How to Configure Mail Flow Synthetic Transactions Using the Exchange 2007 Intra-Organization Mail Flow Monitoring Template

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Applies To: Exchange Server, Operations Manager 2007 R2

When the Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Management Pack is imported, the Exchange 2007 Intra-Organization Mail Flow Monitoring template is added to the templates in the Authoring pane in the Operations console. This is the recommended way to create synthetic transactions.

Use the following procedure to configure synthetic transactions that measure mail flow between source and target servers to ensure proper flow of mail.

In very large environments, you can also create synthetic transactions using overrides. For instructions about creating synthetic transactions using overrides, see Appendix: Manually Configuring Synthetic Transactions.

Note

We strongly recommend that you use either the templates or the overrides method to set up synthetic transactions. Use one method or the other; do not mix methods.

Use the overrides method to set up synthetic transactions for cross-organization or Internet mail flow as these are not supported in the templates.

Important

When you configure the mail flow synthetic transactions, specify a time-out duration between 1 and 30 minutes. Specify a test frequency between 5 and 60 minutes. Ensure that the test frequency you specify is at least two times greater than the time-out value you specify. That way, the mail synthetic transaction has enough time to travel from the source server to the target server and back before the next mail flow synthetic transaction starts. The template automatically enforces this.

The Timeout value represents the service level objective (SLO) for mail delivery within your organization. The default value is 15 minutes. Adjust the Timeout value to reflect the SLO in your organization. The accuracy of the availability created by mail flow monitored by the SLO will be affected by the frequency that the mail flow transaction runs. For example, in a 24-hour period, if the frequency is 30 minutes, then the greatest accuracy possible will be around 2 % (1/48).

To configure mail flow synthetic transactions

  1. Click the Authoring button in the Operations console, click Management Pack Templates, and then click Add Monitoring Wizard.

  2. On the Select Monitoring Type page, select Exchange 2007 Intra-Organization Mail Flow Monitoring, and click Next.

  3. On the General Properties page, do the following:

    1. Type the Name for the object, such as Mail Flow Monitoring for source server <YourServerName> .

    2. Type a Description for the object (optional).

    3. Select a Management pack from the list, or click New to create a management pack using the Create a Management Pack Wizard.

      Note

      The object type will be added to the specified management pack; therefore, only unsealed management packs are listed. By default, when you create a management pack object, disable a rule or monitor, or create an override, Operations Manager saves the setting to the Default Management Pack. As a best practice, you should create a separate management pack for each sealed management pack you want to customize rather than saving your customized settings to the Default Management Pack. For more information, see Customizing Management Packs (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=140601).

    4. Click Next.

  4. On the Source Server page, select the Exchange organization where the synthetic transactions will occur, and then click Select.

    Note

    The source server and the target server must be in the same Exchange organization and site. The “Exchange organization” in this context is actually the root domain of the forest where the Exchange organization is installed. It does not represent the Exchange organization name as entered when Exchange was installed.

  5. On the Source Server page, click Search for a list of available servers. Select a server in the list, and click OK.

  6. On the Test Settings page, specify the Test frequency value. This value sets the interval between synthetic transaction runs. Specify a value between 5 and 60 minutes. Ensure that the test frequency you specify is at least two times greater than the time-out value you specify in the next step.

  7. Specify the Time-out value. This value specifies latency in one direction (source to target) for the mail flow transaction before it fails the SLO. If the synthetic transaction does not complete within the twice this duration, the synthetic transaction times out. Specify a time-out duration between 1 and 30 minutes, and then click Next.

  8. On the Target Servers page, click Add.

  9. On the Select Target Servers page, search for available target servers, select the Mailbox server you want, and then click Add. Click OK.

  10. Click Next.

  11. On the Summary page, review the settings, and click Create.

Note

When you use the template to configure the mail flow synthetic transactions, you must use a common test frequency and time-out setting for all the target servers you specify for the synthetic transaction. If you want to use a different frequency for particular servers, you can run the template again for just those source and target servers.

Do not select the same source and target servers in more than one template because the transaction behavior will be undefined. The reason for this is that two sets of timeout and frequency will be created.

Guidelines for Selecting an Appropriate Destination Management Pack

The output of the template is stored in a destination management pack that you choose. The following guidelines can help you plan your choice for the right destination management pack for the output of the template.

  • Plan logical groupings of synthetic transactions. Plan to group synthetic transactions in management packs so that it will be easy later for you to find a particular synthetic transaction.

  • Use descriptive names for the destination management packs. Name your destination management packs in ways that describe the synthetic transactions contained in the management pack.

  • Use caution if you store all synthetic transactions in one management pack. When you make a change to a synthetic transaction within a management pack, the whole management pack is redistributed to every server that has a transaction defined in the management pack. If you anticipate making frequent changes to synthetic transactions, it is better to group the transactions logically in management packs so that the management pack where you made the change is then redistributed only to the servers involved in the transactions.

  • Do not store each synthetic transaction in a separate management pack. While it is possible to do this, we recommend against the practice of storing each synthetic transaction in a separate management pack because the number of such management packs can grow into the hundreds, eventually having a negative impact on the Operations Manager 2007 environment.