Hi Guys,

Last week, with my friend Kurt Van Hoecke (SCSM Expert), we delivered two sessions at Microsoft Belgium on System Center Orchestrator 2012. These sessions have been recorded and are now available online on Technet.

System Center Orchestrator 2012: An Overview by Kurt Van Hoecke.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/video/system-center-orchestrator-2012-an-overview

System Center Orchestrator 2012: Migration Plan by Christopher Keyaert.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/video/system-center-orchestrator-2012-migration-plan

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator 2012 Resources :
Microsoft System Center Orchestrator 2012 beta is available as public beta at the Microsoft Download Center : http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26503

Microsoft System Center Orchestrator 2012 Team Blog : http://blogs.technet.com/b/scorch/

TechNet Forums for System Center Cross Platform and Interoperability :http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/scinterop

Cheers
Christopher KEYAERT
http://twitter.com/keyaertc

online · SCSM · System · Team · TechNet

Hi everyone,

Just a little post for telling you that the System Center Opalis Integration Server 6.3 Unleashed book is now in stock at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/System-Center-Opalis-Integration-Unleashed/dp/0672335611/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315594827&sr=8-1

I already received my copy, do you have yours ?

Cheers
Christopher KEYAERT
http://twitter.com/keyaertc

copy · Integration · KEYAERT · stock · System

Step into the System Center Virtual Labs for Free

It's simple: no complex setup or installation is required to try out System Center running in the full-featured TechNet Virtual Lab. You get a downloadable manual and a 90-minute block of time for each module. You can sign up for additional 90-minute blocks any time.

• TechNet Virtual Lab: Opalis: Building Advanced Policies
• TechNet Virtual Lab: Opalis: Building Error Handling into Policies
• TechNet Virtual Lab: Opalis: Controlling Policy Execution with Advanced Functions
• TechNet Virtual Lab: Opalis: Creating Basic Policies with Foundation Objects
• TechNet Virtual Lab: Opalis: Creating Your Own Integration Pack with the QIK
• TechNet Virtual Lab: Opalis: Incorporating Advanced Logic into Your Policies
• TechNet Virtual Lab: Introduction to Opalis

Cheers
Christopher KEYAERT
http://twitter.com/keyaertc

Handling · Incorporating · Integration · opalis · System

Hi all,

Today, another case that I had at one of my customer. The idea is simple, He wanted to generate an incident (Could be in SCSM, BMC Remedy) based on a SNMP Trap sent by a monitoring application. (SolarWinds, Tivoli, …)

In the default integration pack, System Center Opalis has a Monitoring SNMP Trap activity :

In the details of this activity, we could filter the host/server from which we accept to receive SNMP Trap, the Port, Enterprise identifier, ….

For publishing the data received from the SNMP Trap, we have to go in the Advanced part :

We have to add the object identifier of each data that we want to publish. we have to manually publish an data output for each OID that we want to use.

Once done, the Monitoring SNMP Trap activity will publish the data as Output-x variable that we could use in other Opalis activities.

Now that we have configured the data from the SNMP Trap, we will publish them to the Send Platform Event activity.

In the Send Platform Event activity, select published data from the Monitor SNMP Trap activity :

The variables that we are interested in are Output – x – Value and we could use them in any of our activities. Here we will just display them, but we could imagine to use them for an incident creation :

Configuration is now finished, run the Runbook and send an SNMP Trap to the System Center Opalis server. When the trap will be received, the Runbook will start automatically :

And the content of the Trap will be available in the Events :

The output result :

We could now use information from SNMP Trap in any of our activities.

Christopher KEYAERT

No tags

Hi,

For one of my customer, I had to retrieve some information from an Oracle DB with System Center Opalis. The DB Query object included in Opalis supports MS SQL, Oracle, Odbc connection ….

For querying an Oracle DB with Opalis, there is some requirements, that I will explain step by step below :

1. Install the Oracle client on your Opalis server. Opalis requires the x86 release of the Oracle Client even if the Opalis server is in x64.

2. Oracle client is available at the following page : http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/enterprise-edition/downloads/112010-win32soft-098987.html

3. Download this version : Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Client (11.2.0.1.0) for Microsoft Windows (32-bit).

win32_11gR2_client.zip (684,581,290 bytes)

4. When downloaded, and uncompressed, just execute the setup.exe file.

5. During the installation process, select Runtime as installation type, and continue the next /next setup.

6. Once the setup finished, we need new to edit the tnsnames.ora configuration file.

7. Go to InstallationFolder\product\11.2.0\client_1\network\admin\ and edit the tnsnames.ora file.

8. ARSDVL is the name of the Oracle DB on which we want to connect, this name is used at two places in the file. line 4  as service name and also in the Connect_Data field. Host contqins is the name of the Oracle DB server.

9. Once the file edited and saved, for testing the connection, open a CMD prompt and type : 
SQLPLUS LOGIN@TNSNAME

10. If the SQL> prompt appears, we now than everything is ok and we could go back to our Opalis policy.

11. Here, a simple Opalis policy which will query the Oracle DB and return the result in an event.

12. Query Database object - Connection configuration : Add the name used in the tnsnames.ora file in the Service Name field, set the connection credentials.

13. Query Database object – Query : Here a simple Select query (Tips : Don’t add the ‘;’ at the end of the query or you will get an error message).

14. Send Platform Event – Configuration :

15. Run the policy.

16. Check the result

Christopher KEYAERT

client · Install · InstallationFolderproduct · name · zip

I just arrived to Paris for the Best of MMS2011, I’ll update this post with the content of the conference. Stay tune

2:00pm : Conference is starting with a quick overview of Microsoft Management over the past years.

2:15pm : Claire Henry presents the challenge of application experience between home and work. Productivity, Device …

Sccm2012 presentation : empower users, unify
infrastructure, simplify administration

2:16pm : Forefront Endpoint 2010, Intune présentation

2:24pm : Microsoft cloud advantage

2:50pm : how to build a private cloud ?

3:15pm : Adam demantrates how to do a sql migration with System Center Orchestrator 2012

3:17pm : System Center 2012 Community Evaluation Program

3:20pm : System center 2012 roadmap

3:35pm : Sccm2012 live demo

3:56pm : System center service manager introduction

4:40pm : same presentation than earlier but with French speakers now… Quite strange…

content · microsoft · MMS · post · Stay

• System Center Advisor announced: Azure service previously code-named “Project Atlanta” uses the OpsMgr Agent to return configuration and make recommendations for changes to the configuration. This application was demonstrated during the keynote showing how a hotfix would be relevant for the servers and what has changed in the environment. Licensing – if you have software assurance on Windows Server you are licensed to use this on the server (or Exchange software assurance for Exchange servers). Beta currently available.
• The next version of Opalis Integration Server is officially named System Center Orchestrator 2012.
• SCVMM 2012 beta announced.
• System Center 2012 officially announcement: Every product in the (System Center) portfolio will have new revisions in the next year.

Credits : http://opsmgrunleashed.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/mms-2011-keynote-322-summary-for-geeks/

code-named · Licensing · Orchestrator · software assurance · year

When the agent is located in a domain separate from the domain where the Operations Manager management server is located, and no two-way trust exists between the two AD forests, certificates must be used so that authentication can take place between the agent and management server.

Anders Bengtsson wrote a excellent article on how to deploy SCOM to untrusted zones with Opalis

agent · deplooyment · opalis · Scom

New great Integration Packs has been released for Microsoft System Center Opalis :

Exchange · integration pack · ip · opalis · Tasks

Hi Guys, as you probably know, Microsoft released the 6.3 version of System Center Opalis some weeks ago. Microsoft doesn’t provide a complete “package” for this release, so you will have to install Opalis 6.2.2 first and after that upgrade to 6.3.

What’s new in Opalis 6.3

 

• New Integration Packs for Configuration Manager, Data Protection Manager, Service Manager and Virtual Machine Manager.
• An updated Integration Pack for Operations Manager to support the Server 2008 platform.
• Support for the Opalis infrastructure to run on the Server 2008 platforms.

Pre-Requisites

 

• A windows server 2003, 2008 or 2008 R2 with .Net Framework 3.5.1 installed.
• Download Opalis release (6.2.2 and 6.3 are both included in the download package) from the Microsoft website : http://www.microsoft.com/systemcenter/en/us/opalis.aspx
• A service account (a simple domain user) and add this service account to the Local Administrator Group of the server.
• A Microsoft SQL server 2005, 2008 or 2008 R2. In SQL configuration > Security > Logins, add your service account as the screen below :

Install the Management Server

 

Click on Install the Management Server and follow the setup.

Select you destination folder:

Provide the information of your service account

Database installation

 

Click on Configure the Datastore

Select Microsoft SQL Server

• Provide the name of you Microsoft SQL Server
• Selection Windows Authentication

• Select Create a new database
• Provide a name for your database

SQL Configuration

 

Log on your SQL Server and launch the Management Studio, go to Security > Login, select your service account, right click properties, go to User Mapping.

In the Map column check the box next to the DB that you just created. In the role membership part check DB_Owner role.

License Configuration

 

Go back to your management server and click on Import a License.

If you have the screen below, it’s that your SQL configuration is not correct, go to the SQL Configuration part of this post to correct the problem.

The licenses are located in a doc file provided with the download package. First install the license for you Opalis Integration server 6.2.2 before installing the licenses for all the others Integration packs.

You need to keep the { } chars when you write the license key in the field :

If you have a message that telling you that the key is expired, just copy the license files locally, it seems that the licensing module doesn’t support UNC Path. More information in the following KB: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2022625

Install the Client

 

The installation of the 6.2.2 release is completed and you will now be able to upgrade to the 6.3 release.

Upgrade to 6.3 release

 

Replace the Foundation Objects installation file

Open the Management Server installation folder. By default, this is located in System Drive: Program Files\Opalis Software\Opalis Integration Server\Management Service. Browse to the Components\Objects folder.

Copy the OpalisIntegrationServer_FoundationObjects.msi file provided in this release to the System Drive:\Program Files (x86)\Opalis Software\Opalis Integration Server\Management Service\Components\Objects
directory. Replace the existing file.

Management Server Update

Run the OpalisIntegrationServer_ManagementService_630_PATCH.msp installer. Do not change any of the default values.

Deploy the action servers and clients

Click Run, click Programs, click Opalis Software, click Opalis Integration Server, and then click Deployment Manager. Deploy the action servers and clients.

The account provided in the Account Information part must be local administrator of the destination computer.

Now you have to deploy the client on your computer, select Deploy new client by doing a right click on the Clients folder.

Your server is now appearing as Action Server and also as Client.

To run the client update

After each client deployment, copy the OpalisIntegrationServer_Client_630_PATCH.msp locally and run the installer. Do not change any of the default values.

Integration Packs

 

IP installation

Each integration pack is designed to be installed separately. Follow the installation instructions in the integration pack guide for each of the integration packs that you want to install.

Before you begin the integration pack installation, if you are running the Deployment Manager on a Windows 2008 or 2008 R2 computer, right-click Deployment Manager, and then click Run as administrator.

In the Deployment Manager, select Register IP with the Management Server.

Add all the Integrations packs for which you installed a license and click Next

Your Integration Packs are now available for deployment:

Integration packs deployment

Select the Integrations packs that you want to deploy, right click and select Deploy IP to Action Server or Client…

If the deployment of your integration pack failed, check if you have well installed the .Net Framework 3.5.1.

Redeploy the IP and Check is well installed

Integration packs requirements

Each Integration packs is provided with some release notes. Don’t forget to take a look to them because you will find some IP requirements without which your IP will not work. Below the examples for SCOM and BMC Remedy Integration packs.

SCOM IP Pre-Requisites

Installation SCOM Console with Command Shell Option. Don’t forget to apply the SCOM Cumulative Update 3 to SCOM console.

Remedy IP Pre:-Requisites

Deploy the Integration Pack to the Action Servers and Clients that will use the Integration Pack. For more information about deploying Integration Packs, see the Opalis Integration Server Administrator Guide.

Find the following files in your BMC Remedy AR System Client installation folder:

- Arapi71.dll
- Arrpc71.dll
- Arutl71.dll
- Icuinbmc32.dll
- Icuucbmc32.dll
- Icudt32.dll

Copy the files to Program Files\Common Files\Opalis Software\Opalis Integration Server\Extensions\Support\bin on all Opalis Action Servers and Clients that will use the Integration Pack.

Conclusion

 

I hope that this post will help you with the deployment of Microsoft System Center Opalis 6.3, don’t hesitate to post comments if you have any question.

Christopher

6.3 · integration pack · opalis · opsmgr · platform support · system center · upgrade