How to Configure a Proxy for Agentless Monitoring

 

Updated: May 13, 2016

Applies To: System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager, System Center 2012 - Operations Manager, System Center 2012 SP1 - Operations Manager

System Center 2012 – Operations Manager can monitor Microsoft Windows-based computers on which an agent is not installed by using an agent on another computer to act as a proxy. This is called agentless management.

Note

Not all management packs support agentless management, so make sure agentless management will serve your needs before using it. For example, the Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 management packs do not support agentless management.

When you set up agentless monitoring of a computer, you select a proxy for each agentless-managed computer. Being configured as a proxy agent allows an agent to submit data on behalf of another source. A management group can serve as a proxy, but this takes up system resources. A best practice is using an agent-managed computer as a proxy agent.

You might also configure a computer to act as a proxy to support specific features of a management pack. For example, the Active Directory Management Pack requires enabling domain controllers to act as proxy agents.

Note

If a proxy agent is removed from management, its agentless systems are no longer managed.

Both the agentless-managed system and its proxy need to have access to the managing server through any firewalls. For more information about interacting with firewalls, see (link to appropriate content in deployment).

To configure an agent-managed computer as a proxy for agentless-managed computers

  1. In the Administration workspace, click Agent Managed, right-click the computer, and then click Properties.

  2. In the Agent Properties dialog box, click the Security tab.

  3. On the Security tab, select Allow this agent to act as a proxy and discover managed objects on other computers, and then click OK.

How to configure a management server as a proxy for agentless-managed computers

  1. In the Administration workspace, click Management Servers, right-click the management server, and then click Properties.

  2. In the Management Server Properties dialog box, click the Security tab.

  3. On the Security tab, select Allow this server to act as a proxy and discover managed objects on other computers, and then click OK.

To change the proxy agent for agentless-managed computers

  1. Log on to the computer with an account that is a member of the Operations Manager Administrators role for the management group.

  2. In the Operations console, click Administration.

  3. Click Agentless Managed.

  4. In the Agentless Managed pane, select the agentless-managed computers for which you want to change the proxy agent, right-click them, and then select Change Proxy Agent.

  5. In the Change Proxy Agent dialog box, select the computer you want to be the new proxy agent, and then click OK.