How to Monitor Agentless Servers

Question

Hello,

What are the best methods for monitoring agentless servers? Can SCOM be used, or should I create local PowerShell monitoring scripts and push them out with ConfigMgr?

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello!

Monitoring agentless servers can be done effectively using several methods. Here are some of the best approaches:

Using SCOM (System Center Operations Manager)

SCOM can indeed be used to monitor agentless servers. Here are the steps:

SNMP Monitoring:

• SCOM supports SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) for monitoring network devices and agentless servers. You can configure SNMP monitoring by adding the devices to SCOM and setting up SNMP traps and monitors.

WMI Monitoring:

• For Windows-based servers, you can use WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) to gather performance data and monitor the health of the servers. SCOM can be configured to use WMI for agentless monitoring.

Network Device Monitoring:

• SCOM can also monitor network devices like routers, switches, and firewalls using the Network Monitoring feature. This can be extended to some agentless servers depending on their capabilities.

Using PowerShell Scripts with ConfigMgr (SCCM)

If you prefer a more customized approach, you can create local PowerShell monitoring scripts and deploy them using ConfigMgr (SCCM). Here’s how:

Create PowerShell Scripts:

• Write PowerShell scripts to collect the necessary performance and health data from the agentless servers. These scripts can be tailored to your specific monitoring needs.

Deploy Scripts with ConfigMgr:

• Use ConfigMgr to deploy the PowerShell scripts to the target servers. You can schedule these scripts to run at regular intervals and collect the data.

Collect and Analyze Data:

• Configure the scripts to send the collected data back to a central location for analysis. You can use tools like Power BI or other reporting solutions to visualize and analyze the data.

Both methods have their advantages, so the best choice depends on your existing infrastructure and specific requirements. If you need further assistance with setting up either method, feel free to ask.