Looking for the complete list of Resource Kit tools for System Center Operations Manager 2007?  Here you go:

Name: Sample Vista Gadget

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0f5a060b-635d-4355-b0ac-32ee2943bfd9&DisplayLang=en

Description: A Vista Gadget that enables you to view the active alerts and health states for a specified set of objects from a computer running Windows Vista.

Name: Operations Manager Inventory

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=10e79763-6906-4f44-86c6-fbabb0bf1b9f&DisplayLang=en

Description: A command-line utility that captures the configuration of your Operations Manager 2007 Management Servers and stores it in a .cab file that can be sent to Microsoft support to assist in problem analysis.

Name: Operations Manager Cleanup Tool

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=14ff7073-c71b-4ad0-805a-a8e458d2c9e0&DisplayLang=en

Description: A command-line utility that enables you to remove any or all of the components of Operations Manager from a local computer in cases where the normal method of uninstallation has failed.

Name: AEM Validation

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=db979eb5-b423-4b14-8664-b16dc8157e8d&DisplayLang=en

Description: A command line utility that will allow you to perform end-to-end validation of Agent-less Exception Monitoring to verify that AEM is properly configured and operational.

Name: AEM Management Pack

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6f0ba772-8521-4717-ab54-80ecd1f75aec&DisplayLang=en

Description: A Management Pack that enables you to identify generic errors sent by Windows Error Reporting (WER) clients to Management Servers that are AEM-enabled. Without this mapping function these errors appear in Operations Manager as "unknown application" and "unknown version".

Name: Active Directory Integration Sample Script

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b3aa2d5a-b56c-40e8-8b63-139865a1749b&DisplayLang=en

Description: A sample script that enables you to extract a list of computer names from your custom SQL Server database and add them to an Active Directory security group. The security group can then be referenced in the Agent Assignment and Failover Wizard to automate agent assignments to Management Servers.

Name: Effective Configuration Viewer

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a9db4dca-6716-478d-89b9-42f27ebc76a8&DisplayLang=en

Description: A tool that displays the set of rules and monitors that are running on a computer, distributed application, or any other managed entity after any configured overrides have been applied.

Name: Action Account Tool

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1d9a8d81-0e42-4076-88a9-8e6c08993054&DisplayLang=en

Description: A PowerShell script that allows you to set the action account on groups of computers.

If you have installed Operations Manager 2007 SP1, there are no prerequisites to be met before loading the System Center Operations Manager Cluster Management Pack.

If you have not yet upgraded your SCOM installation to SP1, apply the KB945312 QFE ON EACH Management server prior to installing the Cluster management pack.

Download the Cluster Management Pack from www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ac7f42f5-33e9-453d-a923-171c8e1e8e55&DisplayLang=en.

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After installing SP1 RTM, we noticed that Powershell scripts that we frequently run will no longer run unless they are digitally signed or the execution policy is modified. For those who do not have code signing certificates and want to modify the execution policy, run the command set-executionpolicy unrestricted.

This is not a suggested setting!, but will allow you to run scripts whilst you work through the procedure to buy or create your own authority. For details on creating your own signing certificate, run get-help about_signing.

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 It was brought to my attention this morning that the upgrade documentation shipped with SP1 RTM failed to call out a change in the upgrade method of SP1 RC agents (6246) to SP1 RTM (6278). An update to the upgrade guide and release notes are pending, but below is the proper procedure to follow if you are upgrading from RC to RTM – do NOT use the approval method from pending management.

To upgrade agents from Operations Manager 2007 SP1 RC (build 6246) to Operations Manager 2007 SP1 (build 6278) using the Operations Console

1. Log on to the computer hosting the Operations Console with an account that is a member of the Operations Manager Administrators role for the Operations Manager 2007 management group. 2. In the Operations Console, click Administration. Note When you run the Operations Console on a computer that is not a management server, the Connect To Server dialog box appears. In the Server name text box, type the name of the Operations Manager 2007 management server to which you want to connect. 3. In the Administration pane, expand Device Management, and then click Agent Managed. 4. In the Agent Managed pane, select the agents that are listed as version 6.0.6246.0, right-click them, and then select Repair. 5. In the Repair Agents dialog box, select the appropriate agent action account, and then click Repair.

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Windows Server 2008 was released to manufacturing today and will be available for purchase to new customers on March 1. MVL customers with active SA coverage or an EA will be able to download the software by the end of February.

For information on the premier technology consulting group in Houston, contact Rede Consulting at 713-965-7288 or via email at info@redeconsult.com

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) was released to manufacturing today and will start being available to customers in March, starting with Microsoft Volume Licensing customers. Read more at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/feb08/02-04VistaSP1MA.mspx

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 The first wave of OpsMgr 2007 Sp1 training videos are now live on TechNet.

There are 9 different OpsMgr 2007 Sp1 videos available on the link below:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/opsmgr/bb986763.aspx

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So let's say I have a functional OpsMgr 2007 infrastructure in place and then for whatever reason have to reinstall/replace the Root Management Server (RMS), but I didn't backup my RMS encryption key.  What are the exact ramifications of this and what would I need to do to correct it? 

Prior to Service Pack 1 (SP1), if something happened to your RMS and it had to be replaced, and you didn't backup your key, you were basically out of luck.  Your only recourse was to rebuild from scratch - not a pretty picture.  That's why we always told people to make sure they backed up their key as soon as they installed:

Backing up your RMS encryption key: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb309563.aspx.

Now with SP1, we have a new CREATE_NEWKEY command line switch that can make recovering from a situation like this potentially much easier. We also made running the encryption key backup process a mandatory process of setup, just so you'll have a friendly reminder.

So let's take a look at a couple scenario's:

1.  The Root Management Server is replaced or reinstalled and the key is not backed up or the password to the key is lost. There are no other Management Servers to promote.

Solution: Install a new Management Server (the RMS replacement) and be sure the computer name is the same name as the previous Root Management Server that is being replaced.  Setup will detect that the machine name is same as the Root Management Server in the database so it will recreate a new key and register the licenses.

2.  The Root Management Server is replaced or reinstalled and the key is not backed up or the password to the key is lost. There is at least one Management Server to promote to Root Management Server.

Solution: On the Management Server that will become the new Root Management Server, run MOM.msi with the CREATE_NEWKEY switch (msiexec.exe /i <Path to MOM.msi> CREATE_NEWKEY=1).  Configure the account for SDK/Config services (this account should have permission to the database, the SDK service account should be added to the SDK_users role, and the config service account should be added to the configsvc_users role).  Promote the Management Server to Root Management Server.

3.  The registry on the Root Management Server got corrupted, thus the encryption key is lost.
Solution: Run MOM.msi with special switch (msiexec.exe /i <Path to MOM.msi> CREATE_NEWKEY=1)

So does this mean you don't have to worry about backing up your keys?  No, you should always backup your keys and keep them in a safe place as doing so will potentially save you a lot of trouble down the road, but now if something happens there's possibly a way to recover without having to rebuild.

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