Hi,

I have been successfully using SCOM 2007R2 mainly for monitoring our server (physical/virtual) infrastucture with the constraint of only using freebie Management packs.  I havent implemented Client monitoring yet.

A big use case on the horizon is for a substantial VDI implementation (on Cisco UCS/VMware and Xen, no VMM/Hyper-V).  The teams involved are evaluating 3rd party monitoring solutions specifically for VDI which sounds like it could be a big investment.  My query is can SCOM, esp with 2012 due out soon, perform a rich level of VDI monitoring esp the Client experience, with associated performance tracing/analysis/troubleshooting, or is VDI better monitored with its own 'bespoke' monitoring solution.

Obviously from my point of view, the 'holistic view' and monitoring with 'single pane of glass' (pardon the microsoft sales verbage!) has major benefits but I don't have any experience of client monitoring and more specifically VDI to know what SCOM 2007/12 might be capable of to present this arguement.  Or is VDI such a beast that seperate bespoke monitoring is better and good results easier achieved.

Any advice welcome

Hi,

To monitor Cisco UCS there is a management pack for that.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/unified_computing/ucs/sw/scom/quick/start/guide/ucsMPQS.html

To monitor VMware I prefer the use of VEEAM it is the most mature one.

http://www.veeam.com/vmware-microsoft-esx-monitoring.html

To monitor XEN u could use the following management pack

http://www.citrix.com/ready/partners/comtrade/products/citrix-xenserver-mp

To monitor your complete VDI envirement  I should take a look at scom Distributed applications. With distributed applications can monitor a chain of individual components.

Hope this helps a bit

Hi New2scom,

We just finished evaluating Comtrade MP for VDI (Xendesktop) in my organization. Our VDI team is happy with data collection, reports in VDI management pack.

You can try evaluation version and test in your environment

Register your account here

http://www.managementproducts.comtrade.com/product_download/Pages/default.aspx and test it.

Thanks for the links guys.  I've actually breifly looked at some of them before - the UCS MP was good but to get fully functionality, ie visibility of the virtualization layer it seemed you needed to have VMM as a component for managing your VM's library/templates etc so since our server team use VCentre for this, it mean not having this view which dramatically reduced the value of the MP.

I've hear good things about the other MP's recommended - i didnt persue evaluating at the time as they cost money which I was originally constrained by, but now the teams I work with are considerin buying bespoke VDI monitoring this may have change the goalposts on that.  I just would like to show/prove I can provide a similar level of detailed monitoring via SCOM as what the other solutions are providing.

Cheers

Hi,

I think you can contact the companies who provide VDI and see if they have management packs which meet your requirements; or try authoring the management packs.

Thanks.

I think eG Innovations and ComTrade are your best bets.

http://www.eginnovations.com/

http://www.comtrade.com/

Regards,

Mike