Operations Manager – Extending UNIX/Linux Monitoring with MP Authoring – Part I
March 23, 2011 5 Comments
Introduction
The OpsMgr UNIX and Linux monitoring implementation can be extended through MP authoring to implement robust system and application monitoring for UNIX/Linux servers. The most direct mechanism of extension comes in the form of the script provider, accessed with WSMan Invoke modules. The WSMan Invoke modules support three methods of invoking actions:
- ExecuteCommand – execute a command (e.g. a script already on the file system ) and return the results
- ExecuteShellCommand – execute a command through sh (with pipeline support) and return the results
- ExecuteScript – download and execute an embedded script and return the results
Of these three methods, I prefer to use ExecuteShellCommand in most cases, as it allows for the use of complex one-liner shell commands, embedded in the MP.
In a series of posts, I will describe the creation of an example Management Pack for monitoring an application, featuring dynamic application discovery, discovery of multiple log files, and advanced monitoring implementations.
Example Application Details
The example MP described in these blog posts implements monitoring for a hypothetical application (MyApp). The application involves a daemon, a set of log files, and application performance counters where the metrics are accessible as the contents of files.
Part I – Discovering an Application
Setting up the MP
I am a big fan of the R2 Authoring Console and will be using it to create this example MP. The first step then is to create a new MP in the Authoring Console (ID: MyApp.Monitoring). Once the MP is created and saved, references are needed. References I am adding are:
- Microsoft.Unix.Library – contains UNIX/Linux classes and modules
- Microsoft.SystemCenter.DataWarehouse.Library – required for publishing performance data to the DW
- System.Image.Library – contains icon images referenced in class definition
Operating-Quadrant 