Saturday 4 June 2011

Scheduling SCOM Maintenance Mode - Centrally, not via a scheduled task!

I've just noticed over on the Operations Manager blog that they've released the OpsMgr 2007 R2 Admin Resource Kit.
http://blogs.technet.com/b/momteam/archive/2011/06/03/system-center-operations-manager-2007-r2-admin-reskit-released.aspx

The tool that caught my eye was the Scheduled Maintenance Mode Tool, giving the ability to schedule and manage maintenance mode in the management group.

From the blog post:

The tool provides the following features:
  • Ability to schedule any type of object to be placed into maintenance mode in the form of a Job
  • Group support including nested groups
  • Automatically places Health Service Watcher in maintenance with computer
  • Blocks RMS from being placed in maintenance
  • Support for Run Once, daily, weekly, and monthly schedules (including complex scenarios like "second Tuesday of the month")
  • Ability to cancel a maintenance Job where everything will be removed from maintenance automatically
  • History Report
I can't wait to get this tested, the biggest points for me are:
  1. Being able to pop servers into and out of maint mode without scripting or setting up individual tasks, i.e. Being able to control Maint Mode from a central point
  2. Having all the data in the SCOM DB, allowing for reporting and backup/DR
Download can be found here:
 
After taking a quick look at the included guide, it's got some errors in it :(
 
After you've installed the ResKit, you'll find the files in the default location of:
C:\Program Files (x86)\System Center\SystemCenter Operations Manager 2007 R2 Admin Reskit

In the "Getting Started" part of the guide, it says:
  • 2. Import the Management Pack (ScheduleMaintenanceMode.Library.xml)
This should be...
  • 2. Import the Management Pack (ScheduleMaintenanceMode.Library.mp)


In the "Setting up the Management Pack" part of the guide, it says:
  • On the RMS, copy the following files to the install path (in most cases C:\Program Files\System Center Operations Manager 2007)
  • o EnableMmodeWriteActionModule.dll
  • o Interop.MOMSCRIPTAPILib.dll
This should be...
  • On the RMS, copy the following files to the install path (in most cases C:\Program Files\System Center Operations Manager 2007)
  • o EnableMmodeWriteActionModule.dll
  • o MOMSCRIPTAPILib.dll


In the "Setting up the Console" part of the guide, it says:

From the correct platform (x64 or x86) file, unzip and copy SchedulingAlertSuppression.exe to a directory on the computer you wish to run the console on. 

Double-click SchedulingAlertSuppression.exe
 
This should be...
 
Nothing to unzip, copy ScheduleMaintenanceMode.exe to a directory on the computer you wish to run the console on.
 
 
 
I haven't been any further in the documentation yet as I've not presently got access to an RMS, however these are minor errors in the document, just be aware that names etc may have changed between writing the guide and release.
 
I am however looking forward to seeing the console views and reports etc.
 



  
 
 

1 comment:

Dominique said...

Hello,

I have done all these steps thank you for all these clarifications...
I thoght my eyes were falling reading the documentation and not finding SchedulingAlertSuppression.exe...
etc...
Now I am trying to enable the Trace but I could not find the rule(s)?...

Thnaks,
Dom