Microsoft Exchange Service Management

Published: November 15, 2005

Microsoft Exchange Service Management delivers end-to-end guidance for efficient management of an Exchange messaging service. It helps IT professionals realize a quick return on investment while also setting new standards for reliability, performance, security, and ease of use.

The Exchange Service Management Guide takes operational best practices defined by the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) and applies them to the Microsoft Exchange platform. This guidance applies MOF and Service Management Functions to Exchange to achieve mission-critical system reliability, availability, supportability, and manageability of Microsoft Exchange messaging services.

The guidance also highlights the solution accelerator for Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 Desired Configuration Monitoring, which helps you to proactively detect problematic configurations and performance trends before a disruption in the service occurs.

The Exchange Service Management Life Cycle (Figure 1) includes the primary disciplines of planning and architecture, deployment, migration, security and protection, operations, and optimization. Exchange Service Management aligns with the operations discipline in the life cycle.

Guide and Solution Documentation

•	Exchange Service Management Guide
•	SMS 2003 Desired Configuration Monitoring

Downloads for Solution Components

Exchange Service Management Guide

SMS 2003 Desired Configuration Monitoring

Figure 1: The Exchange Service Management Life Cycle

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Systems Management Server 2003 Desired Configuration Monitoring

Systems Management Server (SMS) Desired Configuration Monitoring (DCM) is a powerful solution to maintain a consistent configuration across all server roles and hardware types and ensure that all servers have required software updates installed. This solution requires Windows Server™ 2003 or Windows® XP for component installation and monitors most Microsoft Windows Server System™ applications and hardware configurations. The solution runs on any server application where configurations can be accessed through Active Directory® directory service, Windows Management Instrumentation, metabase, file system, and registries.

Many unplanned outages are avoidable, and they are often related to configuration errors with both software and hardware. You can use the DCM with SMS 2003 to check for undesired configuration changes across multiple configuration sources.

DCM helps you to reduce unplanned service downtime, correlate configuration data, reduce support costs, and increase end-user satisfaction. It provides you with an easy-to-use XML editing tool and guidance for defining Desired Configuration Models. DCM provides detailed compliance reports to assist with detection and remediation of configuration errors. Figure 2 gives an overview of how DCM works.

Figure 2: How SMS 2003 Desired Configuration Monitoring works

You begin by defining a Desired Configuration Model for each server role and hardware type. A sample model is included in the solution and further sample models will be released on the Microsoft Download Center. When you're defining the models, you specify the desired values in Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), the system registry, the Internet Information Services metabase, Active Directory directory service, and the Windows File System (WFS).

After you have defined all of the Desired Configuration Models, you deploy each model to targeted servers, where it runs as an SMS 2003 package. Once data is returned to the SMS 2003 database server, you may generate compliance reports on demand. Using MOM 2005, you can specify that IT staff be alerted automatically of configurations that are defined as out-of-compliance so that they can take appropriate action to avoid disruptions in service.

Table 1 provides a list of the minimum technology requirements that you will need in place to use the Desired Configuration Monitoring.

Table 1 Technology requirements (minimum) for DCM
Systems Management Server 2003 with Service Pack 1
.NET Framework version 1.1
SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 3
SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services with Service Pack 1
Internet Explorer 5 with Service Pack 2
Optional: Microsoft Operations Manager 2005

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Solution Implementation

Microsoft Services provides Desired Configuration Monitoring for Messaging consulting services utilizing the capabilities of SMS 2003 Desired Configuration Monitoring and creating Desired Configuration Models for each Exchange server role. These services will enhance your change, configuration, and release management processes for Exchange. Please visit the Microsoft Services Messaging Services website to learn more.

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Additional Resources

•	Messaging Reference Architecture Guidance for planning, design, deployment, and operations of messaging services or infrastructure in an enterprise environment.
•	Consolidation and Migration The Solution Accelerator for Exchange Consolidation and Migration helps you accelerate the design, planning, and deployment of Exchange Server 2003 messaging systems deployed as upgrades to, or replacements for, your existing Exchange Server 5.5 or Exchange 2000 Server messaging systems.
•	Software Update Management Best practice guidance and automation to assist with establishing a patch management process for assessing, identifying, planning, and deploying patches to the Microsoft platform using SMS 2003.
•	Security Management Enhance the security of your messaging and collaboration environment. Find procedures and best practices to assist you in enhancing and maintaining security on servers running Microsoft Exchange Server.
•	Microsoft TechNet IT Solutions The TechNet IT Solutions content provides prescriptive guidance on how to effectively and efficiently design, develop, deploy, operate, and support solutions built on Microsoft server technologies.
•	Microsoft Download Center The Microsoft Download Center provides downloadable service packs, security updates, trials, and more for Microsoft server products.
•	Microsoft Operations Framework The Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) provides operational guidance that enables organizations to achieve mission-critical system reliability, availability, supportability, and manageability of Microsoft products and technologies.
•	Microsoft Solutions Framework Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) is a highly customizable, scalable, fully integrated set of software development processes, principles, and proven practices designed to deliver the type of guidance desired by the user when and where it is needed.

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