Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 Administrators Companion (Pro-Administrators Companion)

Health Monitor is the easiest tool for checking current conditions on the server. To launch this tool, select Health Monitor from the Administrative Tools menu. In the console tree, expand Health Monitor and All Monitored Computers to the name of your server. Under the server name, expand Small Business Server Alerts and then Core Server Alerts (Figure 20-15).

Figure 20-15: The Core Server Alerts in Health Monitor.

Select an alert in the list to display details about it in the right panes. On the Thresholds tab (Figure 20-16), the name and status of the alert rule are displayed. In the Alerts pane (lower pane) are the alerts that have been generated by the rule.

Figure 20-16: Display of the Memory Available alert.

To see the actual settings for the alert, right-click the name in the details pane and select Properties from the shortcut menu. As you can see in Figure 20-17, the status for Memory Available changes to Critical if the average available memory is less than 4 MB for 10 minutes (10 samplings).

Figure 20-17: Settings to generate an alert.

Under Small Business Server Alerts in the console tree, there are also folders for Exchange Server Alerts and Fax Server Alerts. In general, the preconfigured settings are optimal for all the Alerts, but you can modify the settings or add another threshold to the existing one.

Modifying an Existing Threshold

To change the conditions that trigger an alert, select the alert in the console tree. Right-click the threshold and select Properties from the shortcut menu, as shown in Figure 20-18. Make changes on the Expressions tab and click OK when you finish.

Figure 20-18: Opening an alert threshold Properties page.

Adding a Threshold

To add a threshold that triggers an alert, right-click the alert in the Health Monitor console tree and select New and then Threshold from the shortcut menu. Click the Expression tab and make your settings.

If you select an average value condition, the status of the threshold always shows as Collecting.

Configuring Actions

When an alert is generated because a threshold is crossed, the response is an action. Actions can take the form of an e-mail sent to specified recipients, a specific Windows event recorded to an event log, and several other forms. Once you configure an action, you can select it when setting up the Action tab of a data collector’s Properties. (See the section titled “Creating a Data Collector” later in this chapter.)

Command-Line Action

A command-line action runs a program and parameters in response to a threshold being crossed.

To create a command-line action, complete the following steps:

1. In the console tree, right-click Actions, select New, and then select Command Line Action to open the Properties dialog box.

2. On the Details tab, click the Browse button next to the File Name box. In the Browse For File dialog box, locate the program you want to run.

3. To specify a directory the program should run in, browse for a folder by clicking the Browse button next to the Working Directory box.

4. In the Command Line box, type the parameters for the program. Or click the > button and select one of the strings (Figure 20-19).

   Figure 20-19: Setting command-line options.

5. Set a Process Timeout, which refers to the amount of time to allow the program to run before being automatically terminated.

6. Select the Schedule tab to set days and times the action can be taken. (The default is to run all the time.) On the General tab, you can give the action a descriptive name and also type in comments, a description, or other information.

7. Click OK when finished.

E-Mail Action

An e-mail action sends e-mail to specified recipients in response to a threshold being crossed.

To create an e-mail action, complete the following steps:

1. Right-click Actions in the console tree, select New, and then select E-Mail Action to open the Properties dialog box.

2. On the Details tab, specify the SMTP mail server and the recipients.

3. Click the > button next to the Subject field and select the message parameters to be shown in the e-mail’s subject line. Or type in your own subject.

4. Click the > button next to the Message field to specify the variables included in the message, or modify the message by typing directly in the Message text field.

5. Select the Schedule tab to set days and times the action can be taken. (The default is to run all the time.) On the General tab, you can give the action a descriptive name and also type in comments, a description, or other information.

6. Click OK when finished.

Text Log Action

A text log action writes to a specified log in response to a threshold being crossed.

To create a text log action, complete the following steps:

1. In the console tree of Health Monitor, right-click Actions, select New, and then select Text Log Action to open the Properties dialog box.

2. Click the Browse button for the File box. In the Browse For File dialog box, find the text log file you want to use.

3. Specify the maximum size for the log file.

4. Click the > button next to the Text box to specify the variables included in the text to be logged, or modify the text by typing directly in the text field.

5. Select the Schedule tab to set days and times the action can be taken. (The default is to run all the time.) On the General tab, you can give the action a descriptive name and also type in comments, a description, or other information.

6. Click OK when finished.

Windows Event Log Action

A Windows event log action launches a specified Windows event in response to a threshold being crossed.

To create a Windows event action, complete the following steps:

1. Right-click Actions in the console tree, select New, and then select Windows Event Log Action to open the Properties dialog box.

2. On the Details tab, select the Event type:

   • Information Report on a successful event such as when a service starts.

   • Warning Event that is not in itself important but suggests future problems.

   • Error A problem that must be heeded. Signifies a failure such as loss of data or a loss of function. For example, if a printer driver fails to load successfully, an Error is reported.

3. Click the > button next to the Text box to select insertion strings or modify the text.

4. Select the Schedule tab to set days and times the action can be taken. (The default is to run all the time.) On the General tab, you can give the action a descriptive name and also type in comments, a description, or other information.

5. Click OK when finished.

Script Action

A script action runs a specified script in response to a threshold being crossed.

To create a script action, complete the following steps:

1. Right-click Actions in the console tree, select New, and then select Script Action to open the Properties dialog box.

2. Select the script type. Type the Path for the script or click the Browse button and navigate to the script file.

3. After you locate the file, you can click the Edit button to edit the script text.

4. Select a process timeout.

5. Select the Schedule tab to set days and times the action can be taken. (The default is to run all the time.) On the General tab, you can give the action a descriptive name and also type in comments, a description, or other information.

6. Click OK when finished.

Using Data Collectors

Data collectors are objects that collect and hold information about counters, events, states, and instances. When you create data collectors, you specify when the data is collected and from which computer it is collected.

Creating a Data Collector

Data collectors are gathered in data groups under the name of the computer from which data is being collected. To create a new data group, right-click the computer name in the Health Monitor console tree, select New, and then Data Group. To add a collector to an existing data group, right-click the group in the Health Monitor console tree. Next, select New, Data Collector, and then select the type of data collector (Figure 20-20).

Figure 20-20: Selecting a type of data collector to create.

The available data collectors are:

• Performance Monitor

• Service Monitor

• Process Monitor

• Windows Event Log Monitor

• COM+ Application Monitor

• HTTP Monitor

• TCP/IP Port Monitor

• Ping (ICMP) Monitor

• WMI Instance

• WMI Event Query

• WMI Data Query

If you use Health Monitor, you’re likely to use only the first four, possibly the next three, and the last three not at all. Not that the various monitors can’t be helpful, but most of them are surplus to requirements in the context of Windows Small Business Server.

After you select a data collector, the Properties dialog box for the collector opens. Supply the information required on the Details tab, which varies according to the data collector chosen. The following sections describe the options for the most commonly used data collectors.

In addition to the Details tab, all Properties dialog boxes include a tab to configure the message sent with a report and a Schedule tab to select collection days, times, and interval. On the General tab, you can rename the data collector from its default name and also type in comments, a description, or other information. The Actions tab specifies the actions for the system to take when the status of the data collector changes.

Performance Monitor

On the Details tab of a Performance Monitor data collector, you can specify the object to monitor.

• Object Click the Browse button next to the Object field. In the Browse For Objects On Computer_Name dialog box (Figure 20-21), select the object to monitor and click OK.

  Figure 20-21: Selecting an object to monitor.

• Counter Select one or more counters to monitor.

• Instance Click Browse to select an instance or leave blank to monitor all instances.

By default, one threshold is set:

• Change the state to Critical if the error code is not equal to zero. A nonzero return points toward a data collection error.

To manually configure thresholds, select the data collector in the console tree, right-click the threshold in the details pane, and then select Properties from the shortcut menu. Click the Expression tab and set the conditions that trigger a change in state alert. To add a new threshold, right-click the data collector in the console tree, select New, and then click Threshold.

Requires Manual Reset Option

A data collector that exceeds its configured threshold automatically resets to an OK state when the collected information shows that the values have fallen to below the threshold. The logic behind this default behavior is that Health Monitor is intended to display the most current status of the objects being monitored. And most of the time, that’s what you use Health Monitor for.

However, there are times when this default behavior is not what you want—for example, when you’re having intermittent problems that are proving hard to substantiate, or you want to be sure that when the state of a given object changes, the change is reflected in the console tree.

For those objects, select the option for Requires Manual Reset To Return To OK Status on the Details tab of the data collector’s Properties dialog box.

To perform a manual reset, right-click the data collector in the console tree and select All Tasks, and then select Reset & Check Now.

Service Monitor

On the Details tab of a Service Monitor data collector, you can specify the service to monitor.

• Service Click the Browse button next to the Service field. In the Browse For Services On Computer_Name dialog box, select the service to be monitored and click OK.

• Properties Select the properties you want to monitor.

By default, services have two thresholds already set:

• Change the state to Critical if error code is not equal to zero. A nonzero return signifies a data collection error.

• Change the state to Critical if the service is not started.

You can right-click either of the thresholds in the details pane and select Properties to make changes. Add a threshold by right-clicking the data collector in the console tree, selecting New, and then clicking Threshold.

Process Monitor

On the Details tab of a Process Monitor data collector, you can specify the process to monitor. Use Process Monitor to monitor applications and processes that are not Windows services. You can monitor only one process at a time.

• Process Click the Browse button next to the Process field. Select the Process to be monitored and click OK.

• Properties Select the properties to be monitored.

By default, a single threshold is set:

• Change the state to Critical if error code is not equal to zero. A nonzero return points toward a data collection error.

You can right-click the threshold in the details pane and select Properties to make changes. Add a threshold by right-clicking the data collector in the console tree, selecting New, and then clicking Threshold.

Windows Event Log Monitor

On the Details tab of a Windows Event Log Monitor data collector, you can specify the Windows events to monitor.

• Types The types of events to monitor.

  • Information Report on a successful event such as when a service starts.

  • Warning Event that is not in itself important but suggests future problems.

  • Error A problem that must be heeded. Signifies a failure such as loss of data or a loss of function. For example, if a printer driver fails to load successfully, an error is reported.

  • Success Audit An audited security access event that is successful. For example, a user successfully logs on to the network.

  • Failure Audit An audited security access try that is unsuccessful. For example, a user’s failed attempt to logon generates a Failure audit event.

• Log file Select the log file to use.

  • Application Records events reported by applications.

  • Security Records changes to the security settings and reports on possible security breaches.

  • System Records events reported by Windows system components. For example, a service fails to start.

• Source, Category, Event ID, User To monitor all sources, categories, event IDs, and users, clear these check boxes. To monitor specifics, select the option and type the event source, event category, event ID, or particular user.

By default, two thresholds are set:

• Change the state to Critical if error code is not equal to zero. A nonzero return points toward a data collection error.

• Change the state to Critical if the number of instances collected is greater than zero.

You can right-click either of the thresholds in the details pane and select Properties to make changes. Add a threshold by right-clicking the data collector in the console tree and selecting New and then Threshold.

Other Monitors

Other monitors are available in addition to those just described. For information about how they’re used, right-click Data Group in the console tree and select Help from the shortcut menu. Click the Index tab, type data collection, and then click the Display button.