Notes From the field: Virtualization, Data Protection Manager and Operations Manager
As promised I'm writing another post about what feedback I receive from our IT Pro's in the IT Pro Momentum Program.
Hyper-V: Installing W2K8 and Hyper-V was very easy. We’re heavily using Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 and Virtual Machine Manager, and there’s virtually no learning curve in moving to the new version. Testing of one machine proved that it functioned as expected. However, it’s only one piece in the puzzle, and with our previous solution, Virtual Server is only one of three distinct parts: Virtualization, Management with VMM, and backups with DPM. Since the VMM and DPM portions aren’t available, it becomes a solution we can’t truly put through its paces. I’m anxiously awaiting the Beta of each of those before we get any further. Also, we plan on soon testing clustering, but are awaiting the installation of a Compellent SAN in February before we can proceed with that piece. My hope is that by the time we have the SAN installed, the VMM and DPM products will have released their betas, and we’ll be able to fully implement Hyper-V for our Test environment.
SCOM: Installing SCOM was very easy. Finding and installing the Management packs proved a bit more difficult. It took me awhile to find the Virtualization Management pack, as I think several websites/blogs/etc. said it should be on Microsoft Connect, but the Beta was already closed. I think I may have been looking in the time between the Management Pack’s Beta and RTM phase, but I’m not sure. Looking back and trying to remember, I think the management pack had once been called a virtual server management pack, but then it’s name was changed to Virtualization Management pack. I also had trouble finding the Data Protection Manager 2007 Management pack, though the 2006 MOM pack was available. I also had trouble finding the current Dell Management pack, and once found, I had trouble using it. The installation was simple enough, but once installed, it started generating an enormous amount of errors on all the machines. I’m not sure why. The errors were WMI related. It may have had to do with versions of OpenManage, firewalls, or something totally different. Not sure on that one.
The part that I’ve found most difficult so far with SCOM is customizing the overrides and rules. Just installing the management packs and walking away results in an extreme number of unnecessary emails, so for the time being, I’ve turned email off. For example, I might get twenty emails that servers can’t be contacted, followed by twenty emails 1 minute later saying that the problem is resolved. I didn’t find configuring overrides for these emails to be as intuitive as I’d like. I’ve not yet had time to find a book that describes how to properly configure the overrides, so that’s where this installation is waiting at the moment.
Deploying and managing an infrastructure is not always the easiest thing to do it requires a lot of skills, skills that can be learned through either the TechNet sites or by following a training in one of our training centers. A course, webcast or whitepaper's are different ways to increase your knowledge but you will (and I did) learn the most in real life environments. It's great to hear how IT Pro's are using our Technology within their infrastructure, do you want to share your experience with other IT Pro's just let me know and I'll put it onto this blog.
If you are looking for the Virtual Server 2005 Management Pack for Operations Manager 2007, stop looking you can download it from here:
Data Protection Manager 2007 Management Pack Guide for Operations Manager 2007
Data Protection Manager 2007 Management Pack for Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007
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