Applies to: Exchange Server 2007 SP3, Exchange Server 2007 SP1, Exchange Server 2007
Topic Last Modified: 2010-01-20

A management pack tells Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) what to monitor. It contains rules for monitoring events, performance counters, and running scripts. When an event is logged and its parameters match a rule in MOM, an alert is raised to notify the administrator.

MOM samples the performance counters on a scheduled basis. If the value of the counter is greater than the threshold specified in a MOM rule, an alert is raised. MOM also runs scripts on a scheduled basis. For the Exchange 2007 Management Pack, the scripts will run Exchange diagnostic cmdlets, and then submit the results from the diagnostic cmdlets to MOM as events or performance counters. The events or performance counters will be used for raising alerts when a problem is detected and for reporting the availability of various services.

Note:
We recommend that you to upgrade to Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 to take advantage of the new and improved monitoring features for Exchange 2007. For more information about Operations Manager 2007 R2, see the System Center Operations Manager Web site.

Tasks That You Can Perform with MOM

Monitoring with MOM enables you to perform the following tasks.

  • Locate the information that is required to diagnose and resolve problems

  • Measure service availability and evaluate operational effectiveness

  • Take preventive measures

  • Obtain a performance baseline

  • Identify conditions or processes that are outside regular operating conditions. For example, performance counters that exceed your baseline performance expectations, or configuration that does not follow established operational recommendations.

  • Identify your company's peak workload hours

  • Obtain performance metrics

Monitoring should be performed centrally, especially in a large Exchange organization with several Exchange servers, so that reports and data can be stored in a single repository. With centralized monitoring, you can reduce administrative overhead by implementing uniform, company-wide administration procedures. The Exchange 2007 Management Pack for MOM provides a centralized approach to monitoring.

To effectively use the Exchange 2007 Management Pack, become familiar with the following:

  • Microsoft Operations Manager integration   The Exchange 2007 Management Pack extends MOM so that you can monitor Exchange-specific components and services in addition to resources that are provided by the operating system. An introduction to MOM will help you better understand where and how the Exchange 2007 Management Pack integrates with MOM.

  • Exchange 2007 Management Pack components   Not only does the management pack integrate with MOM, but it also contains specific rules, reports, and features that help monitor Exchange 2007 servers. Knowing about the components and their capabilities and purposes is important to efficiently using the Exchange 2007 Management Pack.

  • System monitoring tasks   Knowing the tasks that you can do with the Exchange 2007 Management Pack helps you identify opportunities to streamline IT operations in an Exchange 2007 organization. For example, instead of manually monitoring individual servers, you can automatically monitor all servers that are running Exchange 2007.

  • Monitoring scenarios   You can deploy the Exchange 2007 Management Pack in a centralized or decentralized environment. Deployment options could vary according to your requirements and the geography of the organization.

For More Information

For more information about MOM, visit the Microsoft Operations Manager home page.