SUSE Linux Enterprise Management Pack FAQ
1. What is the SUSE Linux Enterprise Management Pack?
The SUSE® Linux Enterprise Management Pack provides customers with the ability to monitor SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 and 11 through Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2. The SLE Management Pack extends the cross platform monitoring capability of Microsoft's System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 by adding monitoring for key Linux services. The SLE Management Pack integrates seamlessly into the Operations Manager 2007 console and includes preconfigured views that provide deep visibility into the health and performance of the SLES services running in the data center. The SLE Management Pack provides expert knowledge to help administrators monitor and maintain system health for better end-to-end management of heterogeneous IT environments.
2. In what environment can I use the SLE Management Pack?
On the tools side, the SLE Management Pack requires Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2, Microsoft's latest Operations Manager release which includes their Cross Platform Extensions. On the managed server side, the SLE Management Pack work with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 and 11.
3. What services are monitored by the SLE Management Pack?
The SLE Management Pack monitors the health and performance of the following services in SLES: BIND/DNS, DHCP, Samba, LDAP, CUPS (Print), NFS, and SUSE Firewall.
4. Why do I need the SLE Management Pack if Microsoft Operations Manager 2007 R2 already includes Cross Platform Extensions?
The Cross Platform Extensions which are included as part of Operations Manager 2007 R2 provide the ability to monitor Windows, Unix and Linux servers for CPU utilization, memory consumption, physical and logical disk health, and network adapter health. The SLE Management Pack extends the default monitoring features of the Cross Platform Extensions by adding monitoring and management capabilities for seven key services running on Linux.
5. Why is monitoring of my servers important?
To ensure that data centers stay up and running to support the needs of the business, IT managers need end-to-end visibility of the entire system infrastructure. They need to be able to supervise key services and systems to ensure that they are working correctly. With insight into potential system inefficiencies, IT managers can help diagnose issues and find solutions before major problems arise. With visibility into the health of the entire system, IT managers can better prevent disasters, helping increase the security and reliability of the data center and better protecting critical business information and intellectual property. Cross-platform management enables IT managers to run data centers more efficiently, helping to maintain user productivity and reduce costs.
6. What are the benefits of cross platform monitoring tools?
Managing heterogeneous data centers can be challenging and costly, often requiring the use of separate tools for administrative tasks and monitoring, leading to additional purchase and maintenance costs and a requirement for multiple sets of IT skills. The inefficiency of using multiple monitoring tools can put the organization at risk for security threats and potential system failure, which can impact end user productivity. With Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 and the SUSE Linux Enterprise Management Pack, IT managers gain the ability to monitor Microsoft Windows Servers and SUSE Linux Enterprise Servers from one console greatly reducing the challenges created by multiple-console management and helping to increase IT efficiency.
7. How is the SLE Management Pack licensed and how much does it cost?
The SLE Management Pack is licensed per managed Linux server at a one-time cost of US$165. Optional maintenance is sold as a subscription at an annual cost of US$41 per managed server for 1-year priority maintenance. Microsoft fees per managed node for Operations Manager 2007 are separate.
8. What is Novell Support Advisor?
The SUSE Linux Enterprise Management Pack is integrated with Novell Support Advisor, an automated self-help tool used to support and diagnose SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, Open Enterprise Server (Linux) and associated products. Novell Support Advisor provides customers with a streamlined way to perform both pro-active and reactive system diagnostic tasks in a local, secure and automated fashioned.
9. Does the SLE Management Pack work for other Linux distributions?
No. The SLE Management Pack only works with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.