Cross Platform Management Pack Authoring Guide

Applies To: Operations Manager 2007 R2

Welcome to the Cross Platform Management Pack Authoring Guide for use with Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2. System administrators of Windows-based, UNIX-based, and Linux-based platforms can use this document as a guide to how to create and use management packs to manage their computer systems. Because Operations Manager 2007 R2 extends monitoring support to UNIX-based and Linux-based servers, organizations can monitor and manage their cross-platform environments from a unified management console. The key to how to configure and run Operations Manager is the management pack, an XML-based file that defines the objects that Operations Manager will discover and monitor and the information that will be collected about these objects.

By using Operations Manager 2007 R2, system administrators of UNIX-based and Linux-based servers can now monitor the health of key system attributes, including the following:

• File systems and network interfaces.

• Critical processes (for example, syslog, cron, and others).

• Key configurations (for example, resolution of host name and correct configuration of Web Services Management components).

• Core system attributes (for example, the health of system memory and processors).

In This Section

• Intended Audience for the Cross Platform Management Pack Authoring Guide
  Describes the expectations and the minimum knowledge that are required to implement a cross platform management pack.

• Getting Started with the Cross Platform Management Pack Authoring Guide
  Provides information on the structure and workflow of a management pack.

• Management Pack Tasks
  Describes typical administrative tasks and how to implement those tasks by using a management pack.

Reference

Online Training

• TechNet Virtual Lab: System Center Operations Manager 2007- Introduction (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=152883)

• TechNet Virtual Lab: System Center Operations Manager 2007- Advanced Topics (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=152884)

• HOW TO: Use XML to Create a Basic Management Pack with Discovery for a Windows-based Computer (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=150433)

Published Documentation

• Operations Manager 2007 Management Pack Authoring Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=150417)

• System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed. (includes CD-ROM), Meyler, Kerrie, et al., Sams, 2008, p. 1385

Online Resources

• Operations Manager Cross Platform and Interop Solutions (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=144278)

• Microsoft.Unix.Computer: Team blog for System Center Cross Platform and Interop (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=152885)

• Operations Manager Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=108041)

• System Center Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=118294)

• TechNet Webcast: Successfully Monitor UNIX and Linux Alongside Your Windows Infrastructure with Operations Manager 2007 R2 (Level 300)(https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=150435)

Related Sections

• Management Pack Elements
  Description of the basic structure of a management pack.

• Understanding Management Pack Operations
  Description of the workflow of a management pack.

• Considerations when Authoring or Modifying a Management Pack
  Tips and tricks for successfully building a management pack.

• Required Management Pack Definitions
  Description of the minimum information needed when building a management pack.

• Enable Application Discovery
  Instructions on how to implement application discovery by using a management pack.

• Use a Script to Monitor an Application
  Instructions on how to use a management pack to monitor an application.

• Create Tasks
  Instructions on how to create tasks by using a management pack.

• Create a Recovery Task
  Instructions on how to create a recovery task.

• Monitor an Application's Health
  Instructions on how to monitor the health state of an application by using a management pack.

• Create a Health Rollup
  Instructions on how to build a health rollup.

• Monitor Performance Data
  Instructions on how to monitor performance data by using a management pack.

• Collect and View Performance Data
  Instructions on how to collect and then view performance data by using a management pack.

• Create a Performance Rollup
  Instructions on how to create a performance rollup.