Module Overview

• Backing Up Data
• Configuring Shadow Copies
• Providing Server and Service
Availability
 Module Overview
• Planning Monitoring Tasks
• Calculating a Server Baseline
• Measuring Performance Objects
• Selecting Appropriate Monitoring Tools
• Planning Notification Methods
• Overview of Windows Server 2008 Management Tasks
• Automating Windows Server 2008 Maintenance
 Lesson 1: Planning Monitoring Tasks

• Reasons for Monitoring

• Monitoring Methods
• Planning for Event Monitoring
Reasons for Monitoring
•• Health of the IT infrastructure:
 Normal
Normal activity
activity
 Abnormal
Abnormal activity
activity
•• Service-level agreement
monitoring
•• Planning
Planning for
for future
future requirements:
requirements:
 Capacity
Capacity
 Reallocation
Reallocation
•• Identifying issues:
 Reactive
Reactive
 Proactive
Proactive
 Monitoring Methods
•• Historical:
Historical:
 Event
Event logs
logs
 Retained
Retained performance
performance logs
logs

•• Real
Real time:
time:
 Performance
Performance monitoring
monitoring
 Service-level
Service-level agreements
agreements

•• Tools:
Tools:
 Event
Event Viewer
Viewer
 Reliability
Reliability and
and Performance
Performance Monitor
Monitor
 Windows
Windows System
System Resource
Resource Manager
Manager
 System
System Center
Center Operations
Operations Manager
Manager
 Third-party
Third-party
Planning for Event Monitoring

•• Cost:
Cost:
 Money
Money savings
savings
 Time
Time savings
savings

•• Personnel:
Personnel:
 Effort
Effort reductions
reductions
 Efficiency
Efficiency increases
increases

• Respond to events:
 Reactive
 Proactive
 Lesson 2: Calculating a Server

• Key Hardware Components to

Monitor
• Common Performance Metrics
• Analyzing Performance Trends
• Planning for Future Capacity
Requirements
Key Hardware Components to Monitor

Processor
Processor

Disk
Disk

Memory
Memory

Network
Network
Common Performance Metrics

•• Cache •• Process
•• Memory •• Processor
•• Objects •• Server
•• Paging file •• System
•• Physical disk •• Thread
Analyzing Performance Trends

Historical analysis

Future business requirements

IT consolidation planning
planning
Planning for Future Capacity
Requirements
•• New services

•• Upgrades
•• Operating system
system updates
updates

•• Number of users
 Lesson 3: Measuring Performance
Objects
• Identifying Server Role Performance Metrics
• Identifying Key Performance Counters
• Primary CPU Performance Counters
• Primary Memory Performance Counters
• Primary Disk Performance Counters
• Primary Network Performance Counters
Identifying Server Role Performance
Metrics
Server role Performance objects
Active Directory • NTDS
directory service

DNS server • DNS

• TCP
IIS
• IIS Global

• Memory
File server
• Logical Disk
Identifying Key Performance Counters

•• Time value counters:

 Real-time values
 Average
Average over last second
second
 Number per second

•• Maximum
•• Minimum
•• Average value
•• Total since last restart
 Primary CPU Performance Counters

Object\Counter Preferred or Ideal Value

Processor\% Processor
Time Less than 75 percent

Depends on the processor,

Processor\Interrupts/sec and on network hardware and
drivers

Processor\System
Processor Queue Length 4 or less
 Primary Memory Performance Counters

Object\Counter Preferred or Ideal Value

0–20. (Unhealthy if greater than
Memory\Pages per sec 80; probably indicates not
enough RAM)

Memory\Available Bytes 10% of physical memory

No more than 75 percent of

Memory\Committed Bytes
physical memory

Memory\Pool Nonpaged
Bytes A steady value
 Primary Disk Performance Counters

Preferred or
Object\Counter
Ideal Value

LogicalDisk\% Disk Time

As low as possible
PhysicalDisk\% Disk Time

LogicalDisk\Avg. Disk Queue Length

Less than 4
PhysicalDisk\Avg. Disk Queue Length

LogicalDisk\Avg. Disk Bytes/Transfer

As high as possible
PhysicalDisk\Avg. Disk Bytes/Transfer
Primary Network Performance Counters

•• Bytes received per second

•• Bytes sent per second
•• Packets received per second
•• Packets sent per second
•• Output queue length
•• Packets received errors
•• Packets outgoing errors
 Lesson 4: Selecting Appropriate
Monitoring Tools
• Windows Server 2008 Monitoring Tools
• Reliability and Performance Monitor
• Reliability Monitor
• Third-Party Monitoring Tools
• What Are Subscriptions?
Windows Server 2008 Monitoring Tools

Built-in tools for monitoring systems:

•• Event Viewer
•• Task Manager
•• Scripting
•• Reliability and Performance Monitor
Reliability and Performance Monitor
Reliability Monitor
Third-Party Monitoring Tools

Applications
Applications

Hardware
Hardware

System Center Operations Manager

integration
What Are Subscriptions?

Subscriptions collect
events from multiple
computers, and store
them locally
 Lesson 5: Planning Notification Methods

• Identifying Business Requirements

• Suitable Notification Methods
• Establishing an Escalation Path
Identifying Business Requirements

Economic
Economic cost
cost of
of service
service failure
failure

Service-level agreement response

times

Staff availability
 Suitable Notification Methods

Notify support staff by using:

•• E-mail
•• Pager
•• SMS text message
•• Telephone
•• Scripted notification
 Establishing an Escalation Path

Role Purpose
• Identify people
Audit trail • Traceable history
• Maintained for an agreed amount of time

• How much time should pass before

escalation to a higher level?
Time to escalation
• Can issues progress to a higher level
immediately?
Allocation to group • Who receives an issue first?
or individual • How are issues allocated?
• In-house
Levels of escalation
• External
 Lesson 6: Overview of Windows Server
2008 Management Tasks

• Windows Server 2008 Maintenance

Tasks
• Common Tasks for Different Server
Roles
• Frequency of Management Tasks
 Windows Server 2008 Maintenance Tasks

ü •• Health and diagnostics monitoring

ü •• Applying
Applying security
security updates
updates

ü •• Performance
Performance planning
planning

ü •• Tuning
Tuning

ü •• Investigative
Investigative work
work

ü •• Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
Common Tasks for Different Server
Roles
•• Tasks
Tasks for
for all
all servers:
servers:
 Review
Review System
System and
and Application
Application event
event logs
logs
 Check
Check free
free disk
disk space
space
 Check
Check that
that backups
backups are
are successful
successful
 Check
Check service
service pack
pack and
and update
update status
status

•• Specific
Specific server
server roles:
roles:
 Check
Check additional
additional event
event logs
logs
 Check
Check protocol
protocol logs
logs
 Check
Check that
that additional
additional backup
backup
requirements
requirements are
are successful
successful
 Frequency of Management Tasks
Frequency Tasks
• Monitoring
Always on • Alerts
• Check antivirus software
Daily • Check event logs on critical servers
• Check backup status

• Review event logs

Weekly • Review server disk capacities

• Updating
Monthly • Configuration changes

• Apply service packs

• Perform upgrades
Less frequent • Performance monitoring and tuning
• Security review
• Disaster recovery test