MMS Minnesota 2014

A ConfigMgr 2012 Site Review

Kent Agerlund / Steve Thomson

Who are we

Kent Agerlund• Chief System Management Architect & Co-

founder of Coretech• Coretech A/S, System Center Gold Partner• Titles

• Microsoft MVP: Enterprise Client Management• Member of the System Center Influencers Team

• Author• Mastering System Center 2012 Configuration

Manager• System Center 2012 Configuration Manager

Mastering the fundamentals

Steve Thomson

• Senior Consultant

• Softchoice

• Specializing in System Center related technologies

• Titles• Microsoft MVP: Enterprise Client Management• Former SQL Server MVP

• Contributing Author• System Center 2012 Unleased (SAMS)

A ConfigMgr Site Review• ConfigMgr• SQL Server• Performance• Find and understand bottleneck• SLA vs Performance

Troubleshooting tools and techniques

The Arsenal•WMI• Status Messages• Log files• SQL• PowerShell

WMI•Windows Management Instrumentation• The Tools (just a few)• WMI Object Browser• Scriptomatic• Coretech WMI and PowerShell explorer

• The name spaces• Standard – CimV2• Server side – root\SMS\Site\Site_<Sitecode>• Client side – root\ccm

Status Messages• Somewhat controlled by client settings• Status Filter rules• Can be powerful• Trigger events/scripts

Log files• Always use CMtrace• Verbose logging• Clients• Management Points• Task Sequences

• NAL logging• Distribution Points

SQL• SQL Server Management Studio• Queries

• SQL Profiler• Requires a little SQL knowledge

• SMSprov.log• Translates all WQL queries into T-SQL

PowerShell• How to document existing SQL Server? • Can I identify common problems?•More on this later…

Common Issues

#devconnections

Site design – the complex approach

I need to

cluster my SQLI must have

multiple sites

SQL 2012

Always On

rocks!

Headaches• Complex environments• The DBA battle• Latency and replicationSolution = Keep It Simple

I need to

mirror m

y

SQL

Performance • Root cause• Collections• Site settings• SQL• Optimization• Poor design

#devconnections

Site systems and performance• Offload user facing site system roles first• Distribution Point• Management Point• Software Update Point• Application Catalog

• Non-user facing site systems can be installed on the primary site server• Use SQL replicas on the Management Points• If needed offload reporting

WSUS• Issues• WSUS App Pool crashes• Client errors • OnSearchComplete - Failed to end search job. Error = 0x80244022.

•Mitigate• WSUS cleanup• susdb maintenance• Memory

#devconnections

DemoKeeping WSUS lean and clean

SQL Server considerations• SQL Files• 1 database file per core – max 8• 1 tempDB file for every two CPU’s

• Autogrowth• CAP/Limit log files

• Limit SQL memory• Other databases

Disk layout example • If cost is an issue or site is

medium consider• Combining tempDB and log

files• Combining database files• Combining all non OS files on

the same drive (small site or lab environment)• Always plan for contentlibrary• Know your SAN team

Disk Controller # of Drives Partitions

0 0 4 OS

1 1 4 tempDB

2 1 4 Log files (tx)

3 1 6 CM DB files

4 2 6 CM DB files

5 2 8 Programs

6 x x ContentLib

Database considerations• Estimate database file sizes• Pre-configure file size - Why Autogrowth is bad

• Properly size tempdb files• Database recovery mode• Tuning

• File/Index Fragmentation

Database maintenance tasks• Don’t trust the built-in maintenance tasks•Maintenance plan• Defrag and re-index

•Monitor • Fragmentation• Top stored procedures• Table sizes (row counts)

Backup• Standard vs. ConfigMgr• ConfigMgr Pros• Easy to configure• No SQL experience• Run custom scripts after backup is completed

• ConfigMgr Cons• No compression• Services interrupted• No in-console solution for other databases

Backup Cont….• Standard vs. ConfigMgr• SQL Backup Pros• Compression• Schedule job, e-mail notifications• No SMS service interrupted• Include other databases in the backup job

• SQL Cons• Requires a little SQL knowledge• Must have access to the SQL console

DemoSQL

PERFORMANCE & COLLECTIONS

#devconnections

Performance vs SLA’s

All SQL

All systems

All WRK

All WRK AMER

All WRK EMEA

All SRV

Setting business expectations

Understand the All Systems collection

Collection updates….the snowball effect

Investigating Collections

• Create & modify collections• Use CEviewer• Know your log files• Know your SQL views

DemoCollections

PowerShell

#devconnections

PowerShell• How to document existing SQL Server? • Windows Server• SQL Server• Database properties

• Can I identify common problems?

Key SQL suspects•Memory allocation• Log file usage• VLFs (Virtual Log Files)• Why VLFs are bad

• Out of date index and statistics

#devconnections

DemoPowershell auditSite restore – Time permitting

Summary• Use a good design• Troubleshooting Tools• Baseline – PowerShell Audit • Optimize SQL Server

#devconnections

Other resources• Kent Agerlund’s blog• http://blog.coretech.dk/author/kea/

• Steve Thompson’s blog• http://stevethompsonmvp.wordpress.com

#devconnections

Session Title

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