Windows Server 2003 Technology Primer - Microsoft Operations Manager Tools
(Page 19 of 20 )
Although Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) is a separate Microsoft program that can be purchased to manage and administer Windows servers, the downloadable components on the Windows Server 2003 tools page are the add-on components for MOM for Windows 2003 systems. There are several downloads on the Windows Server 2003 tools page. One download is the Base Management Pack, which has the core monitoring tools for Active Directory, Internet Information Service, Windows networking, and file replication services. Another download is the Microsoft Operations Manager Resource Kit, which has tools that extend the capabilities of MOM including a Server Status Monitor tool (SSM) that enables an organization using MOM to monitor the simple up or down status of a group of servers.
Other MOM tools include the MIIS 2003 Management Pack and the MIIS 2003 Resource Kit, which provide functionality for managing directory replication and integration between Active Directory and other MIIS-managed directories. The Microsoft Operations Manager tools are covered in Chapter 25, "Integrating MOM with Windows Server 2003."
File Replication Management Tools
Another significant series of tools available for download include file replication management tools such as sonar.exe and frsdiag.exe, which are tools that help administrators validate the replication between servers. Something that was found to be significant in the ongoing administration and management of Windows is the ability for administrators to ensure that all the global catalog servers and file replication servers are communicating properly. If a global catalog server is not replicating properly on the network, any users that access the global catalog server might not receive the latest group policies, or have the proper security or administrative policies applied.
By using the file replication management tools from the Windows 2003 Tools page, administrators can validate that replication is occurring as expected, or the administrator can manually force a replication from within the tools. File replication management tools are covered in Chapter 30, "Filesystem Fault Tolerance (DFS)," as well as in Chapter 21.
Getting to Know Windows 2003 Resource Kit Tools
In addition to Feature Packs and downloadable Windows 2003 Tools that greatly enhance the administration and management of a Windows 2003 network, administrators should understand how the various Windows 2003 Resource Kit tools can provide significant support in daily tasks. Unlike some resource kits from Microsoft that used to require the purchase of the tools, the Windows 2003 Resource Kit tools are freely downloadable from the Windows 2003 Tools page to all licensed Windows 2003 organizations.
This second edition of Windows Server 2003 Unleashed has taken the most significant Windows 2003 Resource Kit tools and noted how the tools are best used in leveraging tasks and functions in a Windows 2003 environment. As an example, one of the tools, like the Remote Access Quarantine client covered in Chapter 26, is a free tool that isolates VPN clients and only allows the remote access users access to the network when their system is cleared for appropriate patch updates and virus scans. For a free downloadable tool, an organization can set up a sophisticated system for scanning and validating that a remote laptop or desktop is clean and can access network resources.
Additional Resource Kit tools include Group Policy monitoring and Group Policy editing tools that provide command-line tools for managing Group Policies. Rather than always launching the GPO Edit MMC utility, many tasks can be done from a command-line, making the scripting and batch processing of policy tasks a simpler process. The Group Policy Resource Kit-related tools are covered in Chapter 21.
Several maintenance tools included in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit provide replication checks, link checks, clear the memory on servers, provide SMTP DNS diagnostics, check for memory leaks on servers, look for page faults on servers, and the like, and are covered in Chapter 34, "Logging and Debugging." The tools are typically poorly documented in the Microsoft Resource Kit document; however, the tools are highlighted throughout this book to add better automation to mundane processes, as well as provide the needed administrative support to scripted tasks.
 This chapter is from Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed, by Rand Morimoto, et al. (Sams Publishing, 2004, ISBN: 0672326671). Check it out at your favorite bookstore today.
Buy this book now. |
Next: Getting Started with Windows Server 2003 >>
More MS SQL Server Articles
More By Sams Publishing
/ 8 
