This is the part three of a set of articles related to SCOM
Why scripting with SCOM?
Scripting is the most powerful tool in SCOM, with scripts and imagination you can monitor everything, from a folder in the filesystem to a coffee machine.Usually we use Visual Basic Script for scripting in SCOM, because it works in all Windows systems, from 2003 to 2012R2, but you can use Powershell if you prefer, as long as it is installed in the monitored system. Bash or Python can be used as well, if you are monitoring Linux servers.
Scripts could be emebeded in Management packs or can be developed from the administration console as monitor or rule.
This article is focused on monitor scripts, but it can give you an idea about how scripts work in SCOM and how to use them on rules or management packs.
When you have the script written, you have to create a monitor, in this case two states script monitor, to do this you have to go to Authoring ---> Monitors --> Create unit monitor.
Firstly select the Management pack and select Scripting --> Generic --> Timed script two state Monitor and click NEXT
Now wizard will ask you for general propierties of the monitor, like name description , target and parent monitor. It is very important to select well the target, because the target is where the script is going to be distributed.
Next step, wizard will ask you for the execution schedule, by default it is set to 15 minutes.
Next step, will ask you for the script and you have to write here the script, as you can seen in the screenshot.
Next step, wizzard will ask you for the unhealthy expression, this is an important point, you have to fill it with the parameters caputred in the script, in this case oBag.AddValue("State","KO") , in the parameter name, you have to write Property[@Name='State'] , 'State' is the first parameter of .AddValue method, and KO is the second parameter of this method, as you can see in the screenshot.
Next step is about healthy expression,it is the same but using OK instead of KO.
Next screen will ask you about the two states as you can see in this screenshot, the unhealthy state can be warning or fail.
Finally wizard will ask you about alert generated by the monitor, to add the parameter created in the script oBag.AddValue("Alert", AlertText), you have to add it to the alert as you can see in the screenshot, to add the code automatically, you have to click on data button and select parameters.
Click CREATE and now you have your monitor ready.
Some people ask us if they can do a SQL queries from SCOM monitor script and the answer is obvious, of course they can do it, here is an exaple:
Obag object
Operations Manager scripting runtime is called PropertyBag. A PropertyBag is an object that holds name value pairs that can be used to indicate state, hold event data, or even create custom performance data counter.
This is an example of how to initiate this runtime and set values in VBS script.
‘Instantiate OpsMgr scripting runtime and create PropertyBag Set oAPI = CreateObject("MOM.ScriptAPI") Set oBag = oAPI.CreateTypedPropertyBag(StateDataType) ‘Adding a GOOD or BAD value to the PropertyBag Call oBag.AddValue("State","OK") Call oBag.AddValue("State","KO")
'Return to SCOMoAPI.Return(oBag)
Anonther example using Powershell
‘Instantiate OpsMgr scripting runtime and create PropertyBag
$api = New-Object -comObject 'MOM.ScriptAPI'
$bag = $api.CreatePropertyBag
‘Adding a GOOD or BAD value to the PropertyBag
$Script:Bag.AddValue("State","OK")
$Script:Bag.AddValue("State","KO")
'Return to SCOM$api.Return($bag)VBS basic script
Firstly, here is a VBS two states monitor script with comments attached. 'This script checks if there are files older than five minutes in the given folders.
'You have to load the SCOM runtime
Dim oAPI, oBag
Set oAPI = CreateObject("MOM.ScriptAPI")
Set oBag = oAPI.CreateTypedPropertyBag(StateDataType)
'Setup variables
Dim Folders(3)
Dim AlertText
AlertText = ""
'Setup folders
Folders(0) = "\\XXX"
Folders(1) = "\\YYY"
Folders(2) = "\\ZZZ"
Folders(3) = "\\WWWWW"
for x=0 to UBound(Folders)
CheckTime(Folders(x))
next
If Len(AlertText) > 1 Then
'It returns the alert state KO and altert text to SCOM
Call oBag.AddValue("State","KO")
Call oBag.AddValue("Alert", AlertText)
Else
'it returns OK state to the SCOM
Call oBag.AddValue("State","OK")
End If
Call oAPI.Return(oBag)
'function which checks if the folder has old files
Sub CheckTime(byval folder)
objStartFolder = folder
Set objFSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
Set objFolder = objFSO.GetFolder(objStartFolder)
Set colFiles = objFolder.Files
Files = 0
date1=DateAdd("n",-4,now)
For Each objFile in colFiles
If objFile.DateCreated < date1 Then
Files=Files+1
End If
Next
If Files > 0 Then
'Text which is displayed by an alert
AlertText = AlertText & folder & vbCrLf
End If
End Sub When you have the script written, you have to create a monitor, in this case two states script monitor, to do this you have to go to Authoring ---> Monitors --> Create unit monitor.
Firstly select the Management pack and select Scripting --> Generic --> Timed script two state Monitor and click NEXT
Now wizard will ask you for general propierties of the monitor, like name description , target and parent monitor. It is very important to select well the target, because the target is where the script is going to be distributed.
Next step, wizard will ask you for the execution schedule, by default it is set to 15 minutes.
Next step, will ask you for the script and you have to write here the script, as you can seen in the screenshot.
Next step, wizzard will ask you for the unhealthy expression, this is an important point, you have to fill it with the parameters caputred in the script, in this case oBag.AddValue("State","KO") , in the parameter name, you have to write Property[@Name='State'] , 'State' is the first parameter of .AddValue method, and KO is the second parameter of this method, as you can see in the screenshot.
Next screen will ask you about the two states as you can see in this screenshot, the unhealthy state can be warning or fail.
Finally wizard will ask you about alert generated by the monitor, to add the parameter created in the script oBag.AddValue("Alert", AlertText), you have to add it to the alert as you can see in the screenshot, to add the code automatically, you have to click on data button and select parameters.
Click CREATE and now you have your monitor ready.
Some people ask us if they can do a SQL queries from SCOM monitor script and the answer is obvious, of course they can do it, here is an exaple:
Const adOpenStatic = 3
Const adLockOptimistic = 3
Dim AlertText
AlertText = ""
Dim oAPI, oBag
Set oAPI = CreateObject("MOM.ScriptAPI")
Set oBag = oAPI.CreateTypedPropertyBag(StateDataType)
Set objConnection = CreateObject("ADODB.Connection")
Set objRS = CreateObject("ADODB.Recordset")
objConnection.Open "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Server=SERVERNAME;Database=DatabaseNAME;Integrated Security=SSPI;"
objRS.Open "SELECT * from table where field like 'XXX' ", objConnection, adOpenStatic, adLockOptimistic
do until objRS.EOF
for each x in objRS.Fields
AlertText = AlertText & x.value & " "
next
objRS.MoveNext
loop
If Len(AlertText) > 1 Then
AlertText = AlertText & "XXXXXXX"
Call oBag.AddValue("State","KO")
Call oBag.AddValue("Alert", AlertText)
Else
Call oBag.AddValue("State","OK")
End If
Call oAPI.Return(oBag)
Powershell basic script
When you are using Powershell scripting, the process is the same as VBS, but writing powershell instead of VBS. Here is a great trable comparing VBS and Powershell, extracted from: http://blogs.technet.com/b/brianwren/archive/2009/06/04/powershell-scripts-in-a-management-pack-part-2.aspx
Discovery Data
VBScript PowerShell
Set oAPI = CreateObject("MOM.ScriptAPI")
Set oDiscoveryData = oAPI.CreateDiscoveryData()
…
…
oAPI.Return(oDiscoveryData)
$api = New-Object -comObject 'MOM.ScriptAPI'
$discoveryData = $api.CreateDiscoveryData()
…
…
$discoveryData
Single Property Bag
VBScript PowerShell
Set oAPI = CreateObject("MOM.ScriptAPI")
Set oBag = oAPI.CreatePropertyBag()
…
…
oAPI.Return(oBag)
$api = New-Object -comObject 'MOM.ScriptAPI'
$bag = $api.CreatePropertyBag()
…
…
$bag
Multiple Property Bags
VBScript PowerShell
Set oAPI = CreateObject("MOM.ScriptAPI")
For Each object in collection
Set oBag = oAPI.CreatePropertyBag()
…
…
Next
oAPI.ReturnItems()
$api = New-Object -comObject 'MOM.ScriptAPI'
foreach (object in collection)
{
$bag = $api.CreatePropertyBag()
…
…
$bag
}
Linux / Unix Scripts
One of the most interesting things with SCOM is the possiblity of monitoring non-microsoft systems, such as Linux or Unix. SCOM 2012 improves this possibility including management packs for more Linux and Unix types than SCOM 2007.
The first thing to do to bulild a monitor is to create a shell script, it could be in Bash, Perl, Python, Ruby or anything that can generate a standard output which the agent can interpret.
Script like this one:
#!/bin/bash
ls -1 | wc -l
This script writes the number of files in the standard output, for example, it can output number 4.
To create new Linux script monitor as you do in Windows monitor, go to Authoting --> monitors --> and execute the creation monitor wizard. Follow the wizard (it is the same as Windows script) until it asks you about the shell commands details, here you have to provide the path to the shell script, for example /scripts/list.sh
The next step will ask you for the error expression, as you can see in the screenshot, it will ask for the stdout and returncode.
For example using the ls script, you can set Stdout value to greater than 5 and it will generate an alert when you have a number bigger than 5 in the Stdout.
The same for the healhty expression and for "configure alerts" step.
Now you have a Linux monitor.
Resources
There are fantastic resources about SCOM scripting like:
VB scripts
Powershell scripts
Linux scripts
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