OpsMgr, SCE And MOM Blog : Bugs or Features?

Post SP1 issue "Performance Module could not find a performance counter"

CliveEastwood — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 22:34:12 GMT

This is a common alert received after SP1 upgrade and is being actively researched by the product group.

Please see http://blogs.technet.com/momteam/archive/2008/03/01/performance-module-could-not-find-a-performance-counter.aspx for a temporary solution.

Server role installation issues (Sdk Service has not yet initialized),Or Please call ManagementGroup.Reconnect() to reestablish the connection, issues

CliveEastwood — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:55:54 GMT

I've come across a number of cases in the past where Opsmgr/SCE server role installation may fail, or even post installation processes such as report deployment can fail with no indication as to why. Some symptoms you may see which may indicate the need to install the hotfix detailed below are:

Installing an Opsmgr/SCE server roll results in an MSI installation failure and subsequent rollback with the error "The setup wizard was interrupted before System Center Operations Manager 2007 could be installed."
Then clicking the Finish button pops up an error dialogue the says "The setup failed. Do you want to open the setup log file (search for "value 3" in the file for locating failure)". Although this message can be displayed for a very wide variety of reasons, if you search the failed MSI log for " Sdk Service has not yet initialized. Please retry" and get a hit with a stack trace similar to below, it's quite likely this is your problem.

AssociateSecureRefsForADWriterAndAlertSubscriptionModules: Error: Sdk Service has not yet initialized. Please retry,
Stack:    at Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.DataAbstractionLayer.SdkDataAbstractionLayer.HandleIndigoExceptions(Exception ex)
   at Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.DataAbstractionLayer.SdkDataAbstractionLayer.CreateChannel(TieredManagementGroupConnectionSettings managementGroupTier)
   at Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.DataAbstractionLayer.SdkDataAbstractionLayer..ctor(DuplexChannelFactory`1 channelFactory, TieredManagementGroupConnectionSettings managementGroupTier, IClientDataAccess callback, CacheMode cacheMode)
   at Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.DataAbstractionLayer.SdkDataAbstractionLayer.CreateEndpoint(ManagementGroupConnectionSettings connectionSettings, IClientDataAccess clientCallback)
   at Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.DataAbstractionLayer.SdkDataAbstractionLayer.Connect(ManagementGroupConnectionSettings connectionSettings)
   at Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.ManagementGroup..ctor(ManagementGroupConnectionSettings connectionSettings)
   at Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.ManagementGroup.Connect(ManagementGroupConnectionSettings connectionSettings)
   at Microsoft.MOMv3.Setup.MOMv3ManagedCAs.AssociateSecureRefsForADWriterAndAlertSubscriptionModules(Session session)

Another possible post server roll installation problem which you may see is instances of "Please call ManagementGroup.Reconnect() to reestablish the connection" in events (opsmgr event log) or alerts, such as the following:

Report deployment process failed to request management pack list from SQL RS Server. The operation will be retried. Exception 'ServerDisconnectedException': The client has been disconnected from the server. Please call ManagementGroup.Reconnect() to reestablish the connection. One or more workflows were affected by this. Workflow name: Microsoft.SystemCenter.DataWarehouse.Deployment.Report

If you do see symptoms such as those described above, installation of the following Windows Server 2003 SP1 & SP2 hotfix may well solve the issue : http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/931319/ (Error code when you run a network program that uses a Winsock connection on a computer that is running Windows Server 2003: "WSAECONNABORTED (10053)"). Details of how to obtain the hotfix are discussed in the article.

A KB article for OpsMGr/SCE will be available shortly. If I discover any more symptoms I'll be sure to include them.

KB945084 - Error message after you insert the System Center Essentials 2007 DVD into a DVD drive: "Not a valid Win32 application"

CliveEastwood — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 02:03:40 GMT

This issue affects SCE 2007 in some localized languages. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/945084

SYMPTOMS

When you insert the Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 product DVD into a DVD drive for which the AutoPlay function is enabled, you receive the following error message:

DriveLetter is not a valid Win32 application.

Note DriveLetter is the drive letter of the DVD drive.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the Autorun.inf file on the DVD media contains incorrect information for the following localized versions:

•Chinese Traditional

•Chinese Simplified

•Russian

•Korean

•Brazilian Portuguese

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, follow these steps:

1.Right-click the DVD drive that contains the System Center Essentials 2007 media, and then click Explore.

2.In the root directory, double-click the Default.hta file to start the installation.

Essentials 2007 Hotfix for KB937831 (The installation of System Center Essentials 2007 fails during the Reporting part of Setup and the following information is logged: "The specified domain does not exist or cannot be contacted") has been re-rel

CliveEastwood — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:47:32 GMT

If you previously requested, have, and successfully installed Essentials using the previous hotfix you do not need to request it again.

However, if you meet the following criteria the SCE installation can fail as discussed the article.

• You are installing a distributed installation of Essentials where the SCE Management server role and SQL Database role are on separate servers

• The computer on which you try to install Essentials 2007 has a domain suffix that does not match the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the domain. For example, the computer has a domain suffix of department.contoso.com. However, the domain is named contoso.com.

• The computer on which you try to install Essentials 2007 has a NetBIOS domain name that does not match the first part of the FQDN of the domain. For example, the NetBIOS domain name is CONTOSO-XYZ. However, the domain is named contoso.com instead of contoso-xyz.com.

The updated hotfix can be requested via the following link : http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451 using the KB article reference KB931831

KB939799 - The System Center Operations Manager 2007 agent is unable to restart the health service after its monitored thresholds are breached

CliveEastwood — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 07:51:15 GMT

KB939799 has been published discussing the problem with Private Bytes threshhold and Handle Count threshold ovrride issues (override is not applied correctly). A hotfix for this issue is now available which corrects this issue together with Healthservice restart issues which is a response to these rules which can fail to successfully restart the healthservice. For further information see the KB article here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939799/en-us

This article currently does not contain the link for online requests of the associated hotfix. However you may request the hotfix via online submission via this link http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

SYMPTOMS

The Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 agent monitors its processes to make sure that they do not consume too many system resources. When one of its processes does consume too many system resources, the agent tries to restart itself.
You may encounter one of the four symptoms that are mentioned in this section. These symptoms occur on the agent side if the following conditions are true:

•
The following processes are being monitored on the agent side:

•
HealthService.exe

•
MonitoringHost.exe

•
The following performance counters are being monitored for the processes that are mentioned in bullet point 1:

•
Process\Private Bytes

•
Process\Handle Count

Symptom 1

The health service shuts down successfully. However, the health service does not start successfully after its monitored thresholds are breached. When this occurs, one of the following events may be logged in the Application event log:

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: Health Service Script
Event Category: None
Event ID: 6026
Date: <date>
Time: <time>
User: N/A
Computer: <computer name>
Description: RestartHealthService.js : Restarting Health Service. Monitoring Host exceeded Process\Private Bytes threshhold.

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: Health Service Script
Event Category: None
Event ID: 6024
Date: <date>
Time: <time>
User: N/A
Computer: <computer name>
Description: RestartHealthService.js : Restarting Health Service. HealthService.exe exceeded Process\Handle Count or Process\Private Bytes exceeded threshold.

Event Type: Warning
Event Source: Health Service Script
Event Category: None
Event ID: 6025
Date: <date>
Time: <time>
User: N/A
Computer: <computer name>
Description: RestartHealthService.js : Restarting Health Service. MonitoringHost.exe exceeded Process\Handle Count threshold.

Symptom 2

The health service only restarts one time on Microsoft Windows 2000 agents if the thresholds of both monitors are configured to use a very low value. The expected behavior is that the health service repeatedly restarts.

Symptom 3

The health service on the agent restarts repeatedly if the following conditions are true:

•
Multiple management groups monitor this agent.

•
The monitored thresholds are breached.

Symptom 4

The overridden values for certain rules are not displayed in the Override properties dialog box. These rules are used to monitor the processes that are mentioned in this section.

RESOLUTION

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, it is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next System Center Operations Manager 2007 service pack that contains this hotfix.
To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Customer Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You do not have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

Hotfix installation instructions

This hotfix must be applied to each Systems Center Operations Manager 2007 Management Server-based computer.
To apply this hotfix, follow these steps:

1.
Copy the following file to a local folder or to a network shared folder:

SYSTEMCENTEROPERATIONS2007-RTM-KB939799-X86-X64-ENU.MSI

2.
Run the file that is mentioned in step 1 on each applicable computer.
Note You can run the file that is mentioned in step 1 from Windows Explorer, or you can run the file at a command prompt.

3.
Import the following management packs. If you use the Operations Console to import the management packs, they are imported in the correct order. If you import the management packs by using the command line or if you have problems when you use the Operations Console to import the management packs, import them in the following order:

a.
Microsoft.SystemCenter.Library.mp

b.
Microsoft.SystemCenter.2007.mp

Note The management packs will be extracted to the following folder:

%systemdrive%\ProgramFiles\System Center Management Packs\Microsoft System Center 2007 MP\

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

System Center Operations Manager 2007, x86-based versions

File name
File version
File size
Date
Time
Platform

Microsoft.systemcenter.2007.mp
6.0.5000.20
122,880
29-Jun-2007
07:48
Not Applicable

Microsoft.systemcenter.library.mp
6.0.5000.20
241,664
29-Jun-2007
07:48
Not Applicable

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/) Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

KB935898 - Error message when you try to access a Web page view in the System Center Operations Manager 2007 Web Console: "Requested value 'UrlViewType' was not found"

CliveEastwood — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 07:32:23 GMT

KB935898 has now been published which refers to a hotfix available for the Web Console. Details here : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935898/en-us

Note: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

Check out the link for online requests for this hotfix http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451 . You can now request the hotfix link be delivered by email by completing a simple web form.

SYMPTOMS

The Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 Web Console raises an exception when you try to access a Web page view on the Monitoring page or on the My Workspace page. When this problem occurs, you receive the following error message in the Web Console:

Requested value 'UrlViewType' was not found.
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.
Exception Details: System.ArgumentException: Requested value 'UrlViewType' was not found.

This problem occurs because the URL view type is not supported in the System Center Operations Manager 2007 Web Console.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, apply this hotfix on each computer that hosts the System Center Operations Manager 2007 Web Console.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next System Center Operations Manager 2007 service pack that contains this hotfix.
To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451 (http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451)

Note If additional issues occur or any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. To create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support (http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

System Center Operations Manager 2007, x86-based version

File name
File version
File size
Date
Time
Platform

microsoft.enterprisemanagement.operationsmanager.dataabstractionlayer.dll
6.0.5000.4
176,128
05-
17:09
x86

System Center Operations Manager 2007, x64-based version

File name
File version
File size
Date
Time
Platform

microsoft.enterprisemanagement.operationsmanager.dataabstractionlayer.dll
6.0.5000.4
176,128
06-
12:47
x86

momperfsnapshothelper.exe
6.0.5000.0
47,104
06-
12:46
x64

momperfsnapshothelperproxy.dll
6.0.5000.0
11,776
06-
12:46
x64

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/LN/) Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

Operations Manager 2007 Backwards Compatibility MP for MOM 2005 has been updated to 6.0.5000.12

CliveEastwood — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:38:48 GMT

The OpsMgr 2007 MOM 2005 Backward Compatibility MP has been updated twice now since its initial release and is available via http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=655cdd06-861e-4342-99b2-8a81e09f6546&DisplayLang=en

The MSI includes :

Microsoft.SystemCenter.Internal.mp , version 6.0.5000.16

Microsoft.Systemcenter.2007.mp , version 6.0.5000.16

System.Mom.BackwardCompatibility.Library.mp , version 6.0.5000.12

The update includes:

Updated MOM 2005 Backwards Compatibility MP (6.0.5000.12), System Center Internal Library MP (6.0.5000.16), and System Center Core Monitoring MP (6.0.5000.16)
Update to address fixes and enhancements: - New Backward Compatibility Threshold monitoring type using in Converted MOM 2005 MPs which exposes Threshold values as overrides. - Fixes to the Backward Compatibility Cluster discovery to address problem with converted MPs that monitor clustered Applications - Fixes conversion issue with MOM 2005 Windows Service rules using wildcards to match on Service names
Installation: After unpacking of the MSI files import the following MP files: Folder (default): %ProgramFiles%\System Center Management Packs\ MOM 2005 Backward Compatibility - Microsoft.SystemCenter.Internal.mp - Microsoft.Systemcenter.2007.mp - System.Mom.BackwardCompatibility.Library.mp The MP will replace the existing version of the files

Operations Manager 2007 and Essentials Hotfixes released to solve Reporting install issues covering: (1) Install failure when SDK account is Local System KB936219 , 2) Failure to install in a disjointed namespace

CliveEastwood — Fri, 25 May 2007 20:55:00 GMT

Two hotfixes have been released and are currently only available through Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS). You will not be charged for the support incident.

System Center Operations Manager 2007 Hotfix details

The forthcoming KB article (unpublished at the moment) will be KB936481. When requesting the hotfix from CSS please mention that you are in need of the hotfix for KB936481.

Here are essentially the details that will be covered in the KB for installing the hotfix. NOTE: This hotfix does resolve two issues as in the title.

Summary
The computer's primary DNS suffix does not match the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the domain where it resides. For more information on identifying this issue please read http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998420.aspx.

Symptoms
Installation of Operations Manager 2007 reporting fails with the error message “The specified domain does not exist or cannot be contacted” in the setup log file found in the Temp folder on the computer on which you are installing Operations Manager 2007 reporting.

Installation
This hotfix must be applied to each computer that meets any of the following criteria:

Is a System Center Operations Manager Reporting Server

Is a System Center Operations Manager Root Management Server

To apply this hotfix, you must first:

1. Copy the file SystemCenterOpsMgr07-RTM-KB9356481-X86-AMD64-ENU.MSI to either a local folder or to an accessible network shared folder.

2. Run SystemCenterOpsMgr07-RTM-KB936481-X86-AMD64-ENU.MSI on each applicable computer that meets the predefined criteria.

3. On the computer where you plan to install the reporting server component, first copy Reporting2007.msi (RTM build 5000) to local writable disk; for example, the root or C:\ folder. The Reporting2007.msi file can be found in the reporting folder on the CD image. Copy the Reporting2007.msi file from either the i386 or amd64 folder, depending on which correctly matches your system architecture.

4. When the hotfix package is run, specify the location where the Reporting2007.msi file was placed. On the reporting server, run the VBscript file WiUseXfm.vbs with the full path to the reporting Windows Installer file as the first argument and full path to the .mst file as second argument. This can be done by opening a command prompt window and specifying for example C:\>WiUseXfm.vbs Reporting2007.msi ReportinXfm86.mst. For this example the VBscript, Windows Installer (.msi), and .mst files were placed in the C:\ directory

5. The Reporting2007.msi file size should have increased from 11,383 to 11,427 KB. Run this modified Reporting2007.msi which is on the local disk and installation should succeed.

6. NOTE: When specifying the target RMS Server it must be the Full Qualified Domain Name(FQDN) of the RMS Server for this modified version of the install to succeed.

This hotfix impacts the following installed files:

Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.OperationsManager.dll

ReportingCAManaged.dll

ReportingCAManagedPac.dll

ReportingCAPack.dll

System Center Essentials 2007 Hotfix details

The forthcoming KB article (unpublished at the moment) will be KB937831. When requesting the hotfix from CSS please mention that you are in need of the hotfix for KB937831.

Here are essentially the details that will be covered in the KB for installing the hotfix. NOTE: This hotfix does resolve two issues as in the title.

Summary
The computer’s primary DNS suffix does not match the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the domain where it resides. For more information on identify the issue please read http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa998420.aspx.

Symptoms
Installation of System Center Essentials 2007 fails with the error message “The specified domain does not exist or cannot be contacted” in the setup log file found in the Temp folder on the computer on which you are installing System Center Essentials 2007.

Installation
This hotfix must be applied to each computer that meets the following criteria:
Is a System Center Essentials 2007 Management Server.
To apply this hotfix for interactive setup, you must first:
1. Copy the file SCE07-RTM-KB937831-X86-AMD64-ENU to either a local folder or accessible network shared folder.
2. Run SCE07-RTM-KB937831-X86-AMD64-ENU locally on each applicable computer that meets the predefined criteria.

Note: You can run SCE07-RTM-KB937831-X86-AMD64-ENU from either Windows Explorer or from a command prompt.

3. During installation of the Windows Installer the following file is copied to the %temp% directory: Setup.exe.config.
4. During installation of the Windows Installer the following files are copied to the %temp%\TempQFE directory:
SystemCenterOpsMgr07-RTM-KB936481-X86-AMD64-ENU.MSI
qfelist.xml
SCE 2007 hotfix supplemental notice.rtf
QFEHandler.dll
5. Start Essentials 2007 setup normally using SetupSCE.exe.

To apply this hotfix for silent setup, you must first:
1. Copy the Essentials 2007 installation media to a writeable location, such as locally to the server you are installing Essentials 2007.
2. Copy the file SCE07-RTM-KB937831-X86-AMD64-ENU.MSI to either a local folder or accessible network shared folder.
3. Run SCE07-RTM-KB937831-X86-AMD64-ENU.MSI locally on each applicable computer that meets the predefined criteria.

Note: You can run SCE2007SCE07-RTM-KB937831-X86-AMD64-ENU.MSI from either Windows Explorer or from a command prompt.

4. During installation of the Windows Installer the following file is copied to the %temp% directory: Setup.exe.config.
5. During installation of the Windows Installer the following files are copied to the %temp%\TempQFE directory:
SystemCenterOpsMgr07-RTM-KB936481-X86-AMD64-ENU.MSI
qfelist.xml
SCE 2007 hotfix supplemental notice.rtf
QFEHandler.dll
6. Copy the QFEHandler.dll to the local copy of the Essentials installation media’s Setup\i386 or Setup\amd64 directory, depending on the processor architecture of the server.
7. Start Essentials 2007 silent setup using setup.exe with the appropriate command line options.
This hotfix impacts the following installed files:
Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.OperationsManager.dll
ReportingCAManaged.dll
ReportingCAManagedPac.dll
ReportingCAPack.dll

Alert Resolution States / Auto-Resolve settings dialog is not present within the System Center Essentials 2007 UI

CliveEastwood — Mon, 21 May 2007 20:42:00 GMT

The System Center Operations Manager 2007 administrator console contains a settings dialog for Alert resolution states and auto-resolve settings which is not present in System Center Essentials 2007. The console dialog was removed from Essentials to reduce the overall complexity of the UI, but it's an often used feature. The dialog should be making a re-appearence in SP1.

Here's the dialog from OpsMgr

In the mean time, for those Essentials customers who do need to add new Alert resolution states, or change the auto-resolution times I wrote a command line SDK tool to add/remove resolution states and change the auto-resolution values. The tool called AlertSettingsTool is downloadable from http://home.comcast.net/~the_eastwoods/MOMDownloads/AlertSettingsTool.zip and has to be run on the Essentials management server.

For example. To add a new Alert resolution state from the command line run :

AlertSettingsTool -a <resolutionstate 1-254> <resolutionstatedescription> E.g. AlertSettingsTool -a 150 "Escalate to Exchange Operators"

To list the current resolution states and auto-resolution settings run AlertSettingsTool -q

The utility is unsupported, but simply uses the Operations Manager SDK. For example: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.enterprisemanagement.administration.managementgroupadministration.insertmonitoringalertresolutionstate.aspx

Operations Manager 2007 Web Console returns Server Error in '/' Application - Requested value 'UrlViewType' was not found.

CliveEastwood — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:07:18 GMT

This issue occurs when a new Web Page View is created in the Operations Manager 2007 console. This view is not supported in the Web console which causes this error to be displayed.

Microsoft are currently working on a fix for this issue. I'll blog details when the fix is released.

Currently the workaround is to remove Web Page Views if any have been defined from the operations console.

Operations Manager 2007 and System Center Essentials Reporting features will fail to install in a disjointed DNS namespace

CliveEastwood — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:59:42 GMT

This is currently a known issue. The Reporting install will roll back when installed in a disjointed namespace.

The symptoms can be the same as those for http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=936219 (Error message when you try to install System Center Operations Manager 2007 Reporting: "The wizard was interrupted before Operations Manager 2007 could be installed") so there is the possibility that you installed Operations Manager 2007 with the SDK configured as local system and see the timeout issue here, then workaround the problem using the KB article 936220 referred to from 936219, but still fail to install reporting due to the problem below:

Viewing the MOMReportingN.log in the installing users %TEMP% folder you should likely find the following is searched:

Property(S): UnableToGetUserNameFromManagementServerActionAccount = SetPropertiesToManagementServerActionAndSDKAccountCA error: System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory.ActiveDirectoryObjectNotFoundException : The specified domain does not exist or cannot be contacted.
Property(S): UnableToGetUserNameFromManagementServerSDKAccount = SetPropertiesToManagementServerActionAndSDKAccountCA error: System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory.ActiveDirectoryObjectNotFoundException : The specified domain does not exist or cannot be contacted.
MSI (s) (F4:E0) [17:51:21:688]: MainEngineThread is returning 1603

If you are experiencing this problem, a hotfix is being worked upon for both Operations Manager 2007 and Essentials 2007. The hotfix will also incorporate a fix for the issue in http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=936219

I'll blog the details when the fix is ready for release, which shouldn't be too long from now.

Not able to see all servers in my Availability Reporting reports for MOM 2005

CliveEastwood — Sat, 12 May 2007 02:06:14 GMT

Seeing these symptoms?

Even after rebooting and waiting a long period of time for availability data to be collected from servers, they still don't appear on reports

Servers appear on reports but their availability metrics appear static between report generation periods

Which versions of the Availability MP are affected

All, upto and including 05.0.5000.0001

This can happen because

The MOM agent was removed from the managed server and then reinstalled at some point.

How can I tell if I'm affected?

If you run the following Transact SQL (TSQL) query against your SystemCenterReporting database and it DOES return rows you are affected by this issue

Use SystemCenterReporting

Select uidServer as ComputerID,nvcServerName as OrphanedServer from mras_server A where A.uidServer not in (Select ComputerID from sc_computerdimension_table)

Execute the query.

Why did it happen?

The act of removing the MOM agent from a managed computer together with removal from the OnePoint database means that the idComputer GUID used within the OnePoint database for uniquely identifying the computer is removed. Reinstalling the MOM agent will mean a new idComputer GUID is generated.

This same idComputer GUID is transferred to the datawarehouse, so if an agent changed idComputer GUID the data associated with the previous installation of the agent is essentially orphaned in the warehouse (although it will be groomed when the time comes). This is pretty much the same for the Availability Reporting MP but this is also coupled with a bug in the Availability MP which won't allow the newly installed agent data to be recognised.

Is a fix available from Microsoft

Microsoft is aware of the problem, but a fix for this is currently not available.

How can I fix it and what are the ramifications?

If the above query does return rows it is most likely the Orphaned server column contains the server names of those servers missing from reports or containing stale data. The cause is a synchronization problem in one of the Availability reporting SQL stored procedures executed by the AvailabilityAnalysisReporting (MRASLOADER) Windows scheduled task. The MP maintains its own table of servers within the SystemCenterReporting table MRAS_Servers. As new managed agents are installed they become present in the SC_ComputerDimension_View in the warehouse. The server list used by Availability reporting in the MRAS_Servers table is built from this view. However, changes in the idComputer GUID are not updated (idComputer GUID in the OnePoint db is analogous to ComputerID in the SystemCenterReporting SC_ComputerDimension_View which is analogous to the uidServer in the MRAS_Servers table)

The problem can be remodied by removing what are essentially now orphaned entries in the MRAS_Server table for those reinstalled agents, and then letting the synchronization procedure copy the computer names and GUID's to the MRAS_Server table again on the next execution of the AvailabilityAnalysisReporting (MRASLOADER) Windows scheduled task.

Before using the following procedure to remove the old MRAS_Server entries I STRONGLY recommend a backup of the SystemCenterReporting database.

Use SQL Workbench or SQL Query analyzer to connect to the SystemCenterReporting database

Create a new query and enter the following (I've added comments for clarity with -- , these can be removed):

--Make sure current db is the systemcenterreporting db

Use SystemCenterReporting

--Create temporary table containing the guids of the agents previously removed

Select uidServer into #Orphans From MRAS_Server a Where a.uidServer Not In (Select ComputerID From SC_ComputerDimension_View)

Declare @uidToRemove uniqueidentifier

Declare uidCur cursor forward_only for

Select uidServer From #Orphans

-- cursor to read each of the guids from the temp table

Open uidCur

fetch next from uidCur into @uidToRemove

while @@FETCH_STATUS = 0

Begin

-- MRAS_pcDeleteServer removes the old data for the previous instance of the GUID

exec MRAS_pcDeleteServer @uidToRemove

Delete From MRAS_Server Where uidServer=@uidToRemove

Fetch next from uidCur into @uidToRemove

End

Drop table #Orphans

-- Query Ends Here.

Excute the query.

This should return the same number of rows affected as the Select query above.

Once this is done, either run the AvailabilityAnalysisReporting (MRASLOADER) Windows scheduled task, or wait for it to run on its next scheduled execution. This will copy the updated server entries for previously orphaned servers back into the MRAS_Server table with the correct GUID's. At this point you will have to schedule a reboot of the affected servers in order to set the start point for Availability reporting collection and then await collection of enough events for report data for those servers to appearon reports.

Operations Manager 2007 Security Guide Released to the Web

CliveEastwood — Wed, 02 May 2007 07:55:02 GMT

The Operations Manager 2007 Security Guide has been released to accompany the other documentation released so far. See http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d826b836-59e5-4628-939e-2b852ed79859&DisplayLang=en

There is an error in the Security Guide I wanted to mention which is in the process of being corrected. Unfortunately it was too late to catch before the document went live.

The error/omission is in the steps for importing the Trusted Root CA certificate both in the section on How to Obtain a Certificate Using an Enterprise CA in Operations Manager 2007 and How to Obtain a Certificate Using a Stand-Alone CA in Operations Manager 2007. The step missed is the requirement that the Trusted Root CA certificate be copied to the Trusted Root Ceritication Authorities node in the Local Computer certificate store on the Agent or Gateway server. The original steps and the addition is included below.

How to Obtain a Certificate Using an Enterprise CA in Operations Manager 2007

Import the CA certificate

1. Log on to the computer where you installed a certificate (for example, Gateway Server or Management Server).

2. Start Internet Explorer, and connect to the computer hosting Certificate Services (for example, http://<servername>/certsrv).

3. On the Welcome page, click Download a CA Certificate, certificate chain, or CRL.

4. On the Download a CA Certificate, Certificate Chain, or CRL page, click install this CA certificate chain.

5. On the Potential Scripting Violation dialog box, click Yes.

6. When the CA Certificate Installation page is displayed, close Internet Explorer.

The additional steps required are:

Launch a copy of MMC.msc on the Agent or Gateway server you imported the Trusted CA certificate on.
Add the Certificates snap-in twice, once for the current user and one for the local computer
In the Certificates - Current User snap-in locate the node entitled Trusted Root Certification Authorities\Certificates and locate the trusted root certificate, right click on it and select Copy.
In the Certificates (Local Computer) snap-in locate the node entitled Trusted Root Certification Authorities\Certificates and click Paste

A useful additional tip:

There are also a couple of ways to register the Client\Server auth intended purpose certificate for use by the Healthservice on the Gateway Server or Agent. Rather than exporting the certificate as a .PFX file for use with MOMCertImport, instead note the certificate subject ie. the FQDN machine.domain.com etc and then run MOMCertImport /Subjectname machine.domain.com

This will extract the Certificate Serial number from the Computer certificate store and place it in the registry key location HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Operations Manager\3.0\Machine Settings\ChannelCertificateSerialNumber

OpsMGr Reporting may fail to install in large domains when the RMS SDK Service is configured to run as Local System

CliveEastwood — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:34:00 GMT

THIS INFORMATION IS SUPERCEDED BY http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936220/ . Please use the KB article

There is a Knowledgebase Article in the works for publication, but as I've seen some of you affected by this issue it's time to discuss here a workaround to what may appear to be an insummountable or frustrating issue.

In summary

When a Root Management Server (RMS) has been confgured to have its SDK Service (OMSDK) run under Local System (configuration option during Setup and the Configuration service also runs under the same credentials) and you attempt to install OpsMr Reporting, the reporting installation may fail at the MSI setup screen displaying "Loading Management Server Action and SDK Account". The dialog containing this message may be displayed for a long period of time or the MSI installation simply rollback shortly after its display. Should the OpsMgr Reporting installation fail, confirm the following from the MOMReportingN.log (N is an incremental number) file in the installing users %temp% folder containing the MSI verbose installation log:-

Load the log file into Notepad

Search for the following phrase : SetPropertiesToManagementServerActionAndSDKAccountCA error

If this phase is found look for log entries after this occurance for either instances of :

'SetPropertiesToManagementServerActionAndSDKAccountCA error: Microsoft.EnterpriseManagement.Common.UnauthorizedAccessMonitoringException : The time limit for this request was exceeded.

SetPropertiesToManagementServerActionAndSDKAccountCA error: System.DirectoryServices.ActiveDirectory.ActiveDirectoryObjectNotFoundException : The specified domain does not exist or cannot be contacted.

If these entries are found in the log it is highly likely the following problem has been discovered and following workaround needs to be implemented to successfully install the reporting component.

The Problem

During the OpsMgr Reporting installation the SDK account is determined from the RMS and if the account under which the service runs is Local System, the install queries AD to determine the computer account. In a large AD domain the query may timeout and the Reporting installation roll back. If the SDK service on the RMS was configured to run as a Domain User account, the issue does not occur. Therefore, for new installations where reporting is to be installed I would recommend installing Operations Manager with and SDK account using Domain User credentials. You can always change them later.

If you are in a position where you have already installed Operations Manager with SDK Service using Local System credentials you can use the following procedure to change the SDK AND Config Service credentials on the RMS to use Domain User. After successful Reporting installation they can be changed back to Local System. NOTE: BOTH THE SDK AND CONFIG SERVICES SHOULD RUN UNDER THE SAME ACCOUNT (is that clear enough?. Don't mix and match the service credentials of these services. They either both run under Local system creds or both run under the same Domain User Creds).

Side Note: NEVER try to run the Health Service under an account other than Local System. SPN's are registered by the Health Service and you will end up with duplicate SPN's. Agends will not be able to contact the Management Server until the duplicate SPN's are removed.

The Workaround

The following steps document how to change the SDK and Configuration service accounts, both from Local System to a Domain User account or vice versa. Use these steps to change the SDK and Config services to run under a Domain User account. Once done the Reporting feature should install correctly.

IMPORTANT: Both the SDK and Configuration service accounts must use the same account for the service startup.

The steps below assume that the necessary Domain Account has already been created in Active Directory Users and Computers. It is also strongly recommended that an operational database backup be taken prior to taking these steps.

How to change the SDK and Configuration service to use a Domain Account

1) Go to Start and choose Run

2) Type services.msc and click OK

3) When the Services Snap-In opens navigate to OpsMgr SDK Service

4) Right click the OpsMgr SDK Service and click Stop

5) On the services snap-in select the OpsMgr Config Service right click and choose Stop on the context menu.

6) Select the OpsMgr SDK Service right click and choose the Properties option

7) Select the Log On tab

8) If you want this service to run under a Domain Account

9) Select the This account radio button

a. Type in a Domain Account

b. Specify the password for the domain account

c. Reconfirm the password by retyping

d. Click OK

10) Click OK on the “The new logon name will not take effect until you stop and restart the Service”

11) Select the OpsMgr Config Service right click and choose the Properties option

12) Select the Log On tab

13) If you want this service to run under a Domain Account

14) Select the This account radio button

a. Type in the same Domain Account as step 9 above

b. Specify the password for the domain account

c. Reconfirm the password by retyping

d. Click OK

15) Click OK on the “The new logon name will not take effect until you stop and restart the service”

16) Go to Start and choose Run

17) Type SQLWB and click OK to open SQL Management Studio

a. Optionally you can open SQL Management Studio by going to StartàProgramsàMicrosoft SQL Server 2005àSQL Server Management Studio

18) Specify the Server Name and instance where the Operations Manager Database is installed on the Connect to Server dialogue

19) Expand the Database node

20) Select the Operations Manager Database

21) Right click and choose the New Query option in the context menu

22) Type and execute the following stored procedure replacing DomainForSDKAcct\UserForSDKAcct with the domain and account previously created in Active Directory Users and Computers.

EXECUTE p_SetupCreateLogin 'DomainForSDKAcct\UserForSDKAcct', 'sdk_users'

Note: If SQL Server is configured for case sensitivity then you must type the account exactly as it appears in Active Directory Users and Computers.

23) Type and execute the following stored procedure replacing DomainForConfigAcct\UserForConfigAcct with the domain and account previously created in Active Directory Users and Computers. This will be the same account used for the SDK service.

EXECUTE p_SetupCreateLogin 'DomainForConfigAcct\UserForConfigAcct', 'configsvc_users'

Note: If SQL is case sensitive then you need to type the account in the exact case otherwise you will get errors for this procedure.

24) Type and execute the following stored procedure replacing DomainForConfigAcct\UserForConfigAcct with the domain and account previously created in Active Directory Users and Computers. This will be the same account used for the SDK service.

EXECUTE p_SetupCreateLogin 'DomainForActionAcct\UserForActionAccount, 'cdbmodule_users'

Note: If SQL is case sensitive then you need to type the account in the exact case otherwise you will get errors for this procedure.

25) On the services snap-in select the OpsMgr SDK Service right click and choose Start on the context menu.

26) In the services snap-in select OpsMgr Config Service right click and choose Start on the context menu.

27) Go to Start and choose Run

28) Type Eventvwr.msc and click OK

29) Within the Event Viewer select the Operations Manager event log

30) Examine the event log entries for the OpsMgr SDK Service and OpsMgr Config Service to check that they started and are running successfully.

How to change the SDK and Configuration service to use the Local System Account

1) Go to Start and choose Run

2) Type services.msc and click OK

3) When the Services Snap-In opens navigate to OpsMgr SDK Service

4) Right click the OpsMgr SDK Service and click Stop

5) Navigate to the OpsMgr Config Service and click Stop

6) Select the OpsMgr SDK Service right click and choose the Properties option

7) Select the Log On tab

8) If you want this service to run under a Local System

9) Select the This account radio button

a. Select the Local System account radio button

b. Click OK on the confirmation dialog.

10) Click OK on the “The new logon name will not take effect until you stop and restart the service”

11) Select the OpsMgr Config Service right click and choose the Properties option

12) Select the Log On tab

13) If you want this service to run under Local System

14) Select the This account radio button

a. Select the Local System account radio button

b. Click OK on the confirmation dialog.

15) Click OK on the “The new logon name will not take effect until you stop and restart the service”

16) Go to Start and choose Run

17) Type SQLWB and click OK to open SQL Management Studio

a. Optionally you can open SQL Management Studio by going to StartàProgramsàMicrosoft SQL Server 2005àSQL Server Management Studio

18) Specify the Server Name and instance where the Operations Manager Database is installed on the Connect to Server dialogue

19) Expand the Database node

20) Select the Operations Manager Database

21) Right click and choose the New Query option in the context menu

22) Type and execute the following stored procedure

EXECUTE p_SetupCreateLogin 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM', 'sdk_users'

Note: If SQL Server is configured for case sensitivity then you must type the account exactly as it appears above.

23) Type and execute the following stored procedure

EXECUTE p_SetupCreateLogin 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM', 'configsvc_users'

Note: If SQL Server is configured for case sensitivity then you must type the account exactly as it appears above.

24) Type and execute the following stored procedure

EXECUTE p_SetupCreateLogin 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM', 'dbmodule_users'

Note: If SQL Server is configured for case sensitivity then you must type the account exactly as it appears above.

25) On the services snap-in select the OpsMgr SDK Service right click and choose Start on the context menu.

26) In the services snap-in select OpsMgr Config Service right click and choose Start on the context menu.

27) Go to Start and choose Run

28) Type Eventvwr.msc and click OK

29) Within the Event Viewer select the Operations Manager event log

30) Examine the event log entries for the OpsMgr SDK Service and OpsMgr Config Service to check that they started and are running successfully.

Feedback most welcome on anything I missed. When the KB is published it will supercede the information here.

Audit Collection Server (AdtServer) fails to start when ACS installed from CD Media (Access Denied 0x00000005)

CliveEastwood — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 20:47:00 GMT

This is a problem I can see as being a fairly big issue so I'm documenting both in my blog and in a KB article which will be published shortly. I'll document the KB article number as soon as I have it. This affects the release product so please acquiant yourselves with the possible resolutions.

This is the raw information I've submitted for the KB article and will affect anyone installing an ACS Collector Server from the CD media.

Symptoms
=============================
When attempting to install an Audit Collection Services Collector from CD media, Setup completes successfully with the message "Audit Collection Services has been successfully installed", however the event ID 4668 is logged in the Application Event Log with the following details and the service AdtServer is not running.

Event ID:4668
Source:AdtServer
Description: AdtServer encountered the following problem during startup.
Task: Create Machine Register
Failure: An error occured connecting to the database and retrieving groups and machines
Error: 0x00000005
Error Message: Access is denied.

Cause
=============================
The Audit Collection Service (AdtServer.exe) is attempting to write to the configuration file AcsConfig.xml in the %systemroot%\system32\Security\AdtServer folder which has the read-only file attribute.

Resolution
=============================
There are several resolutions available to resolve this issue.
If the ACS Collector Setup has already been executed and the Adtserver service is installed and will not start, use Resolution 1 below. Use Resolutions 2 or 3 if the ACS Collector has not yet been installed.

Resolution 1:
Navigate to the %systemroot%\System32\Security\AdtServer folder on the computer exhibiting the problem. Remove the read-only attribute from the file AcsConfig.xml. Then restart the AdtServer service.

Resolution 2:
If a combined ACS Collection and ACS database installation are being performed the following resolution may be used.
During Audit Collection Services (ACS) setup as the ACS database is created, a SQL Server Login prompt is presented, at which point setup is awaiting user input. Before confirming the SQL Server Login details and clicking OK navigate to the %systemroot%\system32\Security\AdtServer folder and remove the read-only file attribute on the AcsConfig.xml.

Resolution 3:
Copy the contents of the Operations Manager 2007 CD Media to a network share or local folder. Confirm that AcsConfig.xml within the acs\<platform> folder of the copied CD media folder structure does not have the read-only attribute prior to running the Audit Collection Service Collector Setup.

Repro Steps
=============================
From the Operations Management 2007 CD Media run SetupOM.exe to display the installation dialog.
Choose Install Audit Collection Server
Follow the steps for installing an Audit Collection Server
Although the final dialog of the installation may confirm the installation was successful examination of the Application Event log shows that the event id 4668 was raised. Examination of the Services MMC snap-in confirms that the AdtServer service is not running.

More Information
=============================
This problem may also occur if the CD meda is copied to a folder structure on a network share or local folder and the file attributes changed so that the file attributes are read-only.