Looking for more details on using the Service Template vs. using a Basic Service Monitor for monitoring services in SCOM Sp1.i.e. pros/cons of eithermethod. I've always prefered the Basic Service Monitor because it's cleaner and lighter, but have a customer who has always used the services template.

Any comments or links to forum threads on this topic would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hi, The templates also do discovery of all machines running that service. You don't have to specify a target. You can later look for the monitors generated by the wizard and tune them a bit if needed.
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Anders Bengtsson
Microsoft MVP - Operations Manager
www.contoso.se

I believe the service templates also end up creating a number of additional rules to collect thread count, process\private bytes, working set, %process time, handle count, etc. For me, I just want to know if a service is running or not, so a basic service monitor works most of the time.

As we are talking about SP1, I would actually use the authoring console to create a class that you can target the monitor at.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2008.11.targeting.aspx?pr=blog

Cheers

Graham

The Template monitors are next to impossible to delete once created.... Whereas the Unit Monitors are easy to remove if u need to.
JB

Since the MP Template for Windows Service will create a custom class, you do not need to create a class in the Authoring console or anywhere else.In SP1, when you run the wizard, you get a custom class based on an NT Service class.
If memory serves (I dont have an SP1 install in front of me), you'll then have 4 unit monitors that will monitor your custom service class:

• An Up/Down Basic Service Monitor
• CPU Monitor
• Memory Usage Monitor
• Handle Counter

In SP1, I believe I recall these were self-tuning threshold monitors (not so in R2, and the handle counter monitor is removed altogether in R2)
If you only want up / down,

• Run the wizard to get your class
• Use Change Scope to focus your view in the Authoring space to the class
• Disable all the monitors aside from the up / down monitor.

This MP template wizard works quite a bit nicer in R2. The CPU and Memory threshold monitors are recurring threshold monitors, and the handle count monitor disappears altogether.
To view the results of the MP Template for Windows Service

• Run the wizard and save the results to a custom (and otherwise empty) MP
• Open this MP in the authoring console and view the resulting classes and monitors

Hi Pete

I personallywouldn't use the authoring template for SP1 for a couple of reasons:

1)You can't run a recovery off the the monitor created by the authoring template. The NT Service class is "internal" and not public. This is a known issue.

2) I seem to remember servers not having the service having a service state of "Not Monitored". This is misleading. I might be mistaken on this.

3) As has already been mentioned by John, it creates a bundle of other management pack objects that are rely on self-tuning thresholds. If you don't need them then why create them?

4) The Management Pack objects that get created by the wizard might not have the names that you want.

In the end, I'd advise Scott to take a look at both approaches in a test environment and see what works best for him. If he needs a service restart as a recovery then the authoring template is a non-starter in SP1. But for custom monitoring I think getting used to using the authoring console is the best way to go. It gives you a lot more control and you can start to understand management packs better.

Good Luck Scott whichever way you go.

Cheers

Graham

Just explaining the alternatives in a bit more detail, not trying to spark debate.
Fortunately, when you get to R2 you'll find the STT monitors are recurring threshold monitors.

I've been loking at the Service Template as well. While I like the bit of extra monitoring it automagixcally enables, I'm haveing some challenges when it comes to targeting. The services I need to monitor only show up on 1 or 2 servers. With the template it appears to be only possible to target to a group. For the combination of services and servers I need to monitor that would mean setting up a bunch of different groups. Whereas with a unit monitor, you can set up the monitor, disable as a default, then enable it for individual tergets (agent/servers) with overrides. It doesn't appear to be possible to put an enble via override scenario with the template.

I like the flexibility of targeting thata unit monitor givesme, but I also like the additional monitoring that the template gives me right out of the box. To bad.

Dean

• Marked as answer by Pete Zerger - MVPMVP, Moderator Monday, October 12, 2009 5:16 PM

I've been loking at the Service Template as well. While I like the bit of extra monitoring it automagixcally enables, I'm haveing some challenges when it comes to targeting. The services I need to monitor only show up on 1 or 2 servers. With the template it appears to be only possible to target to a group. For the combination of services and servers I need to monitor that would mean setting up a bunch of different groups. Whereas with a unit monitor, you can set up the monitor, disable as a default, then enable it for individual tergets (agent/servers) with overrides. It doesn't appear to be possible to put an enble via override scenario with the template.

I like the flexibility of targeting thata unit monitor givesme, but I also like the additional monitoring that the template gives me right out of the box. To bad.

Dean

• Marked as answer by Pete Zerger - MVPMVP, Moderator Monday, October 12, 2009 5:16 PM

Sorry to bring this dinosaur thread out of sleep; I have recently posted exactly the same question in Authoring. If interested please contribute;

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/systemcenter/en-US/cccd971a-1dea-430f-9f64-90367d0a0afb/windows-service-mp-template-wizard-vs-basic-service-unit-monitor?forum=operationsmanagerauthoring

• Edited by RKDTOO 8 hours 26 minutes ago Hyperlink

Sorry to bring this dinosaur thread out of sleep; I have recently posted exactly the same question in Authoring. If interested please contribute;

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/systemcenter/en-US/cccd971a-1dea-430f-9f64-90367d0a0afb/windows-service-mp-template-wizard-vs-basic-service-unit-monitor?forum=operationsmanagerauthoring

• Edited by RKDTOO Monday, March 30, 2015 10:42 PM Hyperlink