Transfer SCOM from component to service monitoring Dieter Wijckmans

About me Scug.be

Motto

Agenda ScopePinpointing the problemDefining the gainThe path to successMaking it all work to impress

SCOPE

Pinpointing the problem

Do I have a problem? I’m getting alerts so everything works, right? It’s not me, it’s the users. I have everything monitored so I have 360 monitoring Phase 1: Denial

Do I have a problem? Ok people are complaining that they get too many alerts when something happens… Ok I can’t pinpoint right away the issue… I might have room for improvement… Phase 2: Recognition

Do I have a problem? Hmmm how can I change the way SCOM works to get the users of my back? Maybe I can implement SLA’s and SLO’s to show management. That’s it! I’m ready for a change! Phase 3: Acceptance

Defining the gain

What do I get out of it? Instant gains Find the relationships between objects Less alerts Direct root cause analasys Happy users

What do I get out of it? Gains in the long run Easier and cooler SCOM dashboards SLA’s and SLO’s on the services instead of the objects Witness the true power of SCOM Become the cool SCOM admin…

The path to success

Start small… Rule 1: Start small Rule 2: Keep asking questions Rule 3: Never believe “documentation” Rule 4: Test, test and test.

Rule 1: Start small No point in tackling the big apps firstPeople will have to get used to the new way of monitoringBe prepared for resistanceInvolve the right people

Rule 2: Keep asking questions Explain what you are trying to do.Ask the right questions.Ask, ask, ask, evaluate, ask, validate,…

Rule 3: Never believe “documentation” Famous quotes: “Yes we have this fully documented and will have this delivered by the end of the day” “It’s all in the document right?” “The things you are asking we already know.” Find everything you need first hand.

Rule 4: test, test and test Make sure to test: The alert roll up All the components. Best or worst health rollup model Ask to test => waiting for “it” to happen is not testing!

Making it all work

Phase 1: Get all the building blocks Take your documentation and get all the components lined up and ready to go. Check the health of the components Check the monitoring of the components to avoid false positives

Phase 2: Build the service DA Create the distributed applicationCreate the object groupsFill the object groups with the objects

Phase 3: Define the relationships Check the relationships of the object groupsDefine the alert flowCheck your test scenario

Key takeaways

Move away from components and think in services Never believe the info at hand Virtually everything is a service in IT Start small: Rome was not built in a day.

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