Management Systems

Integration for SARA-IT

Iyad Abou Hawili

Abbreviations
MOM Microsoft Operations Manager
MoM Manager of Managers
Microsoft SMS Microsoft System

Management Services Application

SMS Short Message Service (GSM)
SMS Gateway Short Message system
Gateway
NMS Network Management System
NNM Network Node Manager
SwiftSMS SMS Gateway application
AD Active Directory

Scope of Presentation
Explore different solutions for non-

Windows applications and nonwindows OS to be managed by MOM

Integrate MOM and NMS (HP Open
View)
Explore options for GSM/SMS (Short
message service) Gateways
applications

Objectives
Manage all IT Systems/Device using

MOM
Send Alerts (SMS Messages) to GSM
mobile numbers using SMS gateway
when critical IT System/Device fails
Monitor Services (start/stop) by MOM

Current Configuration (1)

MOM and NMS can send e-mail messages to
any e-mail address that is specified by MOM
and/or NMS Administrators
No connector is configured for MOM and
NMS (HP Open view) or NNM to
communicate together.
No connector is configured between (HP
EVA SAN) and either MOM or NMS (HP
Openview)
No connector is configured between Oracle
DB and MOM.

Current Configuration (2)

MOM does not send SMS message

directly to a mobile user based on alert

type.
MOM send e-mail Notifications (SMTP)
and Alerts (SNMP traps),
MOM have a paging option and
command option
MOM manage only Windows Servers
and Windows Applications by default.

Current Configuration (3)

SwiftSMS has One mail box only and send SMS
message to a phone number included in the
Subject Header of e-mail message sent to this
mail box.
Mailbox on SARA-IT Exchange Server is:
sms@SARA-IT.ca
In order to send SMS messages send e-mail to
sms@SARA-IT.ca and include GSM in subject
E-mail subject header shall include GSM
number of end user to be notified, otherwise
no SMS is sent.

Current IT Systems/Devices
IBM servers
HP Servers
HP storage (EVA 5000)
HP Tape library
Dell
Sun Fire V880
Oracle DB
Third Party applications
.

Objective One

Manage all IT
Systems/Device using
MOM

Global Monitoring Scope

MOM to be the MoM (Manager of

Managers)
Traps/alerts shall be transferred to
MOM from other NMS (HP Open View)
Notifications received from nonwindows applications/Devices/systems
through a connector (Management
Pack or third party application)

Proposed Solutions
eXc Software has different modules that

integrate a variety of devices/systems.

http://www.excsoftware.com/WMI/nonWindo
ws/DefaultRedirector.aspx?
Documentation=VirtualAgentsByCategory
To get management packs from other
vendors check the following Microsoft link:
http://www.microsoft.com/management/mm
a/catalog.aspx

Connectors (HP and MOM)

HP Network Node Manager 1.0
Connector

Allows MOM 2000 SP1 or MOM 2005 (with

the MOM Connector Feature Pack installed) to be configured
to forward alerts to HP Network Node Manager and send alert
fields, including Owner, CustomData fields, and Resolution
state. Microsoft MOM 2005/2000 August 2, 2004
HP Openview 1.0 Connector Allows MOM
2000 SP1 or MOM 2005 (with the MOM connector feature
pack installed) to be configured to forward alerts to HP
Openview and keep related data synchronized between the
two products. Microsoft MOM 2005/2000 January 12, 2005
HP Open-View Connector Provides unidirectional and bi-directional connections between MOM and
HP Open-View. eXc Software MOM 2005/2000 January 1, 2004

What Management Packs will

do?
HP Network Node Manager Connector: allows MOM 2000 SP1

(with the MOM Connector Feature Pack installed) to be

configured to forward alerts to HP Network Node Manager
and send alert fields, including Owner, CustomData fields,
and Resolution state.
HP openview Connector: allows MOM 2000 SP1 (with the
MOM connector feature pack installed) and MOM 2005 to be
configured to forward alerts to HP Openview and keep related
data, such as Owner, CustomData fields, and Resolution
State synchronized between the two products as changes are
made
Other vendors connectors Provide uni-directional and bidirectional transfer of data, based on your configuration.

Recommendations
MOM can be managed by HP Openview,
MOM can not Manage HP Openview

using MS Management Packs

Investigate MOM and NMS HW (HD,
Memory, CPU, etc) capacity/performance
to meet new requirements
Test Management Packs/Connectors
functionalities

Objective Two
Send Alerts (SMS Messages)
to GSM mobile numbers
using SMS gateway for
critical errors in IT
Systems/Devices.

SwiftSMS limitations
SwiftSMS does not have multiple e-mail
boxes.
SwiftSMS application must receive GSM
number in subject to forward e-mail to
GSM number.
SwiftSMS does not integrate with MOM.
SwiftSMS does not have escalation
hierarchy.

MOM available options

e-mail operator option where

operator e-mail is included.

Notify this operator by external
command option available in MOM
is not of great help unless a script is
written for every individual Operator
Page this operator option is also of
no benefit for this case

Scenario One: MOM

configuration
Subject content of e-mail sent by MOM
server includes description of error
occurred (default setup).
Event Rules does not generate
notifications. Event Rules generate
Alerts.
Alert Rules generate/send
notifications

Event Rule: Screen Shut

Alert Rule: Screen shut

Notification: Screen shut

Mail Format: Screen shut

Suggested Modifications
Change e-mail Default Format to

Custom Format
Include GSM number of Operator in
subject field
Create a Group mail box instead of
single user mailbox and let all
Administrators be members in this group
Let us call this group SMS Group
SMS@SARA-IT.ca will be replaced by
SMSGroup@SARA-IT.ca

Suggested Modifications
(Continued)

When a notification is sent to SMS

Group and the subject contains GSM

number it will automatically send an SMS
to that GSM number.
When a notification is sent to SMS
Group it will be directly forward that email message to all Administrators that
are members of that group
(disadvantage).

Scenario Two: Outlook Rules

and Alerts
Open Outlook
Go to Tools then Rules and alerts
Create First Rule MOM notification

Archive to Archive non-critical

messages to another Folder
Create Second Rule SMS Alerting to
send SMS messages to your mobile

Scenario Two: Outlook Rules

and Alerts (Continued)

First Rule to filter emails and move to

another Folder

Rule to send
messages to
SwiftSMS application

Scenario Two: Outlook Rules

and Alerts (Continued)

Three conditions
were selected, but
this might differ from
one administrator to
another

Scenario Two: Outlook Rules

and Alerts (Continued)

Two conditions were

selected, and an email reply was sent
to SMS@SARA-IT.ca

Disadvantages of Scenario
Two
SMS message sent to mobile does not

contain description of problem

Outlook should always be up and running
for the First Rule to filter e-mails since it is
Client Dependent
However, filtering could be done
thoroughly from MOM application so we
can use One Rule that is Server
Dependent

Scenario Three: MOM Global

Settings
Change subject content of all

notifications sent to sms@SARA-IT.ca email address associated with SwiftSMS

Open Administrator console
Go to Global Setting
Open Notification command Format
Add phone number +1(416) XXX-XXXX

Scenario Four: MOM one point

Database
Change subject field in one point

Database
Configuration Table include subject
field data

Scenario Three/Four:
limitations
All SMS messages notification will be sent to

one GSM number (could be the helpdesk)

If the above was adopted confusion will prevail
All Operators will not receive e-mail
notification unless SMS@SARA-IT.ca user was
changed to a group in AD that include all
Administrators e-mail addresses.
Administrators will receive e-mails for all
notifications generated by MOM. e.g. System
Admins will receive notifications meant for
Database Admins and visa versa.

Scenario Three/Four:
limitations
Changing parameters in a database

is not an easy thing that might have

lot of drawbacks
Need lot of Maintenance to manage
the one point Database.

Scenario Five: SMS Gateway

Application
SMS gateway application that integrates with

MOM operating Groups

SysManSMS or Derdack is an application that
integrates with MOM
Derdack is adopted by RasGas
Derdack has an escalation option and has
several virtual mailboxes
Mobile number need not to be included in
Subject Header
http://www.derdack.com/solutions/rasgas.htm
l

Recommendations
Use Scenario One and Scenario
two immediately
Evaluate Scenario Five

Objective Three
Monitor Services
(Start/Stop) by MOM

Steps to enable Service

Monitoring (Start/Stop)
By default monitoring of Service Start/Stop is
filtered and not stored in the MOM database.
Disable Filtering of Service monitoring.
Launch MOM Administrator Console
Go to Management Packs
then Rule Group
then to Microsoft Operations Manager
(enabled)

Steps to enable Service

Monitoring (Start/Stop)
(Continued)

Then go to Operations Manager 2005

Then go to Agents on All MOM Roles

(enabled)
Disable Filter internal service
monitoring events
Go to Global Settings Agents and
make sure Service Monitoring is
enabled.

Objective Three
Already Done.

Conclusion
Thanks for your time