The Blog of Islam

We have been working with ViaCode to deploy our APM monitoring, we have notice a strange behavior dealing with CSM monitoring implementation

As you know on 64-bit boxes in app pool configuration you can check to “Enable 32-Bit Applications” option. Say, for some reasons I had to enable it for CSMCollector app pool (“OperationsManagerCsmCollector v4.0”):

Having done this I noticed that I started missing CSM data. Albeit the web application pages are injected with uX scripts, the requests are sent to CSMCollector (I can check this with Fiddler), but I get no client-side events and statistics received at all.

I enabled APM trace log on affected server and got plenty of “CSMCollector ServiceManager is not active” errors like below:

Agent version: 7.0.5000.0
.NET Framework: v4.0.30319.269
ProcessID: 30488; InstanceID: 0;
InstanceName: w3wp.exe;
ApplicationPool: OperationsManagerCsmCollector v4.0;
Full Domain name: /LM/W3SVC/8/ROOT/CSMCollector-1-129917338260256050;

[0]30488.21608::09/10/2012-02:57:03.248 [Agent.CSMCollectorService] []
[Error] :CsmCollectorService.ProcessCsmEvent{csmcollectorservice_cs257}( 015DF0E0 )CSMCollector ServiceManager is not active.
[8]30488.1648::09/10/2012-02:58:34.369 [Agent.CSMCollectorService] []
[Error] :CsmCollectorService.ProcessCsmEvent{csmcollectorservice_cs257}( 020CF7FB )CSMCollector ServiceManager is not active.

When you enable 32-bit applications on the pool, it might start looking for CSMCollector keys in 32-bit branch and cannot find it there, while actually it’s registered in 64-bit registry path.

as MVP I have contacted Microsoft , and we filed up a bug.

Problem:

A buddy of mine recently ran into an issue were a 2008R2 Hyper-V host was running Server 2012 virtual machines.

SCDPM 2012 SP1 was being used to back up all the virtual machines. Some of the virtual machines running Server 2012 would go into a saved state during the backup process. With virtual machine backups we want them to stay online as we back them up.

Now it is always assumed the issue is with SCDPM but something that is still not clear after many years of SCDPM being on the market is that SCDPM is often dependent on the health of the servers it is protecting especially VSS.

The problem is not with SCDPM in this case the issue is on the Hyper-V host itself. If another backup product was being used in this case that also utilizes VSS on the server the same issue would occur. Here is an example of this same issue occurring while using Symantec backup Exec to protect virtual machines running on Hyper-V.

http://www.experts-exchange.com/OS/Microsoft_Operating_Systems/Server/Windows_Server_2008/Q_27833028.html

Troubleshooting:

There is a way to see what state will be used on your virtual machines the next time a VSS backup is performed on them.

This will give you more insight into what is going on with your VM backups. Note that these results are from the Hyper-V VSS writer and therefore if you used Windows Server Backup, Backup Exec, or SCDPM the result would be the same.

To check this follow these steps.

Open an elevated command prompt and type the following syntax below:

copy con checkbackup.txt

list writers

Press CTRL + Z (this will save the checkbackup.txt file to the path you are in)

diskshadow /s checkbackup.txt | find /i "caption: backup using"

You should see similar output seen in the screenshot below. Now you will know what virtual machines will back up in a saved or online state the next time a backup is run.

The next step would be to troubleshoot this at the hyper-v host level. Here are some common items you can look at.

• Backup (Volume Snapshot) Integration Service is disabled or not installed.
• The virtual machine has one or more dynamic disks.
• The virtual machine has one or more non-NTFS based volumes.
• The virtual machine Cluster Resource Group in a cluster setup is offline.
• The virtual machine is not in a running state.
• A ShadowStorage assignment of a volume inside the virtual machine is explicitly set to a different volume other than itself.
• An App-V drive is installed on the virtual machine that creates a non-NTFS volume.

If one of the previously mentioned items are not the issue ultimately you will need to upgrade the Hyper-V host to Server 2012. Hopefully this post was helpful. Here is a link to another blog about the requirements for online Backup of a Hyper-V guest virtual machine via Hyper-V VSS Writer:

http://www.altaro.com/hyper-v/requirements-for-live-backup-of-a-hyper-v-guest-vm-hyper-v-vss-writer

The team at Microsoft Canada is focused on ensuring that they help set you up for success by providing the information and tools you need in order to be get the most out of Microsoft based solutions, at home and at work.

Twice a year, Microsoft sends out the Global Relationship Study (GRS for short); it’s a survey that Microsoft uses to collect your feedback and help inform their planning. If you receive emails from Microsoft, subscribe to their newsletters‚ or you’ve attended our any of their events you may receive the survey.

The important details:

• Timing – March 4^th to April 12^th 2013
• Sent From – “Microsoft Feedback”
• Email Alias – “feedback@e–mail.microsoft.com”
• Subject Line – “Help Microsoft Focus on Customers and Partners”

Many of you already read the Microsoft Canada IT Pro team’s blogs‚ connect with them on LinkedIn and have attended their events in the last year or so. So you may already know that you’re their top priority. So they want to hear from you.

Pierre, Anthony and Mitch use the GRS results to shape what they do, how they do it and if it’s resonating with you. Tell them what you need to be the “go-to” guy (or gal). Tell them what you need to grow your career. They want you to be completely satisfied with Microsoft Canada.

This year, Pierre, Anthony and Mitch have delivered 30 IT Camps and counting across the country. Giving you the opportunity to get hands on and learn how to get the most value for your organization. They have a few more events planned this year, so keep an eye on their plancast feed for events near you. Based on your feedback, topics they’re planning to cover will include:

· Windows 8

· Windows Server 2012

· System Center 2012

· Private Cloud

· BYOD – Management and Security

That’s not all. They’ve heard you loud and clear so in addition to hands on events, they’re also delivering more technical content online via the IT Pro Connection Blog. Windows 8 continues to be a big area of focus for them. They covered a lot of great content at launch and they’ve complimented that with new content like:

· Security Concepts

· Enterprise Focused Content

· Windows 8 and System Center 2012 Integration

In addition to this, there are some valuable online resources you can use like Microsoft Virtual Academy, Microsoft’s no-cost online training portal. Or software evaluations (free trials) on TechNet that allow you to build your own labs to try out what you’ve learned.

Regardless of how you engage with the team at Microsoft Canada‚ you’d probably agree that they hear you. They’d also encourage you to continue to provide that great feedback. They thrive on it‚ they relish it‚ they wallow in it and most importantly of all‚ they action it. So please keep connecting with them and keep it coming! Pierre, Anthony and Mitch are listening.

Resources, Tools and Training

· Tim Horton’s Gift Card Contest – We’re giving away 350 Tim Horton’s gift cards, all you have to do to qualify is download a free qualifying software evaluation (trial). Download all three for more chances to win, but hurry, the contest closes soon.*

· Windows 8 Resource Guide - Download a printable, one-page guide to the top resources that will help you explore, plan for, deploy, manage, and support Windows 8 as part of your IT infrastructure.

· Windows Server 2012 Evaluation – Get hands on with Windows Server 2012 and explore the scale and performance possibilities for your server virtualization.

· Microsoft Support - Get help with products‚ specific errors‚ virus detection and removal and more.

· Microsoft Licensing -Visit the Volume Licensing Portal today to ask questions about volume licensing‚ get a quote‚ activate a product or find the right program for your organization.

*No purchase necessary. Contest open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec. Contest closes April 11, 2013 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Three-Hundred-and-Fifty (350) prizes are available to be won: (i) $10 CDN Tim Horton’s gift card.  Skill-testing question required. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries. For full rules, including entry, eligibility requirements and complete prize description, review the full terms and Conditions.