Windows Server Dashboards

These are some cool Dashboards brought to the community by Satya Vel a few years ago.

 

This was brought to my attention for Dashboard functionality from SCOM 2012R2 to provide visibility for Windows Computer Health state

After a history lesson, I had to find the source!

256 cores increased the limit in Windows Server 2008R2

Prior it was 64 cores (look how far we’ve come!)

 

The Processor perfmon object is potentially limited since.  The Windows Team built the ‘Processor Information’ counter to handle above 64 cores (256 as of the below article)

 

Windows 2008 R2 Performance Monitor – Processor Information Counters have replaced Processor Counters

 

 

 

Beyond the history lesson, let’s get to the dashboards!

Why do you ask?     The Windows Server MP’s as far back as I have (MP version 7230) use ‘Processor Information’ instead of ‘Processor’

 

Flash forward to the Momteam blog in 2012

Blog https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/momteam/2012/06/12/free-windows-server-2008-dashboards-for-opsmgr-2012-and-tool-to-help-create-your-own-customized-dashboards/

 

 

Windows Server Summary Dashboard

 

 

Task Pane Dashboard

 

From the Monitoring Tab

Click on the Windows Computer view

Highlight the computer you want to see performance information on

Click the ‘Windows Server Task Pane Dashboard’ in Tasks pane

 

What happened to CPU!

 

 

Using with SCOM 2012R2, 2016, and even TP1801 the Dashboard happened to work on my DC’s.  Processor is gathered from the AD Directory Services management packs.

 

With some help, the Task Pane Dashboard was corrected to target Processor Information versus Processor

 

 

If you use the console to troubleshoot issues, it’s simple to do.

Save the packs from the Gallery, and import the two MP’s

Go use the dashboards!

 

Gallery https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Updated-Windows-Server-ff45737d

 

MPViewer reloaded

The previous post covered the MPViewer 2012 version here

 

Jan Van Meirvenne spent the time to update the functionality even further

MPViewer “2012 Reloaded (release 1)” http://scug.be/jan/2016/06/06/mp-viewer-2012reloaded/

 

Use MPViewer reloaded will allow you to

  1. Open multiple management pack files (MP and MPB)
  2. See Modules to view underlying scripts (always wondering how a monitor got its state or property bag info)
  3. Load files from Management Group (typically this required command line or Silect MP Studio!)
  4. OpenWith file association (load MPViewer when clicking on files in explorer)

Using MP Viewer to unseal or export MP to XLS or HTML

Use MPViewer and open the management pack files (MP and MPB)

 

Updated 14 Dec 2018

 

Thanks to Daniele Muscetta for converting this so many years ago!

MPViewer tool originally at this blog https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/dmuscett/2012/02/19/boriss-opsmgr-tools-updated/

MPViewer v2.3.3 added to TechNet Gallery for download here

 

Jan Van Meirvenne spent the time to update the functionality even further

MPViewer “2012 Reloaded (release 1)” http://scug.be/jan/2016/06/06/mp-viewer-2012reloaded/

 

 

 

Load Management pack

GUI

In MPViewer,

Click on File, Load Management Pack

The 2012 Reloaded MPViewer allows you to open multiple management packs, or from a Management group

 

 

Go to your directory where you saved the UNIX SCOM 2016 UR2 management packs

If necessary, change the dropdown to mpb

 

 

Command line options

.\MPViewer.exe –help

Example syntax above

Remember to encapsulate your paths with quotes to be successful!

Opens MP and saves as HTML

.\MPViewer.exe “MP Path and file name” “Outputfilename.html”

Opens MP and saves as XLS

.\MPViewer.exe “MP Path and file name” “Outputfilename.xls”

 

 

Best practice is to keep same naming convention – makes it easier to track down the original MP

Example export MP to XLS

.\MPViewer.exe “S:\MonAdmin\scom\Management packs\sql\v7.0.7.0\2008-2012\Microsoft.SQLServer.2012.Monitoring.mp” “S:\MonAdmin\scom\Management packs\sql\v7.0.7.0\2008-2012\Microsoft.SQLServer.2012.Monitoring.xls”

Output

PS C:\Users\scomadmin\desktop> .\MPViewer.exe “S:\MonAdmin\scom\Management packs\sql\v7.0.7.0\2008-2012\Microsoft.SQLServer.2012.Monitoring.mp” “S:\MonAdmin\scom\Management packs\sql\v7.0.7.0\2008-2012\Microsoft.SQLServer.2012.Monitoring.xls”

PS C:\Users\scomadmin\desktop> gci “S:\MonAdmin\scom\Management packs\sql\v7.0.7.0\2008-2012\*.xls”

Directory: S:\MonAdmin\scom\Management packs\sql\v7.0.7.0\2008-2012

Mode                LastWriteTime         Length Name
—-                ————-         —— —-
-a—-       12/13/2018   8:40 AM         527618 Microsoft.SQLServer.2012.Monitoring.xls

 

 

 

To unseal MP to view in Notepad++

 

Once MP is loaded

Click File

Click Unseal MP (my path defaults to desktop)

Open file in Notepad++ or XML Editor, or your favorite XML viewer of choice

 

 

 

To export a management pack to XLS

Once MP is loaded

Click File

Click Save to Excel (my path defaults to desktop)

 

Choose path

My personal preference is to append filename with XLS for visibility

 

Copy file to a machine with Excel installed

 

Open the XML file in Excel, and hide all tabs but the Monitor tabs, and rules tab

Turn on auto-filter, etc.