Extend the Power of MOM to Unix and Linux SystemsQuest Management Xtensions for MOM
Extend Microsoft Operations Manager to Monitor Unix and Linux Systems
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM natively extends the operations and event monitoring capabilities of MOM 2005 to Unix and Linux systems. Quest Management Xtensions for MOM uses the exact same consoles that, combined with agent software on non-Windows systems, enable IT administrators to monitor and perform issue resolution on Unix and Linux resources from within MOM 2005.
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM uses the existing MOM infrastructure including the Management Servers; Database; Administrator, Operator, and Web Consoles; and the MOM reporting mechanisms. Unix-based systems become full citizens in MOM appearing side by side in the consoles and reports used by the IT administrators.
Traditionally, enterprises with a heterogeneous IT environment have deployed a disparate array of operations monitoring tools within their various domains. With Quest Management Xtensions for MOM, a single tool—MOM 2005—can be leveraged throughout the entire IT environment. The result is less complexity, more uniform operations management, and a significant reduction in costs due to the elimination of redundant infrastructure and multiple platform-specific tools.
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM provides a highly extensible framework for operations management of Unix and Linux agents. This tight integration is possible due to the native implementation of a WBEM/CIM architecture on each non-Windows system. New perl-based "providers" (code that provides data for CIM classes) can be distributed to the target machines by embedding those scripts right in the management pack.
Extend MOM to Unix and Linux
The Quest Management Xtensions for MOM agents are natively compiled C++ executables, and as such are high performing, streamlined processes. They run locally and contain a rule processor that allows events to be examined right on the monitored machine for maximum performance. Local examination of events also ensures that should connection to the machine be lost for a time, alerts and performance metrics will continue to be recognized and collected.
Author and distribute Unix/Linux-specific Management Packs
One of the most powerful features of MOM 2005 is its management pack authoring capability. Through management packs, the specific performance and availability thresholds for individual systems and services—along with associated proactive action—can be automatically configured. Quest Management Xtensions for MOM extends the management pack authoring and distribution capabilities of MOM to the rest of the non-Windows environment. MOM Administrators will feel right at home since no other consoles, aside from the Agent Installer, are distributed with Quest Management Xtensions for MOM.
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM is Secure
By its very nature, management, collection, and examination of operations information is quite sensitive. Quest Management Xtensions for MOM assures that your systems are safe, by ensuring that the agent process itself is granted only specific read-only root access (it does NOT run as root) to sensitive information. In addition, it can optionally encrypt data being sent back and forth between the management server and the agent.
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM also employs Active Directory (“AD“)-based mutual authentication. Upon installation, Quest Management Xtensions for MOM will optionally join the Unix machine to the AD domain. When the agent wishes to make a request of its management server, it will contact the domain controller for a Kerberos ticket, which is included in the request. The server will be able to examine the ticket for authenticity, only allowing agents that AD trusts to connect. The server will then return a token that the agent can validate. All the compliance and security built into AD can be leveraged for Quest Management Xtensions for MOM and Unix/Linux systems.
Key Features and Benefits
| Feature |
Description |
| Management Pack Authoring |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM provides an SDK and documentation to aid users in writing Management Packs specific to Unix and Linux systems. |
| Failover and Load Balancing |
Should the Quest Management Xtensions for MOM Agent lose contact with its Management Server, it will automatically failover to a different Management Server. |
| MOM Rule Processing |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM provides processing of MOM Rules for Unix and Linux systems at the agent level, enhancing scalability, reliability, and TCO for an enterprise environment. |
| MOM Capabilities Extended to Unix and Linux |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM includes support for a comprehensive set of MOM 2005 capabilities including:
- Discovery Items
- Computer (Nested) Group Membership
- WMI Event Providers
- WMI Numeric Event Providers
- WMI Numeric Data Collection
- Consolidation Rules
- State-based Rules
- Reporting mechanisms
- ... much, much more
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| Push Installation |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM provides the capability to push-install the agent onto Unix and Linux systems, install on multiple machines simultaneously, scan your network, and look in Active Directory, to a refernec file, or to manually-selected machines. |
| Event Collection |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM includes a comprehensive set of OpenWBEM providers and logfile parsers that deliver event collection information from Unix and Linux systems within the MOM interfaces that are familiar to IT administrators. |
| Performance Data Collection |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM fully supports the same performance data collection of traditional Windows-based MOM agents. Collected metrics appear side by side with Windows-based agent data. |
| Seamless, Native Integration |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM installs natively for each supported version of Unix and Linux. These systems appear side-by-side with Windows-based MOM Agents within the consoles. |
| Standards-Based |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM is based on the WBEM/CIM standards used in MOM 2005 through OpenWBEM implemented on each platform. Consequently, rules for Unix and Linux systems are configured in exactly the same way that rules for Windows-based systems are configured. |
| Management Pack Availability |
Quest Management Xtensions for MOM allows the management of your Unix-based systems by delivering:
- Base OS Management Pack Monitors performance data and generates events specific to CPU, memory consumption, swap utilization/activity, storage and network bandwidth.
- Syslog and Single line log file providers. Each line in syslog or the log file of your choice can be configured for conversion into an event that rules can be written for.
- Management Pack SDK. Perl-based providers that examine anything you like can be delivered and installed right from the rules themselves. Quest Management Xtensions for MOM also implements the same response script SDK (creating alerts, events, and discovery data instances) that the traditional MOM agents do.
- Major release-independent Management Packs Quest is committed to enhancing the Quest Management Xtensions for MOM experience through enterprise-grade, pre-configured Management Packs. These will be made available for download independent of Quest Management Xtensions for MOM releases.
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| Third-party Management Packs |
Quest intends to foster a thriving community of third-party Unix/Linux enterprise product vendors that will author Management Packs specific to their products similar to the wide collection of Management Packs currently available for Windows products. |
| Extended Cross-Platform Support |
Extended support for:
- Red Hat Linux AS/ES/WS 3.0 & 4.0 (32 & 64-bit*)
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (32-bit)
- Sun Solaris 8, 9 & 10 (32 & 64-bit)
- IBM AIX 5.2, & 5.3 (32-bit)
- Hewlett Packard HP-UX 11i version 1 (B11.11)
Note*: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 for x86_64 requires the compat-libstdc++-33-3.2.33-47.3.x86_64.rpm package which is included on the Red Hat installation media (disk 2).
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