MMA Agent, cross platform, and Azure

Things that make you go hmmm….

Ran across a scenario where we were trying to connect Azure Cross-platform (Linux) VM’s and MMA/SCOM agents to SCOM management group.

Management group was 2012R2, discovery wizard from SCOM console, failed to install agent, certificate errors.

Researching, found this article first

Windows Azure VM monitoring blog

There’s a version history for the Azure Monitor VM extension here

Applies:

SCOM2012R2 after UR12 or SCOM 2016 UR2+ deprecated the SHA1 certificate

Deprecating SHA1 certificates
Tech Community blog

Product team nicely published a TechNet gallery script to help!

Gallery download – Script to update SHA1 certificates to SHA256 on cross-platform agents – SCOM

TechNet Gallery Download
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Script-to-update-SHA1-8a30c5ef

Service Map SCOM pack errors and events

Running Service Map SCOM management pack and getting errors?

Gotta love holidays

Good family time

Not at work if we’re lucky.

When you come back, do you have to go investigate some new/weird errors?

This was one of those holidays for me 🙂

Figured I’d document SCOM errors, indicate what Event Sources, event ID ranges that aid troubleshooting.

Event Source = MS ServiceMap OMS

Event ID range = 46649-46652

Long story short, the root cause for my case, my azure workspace was disabled (fun part with a lab is trying to see how much you can do before it disables!)

Digging in my inbox, found this over the weekend

Email subject: Your services were disabled because you reached your spending limit

SCOM Alerts seen:

Service Map Unknown Exception

SCOM Console alert example

Cause: May point to Network Connectivity, proxy, or subscription disabled

REST request failed, so did name resolution (may indicate DNS issues)

Rule details

Operations Manager Event Log

Event Source = MS ServiceMap OMS

Event ID 46651

Operations Manager Event log

No Machines Alert

Rule Name = Microsoft System Center ServiceMap No Machines Alert

Event Source = MS ServiceMap OMS

Event ID = 46652

Event ID also seen is 46649 – Error in getting machine details

SCOM Console alert

Event ID 46649

Set up Azure Service Principal

Azure Service principal is like a Mech ID that does work for you behind the scenes

Stack Overflow states it plainly

An Azure service principal is a security identity used by user-created apps, services, and automation tools to access specific Azure resources.

Reference

Docs site defines it as a Security identity object

We will need the AAD Tenant ID, Application ID (service principal, and Password (key)

AAD Tenant ID

For Service Map, the Tenant ID is the Azure Active Directory, Directory ID

From Azure Portal

Select Azure Active Directory > Properties > Directory ID in the Azure portal

See Docs site link

Save this to notepad, somewhere for safe keeping – password safe

Tenant ID

This is where you setup the Service Principal for an application

Azure Active Directory is NOT required

From Azure Portal

Click on Azure Active Directory

Click on Properties

Copy the Directory ID

From OMS

Click on Overview, Settings

Click on Accounts, Manage Users

Copy the Tenant ID

Once you have the Directory ID copied to notepad, you need to set up an App registration

App Registration ID

From Azure Portal

Click Azure Active Directory

Click App Registrations

Click + New application registration

Create name and URL

My example is ‘ServiceMap-App’ with my domain

Click Create

Click Settings

Click Keys

Recommend setting 2 keys, and save to notepad, and somewhere secure

I did 1 year and 2 year keys

Enter name for Description, Duration box, and click Save

Value will be displayed

Copy the value

PLEASE!!!!

Don’t exit without grabbing the keys! You will have to delete the App-Registration and start over

After creation, copy the values from Notepad for Tenant ID, Application ID, and keys

Other links for alternative methods for Service Principal

ARM Service Principal https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/resource-group-authenticate-service-principal

Azure CLI https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/create-an-azure-service-principal-azure-cli?view=azure-cli-latest

Blog https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/arsen/2016/05/11/how-to-create-and-test-azure-service-principal-using-azure-cli/

Service Map for SCOM

Ever compare your work to an amusement park?

Every business application compares to a ride, roller coaster, or even a kiddie ride.

Anyone ever ask you directions to that ride, or more technical based questions like ‘what’ communication makes up that business application?

In comes Service Map to save the day!

Last year I blogged about setting up Service Map with OMS/Log Analytics, but I didn’t get the feature installed for SCOM.

December blog on how to set up OMS/Log Analytics

It’s basically the SCOM Agent (MMA) and a Dependency Agent (think old Blue Stripe agent)

Excited to see the new Service Map to hit public preview, hoping by September

Check out the blog series

Planning and PreReqs blog
Install and configure MMA agent blog
Dependency agent blog

Set up Azure Service Principal blog
Set up SCOM Management Group blog

Service Map – Setting up SCOM management group

It’s time to get my SCOM MG running Service Map

Nothing like seeing what an application actually does, mapping ports a server is using, and who the server talks to!

From the docs site – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/monitoring/monitoring-service-map-scom

Download Management Pack

Let’s start with the pack download

Download Management Pack

Install Management pack

Choose your preference

PowerShell (as admin)

Import-SCOMManagementPack -FullName “S:\monadmin\backup\$date”

In case you need help – TechNet article

Lab Example

Import-SCOMManagementPack -FullName “S:\MonAdmin\SCOM\Management packs\Service Map – Blue Stripe for SCOM – OMS\v1.0.0.6\Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceMap.mpb”

Import via SCOM Console

Configure the Service Map integration

In SCOM Console, click on Administration Tab

Navigate to the Operations Management Suite, and expand for the Service Map selection

Click ‘Add workspace’

Paste in your Tenant ID, Application ID, and Service Principal Key that you set up prior

Click Next

Verify Workspace Information
Click Next

Two options – if you don’t have any Windows Computer based groups in your MG, skip down to Server Selection

If there are Machine Groups to add, click ‘Add/Remove’

Click Next to select individual servers

Click Add

Click OK to close window

Click Next to move to next window

NOTE

Speed to fetch information is based on a rule see docs site
In the Server Selection window, you configure the Service Map Servers Group with the servers that you want to sync between Operations Manager and Service Map. Click Add/Remove Servers.

For the integration to build a distributed application diagram for a server, the server must be:

Managed by Operations Manager
Managed by Service Map
Listed in the Service Map Servers Group

From <https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/monitoring/monitoring-service-map-scom>

Setup proxy if needed

Click Add Workspace

Use Service Map

Time to Use the tool – https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/monitoring/monitoring-service-map

Verifying Servers specified in Service Map

Verify group

SCOM Console > Authoring Tab > Groups

Look for > Service Map

View Group members or look at Explicit tab

Troubleshooting

On Management Server (MS), Operations Manager Event log

PowerShell

get-eventlog -logname “Operations Manager” -newest 25

# This command will help if you get stuck on the workspace

get-eventlog -logname “Operations Manager” -Source “Operations Manager” -newest 25 | ? {$_.eventID -eq 6400 } |fl

GUI

Filter by Error,Warning

Install Azure Log Analytics Service Map Dependency Agent

To make all this work, sometimes, it seems like a slot machine, deposit your quarter, and hope you hit the jackpot!

So to get started, you probably have a list of computers where you have the MMA agent, and want to install Service Map to see how and who the computers are talking (to)

Click on Log Analytics

Click on your Subscription

Click on Service Map

Click on the Download link for Windows or Linux

Save file

Take saved file and copy to computer

GUI method

If you want a PowerShell method, Daniel Orneling has a great blog and Gallery TechNet script that will help

Docs site link has more details

Execute the InstallDependencyAgent-Windows.exe

Answer yes for UAC elevation

Click I Agree

Click Finish

Verify Agent installed

NOTE: If installing for SCOM, it's based on the Rule 'Microsoft.SystemCenter.ServiceMapImport.Rule'

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/monitoring/monitoring-service-map-scom#configure-rules-and-overrides

PowerShell

get-eventlog -logname “Operations Manager” -Source “HealthService” -newest 25 | ? {$_.eventID -eq
1201 } |fl

get-service MicrosoftDependencyAgent

Event Viewer

Installing and configuring the MMA agent

Maybe the MMA agent is like Venom?
Proof I’ve watched too many a Marvel movie…

An existential moment perhaps, but the MMA agent can be a bunch of strings stuck from one place to another, monitoring whatever its told to do.

If you are running SCOM2016 or above, the MMA agent is built-in with Log Analytics, just configure your workspace

Download and Install MMA agent

SCOM 2012R2 agent does not have MMA, so download MMA agent from Log Analytics workspace

Azure Portal > Log Analytics > Subscription > Advanced Settings

Click on Windows Servers from Connected Sources to download Windows Agent

Click on Linux Servers from Connected Sources to download Linux Agent

From the Azure Portal (https://ms.portal.azure.com)

Click on Log Analytics, <your subscription >

Click on Advanced Settings

My view defaulted to Connected Sources > Windows Servers

Save the workspace ID and workspace key to notepad/OneNote for later

< Assuming the MMA agent is installed with Log Analytics capability >

Update MMA Agent with Workspace ID and Key

From MMA agent, update the OMS Workspace with the GUID copied to notepad

Click on Start > Control Panel, System and Security > Microsoft Monitoring Agent

Click on Azure Log Analytics (OMS) tab on MMA agent

Click Add

Add Workspace ID and Key to agent

Click OK

Click OK again on MMA properties

Look for the healthy green checkbox’d circle

Troubleshooting Errors in the Operations Manager Event Logs

Blog posts – Verify, 55002

Azure Log Analytics Service Map Planning and Pre-reqs

My grandfather said two things:

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of manure

Death and taxes are part of life

Planning out a deployment is a good thing.

My best friend would say “No one plans to fail, they just fail to plan”

This will be a multi-part blog – breaking out the high level steps, and my experience getting the solution set up.

What do we need for Service Map?

Azure connectivity
- Setup Log Analytics workspace on MMA/SCOM agent article
- Troubleshooting onboarding issues KB,
  - Check for Events in Operations Manager event logs blog
Computers in scope for visualization
- What computers (Windows or Linux)
- Pricing FAQ
Dependency agent installed on computers
- Configure
Azure Service Principal
- (think of it as an SSH shared key ID/password for Azure Apps to communicate)
- Docs article