System Center 2012 Operations Manager Unleashed

This is the definitive real-world guide to Microsoft System Center 2012, Microsoft's newest and most powerful version of System Center. Authored by consultants who've deployed System Center in hundreds of enterprises and innovative smaller businesses, this book brings together up-to-the-minute tips, tricks, and techniques you just won't find anywhere else. You'll learn how to use System Center's powerful capabilities to build highly-efficient managed environments that encompass datacenters, cloud environments, client computers, mobile devices, and more. The authors address planning, design, implementation, integration, and administration, and cover every component, including Configuration Manager, Operations Manager, Data Protection Manager, Virtual Machine Manager, Service Manager, and Orchestrator. Use Configuration Manager 2012 to deliver software and updates in highly-distributed environments including datacenters, clouds, and mobile devices Reliably manage and report on assets with Configuration Manager 2012 Perform monitoring, alerting, operations, and security reporting with Operations Manager 2012 Use Data Protection Manager 2012to protect file systems, SQL, Microsoft Exchange, and SharePoint Leverage Data Protection Manager 2012's improved central monitoring and remote recovery Run Hyper-V virtualized environments with VMM 2012--including new private clouds and mixed private/public fabrics Use Service Manager 2012 to provide top-down integration, and use Orchestrator 2012 for bottom-up process automation and integration "glue" Give users an efficient self-service portal for creating service and incident requests and browsing service catalogs Manage service offerings and implement enterprise-wide change control with Service Manager 2012 Ensure compliance by creating, executing, and repeating auditable, documented processes with Orchestrator 2012

This is the comprehensive reference and technical guide to Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012. A team of expert authors offers step-by-step coverage of related topics in every feature area, organized to help IT professionals rapidly optimize Configuration Manager 2012 for their requirements, and then deploy and use it successfully. The authors begin by introducing Configuration Manager 2012 and its goals, and explaining how it fits into the broader System Center product suite. Next, they fully address planning, design, and implementation. Finally, they systematically cover each of Configuration Manager 2012's most important feature sets, addressing issues ranging from configuration management to software distribution. Readers will learn how to use Configuration Manager 2012's user-centric capabilities to provide anytime/anywhere services and software, and to strengthen both control and compliance. The first book on Configuration Manager 2012, System Center Configuration Manager 2012 Unleashed joins Sams' market-leading series of books on Microsoft's System Center product suite: books that have achieved go-to status amongst IT implementers and administrators worldwide.

This is the first comprehensive Operations Manager 2012 technical resource for every IT implementer and administrator. Building on their bestselling OpsMgr 2007 book, three Microsoft System Center Cloud and Data Center Management MVPs thoroughly illuminate major improvements in Microsoft’s newest version–including new enhancements just added in Service Pack 1. You’ll find all the information you need to efficiently manage cloud and datacenter applications and services in even the most complex environment. The authors provide up-to-date best practices for planning, installation, migration, configuration, administration, security, compliance, dashboards, forecasting, backup/recovery, management packs, monitoring including .NET monitoring, PowerShell automation, and much more. Drawing on decades of enterprise and service provider experience, they also offer indispensable insights for integrating with your existing Microsoft and third-party infrastructure. Detailed information on how to... Plan and execute a smooth OpsMgr 2012 deployment or migration Move toward application-centered management in complex environments Secure OpsMgr 2012, and assure compliance through Audit Collection Services Implement dashboards, identify trends, and improve forecasting Maintain and protect each of your OpsMgr 2012 databases Monitor virtually any application, environment, or device: client-based, .NET, distributed, networked, agentless, or agent-managed Use synthetic transactions to monitor application performance and responsiveness Install UNIX/Linux cross-platform agents Integrate OpsMgr into virtualized environments Manage and author management packs and reports Automate key tasks with PowerShell, agents, and alerts Create scalable management clouds for service provider/multi-tenant environments Use OpsMgr 2012 Service Pack 1 with Windows Server 2012 and SQL Server 2012

A beginner's guide to help you design, deploy and administer your System Center Operations Manager 2016 and 2012 R2 environments About This Book Discover how to monitor complex IT environments with System Center Operations Manager using tips, tricks and best practice recommendations from industry experts. Learn how to create eye-catching dashboards and reports to help deliver a tangible return on investment back to your organization. Optimize, troubleshoot and perform disaster recovery in Operations Manager using step by step examples based on real-world scenarios. Who This Book Is For The target audience for this book is the IT Pro or System Administrator who wants to deploy and use System Center Operations Manager but has no previous knowledge of the product. As a 'Getting Started' book, our primary objective is to equip you with the knowledge you need to feel comfortable when working with common monitoring scenarios in OpsMgr. With this in mind, deep-diving into less-common OpsMgr features such as Audit Collection Services (ACS), Agentless Exception Monitoring (AEM) and Application Performance Monitoring (APM) has been intentionally omitted. What You Will Learn Install a new System Center 2016 Operations Manager Management Group Design and provision custom views to relevant support teams. Understand how to deploy agents Work with management packs Monitor network devices Model your IT services with distributed applications Create dashboards and custom visualizations Tune, optimize, maintain and troubleshoot System Center Operations Manager In Detail Most modern IT environments comprise a heterogeneous mixture of servers, network devices, virtual hypervisors, storage solutions, cross-platform operating systems and applications. All this complexity brings a requirement to deliver a centralized monitoring and reporting solution that can help IT administrators quickly identify where the problems are and how best to resolve them. Using System Center Operations Manager (OpsMgr), administrators get a full monitoring overview of the IT services they have responsibility for across the organization - along with some useful management capabilities to help them remediate any issues they've been alerted to. This book begins with an introduction to OpsMgr and its core concepts and then walks you through designing and deploying the various roles. After a chapter on exploring the consoles, you will learn how to deploy agents, work with management packs, configure network monitoring and model your IT services using distributed applications. There's a chapter dedicated to alert tuning and another that demonstrates how to visualize your IT using dashboards. The final chapters in the book discuss how to create alert subscriptions, manage reports, backup and recover OpsMgr, perform maintenance and troubleshoot common problems. Style and approach A beginner's guide that focuses on providing the practical skills required to effectively deploy and administer OpsMgr with walkthrough examples and tips on all the key concepts.

An essential guide on the latest version of Microsoft's server management tool Microsoft's powerful Mastering System Center 2012 Operations Manager introduces many exciting new and enhanced feature sets that allow for large-scale management of mission-critical servers. This comprehensive guide provides invaluable coverage to help organizations monitor their environments across computers, network, and storage infrastructures while maintaining efficient and effective service levels across their applications. Provides intermediate and advanced coverage of all aspects of Systems Center 2012 Operations Manager, including designing, planning, deploying, managing, maintaining, and scripting Operations Manager Offers a hands-on approach by providing many real-world scenarios to show you how to use the tool in various contexts Anchors conceptual explanations in practical application Mastering System Center 2012 Operations Manager clearly shows you how this powerful server management tool can best be used to serve your organization's needs.

This book is your most complete source for in-depth information about Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007! System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Unleashed is a comprehensive guide to System Center Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr) 2007. ConfigMgr 2007 helps you manage servers and desktops, integrates SMS 2003 “feature pack” functionality, and adds new capabilities. It enables you to assess, deploy, and update servers, clients, and devices across physical, virtual, distributed, and mobile environments, including clients that connect only over the Internet. This book guides you through designing, deploying, and configuring ConfigMgr 2007 with detailed information on topics such as capacity planning, security, site design and hierarchy planning, server placement, discovery, native mode, and using Windows Server 2008. You will learn how to tackle challenges such as setting up DCM and OSD, customizing inventory, creating queries and using query results, and configuring asset intelligence. Detailed information on how to... • Understand how ConfigMgr works • Plan your ConfigMgr deployment • Manage Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) • Architect for performance • Install or migrate to ConfigMgr 2007 with Windows 2003 or Windows 2008 • Discover and manage clients • Create and distribute packages • Understand patch and compliance management • Create queries • Use reports • Deploy operating systems • Secure ConfigMgr 2007 • Perform site maintenance • Back up ConfigMgr components

This comprehensive resource will help you automate and optimize all facets of service management with System Center 2012 Service Manager. Expert consultants offer deep “in the trenches” insights for improving problem resolution, change control, release management, asset lifecycle management, chargeback, and more. You’ll learn how to implement high-value best practices from ITIL and the Microsoft Operations Framework. The authors begin with an expert overview of Service Manager, its evolution, and its new capabilities. Next, they walk through overall planning, design, implementation, and upgrades. Then, to help you focus your efforts, they present stepwise coverage of all topics in each feature area, linking technical information about Service Manager with essential knowledge about the technologies it depends on. Whatever your role in deploying or running Service Manager, this guide will help you deliver more responsive support at lower cost and drive more value from all your IT investments. • Leverage MOF and ITIL processes built into System Center 2012 Service Manager • Plan and design your Service Manager deployment • Install Service Manager or upgrade from earlier versions • Efficiently administer work and configuration items • Use connectors to integrate with Active Directory, Exchange, and System Center components • Create service maps • Enable end user access through Service Manager’s self-service portal • Implement incident, problem, change, and release management • Utilize workflows to automate key support processes • Create service level agreements with calendars, metrics, and objectives • Provide quick access to a standardized catalog of services • Use notification to ensure that Service Manager items are promptly addressed • Secure Service Manager and its data warehouse/reporting platform • Perform maintenance, backup, and recovery • Manage Service Manager performance • Customize Service Manager

Since Microsoft introduced System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, it has released two sets of important changes and improvements: Service Pack 1 and R2. This comprehensive reference and technical guide focuses specifically on those enhancements. It offers 300+ pages of all-new “in the trenches” guidance for applying Configuration Manager 2012’s newest features to improve user and IT productivity across all corporate, consumer, and mobile devices. An authoring team of world-class System Center consultants thoroughly cover System Center integration with Microsoft Intune and its mobile device management capabilities. They fully address Microsoft’s increased support for cross-platform devices, enhanced profiles, changes to application management, operating system deployment, as well as improvements to performance, security, usability, and mobile device management. The essential follow-up to System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Unleashed, this new supplement joins Sams’ market-leading series of books on Microsoft System Center. • Use ConfigMgr 2012 R2 with Windows Intune to deliver people-centric management to any user, any device, anywhere • Simplify BYOD registration and enrollment, and enable consistent access to corporate resources • Integrate new mobile device management capabilities into the Configuration Manager console without service packs, hot fixes, or major releases • Provision authentication certificates for managed devices via certificate profiles • Automate repetitive software- and device-related tasks with PowerShell cmdlets • Centrally control roaming profiles, certificates, Wi-Fi profiles, and VPN configuration • Configure User Data and Profiles to manage folder redirection, offline files/folders, and roaming profiles for Windows 8.x users • Enable users to access data in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments • Manage devices running OS X, UNIX, Linux, Windows Phone 8, WinRT, iOS, and Android • Understand the new cross-platform agent introduced in ConfigMgr 2012 R2 • Automate Windows setup with OSD • Prepare for, configure, install, and verify successful installation of the Windows Intune connector role • Respond to emerging challenges in mobile device management