Understanding Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack Operations]

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This section describes the views, tasks, and various reports that are available through the Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack.

Views

After you import the Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack into Operations Manager, a number of new AD DS–specific views will be available in the Operations Manager Operator Console. The following table describes these views.

View name Description

Alerts

Lists all unresolved alerts on domain controllers, including:

  • Lingering Object Alerts
  • Service Level Exceptions for Active Directory Domain Controllers

Computer Groups

Lists all Computer Groups for domain controllers.

Computers

All managed domain controllers.

Events

Lists all events that have been collected from domain controllers.

Performance

Lists all the performance data that is collected about domain controllers.

Service Level Exceptions

Lists unresolved alerts that have exceeded service levels on domain controllers.

State

Lists the state of all domain controllers.

Task Status

Lists the events that indicate task results.

Client-Side Monitoring

Reports client-side events.

Discovery

Displays the following:

  • Domain controllers, which are listed by operating system
  • Number of client sessions

Health Monitoring

Lists collected performance data for selected domain controllers. The data is related to the health of the domain controller and its copy of the database, including:

  • Number of Client Sessions
  • Active Directory Database
  • Active Directory DIT/Log Drive Space
  • Active Directory Domain Controller Alerts
  • Active Directory Log Files
  • AD Global Catalog Search Response Events
  • CPU Usage on Active Directory Domain Controllers
  • Directory Service Errors
  • Domain Controller Response Time
  • Global Catalog Response Time
  • LSASS CPU Usage on Active Directory Domain Controllers
  • Memory Use on Active Directory Domain Controllers
  • NTDS Events
  • Objects to clean up after cross domain moves
  • Operations Managers or Security Manager Active Directory Error Events
  • Processor Queue Length
  • Role Master Response Time
  • Service Level Exceptions for Active Directory Domain Controllers

Replication Monitoring

Lists collected performance data for selected domain controllers. The data is related to replication health, including:

  • AD Replication Alerts
  • Intersite (compressed) Replication Traffic
  • Replication Latency
  • Replication Traffic - Inbound Bytes per Second
  • Replication Traffic - Outbound Bytes per Second

Replication Topology Diagrams

Diagrams of replication topology, including:

  • Site Links
  • Connection Objects
  • Broken Connection Objects

Task Output

Lists the status of all tasks that have been executed against the computers, including:

  • Enumerate Trusts
  • Replication Status Snapshot
  • Service Principal Name Health

Tasks

After you import the Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack, a number of new AD DS–specific tasks will be available in the Operations Manager Operator Console. The following table describes these tasks.

Task name Description

Active Directory Users and Computers Snap-In

Opens the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in on the local computer. (This task is located in the Microsoft Active Directory folder.)

Active Directory Domains and Trusts Snap-In

Opens the Active Directory Domains and Trusts snap-in on the local computer. (This task is located in the Microsoft Active Directory folder.)

Active Directory Sites and Services Snap-In

Opens the Active Directory Sites and Services snap-in on the local computer. (This task is located in the Microsoft Active Directory folder.)

Create Replication Latency Monitoring Containers

Creates the MOM Latency Monitor containers in the specified naming contexts. (This task is located in the Management Pack Configuration folder.)

Remove DC Replication Latency Objects

Removes the MOM Latency Monitor objects for the targeted domain controller. (This task is located in the Management Pack Configuration folder.)

Replication Summary Snapshot

Collects a snapshot of the current replication status from the perspective of the target computer by using the REPADMIN /replsum command. (This task is located in the Replication Troubleshooting folder.)

Service Principal Name Health

Confirms the service principal name (SPN) health on the target domain controllers. (This task is located in the Replication Troubleshooting folder.)

The service principal name health is useful for diagnosing replication authentication errors that are caused by nonexistent, manipulated, or duplicate SPN registrations, Kerberos ticket refresh, admin tool startup, user and computer logon authorization, and service startup.

Enumerate Trusts

Enumerates the trust relationships between AD DS domains. (This task is located in the Trust Details folder.)

ADSI Edit

Opens the ADSI Edit console on the local computer. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

DCDiag

Runs DCDiag.exe on a remote domain controller by using parameters that are specified by the user. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

LDP

Opens LDP.exe on the local computer. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

NETDIAG

Runs Netdiag.exe on a remote domain controller by using parameters that are specified by the user. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

NETDOM

Runs Netdom.exe on a remote domain controller by using parameters that are specified by the user. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

NLTEST

Runs Nltest.exe on a remote domain controller by using parameters that are specified by the user. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

REPADMIN

Runs Repadmin.exe on a remote domain controller by using parameters that are specified by the user. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

SETSPN

Runs Setspn.exe on a remote domain controller by using parameters that are specified by the user. (This task is located in the Advanced folder.)

Reports

To use the reports that are included in the Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack package, you must import them.

To import the Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack Reports file

  1. In the MOM Administrator Console, right-click Management Packs, and then click Import/Export Management Pack.

  2. The Import/Export Management Pack Wizard opens. Click Next.

  3. Select the Import Management Packs option, and then click Next.

  4. Type the path to the report file, or browse to the folder.

  5. Click Import reports only, and then click Next.

  6. Select the Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack Reports file, and then click Next.

  7. If a Secure Socket Layer Confirmation dialog box opens, click Continue.

  8. Click Finish.

  9. If you need to install additional report files, repeat steps 1 through 7 for each report file.

After you have imported the Active Directory Domain Services Management Pack into Operations Manager 2005, a number of new AD DS–specific reports will be available in the Operations Manager Reporting Console, as listed in the following table.

Report name Report description and use cases

AD Domain Controllers

Lists all domain controllers in the selected domain, along with their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and sites.

AD Role Holders

Lists which computers are holding one or more operations master roles or are global catalog servers.

AD Replication Connection Objects

Summarizes the AD DS replication topology by providing a list of connection objects. Indicates the source domain controllers and target domain controllers and their respective sites, the transport types, and whether the connection objects are manually configured.

AD Replication Site Links

Summarizes the current replication site link configuration for AD DS.

AD DC Disk Space

Summarizes AD DS disk space usage and free space for the database and log volumes. It is critical that adequate free space be available for AD DS. Use this report to trend and predict the size of volumes that you will need, given your current growth rate.

AD Domain Changes

Summarizes significant changes to the domain, such as movement of the PDC emulator operations master and the addition or removal of domain controllers.

AD Machine Account Authentication Failures

Summarizes which workstations (that are joined to the domain) are unable to authenticate. This failure can prevent Group Policy updates and software distribution to the computer.

AD SAM Account Errors

Summarizes events that indicate that the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) has detected an error. Corrective guidance is provided where applicable.

AD Replication Bandwidth

Summarizes the replication bandwidth (compressed and uncompressed) over the selected period. This report is useful for trending and capacity planning for replication bandwidth requirements.

AD Replication Latency

Summarizes the minimum, average, and maximum replication latency per naming context, per domain controller. This report is extremely useful in verifying any service level agreement (SLA) that you have for changes to replicate within the domain or forest.