Monitoring exchange using Azure monitor

Question

how to monitor exchange application using azure monitor? Through events not getting any performance metric. What the best way to monitor exchange using azure monitor.

Answer 1

Hello Shubham Wazir

Monitoring Exchange Server using Azure Monitor can provide valuable insights into the health, performance, and availability of your Exchange application. Azure Monitor offers various methods to monitor Exchange, including performance metrics, log analytics, and application insights. Here's how you can monitor Exchange using Azure Monitor:

Performance Metrics:

• Azure Monitor collects performance data from Azure Virtual Machines running Exchange or on-premises Exchange servers through the Azure Monitor agent. Ensure that the Azure Monitor agent is installed on the Exchange servers.
• In the Azure portal, navigate to your Exchange server resource, go to "Metrics," and select the desired performance metrics (e.g., CPU, Memory, Disk, Network, etc.). You can set up charts, alerts, and diagnostic settings for these metrics.

Log Analytics:

• Azure Monitor allows you to collect logs from various sources, including Windows Event Logs and custom application logs from Exchange.
• Install the Log Analytics agent on the Exchange servers to forward logs to Azure Monitor.
• In Azure Monitor, create log queries to analyze Exchange-related logs, identify errors, and gain insights into the health of your Exchange environment.

Application Insights:

• If you have custom applications integrated with Exchange, you can use Azure Application Insights to monitor and track application performance.
• Add Application Insights to your custom application code, and it will automatically start collecting telemetry data like requests, dependency calls, and exceptions.

Azure Diagnostics Extension (for IaaS VMs):

• For Exchange servers hosted on Azure Virtual Machines (IaaS), you can use the Azure Diagnostics Extension to collect performance data and Windows Event Logs directly from the VMs.
• This extension allows you to stream performance data to Azure Monitor, and you can view it under the "Metrics" section of the VM resource.

Exchange-specific Monitoring Solutions:

• Microsoft Exchange Server has specific monitoring solutions tailored for Exchange environments. For example, the Exchange Server Health Set solution can be used for monitoring Exchange health in Operations Manager.
• Depending on your Exchange version and requirements, you may use these built-in solutions or integrate them with Azure Monitor for centralized monitoring.

Alerts and Action Groups:

• Set up alerts in Azure Monitor based on specific conditions or thresholds, such as CPU utilization exceeding a certain percentage or specific error events in logs.
• Configure action groups to notify relevant stakeholders via email, SMS, or other channels when alerts are triggered.

Keep in mind that the monitoring approach might vary based on your Exchange deployment, whether it's on-premises, in Azure, or in a hybrid configuration. Also, ensure that you have the necessary permissions to collect data from Exchange servers and configure monitoring solutions in Azure.

Answer 2

Shubham Wazir, thank you for the reply. If you are looking for collecting specific performance counters from your exchange servers, you may create Data Collection Rule for that server and specify the counters of interest for collection at regular intervals. For more details, see Collect events and performance counters from virtual machines with Azure Monitor Agent

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Hi,

about this topic:

Exchange-specific Monitoring Solutions:

• Microsoft Exchange Server has specific monitoring solutions tailored for Exchange environments. For example, the Exchange Server Health Set solution can be used for monitoring Exchange health in Operations Manager.
• Depending on your Exchange version and requirements, you may use these built-in solutions or integrate them with Azure Monitor for centralized monitoring.

Is there any documentation?

My "goal" is to configure Azure Monitoring to monitor Exchange 2019 CORE on prem, but I can't find any guide for this.

Thanks

Regards

Faye