Install SCOM Integration

Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) is a cross-platform data center management system for operating systems and hypervisors. Using this integration, you can configure SCOM to automatically send alerts to BigPanda. The SCOM integration provides streamlined installation, debugging, and supports installations that use an HTTP proxy server.

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Open Integration Manager

The Open Integration Manager is available for use with SCOM. For more information, see the Open Integration Manager documentation.

Additional details on the capabilities, supported versions, and troubleshooting can be found in the SCOM (Microsoft System Center Operations Manager) documentation.

How it Works

The SCOM Integration works by subscribing BigPanda to all alert notifications. The SCOM Integration utility automatically installs the BigPanda command executable file and creates a command channel, a subscriber, and a subscription in SCOM. When a SCOM alert is generated, the information is forwarded to BigPanda using these elements:

• The command notification channel defines what information is sent to BigPanda. By default, all standard SCOM fields are sent to BigPanda, and you can add custom fields. It also determines that the notification is sent by running the BigPanda command executable file.
• The notification subscriber defines the BigPanda channel as the recipient and determines the schedule for sending notifications. You can customize the notifications schedule.
• The notification subscription defines the criteria for sending a notification. By default, all alerts are sent to BigPanda, and you can filter which alerts are sent and set an initial delay. It also defines that the BigPanda channel is used to send the notification and the BigPanda subscriber receives the notification.

BigPanda then processes and correlates the alert from SCOM to create and maintain up-to-date incidents in BigPanda.

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Simultaneous Response Limit

SCOM has a limitation of allowing only 5 simultaneous responses, which affects the command notification channel. The asynchronous response limit can be increased to 100, but an incremental increase is recommended. For alert storms exceeding this limit, consider adding a mitigation mechanism upstream.

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Payload size

Alert payloads must be 6MB or smaller. Larger payloads will fail to process with BigPanda. We recommend reviewing your configurations to ensure that only actionable, useful information is being sent to BigPanda.

Create an App Key

Create an app key in BigPanda.

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Integration specific

You'll need a separate app key for each integrated system.

Download the BigPanda SCOM Integration Utility

The bigpanda-scom-service utility is a small Windows service configuring your BigPanda SCOM integration.

1. Download the compressed archive of the utility: Windows 64-bit
2. Extract the archive, and note the path to the extracted directory. You will use this to install the utility.

Preinstall Requirements

The BigPanda-SCOM-Service can be installed on any windows system that has access to SCOM Management Servers(s) or on a SCOM Management Server.

Before continuing, verify that the OperationsManager modules are present on the system where the BigPanda-SCOM-Service will be running.

Import-Module -Name OperationsManager
Get-Command –module OperationsManager

A list of the available SCOM Cmdlets should display.

Credentials for an Active Directory account with Log on as a Service and Operations Manager Read-Only Administrators User-Role is required 

Install the BigPanda SCOM Integration Service

1. In the same PowerShell console, go to the path where you extracted the utility.

2. Run the following command, replace <SCOM Server> with the Management server to poll. If the -scomserver option is not supplied, the first available SCOM Management server in the service broadcast will be used.

   • Without Proxy

     ./bigpanda-scom-service.exe -appkey <Your App Key> -authtoken <Your Org Bearer Token> -url https://integrations.bigpanda.io/scom_v2/alerts -scomserver <SCOM Server> -service install
     

   • Using an HTTP/S Proxy. You must replace <Proxy server URL> with the full URL to your proxy server.

      ./bigpanda-scom-service.exe -appkey <Your App Key> -authtoken <Your Org Bearer Token> -url https://integrations.bigpanda.io/scom_v2/alerts -scomserver <SCOM Server> -proxy <Proxy server URL> -service install
     

   • Using an HTTP/S Proxy with credentials. You must replace <Proxy server URL> with the full URL to your proxy server, replace <Proxy User> and <Proxy Password> with the relevant values.

     ./bigpanda-scom-service.exe -appkey <Your App Key> -authtoken <Your Org Bearer Token> -url https://integrations.bigpanda.io/scom_v2/alerts -scomserver <SCOM Server> -proxy <Proxy server URL> -proxyuser <Proxy User> -proxypassword <Proxy Password> -service install
     

3. Verify the service Configuration with the following command ./bigpanda-scom-service.exe --help the following will be displayed, and describe configuration options:

   powershell PS D:\BigPanda> .\bigpanda-scom-service.exe --help
    Usage of D:\BigPanda\bigpanda-scom-service.exe:
    -appkey string Integration App Key (default "<Your App Key>")
    -authtoken string Integration Bearer Token (default "<Your Org Bearer Token>")
    -batchsize int Alert Batch size (default 150)
    -interval string Service Polling Interval, EG '5m' or '1m30s' (default "1m")
    -logage string Log Roll Duration, EG '24h' or '12h30m' (default "24h")
    -loglocation string Log Location (default "D:\BigPanda\bigpanda-scom-service.log")
    -proxy string Proxy URL -proxypassword string Proxy Password
    -proxyuser string Proxy User -scomserver string SCOM Host (default "<SCOM Management Server>")
    -script string Service Script (default "D:\BigPanda\bigpanda-scom-service-script.ps1")
    -service string Control the system service.
    -url string Integration endpoint URL (default "https://integrations.bigpanda.io/scom_v2/alerts") 
   

4. Before Starting the service, the service must be configured with a Log On account.

   • This can be performed using Powershell >v7 with the following command:

     Set-Service -Name "BigPanda SCOM Service 2024" -Credential @(Get-Credential)
     

   • Or using the Services App > BigPanda SCOM Service 2024 > Log On > This Account (Enter an account that can access the SCOM Management Servers)

5. Configure custom Resolution States (if applicable)

   From PowerShell, check for custom resolution states. If there are ResolutionStates which are not listed here, e.g. any ResolutionState with an enumeration value between 1-246, the "Name" string value must be added to the Integration Status Map.

   PS D:\BigPanda> Get-SCOMAlertResolutionState|Select-Object ResolutionState,Name
   
   ResolutionState Name
   --------------- ----
                 0 New
               247 Awaiting Evidence
               248 Assigned to Engineering
               249 Acknowledged
               250 Scheduled
               254 Resolved
               255 Closed
   

6. Start the BigPanda-SCOM-Service

   PS D:\BigPanda> .\bigpanda-scom-service.exe -service start
   

   or

   Start-Service 'BigPanda SCOM Service 2024'
   

   check the service status

   Get-Service 'BigPanda SCOM Service 2024'
   

Note: The service configuration is stored in the windows registry at Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\BigPanda-SCOM-Service 

Customize SCOM

You can customize the notifications schedule for sending SCOM alerts to BigPanda. You can also filter which alerts are sent and set an initial delay for sending alerts. For information on how to send custom fields to BigPanda, see SCOM Data Model.

Before You Start

Before customizing SCOM, obtain an Operations Manager Administrators Role In SCOM.

Change the Notifications Schedule

1. In SCOM, open the Operations console, and then click Administration.
2. In the navigation pane, go to Notifications > Subscribers.
3. Open the BigPanda subscriber and click the Schedule tab.
4. Configure the desired schedule settings

For more information, see Microsoft TechNet - How to Create Notification Subscribers. By default, the BigPanda integration always sends notifications.

Filter and Setting Delays on Alerts

1. In SCOM, open the Operations console, and then click Administration.
2. In the navigation pane, go to Notifications > Subscriptions.
3. Open the BigPanda subscription.
4. To filter alerts, click the Subscription Criteria tab and set conditions that determine when notifications are sent to BigPanda.
5. To set an initial delay for sending alerts to BigPanda, click the Channels tab and go to the Alert aging section to configure the desired delay.

For more information, see Microsoft TechNet - How to Create Notification Subscriptions. By default, the BigPanda integration sends notifications for all alerts and without a delay.