HP OpenView ManageX SMART Plug-In 4.0 for Microsoft Exchange Server
Designed as an MMC snap-in, ManageX is a systems management tool designed to monitor diverse IT environments. HP and Microsoft partnered to develop ManageX, which relies heavily on standard Windows technology such as Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Distributed COM (DCOM), and VBScript. ManageX acts like a part of Windows.
At its base level, ManageX monitors essential services such as Win2K Server Terminal Services, Microsoft Transaction Services (MTS), IIS, and Systems Management Server (SMS). For more comprehensive coverage beyond basic health and status monitoring, HP ships application-specific modules called SMART Plug-Ins. Each module provides additional in-depth functionality, such as performance tuning and enhanced policies.
The installation process was uneventful: After I ran the setup program on my Exchange Server system, the ManageX plugin for Exchange Server (the setup program installs ManageX and the plug- in) took up about 175MB of disk space on my hard disk and didn't require a reboot. The setup program also installs product documentation in Adobe Systems' Adobe Acrobat format. The documentation includes a useful tutorial that eases the software's learning curve.
Boasting a powerful auto-discovery feature, the ManageX plugin immediately detected my PDC, IIS, Terminal Services, SQL Server, and Exchange Server systems, as well as the clients connected to my domains. Navigating the UI is simple, especially if you've been working with Win2K's UI. Because the ManageX plugin snaps in to the MMC, you'll probably be familiar with the software's nuances. However, HP went one step beyond an MMC snap-in and gave the software a Web-based UI, so you can view the UI from Web browsers on remote systems.
After the ManageX plugin probed my network configuration and created an organizational map that included a visual message flow of my systems, I began configuring policies by drilling down through the console to the appropriate policy, as Figure 4 shows. The software lets you define policies as expressions or VBScript code. Expressions are abstract strings of constants and variables, so expect to spend some time with the manuals to master this capability. If you have a rudimentary grasp of BASIC, you can avoid using the ManageX plugin's expression syntax by using VBScript to create custom policies. The software also offers a healthy list of prefabricated policies that you can fit into almost any configuration type. I opted not to touch the default policies and disabled the ones that were unnecessary in my environment.
For performance reasons, I have multiple servers running my core services. Rather than manually configure policies on each server, I used the ManageX plugin's alias definition feature to push my modified policy list to servers on an as-needed basis, which I defined by giving the software criteria to filter with. I have Terminal Services and IIS on Win2K systems and SQL Server and Exchange Server on NT 4.0 machines. By telling ManageX to deploy Terminal Services and IIS policies to the Win2K domain controllers (DCs) and apply SQL Server and Exchange Server policies to the NT 4.0 machines, I set up a customized monitoring solution.
To test the solution's monitoring capabilities, I simulated several events on the Exchange Server system. First, I created a large dummy file to fill up the spool disk. Not surprisingly, the ManageX plugin sprang into action and prompted me with a pop-up message that notified me of the low disk space on the server. I then created a bottleneck on the network by sending multiple gigabytes of data back and forth between two segments on the switch. The software's threshold counter detected this aberrant behavior and notified me that congestion was compromising mail delivery. Finally, I physically disconnected the Exchange Server system from the switch. The ManageX plugin immediately noticed the missing server and notified me through a pop-up message.
The product's report generator, Smart Reporter, takes an open approach to statistical analysis and lets you fine-tune the amount of information that the generator analyzes. Smart Reporter's engine uses the preconfigured logging policies to farm data from each machine. The central server then collects the data and stores it using either Microsoft Access or SQL Server. This setup lets the software create reports based on the templates you select.
To monitor traffic on my Exchange Server system, I modified a summary detail template and set Smart Reporter to grab a sample week's worth of usage statistics. A few seconds later, the ManageX plugin presented a top-level view of the data that was neatly analyzed, correlated, and ready to be exported to my IIS server so that I could maintain a historical trend analysis of my server's usage. I then created a summary report to show the amount of space each user was using. After running the report generator, the ManageX plugin gave me a point-in-time list of the amount of disk space each user was using as well as the number of messages in each mailbox.
Because HP based the ManageX plugin's UI on the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) HTML renderer, the software exports all generated reports as HTML files native to the console. To automatically publish reports to an IIS server on the network, enable the Publishing feature, which lets you view reports from any machine on the network on which a Web browser is installed. Alternatively, you can configure the ManageX plugin to generate reports in Word format.
ManageX is an excellent enterprise-management tool. The only drawback is the solution's cost: $2995 for the ManageX console, $795 for the plugin, and $1195 per server. If your only concern is Exchange Server monitoring, you might be paying for features you don't need, and a more application-specific and less expensive option would be better for you. If you purchase ManageX only for the purpose of monitoring Exchange Server, you'll probably eventually find yourself using it as an enterprisewide management tool.
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<br> I'll address two concerns that the reviewer raises. First, he mentions the product's "complex deployment process." The reviewer installed many optional components that provide great value to large enterprises but that aren't required for basic Exchange Server monitoring. Installing only the base components would have taken the reviewer just a few minutes and provided functionality similar to most of the other products in the review.<br>
<br> Second, the reviewer states that competing packages are less complicated or less expensive than PATROL. The product currently presents common measurements simply and clearly on the default main desktop. Regarding price, the review includes two products*PATROL for Microsoft Windows 2000 Servers, which lists for $815, and PATROL for Microsoft Exchange Server, which lists for $695. Without the W2K module, pricing and functionality would be comparable to the other products reviewed. However, BMC recommends both products to provide comprehensive management of the entire server.<br>
<br> Constructive criticism helps us devise ways to improve our products for our end users. Although PATROL includes a bit more complexity than you'd see in a performance monitordriven, Exchange-specific management tool, PATROL is part of a comprehensive suite of products that provides complete end-to-end management of the enterprise.<br>
Ardis Griggs May 08, 2001