SQL Server 2008 R2 Monitoring Management Pack

Microsoft recently released an updated version 6.1.314.36 of its SQL Server Management Pack to sync with the original release of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2. This pack provides the capabilities for Operations Manager 2007 SP1 and R2 to discover SQL Server 2005, 2008, and 2008 R2. It monitors SQL Server components such as database engine instances, databases, and SQL Server agents.

Here’s a feature summary of the SQL Server Monitoring Management Pack quoted over here

• Support for Enterprise, Standard and Express editions of SQL Server 2005, 2008, and 2008 R2 and 32bit, 64bit and ia64 architectures.
• Support for both simple and complex SQL configurations such as clustered installations, multiple instances and 32bit roles running on a 64bit OS. For full details on supported configurations refer to the guide included with the management pack.
• Discovery and monitoring of SQL Server roles such as DB Engine, Reporting Services, Analysis Services, Integrations Services.
• Discovery of SQL components such as databases, the SQL Agent and SQL jobs.
• Views covering areas such as database free space, SQL related performance, SQL related alerts, and lists of the various SQL roles and components which are discovered and their related state.
• Discovery and basic monitoring for SQL Server Reporting Services and Integration Services.
• Reports for longer-term analysis of common problem areas related to SQL Server such as SQL Server lock analysis and top deadlocked databases, SQL Server service pack levels across discovered roles, user connection activity. Likewise the generic reports from the Microsoft Generic Report Library can be used against the roles and components discovered by the SQL MPs to review availability and performance across many systems and over longer periods of time.
• Role and component specific tasks which provide access to common tools, triage information, or corrective actions without needing to leave the Operations Console in most cases.
• Monitoring of databases covers database status, database free space, log shipping monitoring for both the source and destination, and transaction log free space.
• Monitoring of key SQL related services.
• Monitoring for persistent SPID blocking.
• Monitoring of numerous SQL events and performance data points. Alerts bring the issue to your attention and provide knowledge on the impact and possible resolutions.
• A low-privilege configuration for discovery and monitoring that eliminates the need for SQL sysadmin, dbo, db_owner, and box admin privileges.

Download Link: SQL Server Management Pack

About The Author

Suprotim Agarwal, MCSD, MCAD, MCDBA, MCSE, is the founder of DotNetCurry, DNC Magazine for Developers, SQLServerCurry and DevCurry. He has also authored a couple of books 51 Recipes using jQuery with ASP.NET Controls and a new one recently at The Absolutely Awesome jQuery CookBook.

Suprotim has received the prestigous Microsoft MVP award for nine times in a row now. In a professional capacity, he is the CEO of A2Z Knowledge Visuals Pvt Ltd, a digital group that represents premium web sites and digital publications comprising of Professional web, windows, mobile and cloud developers, technical managers, and architects.

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