Search the Community

In our last post we installed SCVMM Reporting. By default, you should now have all the SCVMM reports available in SCOM’s Reporting space. However, there is an additional set of reports that is not made available by default. These are the Forecasting Analysis reports, and the only way to be able to use them is with SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). Since SCVMM using the reporting feature of SCOM, we need to have SSAS installed on the SCOM Reporting server. In our lab example, we have SQL DB and Reporting installed on the same server that is running SCOM. So, we’re going to go through the steps of installing SSAS first, and then configuring SCVMM to use it. Install SSAS To start, log into your SCOM server. From there, mount the SQL Server ISO or extract it and run the setup.exe. Since we have already installed SQL, I will not repeat each/every step here, since the screens are identical. Just walk through the SQL installation process as if you were installing a new instance of SQL. The screens that you need to take note of are, first, the Installation Type. Instead of selecting ‘Perform a new installation of SQL Server’, choose ‘Add features to an existing instance of SQL Server’. Then click Next. You should next be on the Features Selection screen. On here, select the ‘Analysis Services’ feature, and then click Next. Continue clicking Next until you reach the ‘Analysis Services Configuration’ screen. On this screen, add the applicable user(s)/security group(s) for administrative access to Analysis Services. Identical to how I have setup SQL Server, I have added a Security Group to control access. Make the applicable configuration for your environment, and then click Next. IMPORTANT: The previous screen to this one (Server Configuration) is where we (in a normal SQL installation) would change the Collation (see my guide on SQL Installation). I have be unsuccessful in finding any official documentation from Microsoft about the proper Collation for SSAS, especially since SSAS does not have SQL Collation like the SQL Database and Reporting features does. Therefore, for my lab example, I have accepted the default SSAS Collation. Additionally, I have likewise been unable to find any official documentation from Microsoft about the proper Server Mode configuration for Analysis Servers in reference to SCVMM. Therefore, again, I am accepting the default Server Mode of ‘Multidimensional and Data Mining Mode’. Continue to click Next until you reach the Install screen, and then click Install. SQL Analysis Services AMO Install To avoid an error when attempting to enable SSAS in SCVMM, you must install the Analysis Management Objects for SQL on the SCVMM Management Server. In our lab example, we are using SQL Server 2012. Therefore, to obtain the AMO elements, we need to download and install the Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Feature Pack. You can find the SQL Feature Pack (specifically SQL 2012) here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29065. Download the file to your SCVMM Management Sever. Now, start the installation by running the SQL_AS_AMO.msi file and click Run. On the Welcome screen click Next. Read and accept the License Agreement, and then click Next. Now all you have to do is click Install. Once the installation is complete, click Finish. We now have the SQL Analysis Management Objects installed, and can proceed with enabling the use of SSAS in SCVMM. NOTE: You may have to restart your SCVMM server after installing this, not because the installation prompts you to, but for everything to initialize properly. Enable Forecasting Analysis After you have SSAS installed, you can now enable SCVMM to use SSAS and forecasting analysis reports. Log into your SCVMM server, and launch the console. From there, navigate to Settings > System Center Settings > Operations Manager Server. Either right-click and choose Properties, choose Properties from the ribbon menu, or just double click on setting option. Since we already performed the integration steps between SCOM and SCVMM, you should see the Connection Status on the Details screen as “OK”. Click on the ‘SQL Server Analysis Services’ label. On this screen, check the ‘Enable SSAS’ checkbox. You will then be able to provide the SSAS server name and instance, along with the port, and account to use. In our lab example since we installed all elements on the SCOM server, our SSAS server name is ‘SCOM.SC.LAB’ and my instance name is ‘SCOMSQL’. Make the applicable entries for your environment, and then click OK. Notice that when you click OK, you may encounter the following message. It indicates that the SCVMM server needs to have the SQL Server Analysis Management Objects installed. Press OK if you encounter this error, and following the steps detailed in the ‘SQL Analysis Services AMO Install’ section of this document. IMPORTANT: Through extensive research, it appears that even if you have SQL Server 2012 installed, along with SQL 2012 Reporting, that you cannot in fact use the SQL 2012 Analysis Services Analysis Management Objects. This is currently applicable with version SCVMM 2012 SP1 UR2. It has been determined that you MUST use SQL 2008 R2 Analysis Management Objects. It is unknown if this will be corrected in a future SCVMM update. NOTE: I cannot take credit for this discovery/solution. Here is the reference page that led me to this conclusion: http://blogs.catapultsystems.com/lrayl/archive/2013/05/20/configuring-the-system-center-2012-sp1-vmm-sql-analysis-services-integration-with-operations-manager.aspx. So at this point, you need to repeat the steps for installing SQL Analysis Services AMO, but with version/feature pack SQL Server AMO for SQL 2008 R2; here is the link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=16978. Once you install SQL Server AMO for SQL 2008 R2, then repeat the steps already detailed for Enable Forecasting Analysis. Once you enable SSAS and enter the applicable information and click OK, if everything else is setup correctly the Operations Manager Settings dialog will automatically close. You can re-open it and confirm that SSAS is enabled. And that’s it. You now have SSAS enabled in SCVMM. The reports already exist in SCOM but now the Forecasting Reports can use the collected information to project data into the future. That completes the Installation Guides for SCVMM. The next part of the series will cover Configuration.

Install SQL Server At this point, since we will be installing SQL Server on the same server that we will be installing our System Center product, it is expected that you have the VM created, the OS is installed, the appropriate networking has been configured, and it is joined to your lab domain. To avoid a specific installation error (see the end of the Install SQL Server section), you have to install the .NET Framework 3.5. So we’re going to complete this first before we start the installation of SQL. .NET Framework Installation To install the specific version of .NET that we require (version 3.5 in this case), start by launching the Server Manager, and selecting Manager > Add Roles and Features. On the Add Roles and Features Wizard, read the information on the Before You Begin screen, and then click Next. On the Installation Type screen, select ‘Role-based or feature-based installation’, and click Next. On the Server Selection screen, since we are installing SQL on the same server as Orchestrator, ensure that it is selected, and then click Next. On the Server Roles screen, we are not installing a Role, but rather a Feature, so just click Next. On the Features screen, select .NET Framework 3.5 Features, and click Next. Since in Windows Server 2012 the .NET Framework 4.x is the main framework, the OS installation does not contain the source files for this installation. Therefore, you will need to click on the ‘Specify an alternate source path’ link at the bottom of the dialog. You will need to provide the path to where the source files are. This is found within the installation media of Windows Server 2012. If you insert a DVD or mount an ISO, specify the path to the SxS folder (i.e. D:\Sources\SxS), and then press OK. Click Install, and once it has completed, click Close. SQL Installation Start by either extracting or mounting the SQL Server ISO, and run the setup.exe. In this example, we are installing SQL Server 2012 SP1. On the main installation screen, click on the Installation link on the left pane. From the Installation screen, click the ‘New SQL Server stand-along installation or add features to an existing installation’ link. This is initiate the installation. First, the Setup Support Rules will check for any issues. As long as there isn’t any ‘Failed’ issues, click OK to continue with the installation. Next, enter your product key or select the evaluation copy to install, and press Next. Accept the License Terms and choose if you will send usage data to Microsoft, then press Next. If you have an Internet connection, the installer will check if there are any applicable updates to the installation, and will download the updates to use during the install. Click Next. The Setup will perform another Setup Support Rules check. As long as there are no Failures, you can click Next. Next is the Setup Role. For our needs, we will choose ‘SQL Server Feature Installation’, then press Next. For the Feature Selection, select the following (depending on which Service Manager component you are installing), and then press Next. SCSM Management Server: Database Engine Services Full-Text and Semantic Extractions for Search Management Tools – Complete (Optional) SCSM Warehouse Server: Database Engine Services Full-Text and Semantic Extractions for Search SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)Collation: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS)Collation: Latin1_General_100_CI_AS Management Tools – Complete (Optional) The Installation Rules will run to determine if anything will block the SQL installation. If there are no Failures, click Next. Next we will configure the instance. You can choose either to use a Default instance, or a Named instance. In this example, I will use a named instance, so as to not get this installation of SQL mixed up with any other I will have in my lab. Make your applicable choice, and click Next. The setup will check and confirm there is enough space on the drive for the installation. If everything is reported as OK, click Next. You next have to configure the server, which includes the Service Accounts and Collation. In Production, it is best practice to have a separate account for each of the services. In our lab, we will leave everything at defaults, with the exception of changing the ‘SQL Server Agent’ startup type from ‘Manual’ to ‘Automatic’. After you have completed this, don’t click Next, but rather click on the Collation tab. On the Collation tab, you will need to click the Customize button to be able to change it appropriately. On the Customize dialog, select ‘SQL collation, used for backwards compatibility’. Within the list, find ‘SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS' and select it, then click OK. NOTE: If you are changing the Collation for SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), then use 'Latin1_General_100_CI_AS' Collation. You will be back on the Server Configuration dialog, click Next. On the Database Engine Configuration screen, leave the Authentication Mode at ‘Windows authentication mode’. What do have to change is to add SQL Server Administrators. Click the Add button. On the next dialog, you will need to add either the user(s) or security group(s) you want to have administrator access to SQL. At a bare minimum, add the current user account, so that you can log into SQL Server. Add the user(s)/security group(s), and click OK. You will be back on the Database Engine Configuration screen, and your accounts will now be present. In my example, I have an Active Directory Security Group I specifically created for SQL Administrators. Then click Next. You can choose to send Error Reporting information to Microsoft. Make your choice, and click Next. The setup will now re-check the configuration rules, based on the selections and information that has been supplied. If it passes, click Next. Review the information on the Ready To Install screen, and then click Install. Note: during the installation, you may encounter the following error message. This is due to not having the .NET Framework 3.5 installed prior to attempting to install SQL Server. If you encounter this, cancel the SQL server installation, and install the .NET Framework 3.5 (which is an available feature within Roles and Features). You may have to wait a while for the Installation Progress to complete. On the Complete screen, click Close. Congratulations, you now have SQL Server installed and are finally ready to install System Center Service Manager (SCSM).