What is System Center? Part 1
On the eve of the release of new versions of products of the System Center family, versions of 2012 , I think it would not be superfluous to recall what System Center is in principle. Firstly, such a brief overview can serve as a starting point for the subsequent more detailed consideration of specific products, their capabilities and usage scenarios. Secondly, I never liked the way this information is presented on microsoft.com. That is, perhaps, from the point of view of an IT manager or a marketer, the information there is presented exactly as it should, but for some reason I always lacked clarity and concreteness.
So, System Center (SC) is a family of specialized IT infrastructure management products. You will get the maximum effect from SC if the infrastructure is built on the Microsoft platform. However, the use of various SC tools in heterogeneous environments can also be surprisingly useful. Next, we list what specific products are included in SC with the latest versions and tasks that each of them solves. Currently SC includes:
System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 - for proactive monitoring of key IT facilities;
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 - for configuring servers and workstations;
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 - for centralized management of virtual machines and virtualization servers;
System Center Data Protection Manager 2010 - for backing up and restoring critical data;
System Center Service Manager 2010 - to automate incident management;
Opalis - for the integration of SC products and automation based on this integration of the organization's IT processes;
System Center Essentials 2010 - for monitoring, protecting and managing IT infrastructure in medium-sized organizations.
Now let's characterize each of the products of the family. In this post I will start with the first three - the most famous and popular.
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System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 (OpsMgr)
OpsMgr is designed for proactive monitoring of key IT facilities. First of all, key objects are Windows servers, but they can also be Linux servers, active network equipment or, for example, specific .NET applications.
Single monitoring console . During the configuration process, the administrator tells OpsMgr what objects need to be monitored, sets OpsMgr agents to selected objects (monitoring is possible without agents), after which information about the state of objects is periodically sent to the OpsMgr server, accumulated and displayed in the so-called operator console. Thus, the operator actually receives in one window operational information on the state of the infrastructure.
Management Packs . How does OpsMgr “learn” how to monitor a particular server, what parameters need to be analyzed, what values ​​of these parameters indicate a potential problem? In order for OpsMgr to be able to monitor, it is necessary to download the corresponding Management Pack (MP) into OpsMgr. For example, you load into OpsMgr MP for Windows Server, and OpsMgr “knows” which events need to be checked in the System log, which performance counters need to be monitored, etc., in order to “understand” that everything is in order with the server. Or download MP for Exchange, and OpsMgr “understands” in which ranges the Exchange Server parameters should be in order to conclude that the “mail” service is functioning normally, or, on the contrary, it is necessary to take urgent steps. And just as well, OpsMgr is able to provide, for example, information about the state of a particular SQL Server database installed inside a virtual machine. Thus, the product provides monitoring of both physical and virtual infrastructure.
Proactive monitoring . Each MP contains a description of the so-called health model of the product or service for which the MP is designed. If during the monitoring a deviation from the “healthy” state is detected, an alert (alert) appears in the operator console. At the same time, information (knowledge base) is included in MP about what needs to be done if one or another alert occurs. In some cases, OpsMgr is able to automatically react to an alert and take the necessary actions, say, run a script that will clear the SQL Server transaction log when the log is filled to a certain level. But the main consequence of this architecture is proactivity. OpsMgr will warn you of a brewing problem before this problem actually occurs and affects the operation of the infrastructure and users.
And one more important point. MP for a product or service is developed by those who develop the product or service itself. MP for Exchange creates Exchange team. And who besides them knows better what parameters and how to monitor? There is an MP for each Microsoft server product, which can be downloaded for free from microsoft.com. But there is also MP for monitoring Linux servers or, say, CISCO routers. True, third-party MPs are usually not free.
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 (SCCM)
SCCM allows the administrator to solve several tasks related to the configuration of servers and workstations of the company. And most importantly, decide remotely. SCCM is a fairly tough and attractive administrator tool in the sense that it implements most actions, regardless of the desire of the computer user. The latter, of course, implies the existence of Active Directory infrastructure and administrative rights to the respective workstations and servers.
You must install an SCCM client on the computers you want to manage. It should be immediately noted that only MS operating systems are supported, starting with Windows 2000. Moreover, SCCM offers several options for automatic detection of computers on the network, and after detection, the installation of an SCCM client is possible and invisible for the user. After installing clients in the SCCM console, you see the computers of your organization and you can perform a whole range of tasks on their various subsets.
Inventory hardware and software . SCCM will not tell you which memory stripes and which slots on the motherboard are installed. But to understand, for example, which computers from the hardware point of view are ready to install a new version of your company's super-business application, will even help. As well as on what machines this new version is already installed.
Install software and updates . With the help of SCCM, you can automatically and remotely install the necessary software on the desired group of computers. Moreover, unlike group policies, SCCM does not limit you to distributions, in which there is an installation file in the msi format. A special case of this feature is the installation of updates (patches and fixes).
Desired Configuration . The Desired Configuration mechanism (desired configuration) checks the software installed on client machines for compliance with internal policies, which with the growth of the organization has traditionally become more and more. For example, whether the correct version of the operating system is installed, whether all the necessary applications are installed and configured appropriately, whether there are any prohibited applications.
Install the operating system . This feature provides the administrator with a tool for creating images of operating systems that can later be automatically installed on managed computers that already have an SCCM agent installed, or on unmanaged (or generally empty) computers using PXE, bootable DVD / CDs, etc.
Diagnose and troubleshoot . There are also certain tools for remote control, including keyboard interception, which allow an IT professional to take control of the machine and fix the problems that arise.
Thus, if OpsMgr is an “all-seeing eye”, then SCCM is the eyes and hands of an invisible admin.
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 (VMM)
The primary goal of VMM is to provide convenient centralized management of multiple virtual machines (VMs). When you have a couple of physical servers on which a dozen other virtual machines are running, it is quite possible to do with the standard Hyper-V console. If we are dealing with a data center, with dozens of servers and hundreds or even thousands of virtual machines, it is almost impossible to manage such a virtual environment without specialized tools. Let's look at a little more detail what is behind the concept of "centralized management of VM."
Manage multiple physical servers . VMM allows you to manage multiple physical servers from a single console, while supporting different virtualization technologies: Virtual Server, Hyper-V, ESX. In this case, you can perform all basic operations with all VMs on these servers: creation, deletion, configuration, launch, pause, shutdown. Moreover, when creating a new VM, VMM will offer the most optimal physical server for this VM for the whole set of criteria. VMM distinguishes cluster structures - creating a VM on a cluster leads to its correct placement on one of the cluster nodes with all the necessary parameters.
Library . VMM allows you to organize libraries in which you can store VHD-files and VM templates with specified properties, so that creating a VM with the desired OS, network settings and other parameters is done with just a couple of mouse clicks.
VM migration . VMM supports P2V (physical-to-virtual) and V2V (virtual-to-virtual) migrations. In the first case, VMM analyzes the server specified for the migration and creates the VM with the parameters corresponding to this server. In the second, VMM converts VM files from Virtual Server or ESX format to Hyper-V format.
Starting with version 2008 R2, VMM supports Live Migration (LM) technology. An administrator can migrate VMs from one cluster node to another directly from the VMM console. Moreover, you can customize the integration with the already mentioned OpsMgr. In this case, VMM can decide on the migration of the VM itself, for example, if the current CPU load on one of the cluster nodes is large, while the other nodes are relatively free.
Self-Service Portal . This portal allows the user to create, run and use VMs without any administrative rights. The user simply selects the required characteristics on the web page (of course, from those allowed by the administrator), after which the VMM (based on the template in the library) automatically creates and starts the VM with the specified parameters. In other words, VMs are provided to the consumer as a service. An enhanced version, Self-Service Portal 2.0, can be downloaded as an additional free package.
Administration . VMM provides the administrator with tools for creating reports, remotely connecting to any VM, and evaluating the current state of the VM. And another very important feature of VMM is that all operations that the administrator performs in the console are first converted into a PowerShell script, and then the script itself is launched. Any such script administrator can save, modify and use in the future to automate certain tasks.
In the next post we will go through DPM, Opalis, SCSM and Essentials.
So, System Center (SC) is a family of specialized IT infrastructure management products. You will get the maximum effect from SC if the infrastructure is built on the Microsoft platform. However, the use of various SC tools in heterogeneous environments can also be surprisingly useful. Next, we list what specific products are included in SC with the latest versions and tasks that each of them solves. Currently SC includes:
System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 - for proactive monitoring of key IT facilities;
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 - for configuring servers and workstations;
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 - for centralized management of virtual machines and virtualization servers;
System Center Data Protection Manager 2010 - for backing up and restoring critical data;
System Center Service Manager 2010 - to automate incident management;
Opalis - for the integration of SC products and automation based on this integration of the organization's IT processes;
System Center Essentials 2010 - for monitoring, protecting and managing IT infrastructure in medium-sized organizations.
Now let's characterize each of the products of the family. In this post I will start with the first three - the most famous and popular.
')
System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 (OpsMgr)
OpsMgr is designed for proactive monitoring of key IT facilities. First of all, key objects are Windows servers, but they can also be Linux servers, active network equipment or, for example, specific .NET applications.
Single monitoring console . During the configuration process, the administrator tells OpsMgr what objects need to be monitored, sets OpsMgr agents to selected objects (monitoring is possible without agents), after which information about the state of objects is periodically sent to the OpsMgr server, accumulated and displayed in the so-called operator console. Thus, the operator actually receives in one window operational information on the state of the infrastructure.
Management Packs . How does OpsMgr “learn” how to monitor a particular server, what parameters need to be analyzed, what values ​​of these parameters indicate a potential problem? In order for OpsMgr to be able to monitor, it is necessary to download the corresponding Management Pack (MP) into OpsMgr. For example, you load into OpsMgr MP for Windows Server, and OpsMgr “knows” which events need to be checked in the System log, which performance counters need to be monitored, etc., in order to “understand” that everything is in order with the server. Or download MP for Exchange, and OpsMgr “understands” in which ranges the Exchange Server parameters should be in order to conclude that the “mail” service is functioning normally, or, on the contrary, it is necessary to take urgent steps. And just as well, OpsMgr is able to provide, for example, information about the state of a particular SQL Server database installed inside a virtual machine. Thus, the product provides monitoring of both physical and virtual infrastructure.
Proactive monitoring . Each MP contains a description of the so-called health model of the product or service for which the MP is designed. If during the monitoring a deviation from the “healthy” state is detected, an alert (alert) appears in the operator console. At the same time, information (knowledge base) is included in MP about what needs to be done if one or another alert occurs. In some cases, OpsMgr is able to automatically react to an alert and take the necessary actions, say, run a script that will clear the SQL Server transaction log when the log is filled to a certain level. But the main consequence of this architecture is proactivity. OpsMgr will warn you of a brewing problem before this problem actually occurs and affects the operation of the infrastructure and users.
And one more important point. MP for a product or service is developed by those who develop the product or service itself. MP for Exchange creates Exchange team. And who besides them knows better what parameters and how to monitor? There is an MP for each Microsoft server product, which can be downloaded for free from microsoft.com. But there is also MP for monitoring Linux servers or, say, CISCO routers. True, third-party MPs are usually not free.
System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R3 (SCCM)
SCCM allows the administrator to solve several tasks related to the configuration of servers and workstations of the company. And most importantly, decide remotely. SCCM is a fairly tough and attractive administrator tool in the sense that it implements most actions, regardless of the desire of the computer user. The latter, of course, implies the existence of Active Directory infrastructure and administrative rights to the respective workstations and servers.
You must install an SCCM client on the computers you want to manage. It should be immediately noted that only MS operating systems are supported, starting with Windows 2000. Moreover, SCCM offers several options for automatic detection of computers on the network, and after detection, the installation of an SCCM client is possible and invisible for the user. After installing clients in the SCCM console, you see the computers of your organization and you can perform a whole range of tasks on their various subsets.
Inventory hardware and software . SCCM will not tell you which memory stripes and which slots on the motherboard are installed. But to understand, for example, which computers from the hardware point of view are ready to install a new version of your company's super-business application, will even help. As well as on what machines this new version is already installed.
Install software and updates . With the help of SCCM, you can automatically and remotely install the necessary software on the desired group of computers. Moreover, unlike group policies, SCCM does not limit you to distributions, in which there is an installation file in the msi format. A special case of this feature is the installation of updates (patches and fixes).
Desired Configuration . The Desired Configuration mechanism (desired configuration) checks the software installed on client machines for compliance with internal policies, which with the growth of the organization has traditionally become more and more. For example, whether the correct version of the operating system is installed, whether all the necessary applications are installed and configured appropriately, whether there are any prohibited applications.
Install the operating system . This feature provides the administrator with a tool for creating images of operating systems that can later be automatically installed on managed computers that already have an SCCM agent installed, or on unmanaged (or generally empty) computers using PXE, bootable DVD / CDs, etc.
Diagnose and troubleshoot . There are also certain tools for remote control, including keyboard interception, which allow an IT professional to take control of the machine and fix the problems that arise.
Thus, if OpsMgr is an “all-seeing eye”, then SCCM is the eyes and hands of an invisible admin.
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 (VMM)
The primary goal of VMM is to provide convenient centralized management of multiple virtual machines (VMs). When you have a couple of physical servers on which a dozen other virtual machines are running, it is quite possible to do with the standard Hyper-V console. If we are dealing with a data center, with dozens of servers and hundreds or even thousands of virtual machines, it is almost impossible to manage such a virtual environment without specialized tools. Let's look at a little more detail what is behind the concept of "centralized management of VM."
Manage multiple physical servers . VMM allows you to manage multiple physical servers from a single console, while supporting different virtualization technologies: Virtual Server, Hyper-V, ESX. In this case, you can perform all basic operations with all VMs on these servers: creation, deletion, configuration, launch, pause, shutdown. Moreover, when creating a new VM, VMM will offer the most optimal physical server for this VM for the whole set of criteria. VMM distinguishes cluster structures - creating a VM on a cluster leads to its correct placement on one of the cluster nodes with all the necessary parameters.
Library . VMM allows you to organize libraries in which you can store VHD-files and VM templates with specified properties, so that creating a VM with the desired OS, network settings and other parameters is done with just a couple of mouse clicks.
VM migration . VMM supports P2V (physical-to-virtual) and V2V (virtual-to-virtual) migrations. In the first case, VMM analyzes the server specified for the migration and creates the VM with the parameters corresponding to this server. In the second, VMM converts VM files from Virtual Server or ESX format to Hyper-V format.
Starting with version 2008 R2, VMM supports Live Migration (LM) technology. An administrator can migrate VMs from one cluster node to another directly from the VMM console. Moreover, you can customize the integration with the already mentioned OpsMgr. In this case, VMM can decide on the migration of the VM itself, for example, if the current CPU load on one of the cluster nodes is large, while the other nodes are relatively free.
Self-Service Portal . This portal allows the user to create, run and use VMs without any administrative rights. The user simply selects the required characteristics on the web page (of course, from those allowed by the administrator), after which the VMM (based on the template in the library) automatically creates and starts the VM with the specified parameters. In other words, VMs are provided to the consumer as a service. An enhanced version, Self-Service Portal 2.0, can be downloaded as an additional free package.
Administration . VMM provides the administrator with tools for creating reports, remotely connecting to any VM, and evaluating the current state of the VM. And another very important feature of VMM is that all operations that the administrator performs in the console are first converted into a PowerShell script, and then the script itself is launched. Any such script administrator can save, modify and use in the future to automate certain tasks.
In the next post we will go through DPM, Opalis, SCSM and Essentials.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/129851/
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