Webcast Q/A: Operations Manager 2007 Technical Overview - May 4th, 2007
Question: Is Active Directory is required for installation?
Answer: Yes, Operations Manager 2007 now has tight integration with AD for functions such as user authentication and agent discovery. Operations Manager custom user roles link to AD groups to grant users access. After a user has been added to the appropriate AD group, they automatically have the rights granted to that group’s role in Operations Manager. Organization Units (OU) can be management enabled so that when a new device is added to the OU, it is automatically detected by Operations Manager and the agent is deployed and configured to communicate with the appropriate management group. Operations Manager leverages the LDAP search capabilities in AD for its managed device discovery process. Integration with AD makes Operations Manager 2007 easier to deploy and configure.
Question: Do you tell me when the official version launches?
Answer: In the United States it launched May 2nd, 2007
Question: Is the System Center Capacity Planner available for Free Download?
Answer: You can sign-up for the SCCP Beta 1 here https://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/sccp/default.mspx
Question: How many servers can I manage with System Center Essentials?
Answer: With Essentials 2007, you can manage up to 30 Windows-based servers and 500 Windows-based clients. Essentials 2007 will not track or limit the number of SNMP-capable network devices you want to manage, however performance parameters may limit you to approximately 75 network devices.
Question: Can you connect directly to secondary servers?
Answer: Not sure I understand the question. Can the console connect to any management server? Yes.
Question: Would the Support for Windows XP embedded Devices include things link EMC's Clarions?
Answer: Yes, I believe so, System Center Operations Manager 2007 supports Windows XP embedded devices. (I will update this if I hear otherwise.)
Question: Can we get our hands on the SCOM VPC's Your using for Demonstration?
Answer: Unfortunately not, they are using special licenses for internal use only.
Question: When will Dell have an OM2007 management pack? I contacted them and they said they're written by Microsoft.
Answer: Vendors produce their own management packs. Not sure I understand why Dell would think Microsoft is going to be doing this.
Question: What custom code can be used besides XML?
Answer: For management packs? Only XML.
Question: Isn't the MP derived from the WCF or WF namespace now?
Answer: Management Packs include health models based on the Systems Definition Model (SDM) to analyze the performance, availability, configuration and security inputs, as well as the status of related components, to determine the overall status of components.
Question: Does MOM 2007 create the diagram automatically, or do you have to make the diagram, then it shows the status of those items in the diagram?
Answer: It gets created automatically.
Question: What ports for untrusted domains used?
Answer: For agents that aren’t part of a Windows domain, such as those running on web servers in a DMZ, security between agents and managers can use certificates installed on both sides rather than Kerberos. That just means you''ll have to have a certificate on every managed client. A better solution if you have a lot of managed machines in untrusted domains is to use a gateway server.
Question: Can SCE be installed on a SBS2003 Premium Server for monitoring a small single domain environment
Answer: Yes. here are the requirements for SCE:
Operating System:
· Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 or R2, Standard or Enterprise Edition.
· Small Business Server 2003 SP1 or R2.
Hardware Requirements:
• 12 GB of free disk space (20 GB to store updates locally)
• CPU can be x86 or x64-based, at least 2.0 GHz
• 1 GB of RAM (2 GB recommended)
Other Prerequisites:
• Active Directory
• SQL Server 2005 SP1
• Internet Information Services 6.0
• .NET Framework 2.0 and 3.0