Review: Microsoft SCOM 2007 streamlines a host of operations, but there's no upgrade path.Microsoft Operations Manager, or MOM, has gotten a major face-lift along with a new name—System Center Operations Manager 2007.
Now in beta and expected to ship by January 2007, SCOM 2007 has a new user interface and expanded management pack support. (Final licensing costs have not yet been determined.)
IT administrators at Windows-heavy shops should definitely put SCOM 2007 on their "should evaluate" list, but they should also be aware that there is no upgrade path for MOM 2005 users.
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In fact, IT managers running MOM 2005 will have to set up a parallel path for SCOM 2007, running both systems until satisfied that SCOM 2007 is capturing all events. At that time, say Microsoft officials, MOM 2005 system can be decommissioned.
eWEEK Labs has a MOM 2005 infrastructure in place, but during tests we had to install SCOM 2007 alongside it, including deploying the SCOM 2007 agent to systems already running MOM 2005 agents.
Management packs
Management packs are plug-in modules that are the backbone of MOM's (and SCOM's) monitoring, management and reporting capabilities, and we were fortunately able to use the MOM 2005 management packs that we already had in place on SCOM 2007.
Click here to read more from eWEEK Labs' review of MOM 2005.
These included the 50-plus application and technology packs that MOM 2005 administrators are likely also using, as well as third-party-supplied management packs.
Management packs for forthcoming Microsoft products, such as Vista, Office 2007 and Exchange Server 2007, are expected to be available by the time SCOM 2007 ships. This is important for Windows-heavy shops because the expert knowledge that comes with management packs can significantly ease both the day-to-day monitoring and management of applications through the SCOM 2007 interface.
Management packs also can increase the chances that applications will be implemented in the most secure fashion possible, by running reports that show how basic configurations, such as user accounts, should be implemented.
