System Center Virtual User Group Weblog

Additional Entries from the System Center Solutions Contest

2008-07-23T13:58:42Z

There have been several queries as to whether all entries from the contest will be posted, and the answer is definitely "yes". Keep an eye out, as we'll be uploading and presenting these at a rate of one every day or two over the next few weeks

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

And the winner is...

2008-07-23T04:47:35Z

The grand prize winner of the System Center Solutions Contest and an XBox 360 is...(drum roll please)

Jaime Correia, who submitted the File System Management Pack for Operations Manager 2007.

You can download the File System Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007 at http://www.systemcenterusergroup.com/files/folders/contest/entry121.aspx

Solution Description

This management pack provides several script-based monitors for shares, files and folders, offering something for most any scenario. The MP also includes custom object classes for discovered objects, and an impressive diagram view. The accompanying MP Guide is also quite detailed.

Well done Jaime!

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: Final category winner of the System Center Solutions Contest - Management Pack

2008-07-22T05:52:39Z

Congratulations to our final category winner for the Management Pack category, and winner of a Zune digital media player, Jaime Correia, who submitted the File System Management Pack for Operations Manager 2007. You can download the File System Management Pack for System Center Operations Manager 2007 at http://www.systemcenterusergroup.com/files/folders/contest/entry121.aspx

Announcements of the grand prize winner coming shortly, so stay tuned!

Solution Description

Well done Jaime!

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: Third category winner of the System Center Solutions Contest - Scripts category

2008-07-22T05:48:20Z

Congratulations to our third category winner for the Script category, and winner of a Zune digital media player, Timothy McFadden, who submitted the Remote Maintenance Mode Scheduler for Operations Manager 2007. You can download the Remote Maintenance Mode Scheduler for System Center Operations Manager 2007 at http://www.systemcenterusergroup.com/files/folders/contest/entry120.aspx

Announcements for the final category and grand prize coming shortly, so stay tuned!

Solution Description

With the Remote Maintenance Mode Scheduler you can schedule Powershell maintenance mode scripts for computers or groups of computers in OpsMgr 2007 (System Center Operations Manager 2007) through a simple graphical user interface, rather than using the task scheduler directly. The tool also supports scheduling of scripts on any remote computer with the OpsMgr UI components installed.

Well done Timothy!

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: Second category winner of the System Center Solutions Contest - Command-line or Web-based Tool

2008-07-19T00:51:33Z

Congratulations to our second category winner, for the Command-line or Web-based Tools category, Vicent de Vries, who submitted the SDK Connector Tool for System Center Operations Manager 2007.

You can download the SDK Connector Tool for System Center Operations Manager 2007 at http://www.systemcenterusergroup.com/files/folders/contest/entry117.aspx

Announcements for additional categories coming shortly, so stay tuned!

Solution Description

With the SDK Connector Tool you can manage the Product Connectors in OpsMgr 2007 (System Center Operations Manager 2007) through a simple graphical user interface. The tool is self explanatory. In the "Connect to Host..." popup enter the machine name of your Root Management Server. Once connected, the tool will show three tab pages: remove a Product Connector, add a Product Connector and an about tab. By clicking "Get Connector List" on the "Remove Connector" tab, a list will be shown containing the installed Product Connectors. By clicking "Remove Connector" the Product Connector will be removed.

You can add a Product Connector on the "Add Connector" tab. The fields in this tab are populated with default values, please enter your own custom information in these fields.

Why did you create the SDK Connector Tool?

The reason I created this was that even though the functionality offered in the SDK Connector Tool is available trough Power Shell, I prefer the ease of clicking in a user interface over scripting.

Those not familiar with Powershell will likely agree.

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: First category winner for System Center Solutions Contest

2008-07-17T12:04:57Z

Congratulations to our first category winner, for the SCCM Configuration Pack category, is Jason Scheffelmaer, who submitted an SCCM Roles Wizard. While not technically a Configuration Pack, his solutions goes far beyond being a simple script, and as such, Jason was declared the winner for this category.

You can download the SCCM Roles Wizard at http://www.systemcenterusergroup.com/files/folders/contest/entry114.aspx

Announcements for additional categories coming shortly, so stay tuned!

Solution Description

The SCCM Roles Wizard is a Bare Metal solution to the SCCM Image
Deployment Process. It is used in conjunction with SCCM and Microsoft
Deployment Toolkit (MDT) to deliver a front-end solution to
non-managed Bare Metal systems. By querying the MDT database for
Roles and delivering them to the front-end wizard the technician
deploying the image has the ability to choose predefined Roles
directly from the database that can change or apply how the build is
applied. This includes things such as which domain or OU structure to
join, what post applications to install, or even homepage or Product
keys to use.

Why did you create the SCCM Roles Wizard?

The reason I created this was that even though MDT supported a roles
based build delivery it had no way of you choosing which role you
wanted to apply during the deployment. Any roles and settings that
you wanted to apply to the build had to be done up front before the
Bare Metal system actually was deployed. This was not feasible in our
and many other companies processes to be able to choose and apply
these roles and settings on a per machine basis up front. Therefore I
created this front-end to do just that, it also has a wizard for
naming the computer, and can be expanded on to really any other
wizards one could think of adding but the real drive was to deliver
the roles defined in the MDT database directly to the user during
their SCCM/MDT Bare-Metal Deployment and apply them on the fly.

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

System Center Solutions Contest Update [07/06/2008]

2008-07-06T09:17:09Z

Just wanted to let everyone know judging is taking a bit longer than anticipated (we are working on donated on our free time :), and that results should be posted just the next few days...by 7/15 at the latest I think. Thanks for your patience.

If you missed the first meeting of the group, make sure to check out the video recording of the presenter sessions available at the URL below. We've had great feedback and already a couple of exciting offers for speakers at the next event in August.

Session #1 recordings for System Center Virtual User Group

http://www.systemcenterusergroup.com/blogs/administrator/archive/2008/06/30/session-downloads-from-system-center-virtual-user-group-meeting-1.aspx

Session downloads from System Center Virtual User Group Meeting #1

2008-06-29T22:38:24Z

By request, below are the session downloads for the first meeting of the System Center Virtual User Group:

Anders - Cross-platform monitoring in Operations Manager 2007 SP2

Marco - Powershell in Operations Manager 2007

Ryan - Audit Collection Services (ACS) Planning, Configuration and Tuning Tips

Thanks to everyone for making the first meeting a success.

Thanks to SecureVantage for sponsoring the event.

Agenda, Registration and International Dial-in numbers for today's user group meeting

2008-06-26T11:15:41Z

Just a couple of reminders to make sure everyone can get into the meeting today. I've included a list of International dial-in information for our friends outside the US. Meeting starts 1pm Eastern Time (New York time)

Event Registration

To sign up for this event, register at the following URL: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=129503

Agenda

12:00PM-12:10PM: Introduction
12:10PM-12:40PM: Anders Bengtsson (OpsMgr MVP) - Cross-PLatform Monitoring in Operations Manager 2007 SP2.
12:40PM-1:10PM: Ryan Brennan (SecureVantage) - ACS Best Practices & Configuration Tips
1:10PM-1:40PM: Marco Shaw (Powershell MVP) - PowerShell within System Center Operations Manager 2007
1.40PM-1:50PM: Q & A

Meeting Details

To join for video:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=FNTNC4&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX

Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:
1.Copy this address and paste into your web browser:
https://www119.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join
2.Copy and paste the required information:
Meeting ID: FNTNC4
Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

International Dial-in Numbers (Audio)

Below is a list of International dial-in numbers if you're located outside the U.S.

International Toll-Free Dial-In Number(s):
The International Toll-Free numbers listed below are subject to
change. Before each conference, refer back to this page for the most
current information. If a Service Access Code (SAC Code) is listed
next to the ITFS Number, it must be entered after dialing the number
in order for the call to be connected. Always distribute your
International Dial-In Number listed above as a backup for ITFS
service.
Argentina Dial-In #: 08003330638
Australia Dial-In #: 1800635431
Austria Dial-In #: 0800296683
Bahamas Dial-In #: 18002054786
Belarus Dial-In #: 8800114<(Code 5135)>
Belgium Dial-In #: 080074015
Brazil Dial-In #: 08008916314
Bulgaria Dial-In #: 008001100186
Chile Dial-In #: 12300206935
China North Dial-In #: 108007140758
China S (China Telecom) Dial-In #: 108001400733
Colombia Dial-In #: 018009198731
Costa Rica Dial-In #: 08000150433
Croatia (Hrvatska) Dial-In #: 0800222626
Cyprus Dial-In #: 80094957
Czech Republic Dial-In #: 800142131
Denmark Dial-In #: 80887944
Dominican Republic Dial-In #: 18887518396
El Salvador Dial-In #: 8006378
Finland Dial-In #: 0800110016<(Code 5129)>
France Dial-In #: 0800907956
Germany Dial-In #: 08001814622
Greece Dial-In #: 0080016122039951
Hong Kong Dial-In #: 800903850
Hungary Dial-In #: 0680012007
Iceland Dial-In #: 8008251
India Dial-In #: 0008001006188
Indonesia Dial-In #: 0018030177852
Ireland Dial-In #: 1800685010
Israel Dial-In #: 1809245952
Italy Dial-In #: 800780338
Jamaica Dial-In #: 18002050329
Japan Dial-In #: 00531160456
Kenya Dial-In #: 0800220115<(Code 5141)>
Korea (South) Dial-In #: 00308131720
Latvia Dial-In #: 80002128
Lithuania Dial-In #: 880030330
Luxembourg Dial-In #: 80024725
Malaysia Dial-In #: 1800812937
Mexico Dial-In #: 0018663875515
Monaco Dial-In #: 80093358
Netherlands Dial-In #: 08000226486
New Zealand Dial-In #: 0800654460
Nicaragua Dial-In #: 18000551<(Code 5140)>
Norway Dial-In #: 80013909
Panama Dial-In #: 0018002018146
Peru Dial-In #: 080053335
Poland Dial-In #: 008001114571
Portugal Dial-In #: 800819458
Romania Dial-In #: 018005030<(Code 5141)>
Russian Federation Dial-In #: 81080025921012
Singapore Dial-In #: 8001011807
Slovak Republic Dial-In #: 0800042140
South Africa Dial-In #: 0800994920
Spain Dial-In #: 900931577
Sweden Dial-In #: 020798280
Switzerland Dial-In #: 0800562835
Taiwan Dial-In #: 00801126665
Thailand Dial-In #: 0018001562039946
Trinidad and Tobago Dial-In #: 18002039153
Ukraine Dial-In #: 8100180<(Code 5137)>
United Kingdom Dial-In #: 08082348431
Uruguay Dial-In #: 00040190042
Venezuela Dial-In #: 08001005968
Local Dial-In Numbers Dial-In #:
Sydney Dial-In #: 282239790
Graz Dial-In #: 0316918064
Linz Dial-In #: 0732915071
Vienna Dial-In #: 019281036
Antwerp Dial-In #: 034000307
Brussels Dial-In #: 024006724
Copenhagen Dial-In #: 032714401
Lyon Dial-In #: 0426031128
Marseille Dial-In #: 0486060055
Paris Dial-In #: 0176707553
Toulouse Dial-In #: 0567804133
Berlin Dial-In #: 030726167387
Frankfurt Dial-In #: 06922224724
Hamburg Dial-In #: 040809020727
Munich Dial-In #: 089244432927
Hong Kong Dial-In #: 030114574
Dublin Dial-In #: 012475202
Milan Dial-In #: 0236019659
Rome Dial-In #: 0645217090
Tokyo Dial-In #: 0357675586
Seoul Dial-In #: 0234837052
Amsterdam Dial-In #: 0207075538
Rotterdam Dial-In #: 0107147060
Lisbon Dial-In #: 01211201019
Singapore Dial-In #: 66221009
Barcelona Dial-In #: 0934923264
Madrid Dial-In #: 914142509
Stockholm Dial-In #: 0856619362
Geneva Dial-In #: 0225803289
Zurich Dial-In #: 0445801752
London Dial-In #: 02031070273

System Center Solutions Contest - It's a wrap!

2008-06-23T04:00:33Z

The contest officially ended on Friday 6/20. We really appreciate everyone who took time to participate. We'll be announcing winners around July 1 (my travel schedule permitting).

Thanks again to our great sponsors would made this event possible!

Our Sponsors

First Meeting of the System Center Virtual User Group is 6/26 (Time and Registration Info)

2008-06-18T15:14:53Z

The first meeting of the System Center Virtual Users Group is on the calendar, and we have some first rate speakers ready to share their knowledge. Not surprisingly, our theme is Operations Manager 2007 this month, but we have some of the foremost experts prepared to share some info you're not likely to see anywhere else. Thanks to the folks at our event sponsor, SecureVantage.

Meeting and Registration Details

Date: June 26th

Time: 12:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (6pm GMT)

Agenda

12:00PM-12:10PM: Introduction
12:10PM-12:40PM: Anders Bengtsson (OpsMgr MVP) - Cross-PLatform Monitoring in Operations Manager 2007 SP2.
12:40PM-1:10PM: Ryan Brennan (SecureVantage) - ACS Best Practices & Configuration Tips
1:10PM-1:40PM: Marco Shaw (Powershell MVP) - PowerShell within System Center Operations Manager 2007
1.40PM-1:50PM: Closing

Event Registration

To sign up for this event, register at the following URL: https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=129503

Speaker Profiles

Anders Bengtsson (OpsMgr MVP) - Anders is a Microsoft MVP for System Center Operations Manager 2007, consultant and frequent contributor to the Operations Manager community. Anders can be reached via his management blog at http://www.contoso.se.

Ryan Brennan (SecureVantage) - Ryan is responsible for the overall technical vision and direction for Secure Vantage Technologies. Ryan brings more than twelve years of solid technology and management experience. Before joining Secure Vantage Technologies he founded Enigma Technology Solutions a consulting firm focused on Microsoft Systems Management. Ryan has worked for multiple Fortune 1000 Companies and has experience in System Management, IT & Security Operations, Software Development, Quality Assurance, Systems Administration and Project Management with focus on the industries: banking, energy, technology, software, healthcare. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Marco Shaw (Powershell MVP) - Marco is a PowerShell MVP, PowerGadgets MVP, author and founder of the PowerShell Virtual User Group. Marco can be reached through his GET-POWERSHELL blog at http://marcoshaw.blogspot.com/

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #6

2008-06-14T20:10:06Z

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #6
Time: June 24, 2008 at 8PM EST (New York time)
Place: Online via Live Meeting 2007
-----------------------------------------------------------
To sign up:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Registration site: http://www.clicktoattend.com/?id=129406
Event Code: 129406
-----------------------------------------------------------
This is our sixth virtual event. Invited speakers that will talk about various PowerShell-related topics: Bruce Payette (Microsoft), Wassim Fayed (Microsoft), Hal Rottenberg.
To join for audio:
Toll free: +1 (866) 553-8146
Participant code: 5592528585
To join for video:
https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join?id=5H2F88&role=attend&pw=8%5E-%5CzqX
Unable to join the meeting? Follow these steps:
1.Copy this address and paste into your web browser:
https://www119.livemeeting.com/cc/winserver_usergroup/join
2.Copy and paste the required information:
Meeting ID: 5H2F88
Entry Code: 8^-\zqX

Agenda:

8:00PM-8:10PM: Introduction

8:10PM-8:40PM: Bruce Payette (Microsoft)

8:40PM-9:10PM: Wassim Fayed (Microsoft)

9:10PM-9:40PM: Hal Rottenberg

9.40PM-9:50PM: Closing

Speaker topics:
*Bruce Payette (Microsoft): PowerShell v2 modules.
*Wassim Fayed (Microsoft): PowerShell v2 remoting.
*Hal Rottenberg: Managing VMware Infrastructure using PowerShell.

Notes:

All details related to this event will be posted on http://www.powershellcommunity.org.

(NOTE: This is delivered via Live Meeting 2007. It is possible that you may have to download and install the Live Meeting 2007 client which can take possibly up to 10 minutes typically.)

Sponsors/partners:

PowerGadgets, Shell Tools

70-400 Exam Study Notes: Section 1b - Manage Roles

2008-06-13T02:45:00Z

To make it easier to keep track of all the exam study notes published, we'll link to each post on the 70-400 Exam Study Guide here on the System Center Virtual User Group web site on the 70-400 Exam Study Guide Homepage. Watch the System Center Virtual User Group blog for regular updates

Role-based Security in Operations Manager 2007 allows administrators to delegate the appropriate level of visibility and functionality to the various application specialists and IT support tiers. When considering User Roles in OpsMgr, remember the following equation. You can create a custom user role using by combining a default Profile with a Scope, which you as an OpsMgr administrator define.

To understand a User Role, you must have a good understanding Profiles and Scope.

User Role = Profile + Scope
Profile = What actions can be performed
Scope= Which objects the actions can be performed upon

NOTE: The default user roles in Operations Manager 2007 are globally scoped.

Profiles

The profile determines what actions members of the user role can perform. The more than 150 actions available in the Operations Console are defined in the following default user profiles:

Profile	Description
Read-only Operator	The Read-Only Operator profile includes a set of privileges designed for users that need read-only access to Alerts and Views. A role based on the Read-Only Operators profile grants members the ability to view Alerts, and access Views according to their configured scope.
Operator	The Operator profile includes a set of privileges designed for users that need access to Alerts, Views and Tasks. A role based on the Operators profile grants members the ability to interact with Alerts, execute Tasks and access Views according to their configured scope.
Advanced Operator	The Advanced Operator profile includes a set of privileges designed for users that need access to limited tweaking of monitoring configuration in addition to the Operators privileges. A role based on the Advanced Operators profile grants members the ability to override the configuration of rules and monitors for specific targets or groups of targets within the configured scope.
Author	The Author profile includes a set of privileges designed for authoring of monitoring configuration. A role based on the Authors profile grants members the ability to create, edit and delete monitoring configuration (tasks, rules, monitors and views) within the configured scope. For convenience, Authors can also be configured to have Advanced Operator privileges scoped by group.
Report Operators	The Report Operator profile includes a set of privileges designed for users that need access to Reports. A role based on the Report Operators profile grants members the ability to view reports according to their configured scope.
Report Security	The Operations Manager Report Security Administrators user role is designed to enable the integration of SQL Server Reporting Services security with Operations Manager user roles. This gives Operations Manager Administrators the ability to control access to reports. This role cannot be scoped. The DW data reader and data writer accounts supplied during setup are included in this role during installation by default.
Administrator	The Administrator profile includes full privileges to Operations Manager. No scoping of the Administrator profile is supported.

Scope

The scope determines which monitored objects, or groups of monitored objects, its members can perform. For example, using the Create User Role Wizard you can create a custom role with a scope that narrows the view to only the Exchange 2003 Servers.

Creating Custom Roles

Through the Operations Console, you can only create custom user roles based on the Read-only Operator, Operator, Advanced Operator and Author roles. Through the Command Shell, you can create a custom user role based on the Report Operators profile. The Administrators role is global and cannot be scoped.

Granting Membership in a User Role

You can associate an Active Directory security group with a user role. To grant a user membership to the user role simply by adding the user to the AD security group associated with the user profile.

Additional Reading:

See Role-based Security in Operations Manager 2007 on the Microsoft TechNet website.

To make it easier to keep track of all the exam study notes published, we'll link to each post on the 70-400 Exam Study Guide here on the System Center Virtual User Group web site on the 70-400 Exam Study Guide Homepage. Watch the System Center Virtual User Group blog for regular updates

Only 12 days left in the System Center Solutions Contest!

2008-06-09T04:11:46Z

If you've not yet submitted your entry for the contest, you better hurry because time is running out! Through the courtesy of some amazing sponsors, we’ll be giving out some great prizes for your effort, including a Zune 2 portable media player to winners in each category and a grand prize of an XBox 360!

Just send us your custom solutions for any System Center product in any of the following categories:

Script or Report
Command Line or Web-based Tools, Add-ons or Utility
Management Pack
Configuration Pack

Rules and How to Enter

For complete rules, see the official contest rules and information on how you can enter, see official rules at the URL below: http://www.systemcenterusergroup.com/content/SCVUGContest.aspx

Deadline to Enter:

Contest entries will be accepted up until June 20^th, and winners announced on July 1^st.

Our Sponsors

70-400 Exam Study Notes: Section 1a - Configure Notifications

2008-06-02T22:53:00Z

As mentioned in the introductory post, we mentioned that this series will prepare you for the exam by helping readers understand how Operations Manager 2007 works and how to use the platform effectively. Section 1a in the exam 70-400 skills measured sheet is Configure Notifications.

Here is your study guide for this section of the exam.

Overview

To successfully configure notification in Operations Manager 2007, remember the following key points:

There are four notification channels available:

E-mail – Sends alerts through SMTP. You can configure redundant SMTP Servers
Instant Message – Sends alerts through the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
SMS – Sends alerts through short message service (SMS), which supports the transmission of short text messages to and from mobile phones. This requires a GSM modem attached to the Root Management Server
Command - Specifies a path to an application or script that can perform basic function, such as troubleshooting functions for a particular failure. There is a great example of how to use this channel on Walter Chomak’s blog

Alert Aging

This is Microsoft’s implementation of alert escalation in Operations Manager 2007. Each subscription configured to use alert aging sends one notification for each alert that has not been responded to in X minutes. For more information, see HERE. So for a tiered escalation strategy (one at 30 min, one at 60 min, etc), you’d need to create a subscription for escalation tier.

Configuration - Order of Operations

To configure notification in Operations Manager 2007, administrators must complete the following actions:

Enable a notification channel.
Create one or more Notification Recipients.
Create one or more Notification Subscriptions.

Hands-on Tasks

Step through the following tasks as documented on the Microsoft web site. Explore the redundancy options in the various notification channels.

System Center Virtual User Group Weblog

Additional Entries from the System Center Solutions Contest

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

And the winner is...

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: Final category winner of the System Center Solutions Contest - Management Pack

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: Third category winner of the System Center Solutions Contest - Scripts category

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: Second category winner of the System Center Solutions Contest - Command-line or Web-based Tool

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

Announcement: First category winner for System Center Solutions Contest

Thanks again to our contest sponsors

System Center Solutions Contest Update [07/06/2008]

Session downloads from System Center Virtual User Group Meeting #1

Agenda, Registration and International Dial-in numbers for today's user group meeting

Event Registration

Agenda

Meeting Details

System Center Solutions Contest - It's a wrap!

Our Sponsors

First Meeting of the System Center Virtual User Group is 6/26 (Time and Registration Info)

Meeting and Registration Details

Agenda

Speaker Profiles

Sponsors

Windows PowerShell Virtual User Group Meeting #6

Agenda:

Notes:

Sponsors/partners:

70-400 Exam Study Notes: Section 1b - Manage Roles

Profiles

Scope

Creating Custom Roles

Granting Membership in a User Role

Additional Reading:

Only 12 days left in the System Center Solutions Contest!

Our Sponsors

70-400 Exam Study Notes: Section 1a - Configure Notifications

Overview

Alert Aging

Configuration - Order of Operations

Hands-on Tasks

Recommended Reading for this Section