial on each of the yste$ Center products.

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System Center *perations Manager 2++,

A funda$ental aspect of syste$s $anage$ent, perhaps t%efunda$ental aspect, is $onitoring an

organi(ations co$puting environ$ent. Monitoring alone isnt enough, ho!ever. 3nce a pro"le$ or

potential pro"le$ is detected, there $ust also "e a $echanis$ for fi+ing or, "etter yet, avoiding that

pro"le$. #he goal of yste$ Center 3perations Manager 2007 is to provide these $onitoring and

$anage$ent services.

#he figure a"ove sho!s the products $aor co$ponents. Ad$inistrators and operators can

interact !ith 3perations Manager via the 3perations Manager conso#e, as sho!n in the figure.

1ro$ the console, the user can access "oth the 3perations Manager management serverand

indirectly8 the 3perations Manager reporting server. ach of these servers has its o!n data"ase,

%no!n as the operationa#data"ase and the data +are%ouse, respectively. #he syste$s "eing

$anaged, !hich can include "oth client and server $achines, each run the 3perations Manager

agent. #his agent can co$$unicate !ith the $anage$ent server and the reporting server, sending

infor$ation a"out events on the $anaged syste$, the syste$s perfor$ance, services running on

that syste$, and $ore. +actly !hat %ind of events can "e sent, !hat perfor$ance data is

$onitored, and $uch $ore is defined "y the specific management packsthat are installed. ach

$anage$ent pac% defines rules and $ore that are do!nloaded to each $anaged syste$. #rue toMicrosofts goal of $odel*"ased $anage$ent, these $anage$ent pac%s are defined using DM.

:iven this "rief overvie!, its useful to ta%e a closer loo% at the $ost i$portant aspects of

3perations Manager' $anage$ent servers and agents, user interfaces, $anage$ent pac%s,

service $onitoring, and reporting services. #he ne+t sections provide short descriptions of each of

these topics.

Servers and Agents

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#he $ost funda$ental parts of 3perations Manager are $anage$ent servers and the agents they

rely on. 3ne or $ore $anage$ent servers can "e used, although the first $anage$ent server

installed al!ays acts in the role of root$anage$ent server. ach agent is then installed and

configured to co$$unicate !ith a particular $anage$ent server, allo!ing the serverFagent

co$$unication to "e "alanced as needed.

A $anage$ent server can run on /indo!s erver 200= or on the forthco$ing version of /indo!server codena$ed >6onghorn?. Agents can also run on either of these syste$s, as !ell as on

/indo!s 2000 erver. -nli%e its predecessor M3M 200


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allo!s a $anage$ent server to "e infor$ed of critical pro"le$s, such as application and syste$

crashes, even on $achines that dont have 3perations Manager agents installed.

.ser Interfaces

Most often, ad$inistrators and operators !ill interact !ith 3perations Manager via the console.

ased on !hat shes interested in, an 3perations Manager ad$inistrator can access specific

vie+sprovided "y the console. #he vent Eie! sho!s received events, for instance, !hile the Alert

Eie! sho!s current alerts. #he console also provides a 4erfor$ance Eie! that displays

perfor$ance data an e+a$ple of !hich is sho!n "elo!8, a Diagra$ Eie! sho!ing the syste$s in

this $anaged environ$ent, and $ore.

#he 3perations Manager console is a standalone /indo!s application that co$$unicates !ith a

root $anage$ent server. )et there are situations !here a !e" "ro!ser interface is a "etter choice,

and so 3perations Manager also provides a /e" console. /hile not everything thats possi"le !ith

the console can "e done via this /e" interface, a large part of the products functionality is

availa"le via a "ro!ser.

:raphical user interfaces, such as those provided "y the 3perations Manager console and the

/e" console, are $ost peoples preferred choice. till, there are cases !here a co$$and line is a

"etter option. o$e people ust prefer this style, "ut for doing repetitive or auto$ated tas%s,

creating a script can "e $uch $ore efficient that using a :-. #o allo! this, 3perations Manager

provides a co$$and line interface that uses Microsofts ne! /indo!s 4o!erhell scripting

technology. #he product also provides a soft!are develop$ent %it D8 interface that allo!s Es

and others to e+pose the functionality of the 3perations Manager user interface in any !ay they

desire.

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Management ac(s

#he goal of 3perations Manager is to help $anage $achines, applications, and pretty $uch

anything else in a $odern co$puting environ$ent. )et effectively $anaging such different things

reuires a great deal of diverse %no!ledge. 9o! can a single product e$"ody all of this

%no!ledgeG n fact, ho! can a single co$pany, even one as large as Microsoft, possi"ly have all of

this %no!ledgeG

#he ans!er is si$ple' it cant. nstead, the creators of 3perations Manager chose to "uild a

platfor$ capa"le of using $anage$ent %no!ledge created "y any"ody. #he infor$ation reuired

to $anage a particular $achine, application, or device is e+pressed in a $anage$ent pac% M48.

9undreds of M4s are availa"le, including M4s for operating syste$s such as /indo!s erver

200=, /indo!s B4, and /indo!s Eista, for applications such as +change erver and H6

erver, and for third*party syste$s such as Cisco routers. ts also possi"le to create M4s for

$anaging custo$ applications created and used !ithin a particular organi(ation, as descri"ed

later.

ach M4 e$"odies speciali(ed %no!ledge a"out the technology it descri"es. Microsoft, for

e+a$ple, clearly has the $ost detailed understanding of its products, and so it creates M4s that

$a%e this %no!ledge availa"le to custo$ers. 3ther organi(ations have deep %no!ledge in otherareas, %no!ledge that can also "e e$"edded in an M4.

/hatever it targets, every M4 includes an DM*defined $odel of the thing "eing $anaged. ach

of those $odels can include the follo!ing ele$ents'

5ules' define an agents "ehavior. #he events, alerts, and perfor$ance data an agent sends

are deter$ined largely "y the rules contained in the M4s installed on that agents syste$. A

rule can also cause the agent to perfor$ so$e action, such as running a script.

Monitors' descri"e the state of so$e part of the thing "eing $anaged. 1or e+a$ple, a $onitor

$ight set its state to red !hen a dis% is $ore than I0 full, to yello! !hen the dis% is "et!een

@0 and I0 full, and green other!ise. A $onitor can also send an alert !hen it changes

state.

#as%s' allo! running a 4o!erhell tas%, an e+ecuta"le, or a script. #as%s can run either on the

console or on the agent, and they can perfor$ functions such as restarting a failed application.

no!ledge' descri"es in nglish or another language ho! a particular pro"le$ $ight "e

addressed. ince the people !ho create each M4 are e+perts in the thing this M4 $anages,

they can provide detailed, real*!orld %no!ledge a"out the pro"a"le causes and li%ely fi+es for

pro"le$s. #his %no!ledge is displayed in the user interface !hen appropriate, $a%ing it easier

for the ad$inistrator to do his o" effectively.

Discovery rules' speciali(ed rules used to locate auto$atically the things that can "e $anaged

using this M4.

Eie!s' descri"e custo$ aspects of the 3perations Manager user interface that are relevant to

the co$ponent this M4 targets.

5eports' define reports that are specific to this M4.

#o get a sense of ho! the various co$ponents of an M4 $ight !or% together, its useful to thin%

a"out a concrete scenario. uppose an application running on so$e $anaged syste$ notices that

it lac%s sufficient dis% space to function. #his application !rites an event into that syste$s event log

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indicating this, then shuts itself do!n. #he 3perations Manager agent on this syste$ continually

$onitors the event log, and so it uic%ly notices this event. #he M4 for this application contains a

rule that causes a specific alert to "e sent to the $anage$ent server !hen this event occurs. #he

operator sees the alert in the 3perations Manager console, and he also sees the M4*provided

%no!ledge associated !ith this alert. 5eading this %no!ledge, he learns that he should direct the

agent to run a tas% that deletes the t$p directory on the applications $achine, then restarts the

application. #his entire process, fro$ detection of the pro"le$ to its ulti$ate resolution, depends onthe infor$ation contained in the M4.

n effect, the rules and $onitors in an M4 define a %ea#t% mode#for the co$ponent this M4 targets.

M4s can have relationships !ith other M4s, allo!ing the overall health of a /indo!s server, for

e+a$ple, to depend on the health of various things on that server, such as %ey /indo!s services,

the $achines dis%s, its net!or% card, and $ore. i$ilarly, the health of a distri"uted application

$ight depend on the state of each of its co$ponents. #he health of these co$ponents, in turn,

$ight depend on the state of still other co$ponents. 4ro"le$s any!here in this hierarchy can

"u""le up to the top, allo!ing a single unified vie! of a syste$s overall health.

Service Monitoring

3ne of the $ost interesting aspects of 3perations Manager is its a"ility to $anage co$pletedistri"uted applications as !ell as the syste$s they run on. 5eferred to as service monitoring, this

allo!s an ad$inistrator to $onitor, say, the various soft!are that provides an organi(ations e$ail

service, or perhaps a custo$ distri"uted application. ince applications are !hat users really care

a"out, it $a%es sense to provide the a"ility to $onitor and $anage the$ directly.

ach service thats $onitored i.e., each distri"uted application8 $ust first "e defined. #o do this, an

ad$inistrator uses the Distri)uted -pp#ication Designer. #his tool is accessed through an Authoring

vie! in the 3perations Manager console, and it allo!s an ad$inistrator to specify the various

co$ponents that $a%e up the co$plete application. #hese co$ponents $ight include the

data"ase server it uses, the application logic, a !e" server, and $ore. #his tool then generates an

M4 for the distri"uted application as a !hole, !hich can "e used li%e any other M4. #o $a%e it

easier to descri"e an application, even for so$eone !hos not a $anage$ent specialist, the tool

includes te$plates for typical applications. #he goal is to allo! end*to*end $onitoring of "oth thedistri"uted application and the syste$s it depends on.

1eporting Services

ffective $anage$ent reuires understanding the $anaged environ$ent. 5egular reports are a

useful !ay to give people this understanding. Accordingly, an 3perations Manager user can

access the products reporting server to define and generate a variety of reports.

#he 3perations Manager reporting server is "ased on H6 erver 5eporting ervices, a standard

co$ponent of H6 erver 200


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System Center Configuration Manager 2++,

Monitoring and $anaging the hard!are and soft!are in a distri"uted co$puting environ$ent is an

essential part of syste$s $anage$ent. ut ho! does that soft!are get onto the $anaged

syste$sG 3nce its installed, ho! is the correct configuration $aintained on each $achine,

including any necessary updates or patchesG And ho! can an ad$inistrator %eep trac% of !hats

installed on each syste$ or even %no! !hat hard!are and soft!are assets are in theenviron$entG Addressing pro"le$s li%e these is the goal of yste$ Center Configuration Manager

2007. #he successor to yste$s Manage$ent erver M8 200=, the figure "elo! sho!s the

products $ain co$ponents.

Much li%e 3perations Manager, a Configuration Managerserverco$$unicates !ith Configuration

Manageragentsthat run in each $anaged $achine. #he server relies on a data"ase containing

po#iciesand $ore. #hese policies are do!nloaded to the Configuration Manager agents, !here

theyre used to control the configuration*related "ehavior of each $anaged syste$. #o "etter

organi(e their interactions !ith agents and people, Configuration Manager servers i$ple$ent

several different logical roles, including those of management point, distri)ution point, reporting

point, and others. Multiple roles can "e provided "y a single server, as sho!n a"ove, or differentConfiguration Manager servers can i$ple$ent different roles. Ad$inistrators interact !ith all of this

via the Configuration Manager conso#e.

Servers and Agents

Configuration Manager servers can run on /indo!s erver 200= or /indo!s erver codena$e

>6onghorn?, !hile Configuration Manager agents are availa"le for all client and server versions of

/indo!s fro$ /indo!s 2000 4L on. #o spread the load of interacting !ith agents in larger


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environ$ents, Configuration Manager allo!s creating hierarchies, !ith a pri$ary server and one or

$ore secondary servers. econdary servers need not have their o!n data"ase, !hich reduces

"oth ad$inistrative overhead and cost. #his option $ight $a%e sense, for e+a$ple, !hen a "ranch

office needs to have its o!n Configuration Manager server "ut doesnt have dedicated

$anage$ent staff. An ad$inistrator can also ta%e control of a client or server $achine using

Configuration Managers 5e$ote #ools, $a%ing it easier to diagnose and fi+ configuration

pro"le$s.

Soft$are eployment and .pdate

Deploying and updating soft!are on $anaged syste$s is perhaps Configuration Managers $ost

funda$ental responsi"ility. t can re$otely install "oth applications and operating syste$s,

including the initial installation of an operating syste$ on a "are $etal $achine. 3nce soft!are is

installed, Configuration Manager can apply patches and other %inds of updates to it. #he soft!are

thats installed and updated can "e licensed fro$ Microsoft, provided "y another soft!are vendor,

or created internally !ithin an organi(ation.

#he "asic process of deploying and updating soft!are relies on a $anage$ent point M48, a

distri"ution point D48, and policies. A Configuration Manager agent gets one or $ore policies fro$

an M4, then interacts !ith that M4 "ased on those policies. 1or e+a$ple, a policy $ight instruct theagent to install 3ffice 2007 at p$ tonight, reporting the installations progress to the M4. #o

perfor$ this installation, the agent co$$unicates !ith a D4 to get the 3ffice 2007 "inary. #his

"inary is transferred to the agent fro$ the D4 using the ac%ground ntelligent #ransfer ervice

#8. #his $echanis$ atte$pts to avoid disrupting the person using the target syste$ "y

pausing !hen the $anaged syste$s C4- is "usy, then going full speed !hen its not.

Configuration Manager also includes an option called /a%e on 6A;, allo!ing a syste$ thats

hi"ernating or even shut off to "e po!ered on, updated, then returned to its previous state. Doing

this can help organi(ations save $oney "y turning off $achines at night !hile still allo!ing the$ to

have ne! soft!are applied. And to support "ranch offices !ithout reuiring the$ to run their o!n

Configuration Manager server, a )ranc% office distri)ution point can "e installed on a des%top

$achine. #his speciali(ed D4 can contact a Configuration Manager server else!here in the

organi(ation !hen reuired to do!nload soft!are thats needed "y syste$s in this "ranch office.

#he a"ility to install "oth client and server operating syste$s is an i$portant aspect of the service

that Configuration Manager provides. 3perating syste$ installation is also possi"le !ith M

200= using a feature pack, !hich is a pac%aged set of e+tensions to the product.8 #o install an

operating syste$ on a "are $etal $achine, a Configuration Manager server i$ple$ents apre(

e,ecution environment &."'point. #o install a ne! operating syste$ on a currently functioning

syste$, a Configuration Manager server provides a state migration &SM'point that can store the

target $achines settings re$otely !hile that $achine is updated to a ne! operating syste$.

Configuration Manager supports i$age*"ased deploy$ent of operating syste$s, "uilding on the

i$proved support for this style of deploy$ent in /indo!s Eista. 3n des%top $achines,

Configuration Manager can deploy /indo!s Eista, /indo!s B4, or /indo!s 2000 4L. 3n server

$achines, the product can "e used to deploy /indo!s erver 200= or /indo!s erver codena$e

>6onghorn?. All of these operating syste$s are deployed using a co$$on ad$inistrative interface,$a%ing the process si$pler for the people doing it.

Another pro"le$ addressed "y Configuration Manager is supporting $o"ile devices. #o help

address this, updates can "e applied via !ireless co$$unication or over the nternet. Just as

i$portant is the challenge of ensuring that devices attached to a net!or%, such as laptop

co$puters, have the correct updates installed. /ithout this, a ne!ly attached laptop $ight

introduce pro"le$s into an other!ise tightly controlled environ$ent. /et+ork -ccess rotection

&/-', a ne! capa"ility in /indo!s erver codena$e >6onghorn?, addresses this pro"le$. /hen

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a laptop accesses the net!or%, the syste$ can deter$ine !hether %ey updates as defined "y a

Configuration Manager ad$inistrator have "een $ade to this $achine. f not, the $achine is

uarantined until Configuration Manager applies those updates.

esired Configuration Monitoring

4olicies are funda$ental to ho! Configuration Manager perfor$s its tas%s. y defining the right

policies for the right $achines, an ad$inistrator can ensure that those $achines have the

applications, updates, and patches that she !ants the$ to have. Another option, %no!n as

Desired Configuration Monitoring, allo!s using policies to define a $odel of !hat the configuration

should "e on each $anaged syste$. #his $odel is e+pressed in DM, and its defined as a group

of configuration items &CIs'. Configuration $odels can "e defined "y the creator of an application,

"y a local ad$inistrator, or in so$e other !ay. 9o!ever its defined, the ad$inistrator can

custo$i(e the $odel using an editor thats si$ilar to the 3utloo% rules editor. A$ong other things,

the Cs in a configuration $odel can define specific settings in a $achines registry, in the nternet

nfor$ation ervices 8 $eta"ase, in a H6 erver configuration, and $ore. #his allo!s an

ad$inistrator to e+press reuire$ents such as >3ffice B4 42 should "e installed? or > should

use ntegrated /indo!s Authentication?.

3nce a configuration $odel is defined, its do!nloaded to $anaged syste$s as a policy li%e anyother. #he Configuration Manager agent can no! $onitor the syste$ its running on "ased on this

$odel. /hen so$ething goes out of co$pliance, the agent infor$s a Configuration Manager

server, !ho can in turn infor$ an ad$inistrator that so$ething is !rong. As the pre*release

e+a$ple screen "elo! sho!s, its also possi"le to display a su$$ary of configuration co$pliance

across $ultiple $achines. #he idea is si$ilar to the health $odel concept used in 3perations

Manager, and the underlying approach is the sa$e' $odel*"ased $anage$ent.

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Asset Intelligence

nstalling and updating soft!are is an i$portant part of configuration $anage$ent, "ut its not the

!hole story. Another useful service is the a"ility to acuire current infor$ation a"out !hat hard!are

and soft!are is installed. Microsoft calls this asset inte##igence, and providing this service is another

of Configuration Managers responsi"ilities. -sing this capa"ility, an ad$inistrator can generate

reports sho!ing !hat operating syste$s, applications, and updates are installed on all $achines,

reconcile purchased licenses !ith installed copies of licensed soft!are, and $ore.

6i%e soft!are installation and updating, asset intelligence relies on policies. A policy $ight, for

e+a$ple, instruct a Configuration Manager agent to send the M4 a co$plete inventory of its

installed soft!are and hard!are once a day. 4olicies can also "e defined that cause an agent to

infor$ an M4 of e+actly !hich applications are running on the $anaged syste$ at a particular

ti$e, so$ething that can "e useful for trac%ing soft!are licenses.

1eporting Services

6i%e 3perations Manager, Configuration Manager allo!s its users to create and run reports. Doing

this relies on a server acting in the reporting point 548 role. #he product provides standard reports

that can "e run against the infor$ation $aintained in the Configuration Manager data"ase, and it

also allo!s creating custo$ reports. -nli%e 3perations Manager, ho!ever, this reporting is not "uilt

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on H6 erver 5eporting ervices. nstead, Configuration Manager provides its o!n technology

for creating and running reports.

An Aside: The 1ole of Windo$s Server .pdate Services

#hrough Microsoft -pdate, any /indo!s user !ith an nternet connection can get updates to

Microsoft soft!are such as /indo!s B4 and Microsoft 3ffice. /hile directly contacting the

Microsoft -pdate service $a%es sense for the typical ho$e user, its less attractive for enterprises.

n a $anaged environ$ent, ad$inistrators co$$only !ant to %no!Kand controlKe+actly !hich

updates are installed on every $achine. )et relying on Microsoft -pdate to provide these is still

attractive. /hats the solutionG

3ne option is to use /indo!s erver -pdate ervices /-8. A /-server, !hich is included

!ith /indo!s erver 200=, can access Microsoft -pdate, then install any updates it finds via the

/-clients on affected $achines. Doing this lets ad$inistrators control ho!, !hen, and even

!hether those changes are applied. t also eli$inates the need for each individual /indo!s

syste$ to co$$unicate directly !ith Microsoft -pdate.

#o provide a unified approach, Configuration Manager 2007 relies on /- =.0 for detecting

patches $ade availa"le through Microsoft -pdate. Ad$inistrators dont need to interact directly!ith a /- server to do this, ho!ever. nstead, Configuration Manager provides these services

through its o!n user interface.

System Center 4Service es(5

:iven that the goal of virtually every # organi(ation is to provide "usiness value, ta%ing an #

ervice Manage$ent #M8 approachKvie!ing syste$s $anage$ent through the lens of the

service it provides to the "usinessKis an attractive idea. 5ather than focusing on $anage$ent of

the individual # co$ponents, such as applications, servers, and net!or%ing hard!are, #M ai$s

at $anaging the overall service # provides as seen "y "usiness users.

n #6, i$portant aspects of #M are descri"ed under the heading of ervice Support. #hese

include a nu$"er of standard $anage$ent processes, a service des% function that acts as acentral point of contact for end users, and $ore. ts hard to overstate the i$portance of !hats

defined hereN if the people $anaging an environ$ent dont follo! effective and consistent

processes, all the technology in the !orld !ont $a%e that environ$ent relia"le. 4rocesses $atter.

#he goal of yste$ Center >ervice Des%? is to support #M. As the products code na$e

suggests, this includes i$ple$enting the service des% function. More i$portant, >ervice Des%?

also provides auto$ated i$ple$entations of funda$ental #M processes. #he figure "elo!

sho!s the $ain co$ponents of this forthco$ing product.

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#he >ervice Des%? server, sho!n in the center of the figure, can e+ecute !or%flo!s i$ple$enting

$anage$ent processes. +actly !hich !or%flo!s are availa"le and $ore8 is deter$ined "y the

so#ution packsinstalled for this server. #o interact !ith these !or%flo!s and to perfor$ other tas%s,

end users can access >ervice Des%? via a !e"*"ased se#f(service porta#. # professionals

pri$arily use the >ervice Des%? conso#e, although they can also use a !e"*"ased IT porta#for

so$e tas%s. As the figure sho!s, !or%flo!s can interact !ith other soft!are, such as 3perations

Manager and Configuration Manager, to carry out their functions. ecause all of these processes

depend on infor$ation a"out the # environ$ent, >ervice Des%? also includes a Configuration

Management Data)ase &CMD'that stores infor$ation a"out the # assets in the environ$ent and

the relationships a$ong the$. 1inally, to allo! reporting and analysis, historical infor$ation a"out

the tas%s perfor$ed "y >ervice Des%? is stored in a separate data"ase %no!n as the data

+are%ouse.

4Service es(5 Wor(flo$s

est practices for #M arent difficult to find. oth #6 and the $ore /indo!s*oriented Microsoft

3perations 1ra$e!or% M318 descri"e processes for incident $anage$ent, change

$anage$ent, and other areas. #he hard part is actually putting those processes in place, then

$a%ing sure that theyre follo!ed. #he auto$ated !or%flo!s included !ith >ervice Des%? are

$eant to $a%e it easier to achieve this goal. #hose !or%flo!s include'

ncident Manage$ent' defines a process for restoring nor$al service as uic%ly as possi"le

after an interruption. A crashed server $ight need to "e re"ooted, for e+a$ple, or an

application restarted after an une+pected failure. ncident Manage$ent doesnt atte$pt to

diagnose the underlying pro"le$, "ut instead focuses solely on getting things "ac% to nor$al.

4ro"le$ Manage$ent' provides a process for finding and fi+ing the funda$ental pro"le$

thats causing one or $ore incidents. ncident Manage$ent ta%es a short*ter$ vie!Kget

things running again !ithout !orrying a"out the root causeK!hile 4ro"le$ Manage$ent

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atte$pts to get to the "otto$ of the pro"le$. eparating these t!o activities reflects the end*

user focus of #M, since restoring nor$al service after an incident isnt delayed !hile a

potentially ti$e*consu$ing hunt for the root pro"le$ is carried out.

Change Manage$ent' defines a process for $anaging changes to # configurations. #his

process typically includes things such as opening a reuest for the change, getting necessary

approvals, and defining a plan for "ac%ing out the change if so$ething goes !rong.

Asset 6ifecycle Manage$ent' defines a process for $anaging an # asset fro$ its initial

disposition into an organi(ation to its ulti$ate re$oval fro$ that organi(ation. 1or a 4C, for

e+a$ple, this $ight include things such as %eeping trac% of the syste$s o!ner, its contracts

e.g., leases, !arranties, and $aintenance agree$ents8, its $e$ory upgrades, !hat soft!are

is installed on it, and !hat licenses that soft!are reuires.

elf*ervice 4rovisioning' provides a process that lets an end user $a%e a reuest, such as

having ne! soft!are installed, then get that reuest approved perhaps through pre*defined

approval policies8 and actually have the ne! "its copied to the users syste$.

/or%flo!s can "e started either "y an end user or "y service des% staff. A user $ight start an

ncident Manage$ent !or%flo! !hen she reports a pro"le$ via the >ervice Des%? self*serviceportal, for instance, or %ic% off the elf*ervice 4rovisioning !or%flo! if she reuires ne! soft!are

installed on her $achine. f the user chooses to call the service des% instead, the service des% staff

$ight initiate the sa$e !or%flo!s "ased on infor$ation the user supplies.

/or%flo!s can also "e started "y other soft!are. 3perations Manager $ight auto$atically initiate

an ncident Manage$ent !or%flo! in response to an alert, for instance, or the elf*ervice

4rovisioning !or%flo! $ight instruct Configuration Manager to install a patch on a particular

syste$. >ervice Des%? also e+poses a !e" services interface that allo!s third*party soft!are to

start and co$$unicate !ith !or%flo!s.

+actly !hich >ervice Des%? !or%flo!s are availa"le depends on !hich solution pac%s are

installed. >ervice Des%? !ill ship !ith standard solution pac%s that i$ple$ent the processes ust

descri"ed, and third parties can create solution pac%s that address particular areas. roadly

analogous to 3perations Managers $anage$ent pac%s, each solution pac% groups together the

things reuired to support a particular aspect of #M, such as a !or%flo! and a group of for$s

that allo! users to interact !ith that !or%flo!. #he !or%flo!s are "uilt on /indo!s /or%flo!

1oundation, !hile for$s are defined using nfo4ath.8 olution pac%s can also include other things,

such as reports, /e" 4arts for the /indo!s hare4oint ervices*"ased self*service portal, and

$ore.

#he screen shot "elo! sho!s an early version of the >ervice Des%? console. #he panel on the left

illustrates standard solution pac%s, including ncident Manage$ent, Change Manage$ent, and all

of the others descri"ed earlier. Any other solution pac%s that are installed !ould sho! up here as

!ell. ervice des% staff can also trac% the status of in*progress !or%flo!s through this console,

giving the$ a current picture of !here each one stands.

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The Configuration Management ata6ase

ffectively $anaging an # infrastructure reuires %no!ing as $uch as possi"le a"out that

infrastructure and the $anage$ent operations perfor$ed on it. #his infor$ation, $odeled as DM*

defined configuration items &CIs', is stored in the Configuration Manage$ent Data"ase provided

"y >ervice Des%?. #ypical Cs include'

/or% ite$s identifying incidents, change orders, and other $anage$ent tas%s.

Descriptions of the co$puters, soft!are, and other ele$ents of a $anaged environ$ent.

5elationships a$ong these ite$s. 1or e+a$ple, an e$ail service consists of a group of

applications, servers, data"ases, and $ore. #he CMD can $aintain infor$ation a"out ho!

all of these co$ponents are related. -sing Active Directory, it can also associate individual

users !ith the services they rely on.

9aving a single place to store this infor$ation allo!s ta%ing a centrali(ed approach to #M. o$e

of this infor$ation, such as !or% ite$s, is generated !ithin >ervice Des%? itself, !hile other parts

are created else!here. As descri"ed earlier, for instance, configuration ite$s are an i$portant partof the data $aintained "y Configuration Manager. #his $eans that the >ervice Des%? CMD $ust

connect to other data"ases in the $anaged environ$ent to get all of the infor$ation it needs.

Along !ith the CMD, >ervice Des%? provides the data !arehouse sho!n earlier. >ervice Des%?

"uilds on H6 erver 5eporting ervices to allo! its users to create and vie! reports on the

infor$ation in this !arehouse. Along !ith $ore traditional reports, >ervice Des%? reporting

supports analytical vie!s "ased on cu"es and other %inds of data aggregation.

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An #M*"ased approach has "eco$e funda$ental to $odern $anage$ent solutions. /ithout it,

theres often no consistent set of policies and procedures for # professionals to follo! !hen

$anaging the # infrastructure, nor is there typically a clear focus on the end user. #he goal of

>ervice Des%? is to help $a%e #M a reality in the yste$ Center environ$ent.

System Center ata rotection Manager 2++-

3ne of the inescapa"le functions of syste$s $anage$ent is data "ac%up and recovery. /hile

"ac%ups have traditionally "een saved on tape, dis% space is no! cheap enough to use for "ac%up

data as !ell as $aster data. toring "ac%up data on dis% $a%es restoring lost or corrupted files

significantly faster, since theres no need to locate and load the right "ac%up tape. #his approach

also allo!s changes to files to "e "ac%ed up as those changes are $ade, eli$inating the need to

ta%e servers offline for "ac%up. And "ecause its si$ple and auto$atic, dis% "ac%up can "e done

freuently, rather than relying on once*a*day tape "ac%ups.

#o "ac% up files on /indo!s servers, the yste$ Center fa$ily includes Data 4rotection Manager

200. As the figure "elo! sho!s, the products architecture is straightfor!ard. A Data 4rotection

Manageragentruns on each file server, co$$unicating !ith a Data 4rotection Managerserver

running on the "ac%up syste$. #he connection "et!een the t!o can "e local or re$ote, allo!ing a

Data 4rotection Manager server to handle "ac%ups for files servers in other locations, such as

"ranch offices. #he Data 4rotection Manager server runs on /indo!s erver 200=, !hile Data

4rotection Manager agents are availa"le for $achines running /indo!s erver 200= or /indo!s

2000 erver 4L. An ad$inistrator interacts !ith the Data 4rotection Manager server via the Data

4rotection Manageradministrator conso#e. A$ong other things, this console provides !i(ards for

defining "ac%up polices and other aspects of the products "ehavior.

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-nli%e tape "ac%up, Data 4rotection Manager captures every change $ade to a file !hen that

change occurs. #hese changes are stored locally on the file server, then sent "y the Data

4rotection Manager agent to the Data 4rotection Manager server according to an ad$inistrator*

defined schedule, such as once an hour. o$eti$es referred to as near(continuous data

protection, this approach is significantly "etter than traditional once*a*day "ac%ups and its infinitely

"etter than having no "ac%up policy at all8. 1or data !ith less stringent "ac%up reuire$ents, Data

4rotection Manager can also "e configured to "ac% up files at other intervals, such as once a day.And for long*ter$ or offsite storage of "ac%up data, Data 4rotection Manager itself can "e

connected to a tape "ac%up syste$.

3nce data has "een "ac%ed up, it can "e restored on de$and. f an end user reuests recovery of

a lost file fro$ an organi(ations service des%, for e+a$ple, the Data 4rotection Manager

ad$inistrator console can "e used to locate and restore the file. Data 4rotection Manager also

allo!s end users to do file recovery the$selves, providing an option that integrates recovery

directly into Microsoft 3ffice applications. #his lets users recover previous versions of a "ac%ed*up

docu$ent !ithout intervention "y # staff.

#o help ad$inistrators understand !hats happening !ith "ac%ups, Data 4rotection Manager

provides a set of reports. A M3M 200< $anage$ent pac% is also availa"le, allo!ing Data

4rotection Manager to send events, alerts, and $ore to the M3M console. And for organi(ationsloo%ing for a pac%aged solution, Microsoft partners such as 1uitsu ie$ens, 94, and Huantu$

provide products that include "oth Data 4rotection Manager and the hard!are reuired to run it.

ecause it targets file servers, Data 4rotection Manager 200 "ac%s up files rather than

data"ases. Accordingly, it cant "e used to "ac% up H6 erver data or infor$ation in applications

that rely on H6 erver, such as +change erver and /indo!s hare4oint ervices. #he ne+t

version of Data 4rotection Manager, scheduled to "e released in the second half of 2007,

addresses these li$itations. #his version of the product also adds stronger support for $oving

"ac%up data stored on a Data 4rotection Manager server to tape.

;ear*continuous data protection of /indo!s file servers addresses an i$portant pro"le$, one

thats faced "y $any organi(ations. Data 4rotection Manager, part of the larger yste$ Center

fa$ily, is Microsofts solution to this pro"le$.

System Center Essentials 2++,

yste$ Center 3perations Manager 2007 and yste$ Center Configuration Manager 2007 each

have a distinct role to play in syste$s $anage$ent. 1or larger organi(ations that can field a tea$

of syste$s $anage$ent people, using these t!o separate tools is the right choice. f one person

on this tea$ speciali(es in, say, $onitoring and $anaging syste$s !hile another is focused on

$anaging patches, each of the$ !ill "enefit fro$ using a tool dedicated to their o".

ut !hat a"out organi(ations that arent so largeG A fir$ !ith a fe! hundred des%tops and a do(en

servers is unli%ely to have enough $anage$ent staff to allo! this %ind of speciali(ation. nstead,

the people responsi"le for $anage$ent $ust "e # generalists, capa"le of addressing "othoperations $anage$ent and configuration $anage$ent. n cases li%e this, using t!o distinct tools

is unnecessarily co$plicated. /hats needed is a si$pler tool that provides "oth operations

$anage$ent and "asic configuration $anage$ent.

#he goal of yste$ Center ssentials 2007 is to "e this tool. 5ather than create an entirely ne!

product to $eet this need, ho!ever, Microsoft chose to "uild on !hat already e+ists. Accordingly, a

large part of the functionality that ssentials provides is "ased on the technology of 3perations

Manager 2007 and /- =.0.

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#he figure a"ove sho!s the products $aor co$ponents. #he yste$ Center ssentials server

co$$unicates !ith yste$ Center ssentials agentsfor $onitoring and update. ssentials relies

on $anage$ent pac%s, as in 3perations Manager, and it uses "oth an operational data"ase and

the /- data"ase. All of this is accessed via the yste$ Center ssentials conso#e.

Midsi(e organi(ations that today use "oth M3M 200< and M 200= $ight choose instead to

$ove to ssentials once its availa"le. t !ill also "e possi"le in the future to re$otely $anage an

organi(ations co$puting environ$ent "y accessing an ssentials server fro$ the 3perations

Manager console across the nternet. #he goal of this option is to let s$aller fir$s $ore easily

outsource $anage$ent of their syste$s.

-sing ssentials, an ad$inistrator can perfor$ $ost of the tas%s that are possi"le !ith 3perations

Manager, including the follo!ing'

Eie! events, alerts, and perfor$ance data fro$ $anaged clients, servers, and hard!are

devices such as routers. Any 3perations Manager $anage$ent pac% can "e used !ithssentials, and ssentials also includes a group of $anage$ent pac%s tailored for $idsi(e

"usinesses.

-se the %no!ledge and tas%s in $anage$ent pac%s to diagnose and repair pro"le$s.

:enerate reports on availa"ility trends, "illing, and $ore. 6i%e 3perations Manager, ssentials

reporting is "ased on H6 erver 5eporting ervices, and it includes "oth pre*defined reports

and the a"ility to create custo$ reports.

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ssentials also provides a significant superset of the functionality availa"le in /- =.0. -sing

ssentials, an ad$inistrator can'

nstall and uninstall applications on $anaged clients and servers. An organi(ation $ight use

ssentials to deploy Microsoft 3ffice, for e+a$ple, or to distri"ute Bs or M files containing

custo$ applications.

Distri"ute soft!are updates and patches, !hether received fro$ Microsoft -pdate or supplied

locally.

Maintain an inventory of soft!are and hard!are assets. An ad$inistrator can create and vie!

reports on this infor$ation through the ssentials console, o"viating the co$$on practice in

s$aller organi(ations of $aintaining asset inventory in spreadsheets.

#o "e $ore approacha"le for the # generalists it targets, the ssentials console provides an

unco$plicated user interface. As the screen shot "elo! illustrates, for e+a$ple, this interface can

provide an overvie! of a $anaged environ$ent that includes $onitoring status, soft!are

deploy$ent status, availa"le reports, and $ore. #he goal is to help its users do their o"s as

effectively as possi"le.

6i%es the 3perations Manager $anage$ent server, the ssentials server runs only on /indo!s

200= erver and /indo!s erver codena$e >6onghorn?. i$ilarly, ssentials is a"le to $anage

the sa$e set of clients, servers, and other devices that 3perations Manager supports. And !hile

ssentials can perfor$ the lions share of !hats possi"le !ith 3perations Manager and

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23/28


24/28

System Center Capacity lanner 2++-

Accurately si(ing deploy$ents is an ongoing challenge for the people !ho run co$puting

environ$ents. $agine, for e+a$ple, an organi(ation that !ishes to install an +change erver*

"ased $essaging infrastructure. #his fir$ $ight have thousands of e$ployees spread across

$ultiple locations. 9o! can the people planning this deploy$ent figure out ho! $any +change

servers are reuired and !here they should "e locatedG 3r thin% a"out an organi(ation thats ustacuired another co$pany' 9o! should their +change deploy$ent change to acco$$odate this

ne! additionG

Addressing challenges li%e these is the o" of yste$ Center Capacity 4lanner. ased on !or%

done "y Microsoft 5esearch, this tool provides a general fra$e!or% for deter$ining deploy$ent

reuire$ents. #he goal is to help organi(ations "etter plan their deploy$ents, $ore easily achieve

their perfor$ance goals, and $ore effectively ustify their invest$ents in infrastructure.

#he product currently allo!s capacity planning for +change erver 200= and M3M 200ervice Des%? $ight !or% together to handle a failed +change server.

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As the figure a"ove sho!s, the process "egins !hen the 3perations Manager agent running on

the +change servers $achine detects that this server process has shut do!n une+pectedly.

ased on a rule defined in the +change erver $anage$ent pac%, this agent i$$ediately sends

an alert to the 3perations Manager server step 8. #he 3perations Manager server displays this

alert on the 3perations Manager console, "ut as descri"ed earlier, the server can also

auto$atically as% >ervice Des%? to start an ncident Manage$ent M8 !or%flo! to address thispro"le$ step 28. 6i%e other >ervice Des%? !or%flo!s, this one interacts !ith the service des% staff,

!ho deter$ine that this +change server reuires a patch step =8.

#o install this patch, the service des% e$ployee !hos handling this incident starts a Change

Manage$ent ChM8 !or%flo! step L8. #his !or%flo! contacts the Configuration Manager server,

reuesting it to install the correct patch for this +change server step


26/28

#he figure a"ove sho!s the rest of the process. 3nce the patch is installed, the Configuration

Manager agent infor$s the Configuration Manager server of the successful installation step 78,

!hich in turn infor$s the Change Manage$ent !or%flo! step @8. #he Change Manage$ent

!or%flo! infor$s the ncident Manage$ent !or%flo! that the pro"le$ has "een resolved, then

shuts itself do!n step I8. #he ncident Manage$ent !or%flo! ne+t infor$s the 3perations

Manager server of the resolution, allo!ing this server to close the alert step 08, then shuts itselfdo!n. 1inally, the 3perations Manager server tells the 3perations Manager agent on the

+change servers syste$ to run a tas% defined "y the +change erver $anage$ent pac%8 that

restarts the patched +change server step 8. verything that happensKthe initial alert, the t!o

!or%flo!s, and the patchKis captured in various data"ases throughout these products, adding to

the historical store of %no!ledge $aintained a"out the syste$s in this organi(ation. #his

%no!ledge can "e used to i$prove the DM $odels $aintained "y each of these three yste$

Center products.

#his scenario doesnt involve every product in the yste$ Center fa$ily. yste$ Center ssentials

isnt used, for instance, since its intended to provide a unified solution for s$aller organi(ations. )et

its entirely possi"le that other yste$ Center products are used in this environ$ent. Data

4rotection Manager $ight "e used to "ac% up the data on this organi(ations /indo!s file servers,

for e+a$ple, and any virtual $achine*"ased server consolidation $ight rely on Eirtual MachineManager. i$ilarly, Capacity 4lanner $ay !ell have "een used to si(e the +change installation

sho!n here. #he diverse pro"le$s of syste$ $anage$ent reuire diverse solutions, and so the

yste$ Center fa$ily contains a varied set of tools.

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Conclusion

ven !ith the "est tools, $anaging a co$ple+ distri"uted environ$ent isnt easy. )et the uality of

an organi(ations $anage$ent soft!areKand ho! !ell it !or%s togetherKcan $a%e a significant

difference in syste$ availa"ility and $anage$ent cost. eeping an organi(ation running $eans%eeping that organi(ations syste$s running, and so using the right tools to do this $a%es o"vious

"usiness sense.

#he yste$ Center fa$ily enco$passes a group of technologies focused largely although not

entirely8 on $anaging /indo!s syste$s. /herever possi"le, the $e$"ers of this fa$ily use a

standard, $odel*"ased approach, allo!ing a co$$on description of the syste$s "eing $anaged.

specially for organi(ations !ith a significant invest$ent in /indo!s, yste$ Center can provide

the right foundation for $anaging their co$puting !orld.

!or !urther 1eading

yste$ Center'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$Fsyste$center

yste$ Center 3perations Manager 2007'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$F$o$FevaluationF"etaFops$grovervie!.$sp+

yste$ Center Configuration Manager 2007'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$Fs$serverFdefault.$sp+

yste$ Center >ervice Des%?'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$Fsyste$centerFsdFdefault.$sp+

yste$ Center Data 4rotection Manager 200'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$Fsyste$centerFdp$Fdefault.$sp+

yste$ Center ssentials 2007'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$Fsyste$centerFsceFdefault.$sp+

yste$ Center Eirtual Machine Manager'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$Fsyste$centerFscv$$Fdefault.$sp+

yste$ Center Capacity 4lanner 200'

http'FF!!!.$icrosoft.co$Fsyste$centerFsccpFdefault.$sp+

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A6out the Author

David Chappell is 4rincipal of Chappell & Associates !!!.davidchappell.co$8 in an 1rancisco,

California. #hrough his spea%ing, !riting, and consulting, he helps infor$ation technology

professionals understand, use, and $a%e "etter decisions a"out enterprise soft!are.

introducing system center

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