Manage Alert Notifications

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Applies To: Windows Essential Business Server

You can configure Windows EBS to notify you as soon as a critical alert occurs on a managed computer or device.

To customize the notifications and formats (e-mail, instant messaging (IM), or short message service (SMS)) that you receive, use the System Center Essentials console to modify the properties of the notification subscription.

For step-by-step procedures for configuring notifications in System Center Essentials, see “How to Configure Notifications in System Center Essentials” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=131271).

Enable or disable alert notifications by using the Windows Essential Business Server Administration Console

Use the following procedure to enable or disable the alert notifications. Regardless of your choice, critical alerts appear in the Windows EBS Administration Console.

If you enable alert notifications, the Windows Essential Business Server Health Alerts notification subscription is enabled in System Center Essentials with the following properties by default:

  • E-mail notifications are sent to the members of the EssentialBusinessServerAlerts distribution list

    Note

    If the EssentialBusinessServerAlerts distribution group does not exist, Windows EBS creates it when you enable e-mail alert notifications. By default the Administrator is configured as a member of the distribution list.

  • Notifications are sent for new, critical alerts in all computer monitoring groups that are defined in System Center Essentials.

  • Notifications are not sent for aging alerts.

  • Notifications use the default e-mail notification format.

You must use an account that is in the Domain Admins group to perform this procedure.

To enable or disable alert notifications

  1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Essential Business Server, and then click Windows Essential Business Server Administration Console.

  2. Click the Computers and Devices tab, and then, in the tasks pane, click Alert notification options.

  3. In the Alert Notification Options dialog box, do one of the following:

    • To enable alert notifications, select the Send alert notifications by e-mail check box.

    • To disable alert notifications, clear the Send alert notifications by e-mail check box.

Modify the notification subscription in System Center Essentials

Use the following procedures to modify the properties of the Windows Essential Business Server Health alerts notification subscription in System Center Essentials.

To modify the notification subscription

  1. Start the System Center Essentials console by using one of the procedures in Start the System Center Essentials Console, earlier in this document.

  2. In the navigation pane, click the Administration icon.

  3. Verify that the notification channel or channels that you want to use are enabled by doing the following:

    1. In the Administration pane, click Settings.

    2. In the Settings pane, right-click Notification, and then click Properties.

    3. In the Global Management Settings – Notification dialog box, make the changes that you want on the E-mail, Instant Messaging, Short Message Service, and Command tabs, and then click OK.

  4. In the Administration pane, expand Notifications, and then click Subscriptions.

  5. In the Subscriptions pane, right-click Windows Essential Business Server Health Alerts and then click Properties. The Notification Subscription Properties Wizard appears.

  6. Navigate through the pages of the wizard to configure the properties of the notification subscription, such as the formats for notifications. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

To modify the notification recipients

  1. Start the System Center Essentials console by using one of the procedures in Start the System Center Essentials Console, earlier in this document.

  2. In the navigation pane, click the Administration icon.

  3. In the Administration pane, expand Notifications, and then click Recipients. Then do one of the following:

    • To add a recipient, in the Actions pane, click New Notification Recipient.

    • To configure the properties of a recipient, in the Recipients pane, right-click the name of the recipient and then click Properties. In the Notification Recipient Properties dialog box, configure when and from what devices notifications can be sent, and then click OK.