Microsoft Exchange 2000 Operations Guide — Version 1.062
Centralized Monitoring
In an enterprise environment, you can reduce operations costs dramatically if you can
capture performance data in a central location. Doing so moves the load of monitoring
from the monitored server to the centralized server and also allows you to compare the
performance of similarly configured servers and ensure a consistent response in the event
of a problem with a server running Exchange.
An example of a centralized monitoring tool for Exchange 2000 Server is AppManager
from NetIQ.
AppManager consists of four components:
◆Console – A collection of programs for examining and managing your AppManager
environment. It communicates with the Repository through Open Database Connectiv-
ity (ODBC).
◆Repository – A SQL Server database that is the data store for AppManager. It stores
configuration information for AppManager and information gleaned from the Agents
◆Agent – This runs on each computer that you monitor. It sends data to and receives
commands from the Management Server. It gathers information from the computer on
which it runs, returning it to the Management Server. The agent communicates with the
Management Server through RPC.
◆Management Server – This component communicates with the Repository through
ODBC, issuing commands and receiving responses from the Agents.
AppManager detects the Exchange 2000 servers in your enterprise (through registry
entries), giving you the option to install an agent on each server you want to monitor. After
the agents are installed, they communicate with the Management Server, sending it data
about the performance of the computer on which the agent is running.
AppManager collects information about Exchange 2000 Server performance objects and
counters, storing them in the repository where they can be used for long-term analysis.
However, it also monitors other aspects of performance. For example, AppManager
examines the amount of time taken to send and receive messages between servers running
Exchange, and from servers running Exchange to the Internet. It reports on e-mail traffic
flow (from message tracking logs, which it also collates). It can identify the servers (and
users) that send and receive most e-mail, and monitor the amount of space used by e-mail
on servers. AppManager issues notifications or alerts where necessary.
In a feature that is very useful for operations managers, AppManager tracks performance
of Exchange against defined service level agreements, reporting when and how these have
not been met.
Using a tool such as AppManager is not the only way to gather centralized performance
monitoring information. Exchange is a Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
provider, so it is possible to create your own Web interface for gathering information from
other servers on the network.