SCOM CONNECTOR QUICKSTART

GUIDE
A STARTERS GUIDE TO DEVELOPING PRODUCT CONNECTORS

Ambrose Wong
Microsoft Corporation
December 07

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Overview..........................................................................................................1
Sample Outbound Connector...........................................................................2
Development Platform..................................................................................3
Step-By-Step Instructions.............................................................................4
Create an Outbound Connector.................................................................5
Create An Application To Query and Close Alerts......................................8
Install the Outbound Connector...............................................................10
Simulate an Alert Scenario......................................................................16
Appendix A: About Knowledge Articles..........................................................21
Adding Your Own Company Knowledge Article...........................................23
Appendix B: Operations Manager 2007 Command Shell...............................26
Getting Details from an Alert......................................................................27
Query For Alert Properties..........................................................................29
Query for Monitor....................................................................................30
Query for Monitoring Rule.......................................................................31
Query for Management Pack...................................................................33
References.....................................................................................................34
Blogs...........................................................................................................34
Newsgroups................................................................................................34

OVERVIEW

A connector is a custom service or program that allows System Center

Operations Manager 2007 (SCOM) to communicate with external systems.
For example, you can create a connector that sends Operations Manager
alerts to an application that tracks the alerts. The application can use the
connector to send an update to Operations Manager, indicating that the
alert has been resolved.
You can develop a custom connector by using the Operations Manager
Connector Framework (OMCF). The OMCF provides methods and types that
you can use to initialize and manage a connector.
The following illustration shows the architecture of the SDK, and where
OMCF positions.

As a quickstart guide, this document focuses on developing a sample

outbound connector. You can easily use the same techniques to develop
other types of SDK client applications.
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Page
2

SAMPLE OUTBOUND CONNECTOR

In the diagram below, an outbound connector can send Operations Manager

alerts to external systems for alert tracking. Alerts closed by external
systems can update Operations Manager to reflect the change of alert
state.

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3

DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM

The samples in this document are developed and tested on the following
platforms:
1. Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition 32-bit (x86) with SP2, Active
Directory and Internet Information Services 6.0 enabled
2. System Center Operations Manager 2007
3. Microsoft Windows Server 2000/2003 Internet Information Services
Management Pack
4. Visual Studio 2005 Team Suite with SP1
5. SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition with SP2
6. Windows Powershell 1.0

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STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This section contains step-by-step instructions to produce a simulated

outbound connector scenario where an outbound connector subscribes to
and receives alerts. An accompanying application is used to close the alerts.
Note that the samples are implemented as simplified C# console
applications. In real settings the connector is usually implemented as a
service with more sophisticated error handling and event logging.
Also note the following:
1. The connectors alert subscriptions can be administered through
Operations Manager console to specify subscription groups, targets, and
criteria. They can also be administered programmatically through
Operations Manager SDK for more granular control.
2. Operations Manager polls for alerts every 30 seconds. The connectors
alert subscriptions are used to mark the alerts for forwarding.
3. The connector polls for alerts at a set interval (30 seconds in the
sample). Once alerts are retrieved from a poll, the connector can further
forward them to external systems for processing. Each alert has a unique
AlertId identifier.
4. The connector can optionally set application specific TicketId and
CustomField# values for the alert.

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CREATE AN OUTBOUND CONNECTOR

Base on the sample from How to Create Outbound Connectors, create a C#

console application called TestConn with the code below, with reference to
the following assemblies under C:\Program Files\System Center Operations
Manager 2007\SDK Binaries:
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.OperationsManager.dll
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.OperationsManager.Common.dll
using
using
using
using
using
using

System;
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement;
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.ConnectorFramework;
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Common;
System.Collections.ObjectModel;
System.Threading;

namespace OutboundConnector
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
ManagementGroup mg = new ManagementGroup("localhost");
ConnectorFrameworkAdministration cfAdmin =
mg.GetConnectorFrameworkAdministration();
Guid connectorGuid = new Guid("{6A1F8C0E-B8F1-4147-8C9B-5A2F98F10003}"); // Or
create/use your own Guid.
MonitoringConnector connector;
try
{
if (args.Length == 1)
{
if (args[0] == "InstallConnector")
{
ConnectorInfo info = new ConnectorInfo();
info.Description = "Sample connector";
info.DisplayName = "Sample connector";
info.Name = "Sample connector";
connector = cfAdmin.Setup(info, connectorGuid);
connector.Initialize();
Console.WriteLine("Created {0} with ID: {1}", connector.Name, connector.Id);
}
else if (args[0] == "UninstallConnector")
{
connector = cfAdmin.GetMonitoringConnector(connectorGuid);
ReadOnlyCollection<MonitoringConnectorSubscription> subscriptions;
subscriptions = cfAdmin.GetConnectorSubscriptions();

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foreach (MonitoringConnectorSubscription subscription in subscriptions)

{
if (subscription.MonitoringConnectorId == connectorGuid)
{
cfAdmin.DeleteConnectorSubscription(subscription);
}
}
connector.Uninitialize();
cfAdmin.Cleanup(connector);
Console.WriteLine("Connector removed.");
}
return;
}
connector = cfAdmin.GetMonitoringConnector(connectorGuid);
while (true)
{
ReadOnlyCollection<ConnectorMonitoringAlert> alerts;
alerts = connector.GetMonitoringAlerts();
if (alerts.Count > 0)
{
connector.AcknowledgeMonitoringAlerts(alerts);
}
int i = 1;
foreach (ConnectorMonitoringAlert alert in alerts)
{
// Here you can send the alert to the other management system.
Console.WriteLine("#{0} Alert received on {1}", i.ToString(), DateTime.Now);
Console.WriteLine(">> Id: {0}", alert.Id.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Category: {0}", alert.Category.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> ConnectorId: {0}", alert.ConnectorId.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> ConnectorStatus: {0}", alert.ConnectorStatus.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> RepeatCount: {0}", alert.RepeatCount.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> ResolutionState: {0}", alert.ResolutionState.ToString());
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(alert.ResolvedBy))
{
Console.WriteLine(">> ResolvedBy: {0}", alert.ResolvedBy.ToString());
}
Console.WriteLine(">> LastModified: {0}", alert.LastModified.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> LastModifiedByNonConnector: {0}",
alert.LastModifiedByNonConnector.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Priority: {0}", alert.Priority.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Severity: {0}", alert.Severity.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Description: {0}", alert.Description);
Console.WriteLine("");
i = i + 1;
}
//Wait for 30 sec before checking for new alerts again.
Console.WriteLine("Sleeping for 30 seconds...");

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Thread.Sleep(30 * 1000);
}
}
catch (MonitoringException error)
{
Console.WriteLine(error.Message);
}
}
}
}

Note that for the following ManagementGroup constructor in the above code:
ManagementGroup mg = new ManagementGroup("localhost");

In actual connector development you should consider which cache mode that
best fit your needs. The cache mode you want to use can be specified using
the ManagementGroupConnectionSettings object for the constructor.

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CREATE AN APPLICATION TO QUERY AND CLOSE ALERTS

Create a C# console application called Alerts with the code below, with
reference to the following assemblies under C:\Program Files\System Center
Operations Manager 2007\SDK Binaries:
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.OperationsManager.dll
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.OperationsManager.Common.dll
using
using
using
using

System;
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement;
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.ConnectorFramework;
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Monitoring;

namespace Alerts
{
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
if (args.Length != 2)
{
Console.WriteLine("Usage: alerts [get|set] [alertid]");
return;
}
string op = args[0].ToLower();
if ((op != "get") && (op != "set"))
{
Console.WriteLine("First parameter needs to be either 'get' or 'set'.");
return;
}
if (args[1].Length != 36)
{
Console.WriteLine("Second parameter needs to be an alert id guid in the format
xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx.");
return;
}
try
{
ManagementGroup mg = new ManagementGroup("localhost");
ConnectorFrameworkAdministration cfAdmin =
mg.GetConnectorFrameworkAdministration();
MonitoringAlert alert = mg.GetMonitoringAlert(new Guid(args[1]));
ManagementPack mp;
if (alert.IsMonitorAlert)
{
mp = mg.GetMonitor(alert.ProblemId).GetManagementPack();
}
else

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{
mp = mg.GetMonitoringRule(alert.MonitoringRuleId).GetManagementPack();
}
Console.WriteLine(">> Management Pack Id: {0}", mp.Id.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Id: {0}", alert.Id.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Category: {0}", alert.Category.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> ConnectorId: {0}", alert.ConnectorId.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> ConnectorStatus: {0}", alert.ConnectorStatus.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> RepeatCount: {0}", alert.RepeatCount.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> ResolutionState: {0}", alert.ResolutionState.ToString());
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(alert.ResolvedBy))
{
Console.WriteLine(">> ResolvedBy: {0}", alert.ResolvedBy.ToString());
}
Console.WriteLine(">> LastModified: {0}", alert.LastModified.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> LastModifiedByNonConnector: {0}",
alert.LastModifiedByNonConnector.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Priority: {0}", alert.Priority.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Severity: {0}", alert.Severity.ToString());
Console.WriteLine(">> Description: {0}", alert.Description);
if (op == "set")
{
Console.WriteLine("Setting ResolutionState to 255.");
alert.ResolutionState = 255;
alert.Update("Alert closed.");
}
}
catch (Exception e)
{
Console.WriteLine(e.Message);
}
}
}
}

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INSTALL THE OUTBOUND CONNECTOR

Run the following at the cmd prompt to install the outbound connector.
TestConn InstallConnector

In Operations Console, you should see the connector installed as "Sample

connector".

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Right-click on Sample connector and select Properties. You should see the
Properties dialog box as shown below.

Click the "Add" button to add a subscription for the connector.

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12

In the General tab, put "Test" for both Subscription Name and Description.

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13

In the Groups tab, select all groups.

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14

In the Targets tab, select "Forward alerts from targets are automatically,
including targets in Management Packs imported in the future."

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15

In the Criteria tab, select the following:

Error for Alerts of any of checked severity

High, Medium, and Low for Priority
New for Resolution State
All items in Category

Click the Update button to save the changes. You should now see Test listed
in the Subscriptions list.
Run the following at the cmd prompt to start polling for alerts every 30
seconds.
TestConn

Leave TestConn running and the cmd prompt window open.

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SIMULATE AN ALERT SCENARIO

Go to Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager from Administrative Tools,

and stop the Default Web Site.

In Operations Console, go to Monitoring tab and select Active Alerts. After a

short period you should see the alert about the stopped default web site.

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At the cmd prompt where TestConn is running, you should see the same alert
as received by the connector:
#1 Alert received on 12/14/2007 1:46:55 PM
>> Id: 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3
>> Category: PerformanceHealth
>> ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
>> ConnectorStatus: Pending
>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 0
>> LastModified: 12/14/2007 5:46:19 AM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/14/2007 5:46:19 AM
>> Priority: Low
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The Internet Information Services Web Site named W3SVC/1 is unav
ailable as the site has been stopped.

In the OperationsManager database you can see the alert in the Alert table:

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Note the AlertId and run the following command at the cmd prompt
(substitute the alert id with the one in your environment).
alerts get 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3

You should see an output similar to the following:

>> Management Pack Id: 7a920be5-d53c-fa2d-07a8-b415265e95b0
>> Id: 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3
>> Category: PerformanceHealth
>> ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
>> ConnectorStatus: SuccessfullyForwarded
>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 0
>> LastModified: 12/14/2007 5:46:19 AM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/14/2007 5:46:19 AM
>> Priority: Low
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The Internet Information Services Web Site named W3SVC/1 is unav
ailable as the site has been stopped.

Note that ConnectorStatus is SuccessfullyForwarded. ResolutionState is 0

(New).
Now run the following command at the cmd prompt to close the alert.
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alerts set 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3

Run the following command at the cmd prompt to check the status again.
alerts get 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3

You should see an output similar to the following from the "get" operation:
>> Management Pack Id: 7a920be5-d53c-fa2d-07a8-b415265e95b0
>> Id: 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3
>> Category: PerformanceHealth
>> ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
>> ConnectorStatus: Pending
>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 255
>> ResolvedBy: TESTDOMAIN\Administrator
>> LastModified: 12/14/2007 6:01:13 AM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/14/2007 6:01:13 AM
>> Priority: Low
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The Internet Information Services Web Site named W3SVC/1 is unav
ailable as the site has been stopped.

Note that ConnectorStatus is now Pending, with ResolutionState set to 255

(Closed) and ResolvedBy set to the credential that was used to connect to
Operations Manager.
In the cmd prompt where TestConn is running, you should also see an output
similar to the following notifying that the alert is closed:
#1 Alert received on 12/14/2007 2:02:02 PM
>> Id: 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3
>> Category: PerformanceHealth
>> ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
>> ConnectorStatus: Pending
>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 255
>> ResolvedBy: TESTDOMAIN\Administrator
>> LastModified: 12/14/2007 6:01:13 AM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/14/2007 6:01:13 AM
>> Priority: Low
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The Internet Information Services Web Site named W3SVC/1 is unav
ailable as the site has been stopped.

Since the alert is closed, you should see the alert disappear from Operations
Consoles Active Alerts list.
Run Alerts with "get" operation again, and you should see an output similar
to the following:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>

Management Pack Id: 7a920be5-d53c-fa2d-07a8-b415265e95b0

Id: 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3
Category: PerformanceHealth
ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
ConnectorStatus: SuccessfullyForwarded

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>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 255
>> ResolvedBy: TESTDOMAIN\Administrator
>> LastModified: 12/14/2007 6:01:13 AM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/14/2007 6:01:13 AM
>> Priority: Low
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The Internet Information Services Web Site named W3SVC/1 is unav
ailable as the site has been stopped.

Note that the ConnectorStatus is now set to SuccessfullyForwarded, meaning

the connector has successfully processed the notification.
The test scenario is now complete.

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Page
22

APPENDIX A: ABOUT KNOWLEDGE ARTICLES

A product knowledge article is a knowledge article that resides in a sealed

management pack. A company knowledge article resides in an unsealed
management pack.
Knowledge articles are tied to monitors or monitoring rules. Below is a
sample code fragment that demonstrates how you can get all knowledge
articles that tie to an alerts monitor. For monitoring rules, use
alert.MonitoringRuleId instead of alert.ProblemId.
ReadOnlyCollection<MonitoringKnowledgeArticle> kbs =
mg.GetMonitoringKnowledgeArticles(alert.ProblemId);
foreach (MonitoringKnowledgeArticle kb in kbs)
{
Console.WriteLine("KB ID: {0}", kb.Id.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("KB ElementReference: {0}", kb.ElementReference.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("KB LanguageCode: {0}", kb.LanguageCode.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("KB Status: {0}", kb.Status.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("KB Visible: {0}", kb.Visible.ToString());
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(kb.MamlContent))
Console.WriteLine("KB MAML: {0}", kb.MamlContent.ToString());
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(kb.HtmlContent))
Console.WriteLine("KB HTML: {0}", kb.HtmlContent.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("MP ID: {0}", kb.GetManagementPack().Id.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("MP FriendlyName: {0}", kb.GetManagementPack().FriendlyName.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("MP DisplayName: {0}", kb.GetManagementPack().DisplayName.ToString());
Console.WriteLine("MP Name: {0}", kb.GetManagementPack().Name.ToString());
}

The output from the above code fragment shows the product knowledge
article for the Default Web Site stopped alert from the sample outbound
connector scenario.
KB ID: 6c4a6080-3fe1-1e9f-717c-15fb118c92d3
KB ElementReference: ManagementPackElementUniqueIdentifier=ce89d4d4-8264-8c51-5c
d9-a1ff0e314cdd
KB LanguageCode: ENU
KB Status: Unchanged
KB Visible: True
KB MAML: <maml:section xmlns:maml="http://schemas.microsoft.com/maml/2004/10"><m
aml:title>Summary</maml:title><maml:para>This monitor checks the status of the I
IS Web sites. If you receive an alert from this monitor, action is required in o
rder to bring the Web site back to an operational state.</maml:para><maml:para /
><maml:para>Operational States:</maml:para><maml:para>An IIS Web site can be eit
her in a "Running" or "Not Running" operational state.</maml:para><maml:para /><
/maml:section><maml:section xmlns:maml="http://schemas.microsoft.com/maml/2004/1
0"><maml:title>Causes</maml:title><maml:para>An IIS Web site can stop for many r
easons, including:</maml:para><maml:list><maml:listItem><maml:para>The Web site
was stopped by an administrator</maml:para></maml:listItem><maml:listItem><maml:
para>The Web site was stopped by IIS due to one or more errors that occured duri
ng run time.</maml:para></maml:listItem><maml:listItem><maml:para>The Web site w
as improperly configured which caused it to fail or prevented it from starting.<
/maml:para><maml:para /></maml:listItem></maml:list></maml:section><maml:section
xmlns:maml="http://schemas.microsoft.com/maml/2004/10"><maml:title>Resolutions<

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/maml:title><maml:para>If an IIS Web site is "Not Running" you can diagnose the
issue or restart the site by taking the following actions:</maml:para><maml:list
><maml:listItem><maml:para>Check for additional Web site related alerts that mig
ht have occurred concurrently. These alerts might help better identify the reaso
n why the service entered a "Not Running" state.</maml:para></maml:listItem><mam
l:listItem><maml:para>Review the event logs on the managed computer, and correct
any underlying problems that might have caused the web site to stop unexpectedl
y.</maml:para></maml:listItem><maml:listItem><maml:para>Use the following Task t
o attempt to restart the Web Site.</maml:para><maml:para><maml:navigationLink><m
aml:linkText>Start IIS Web Site</maml:linkText><maml:uri condition="Task" href="
Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.2003.WebSite.StartWebSite.Task&amp
;tasktarget={$TARGET$}" uri="MOM.Console.Exe" /></maml:navigationLink></maml:par
a></maml:listItem></maml:list><maml:para /></maml:section><maml:section xmlns:ma
ml="http://schemas.microsoft.com/maml/2004/10"><maml:title>Configuration</maml:t
itle><maml:para>This monitor doesn't include any configuration settings that can
be modified.</maml:para><maml:para /></maml:section>
MP ID: 7a920be5-d53c-fa2d-07a8-b415265e95b0
MP FriendlyName: Windows Internet Information Services 2003
MP DisplayName: Windows Server Internet Information Services 2003
MP Name: Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.2003

Note that the GUID for the knowledge articles ElementReference is the
monitor or monitoring rule ID, which helps tie them together.

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ADDING YOUR OWN COMPANY KNOWLEDGE ARTICLE

For many organizations, having company knowledge to accompany the

monitors or monitoring rules alert is desirable to achieve operational
excellence with System Center Operations Manager.
Company Knowledge article can be added through Operations Console:

As external system tracks alerts from Operations Manager, corresponding

company-specific knowledge information about the monitors or monitoring
rules alerts can be added.
Note:
You cannot modify knowledge articles that reside in sealed management
pack. To add your company knowledge article, you need to save it in an
unsealed management pack. Although there is a default management pack
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available, best practices dictate that you do not use the default management
pack to store information such as company knowledge articles and overrides.
You should create your own management packs to store such information.
To create a management pack, you can use Operations Console, go to
Administration tab, right-click on Management Packs, and select Create
Management Pack.

Once you created your unsealed management pack, you can use getmanagementpack cmdlet to get the management packs ID. Below is a
sample get-managementpack output for a management pack called Test
Management Pack (refer to "Operations Manager 2007 Command Shell" for
additional information on cmdlets).
>get-managementpack -name "Test.Management.Pack"
Name
TimeCreated
LastModified
KeyToken

: Test.Management.Pack
: 1/4/2008 4:47:54 PM
: 1/4/2008 4:47:54 PM
:

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Version
: 1.0.0.0
Id
: 9ec718e3-f75b-bbb6-9707-e09d42569587
VersionId
: f9d0700b-f34c-40ff-96dc-f890e69ddfa8
References
: {Microsoft.SystemCenter.Library}
Sealed
: False
ContentReadable
: True
FriendlyName
: Test Management Pack
DisplayName
: Test Management Pack
Description
: Test Management Pack
DefaultLanguageCode : ENU
LockObject
: System.Object

Note the management pack ID.

Below is a sample code fragment that demonstrates how you can add your
own company knowledge article to the Test Management Pack in response to
an alert.
ManagementPackMonitor mon = mg.GetMonitor(alert.ProblemId);
ManagementPack mp = mg.GetManagementPack(new Guid("9ec718e3-f75b-bbb6-9707e09d42569587"));
ManagementPackKnowledgeArticle newkb = new ManagementPackKnowledgeArticle(mon, "ENU",
mp);
newkb.MamlContent = "<maml:section
xmlns:maml=\"http://schemas.microsoft.com/maml/2004/10\"><maml:title>Summary</maml:title
><maml:para>Sample Summary</maml:para></maml:section>";
mp.AcceptChanges();

The code fragment above stores MAML formatted knowledge article in

MamlContent property. You can elect to store HTML formatted knowledge
article in HtmlContent property:
newkb.HtmlContent = "<html><B>Summary</B><P>Sample Summary</P></html>";

However, note that you cannot edit the company knowledge article through
Operations Console if your content is stored in HtmlContent property.

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APPENDIX B: OPERATIONS MANAGER 2007 COMMAND SHELL

Throughout the test scenario described in this document, you can use
Operations Manager 2007 cmdlets in the command shell to get additional
information about various objects, including alerts, monitors, targets,
management packs, etc.
You can start Operations Manager 2007 Command Shell by going to
Start...All ProgramsSystem Center Operations Manager 2007Command
Shell. The command shell script is
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.OperationsManager.ClientShell.Startup.ps1
in the installation folder.
Below is an Operations Manager 2007 Command Shell prompt.

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GETTING DETAILS FROM AN ALERT

You can get alert details by using get-alert cmdlet and the alert id from the
connector.
For the following output from the sample connector:
#1 Alert received on 12/27/2007 7:04:55 AM
>> Id: 11f18e2a-1aa0-4adc-a2f8-69d216ac1e60
>> Category: PerformanceHealth
>> ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
>> ConnectorStatus: Pending
>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 0
>> LastModified: 12/27/2007 7:05:16 AM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/27/2007 7:05:16 AM
>> Priority: Low
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The Internet Information Services Web Site named W3SVC/1 is unav
ailable as the site has been stopped.

Note the Id value, and use get-alert cmdlet to get detailed information
regarding the alert:
>get-alert -id 11f18e2a-1aa0-4adc-a2f8-69d216ac1e60
Id
Name

: 11f18e2a-1aa0-4adc-a2f8-69d216ac1e60
: Microsoft Windows Internet Information Servic
es 2003 Web Site is Unavailable.
Description
: The Internet Information Services Web Site na
med W3SVC/1 is unavailable as the site has be
en stopped.
MonitoringObjectId
: 6aaa027f-2915-8021-e2bf-3ff0b5eec611
MonitoringClassId
: 648f8c95-dd28-84dd-dc64-eb08ee364d32
MonitoringObjectDisplayName
: Default Web Site
MonitoringObjectName
: W3SVC/1
MonitoringObjectPath
: vpc-w03.testdomain.com
MonitoringObjectFullName
: Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices
.2003.WebSite:vpc-w03.testdomain.com;W3SVC/1
IsMonitorAlert
: True
ProblemId
: ce89d4d4-8264-8c51-5cd9-a1ff0e314cdd
MonitoringRuleId
: ce89d4d4-8264-8c51-5cd9-a1ff0e314cdd
ResolutionState
:0
Priority
: Low
Severity
: Error
Category
: PerformanceHealth
Owner
:
ResolvedBy
:
TimeRaised
: 12/27/2007 7:04:55 AM
TimeAdded
: 12/27/2007 7:04:56 AM
LastModified
: 12/27/2007 7:05:16 AM
LastModifiedBy
: Connector Framework Alert Write Action
TimeResolved
:
TimeResolutionStateLastModified : 12/27/2007 7:04:55 AM

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CustomField1
CustomField2
CustomField3
CustomField4
CustomField5
CustomField6
CustomField7
CustomField8
CustomField9
CustomField10
TicketId
Context

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

: <DataItem type="System.PropertyBagData" time=

"2007-12-27T15:04:55.9448448+08:00" sourceHea
lthServiceId="895BD899-3400-4077-5858-55B9DFA
805F8"><Property Name="W3SVC/1" VariantType="
19">4</Property></DataItem>
ConnectorId
: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
LastModifiedByNonConnector
: 12/27/2007 7:05:16 AM
MonitoringObjectInMaintenanceMode : False
MonitoringObjectHealthState
: Error
ConnectorStatus
: SuccessfullyForwarded
RepeatCount
:0
NetbiosComputerName
: VPC-W03
NetbiosDomainName
: TESTDOMAIN
PrincipalName
: vpc-w03.testdomain.com
SiteName
:
MaintenanceModeLastModified
: 1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM
StateLastModified
: 12/27/2007 7:04:55 AM
Parameters
: {W3SVC/1}
ManagementGroup
: TestOpsMgrGroup
ManagementGroupId
: 063e1751-ae67-b39f-f191-ad32b6df5357

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30

QUERY FOR ALERT PROPERTIES

Note the following alert properties:

...
MonitoringObjectId
MonitoringClassId
...
IsMonitorAlert
ProblemId
MonitoringRuleId
...

: 6aaa027f-2915-8021-e2bf-3ff0b5eec611
: 648f8c95-dd28-84dd-dc64-eb08ee364d32
: True
: ce89d4d4-8264-8c51-5cd9-a1ff0e314cdd
: ce89d4d4-8264-8c51-5cd9-a1ff0e314cdd

You can use additional cmdlets to get more information about these
properties.
MonitoringObjectId:
>get-monitoringobject -id 6aaa027f-2915-8021-e2bf-3ff0b5eec611
Id
: 6aaa027f-2915-8021-e2bf-3ff0b5eec611
PathName
: Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.2003.WebSite%003
avpc%002dw03.testdomain.com%003bW3SVC%002f1
DisplayName
: Default Web Site
ManagementMode :
ManagementGroup : TestOpsMgrGroup
HealthState
: Error
OperationalState :

MonitoringClassId:
>get-monitoringclass -id 648f8c95-dd28-84dd-dc64-eb08ee364d32
ManagementGroup : TestOpsMgrGroup
ManagementGroupId : 063e1751-ae67-b39f-f191-ad32b6df5357
Abstract
: False
Base
: ManagementPackElementUniqueIdentifier=294f206e-08aa-6dc1-1bd
7-a72ce272f365
Hosted
: True
Singleton
: False
PropertyCollection : {ApplicationPoolName, ApplicationPoolID}
XmlTag
: ClassType
Accessibility
: Public
Name
: Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.2003.WebSite
Id
: 648f8c95-dd28-84dd-dc64-eb08ee364d32
DisplayName
: IIS 2003 Web Site
Description
: All IIS Web sites that are running on the Windows 2003 versi
on of Internet Information Services (IIS).
LanguageCode
: ENU
Comment
:
Status
: Unchanged
LastModified
: 11/21/2007 4:23:13 PM
TimeAdded
: 11/21/2007 4:23:13 PM

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31

For the Base property value, you can use the same get-monitoringclass
cmdlet.
QUERY FOR MONITOR

If IsMonitorAlert is True, ProblemId contains the ID of the corresponding

monitor. Otherwise MonitoringRuleId contains the ID of the corresponding
monitoring rule.
In the Default Web Site stopped scenario, IsMonitorAlert is True, so ProblemId
contains the ID of the monitor.
>get-monitor -criteria:"Id='ce89d4d4-8264-8c51-5cd9-a1ff0e314cdd'"
ManagementGroup
: TestOpsMgrGroup
ManagementGroupId
: 063e1751-ae67-b39f-f191-ad32b6df5357
HasNonCategoryOverride
: False
TypeID
: ManagementPackElementUniqueIdentifier=dfc7fdae-1e873667-8460-c2a258859f5f
ConfirmDelivery
: False
OperationalStateCollection : {Good, Bad}
Configuration
: <PeriodInSeconds>60</PeriodInSeconds><SiteID>$Target
/Property[Type="IISCommon!Microsoft.Windows.Internet
InformationServices.WebSite"]/SiteID$</SiteID>
XmlTag
: UnitMonitor
Enabled
: onEssentialMonitoring
Target
: ManagementPackElementUniqueIdentifier=648f8c95-dd2884dd-dc64-eb08ee364d32
ParentMonitorID
: ManagementPackElementUniqueIdentifier=a6c69968-61aaa6b9-db6e-83a0da6110ea
Remotable
: True
Priority
: Normal
RunAs
:
Category
: PerformanceHealth
AlertSettings
: Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Configuration.Managem
entPackMonitorAlertSettings
Accessibility
: Public
Name
: Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.2003.W
ebSite.WebSiteStatusCheck.Monitor
Id
: ce89d4d4-8264-8c51-5cd9-a1ff0e314cdd
DisplayName
: A Windows Internet Information Service Web Site is U
navailable.
Description
:
LanguageCode
: ENU
Comment
:
Status
: Unchanged
LastModified
: 11/21/2007 4:23:13 PM
TimeAdded
: 11/21/2007 4:23:26 PM

Note that for the get-monitor cmdlet above, the "Id" for criteria is case
sensitive.
The TypeID perperty value contains the ID for the monitors type. In this
case, this is a UnitMonitor as see from the XmlTag property value.
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32

For the Target GUID, you can use get-monitoringclass cmdlet.

For the ParentMonitorID GUID, you can use get-monitor cmdlet.
QUERY FOR MONITORING RULE

If IsMonitorAlert is False, the alert is from a monitoring rule, in which case the
MonitoringRuleId contains the ID of the monitoring rule.
Instead of stopping the Default Web Site in the test scenario, you can try
stopping the OpsMgr Health Service. The resulting alert from TestConn will be
similar to below:
#1 Alert received on 12/30/2007 12:58:56 AM
>> Id: 45572286-77a9-40ba-9ec1-024d02d721e9
>> Category: Alert
>> ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
>> ConnectorStatus: Pending
>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 0
>> LastModified: 12/29/2007 1:42:44 PM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/29/2007 1:42:44 PM
>> Priority: Normal
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The root health service (Healthservice) has either stopped or pa
used soon after Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:39:50 GMT. This adversly affects all availab
ility calculation for the entire management group.

Run the get-alert cmdlet with the alert ID:

>get-alert -id 45572286-77a9-40ba-9ec1-024d02d721e9
Id
Name
Description

: 45572286-77a9-40ba-9ec1-024d02d721e9
: Root Health Service stopped.
: The root health service (Healthservice) has e
ither stopped or paused soon after Sat, 29 De
c 2007 13:39:50 GMT. This adversly affects al
l availability calculation for the entire man
agement group.
MonitoringObjectId
: 895bd899-3400-4077-5858-55b9dfa805f8
MonitoringClassId
: ab4c891f-3359-3fb6-0704-075fbfe36710
MonitoringObjectDisplayName
: vpc-w03.testdomain.com
MonitoringObjectName
:
MonitoringObjectPath
: vpc-w03.testdomain.com
MonitoringObjectFullName
: Microsoft.SystemCenter.HealthService:vpc-w03.
testdomain.com
IsMonitorAlert
: False
ProblemId
: a1297c9f-b5bc-e817-ec77-cc246008d2af
MonitoringRuleId
: a1297c9f-b5bc-e817-ec77-cc246008d2af
ResolutionState
:0
Priority
: Normal
Severity
: Error
Category
: Alert
Owner
:
ResolvedBy
:

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33

TimeRaised
: 12/29/2007 1:41:57 PM
TimeAdded
: 12/29/2007 1:41:57 PM
LastModified
: 12/29/2007 1:42:44 PM
LastModifiedBy
: Connector Framework Alert Write Action
TimeResolved
:
TimeResolutionStateLastModified : 12/29/2007 1:41:57 PM
CustomField1
:
CustomField2
:
CustomField3
:
CustomField4
:
CustomField5
:
CustomField6
:
CustomField7
:
CustomField8
:
CustomField9
:
CustomField10
:
TicketId
:
Context
:
ConnectorId
: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
LastModifiedByNonConnector
: 12/29/2007 1:42:44 PM
MonitoringObjectInMaintenanceMode : False
MonitoringObjectHealthState
: Success
ConnectorStatus
: SuccessfullyForwarded
RepeatCount
:0
NetbiosComputerName
: VPC-W03
NetbiosDomainName
: TESTDOMAIN
PrincipalName
: vpc-w03.testdomain.com
SiteName
:
MaintenanceModeLastModified
: 1/1/1900 12:00:00 AM
StateLastModified
: 12/29/2007 1:33:02 AM
Parameters
: {}
ManagementGroup
: TestOpsMgrGroup
ManagementGroupId
: 063e1751-ae67-b39f-f191-ad32b6df5357

In this case IsMonitorAlert is False. You can use get-rule cmdlet with the
MonitoringRuleId to get more information about the monitoring rule:
>get-rule -id a1297c9f-b5bc-e817-ec77-cc246008d2af
ManagementGroup
: TestOpsMgrGroup
ManagementGroupId
: 063e1751-ae67-b39f-f191-ad32b6df5357
HasNonCategoryOverride : False
Enabled
: true
Target
: ManagementPackElementUniqueIdentifier=9189a49e-b2de-cab0
-2e4f-4925b68e335d
ConfirmDelivery
: True
Remotable
: True
Priority
: Normal
DiscardLevel
: 100
Category
: Alert
ConditionDetection
:
DataSourceCollection : {EventDS}
WriteActionCollection : {GenerateAlert}
XmlTag
: Rule
Name
: Microsoft.SystemCenter.SDKService.PrincipleManagementSer
verDown.Alert
Id
: a1297c9f-b5bc-e817-ec77-cc246008d2af
DisplayName
: Root Management Server Unavailable
Description
: Alert generating rule for when the Root Management Serve

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34

r is not reachable from this Management Servers SDK serv

ice.
LanguageCode
: ENU
Comment
:
Status
: Unchanged
LastModified
: 11/21/2007 3:54:25 PM
TimeAdded
: 11/21/2007 3:54:28 PM

QUERY FOR MANAGEMENT PACK

To get the an alerts corresponding management pack, notice the

Management Pack ID from the Alerts sample output:
>> Management Pack Id: 7a920be5-d53c-fa2d-07a8-b415265e95b0
>> Id: 3a07c24d-a13c-43b3-be44-f6cab6ecffb3
>> Category: PerformanceHealth
>> ConnectorId: 6a1f8c0e-b8f1-4147-8c9b-5a2f98f10003
>> ConnectorStatus: SuccessfullyForwarded
>> RepeatCount: 0
>> ResolutionState: 0
>> LastModified: 12/14/2007 5:46:19 AM
>> LastModifiedByNonConnector: 12/14/2007 5:46:19 AM
>> Priority: Low
>> Severity: Error
>> Description: The Internet Information Services Web Site named W3SVC/1 is unav
ailable as the site has been stopped.

You can use get-managementpack cmdlet with the ID to get more

information about the management pack:
>get-managementpack -id 7a920be5-d53c-fa2d-07a8-b415265e95b0
Name
: Microsoft.Windows.InternetInformationServices.2003
TimeCreated
: 11/21/2007 4:23:13 PM
LastModified
: 11/21/2007 4:23:13 PM
KeyToken
: 31bf3856ad364e35
Version
: 6.0.5000.0
Id
: 7a920be5-d53c-fa2d-07a8-b415265e95b0
VersionId
: 5c1a10e7-8776-44fc-5713-6f462352ebe8
References
: {Microsoft.SystemCenter.DataWarehouse.Library, Microsoft.Wi
ndows.InternetInformationServices.CommonLibrary, Microsoft.
Windows.Library, System.Performance.Library...}
Sealed
: True
ContentReadable
: True
FriendlyName
: Windows Internet Information Services 2003
DisplayName
: Windows Server Internet Information Services 2003
Description
: Microsoft Windows Server Internet Information Services 2003
Management Pack: This management pack discovers and monito
rs Windows Server Internet Information Services 2003.
DefaultLanguageCode : ENU
LockObject
: System.Object

Page
35

Page
36

REFERENCES

System Center Operations Manager 2007 SDK

How to Create Outbound Connectors
Operations Manager 2007 Key Concepts Guide
Operations Manager 2007 Quick Start Guide
Microsoft Windows Server 2000/2003 Internet Information Services
Management Pack
Microsoft Windows Internet Information Services Management Pack Guide
Latest Management Packs
Latest Management Pack Guides
BLOGS

Operations Manager Product Team Blog

Jakub@Work
OpesMgr++
Notes on System Center Operations Manager
OpsMgr, SCE And MOM Blog
Matt Goedtel on Operations Management
System Center Operations Manager Command Shell
NEWSGROUPS

Look for microsoft.public.opsmgr newsgroups on

http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

<><><>

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