Tag: logical disk

Disk cleanup logic

Logical disk cleanup, most times is harder vs. smarter manual intervention required, why not smarter vs. harder?
Logical disk cleanup, most times is harder vs. smarter manual intervention required, why not smarter vs. harder?

‘Disk cleanup logic’ traditionally follows manual intervention.  Why would you want harder and manual?  This article will present options to clean up system and non-system disks, by leveraging largest root folder, API’s and more.  This is one step in the OS Addendum pack that needs explanation and can be tailored to applications where admins have regular manual cleanup actions.

 

Breakdown of Disk cleanup

We want to check system disks and non-system disks for different scenarios.  Figure out Disk free space, user profiles, largest folder on root of disk, IIS cleanup, and MECM/SCCM client cache clear API.  Second, utilize different behaviors depending on PowerShell version, application log(s) cleanup, and expand drive alerts when NO space after cleanup action.

Disk Free space

# Check Disk free space
#=====================
if ($Driveletter -eq “C” )
{
$CFreeSpace = gwmi win32_logicaldisk | ? { $_.DeviceID -eq “C:” }
$CFreeSpace.DeviceID
$CFreeSpace
  $DeviceDriveLetter = $CFreeSpace.DeviceID
$DeviceDriveLetter
# Check folder size after cleanup
#==========================
$BeforeSize = (Get-ChildItem “$DeviceDriveLetter” -Recurse | Measure-Object -Property Length -Sum ).sum
$Before = [math]::Round($BeforeSize/1GB,2)
    $DiskFreeSpace = [pscustomobject]@{
DeviceID = $DeviceDriveLetter
Size = [math]::Round($CFreeSpace.Size/1GB,2)
FreeSpace = [math]::Round($CFreeSpace.FreeSpace/1GB,2)
       }
$DiskFreeSpace
$SoftwareDistribution = (gci C:\windows\SoftwareDistribution | measure length -s).sum / 1Mb
# Debug
$SoftwareDistribution

 

Check Software Distribution for ConfigMgr/SCCM/MECM client

Checking software distribution path was an item for discussion where the folder was larger than 3GB, stemming from customer and field engineers  recommendations.

 

If ($DiskFreeSpace.FreeSpace -lt 15 )
{
# Audit Software Distribution
#==================================
If ( $SoftwareDistribution -lt “3000” )
{
Write-host “NO SME/SystemOwner/SysAdmin/Server Action required”
}

If ( $SoftwareDistribution -gt “3000” )
{
Write-host “SME/SystemOwner/SysAdmin/Server Action required, stopping Windows Update service, removing SoftwareDIstribution folder and restarting”
Get-Service -Name wuauserv | Stop-Service
Remove-Item -Path C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution -Recurse
Get-Service -Name wuauserv | Start-Service
Write-host “Windows Update wuauserv service restarted after SoftwareDistribution directory removed”
}

 

Cleanup Application log folders

The nice part of this is you can reuse this by changing the path and deletion actions to tailor to customer environment.  The script comes in handy for VEEAM, SQL, IIS instances and log directory on multiple drives.

 

# Cleanup IIS log files
#=====================
#if ( Test-Path C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\W3SVC1 )
#{
## Years older than
#$HowOld = [DateTime]::Now.AddYears(-1)
#$RecentUse = [DateTime]::Now.AddDays(-90)
## Path to root folder
#$Path = “C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles\W3SVC1\*.log”
## Deletion task
#get-childitem $Path -Recurse -Depth 1 -EA SilentlyContinue | where { $_.lastAccesstime -lt $RecentUse -and $_.CreationTime -lt $HowOld -and $_.LastWriteTime -lt $RecentUse } | remove-item -force -verbose
#}

Sample report alert output

Sample system disk cleanup report alert
Sample system disk cleanup report alert

Documentation

CleanMgr https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/cleanmgr

Delete client cache the right way https://sccm-zone.com/deleting-the-sccm-cache-the-right-way-3c1de8dc4b48

MECM client cache cleanup PowerShell https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/configurationmanager/invoke-cmclientaction?view=sccm-ps

SCCM Client Cache cleanup https://rzander.azurewebsites.net/sccm-config-item-to-cleanup-ccmcache/

Stack Overflow disk cleanup https://stackoverflow.com/questions/28852786/automate-process-of-disk-cleanup-cleanmgr-exe-without-user-intervention

UNIX Logical Disk classes

Time to talk about SCOM2019 UNIX classes!

 

 

Just came across an example where the UNIX Logical disk class was targeted.

 

Did you know: This class in the UNIX library is not like the Windows library, where Logical Disk has a matched discovery.

Logical Disk is broke out to the various UNIX flavors, where the version of UNIX has it’s own class and discovery, but the class refers to the base class of UNIX Library.

 

Let’s go through an example from the SCOM Console

Monitoring Tab > Discovered Inventory > Change Target Type

 

This lab example is for an Ubuntu (Universal Linux Library)

The Logical Disk target for the UNIX/Linux Core Library has the same output in SCOM for the flavor (i.e. Logical Disk for the Universal Linux Operating System)

 

 

How’s that possible… ?

Let’s look at the examples for the various Logical Disk Classes.

Example

AIX 7 pack – AIX Logical disk discovery/class

<ClassType ID=”Microsoft.AIX.LogicalDisk” Abstract=”true” Accessibility=”Public” Hosted=”true” Singleton=”false” Base=”Unix!Microsoft.Unix.LogicalDisk” />

Universal Linux Monitoring Library

<ClassType ID=”Microsoft.Linux.Universal.LogicalDisk” Accessibility=”Public” Abstract=”false” Base=”Linux!Microsoft.Linux.LogicalDisk” Hosted=”true” Singleton=”false” Extension=”false” />

Linux Operating System Library

<ClassType ID=”Microsoft.Linux.LogicalDisk” Accessibility=”Public” Abstract=”true” Base=”Unix!Microsoft.Unix.LogicalDisk” Hosted=”true” Singleton=”false” Extension=”false” />

 

This makes sense, as Linux operating systems are SUSE, RHEL, Universal Debian and RPM.  Solaris and AIX are their own operating systems.  This helps describe the class hierarchy.

UNIX

Flavor of Unix (Linux, Solaris, or AIX)

Version or flavor of Linux, Solaris, or AIX

 

 

How did I get to this conclusion?

MPViewer will help view the classes and discoveries.

What does this mean to me:    Create a single view to view ALL  UNIX ‘Logical Disk’ entries discovered.  As the UNIX flavors all use UNIX Logical Disk class for their base class,  ALL the inherited classes are displayed.

 

 

AIX Logical Disk Discovery

 

Univeral Linux Discovery

Universal Linux Classes

 

Windows Server packs are very similar

Windows Logical Disk class

 

 

Logical Disks Dynamic Group

So what do you do when a team comes to you and asks for different values for logical disk alerts?

 

Work smarter vs. harder!

 

Harder

Use Explicit groups

As an Admin, someone should not have to update groups every time a server or app changes in the environment.

 

Smarter

Use Dynamic groups

One better, use regular expressions (see Kevin Holman’s blog if you need a refresher)

 

 

Great background information

Holman had a great article to make groups of logical disks

TechNet had some good example references in this wiki

Forum article where John Joyner (MVP) listed a way to make a dynamic group

Groups can consist of objects in a primary class and also includes Windows Computer attribute

 

How can this apply to  your environment?

Is there a unique attribute for the class you’ve chosen, or possibly to include Windows Computer class properties?

In my experience, the Windows Computer Class can be utilized to better specify the criteria, using Principal Name, NetBIOS name, etc.)

 

 

Let’s begin to see walk through the Logical Disk class attributes, and understand that we can look at the class, and the Windows Computer class.

 

From the SCOM Console

Click on the Monitoring Tab

Click on Discovered Inventory

On the Tasks pane (right hand pane), click on change target type

I chose Windows Server 2016 Logical Disk (corresponding for 2008,12 class structures exist)

 

Are there any unique class/object properties where we can differentiate?

Path stands out, possibly size

Display Name/Device Identifier/Device Name are of course the drive letter

 

Create a Dynamic group

From the SCOM Console

Click on the Authoring Tab

Click on Groups

On Task pane, click on ‘Create New group’

 

Name the group

Recommend naming convention – my example is TEAM Logical Disk group (where TEAM could be SQL, SharePoint, Exchange, Skype, etc.)

Don’t forget to add description comments to help the next guy who’s tracking down details!

Create Management pack, or add to the Team’s overrides or customizations management pack.

 

Click Next twice (to get to Dynamic Members tab)

Click Create/Edit Rules

 

Choose class

Our example was ‘Windows Server 2016 Logical Disk’

Click Add

 

Click the Property Drop down

 

Note the options – and refer back to your notes in the Discovered Inventory from the Monitoring Tab

The three D’s in the middle – Device Identifier, Device Name, and Device Description were all the drive letter

I chose Device Name as it seemed the logical choice

 

Click Insert + to add another property

Click again on the Class properties

Select the bottom choice – (Host=Windows Computer)

Select Principal name

In my case, the servers met a specific naming convention for the server name

 

In the Operator Column, choose ‘Matches regular expression’

In the Value field, enter your regular expression

 

My example is (?i)16[md]

Go back to my Discovered inventory output

 

 

Dissect the regular expression

(?i) case inclusive (don’t care upper or lower case – back to Unix roots!)

16m or 16d is in the server name

 

Click OK

Click Next twice to create group (and bypass Sub Groups, Excluded Members)

Click Create Group

Click Close

 

 

Verify expression

From the Authoring pane

Click on the Group and either right click ‘View Group members’, or in the task pane, click ‘View Group members’

Practice using regular expressions to get the desired results!

 

 

Now it’s time to go off and override the monitor for the newly created group!