Monitoring and Analysing System Events

Table of Contents

1. Monitoring and Analysing System Events
2. Event Viewer
3. System Monitor
4. Real-Time Monitoring
5. Logged Monitoring
6. Managing Software Updates and Site Licensing
7. Managing Servers Remotely
   1. Remote Assistance
   2. Requesting and Accepting Assistance
   3. Terminal Services Remote Administration Mode
8. Monitoring File and Print Servers
9. Monitoring Application Performance
10. Managing a Web Server

Managing Servers Remotely

Server management tools like Computer Management and Event Viewer allow you to manage servers (and other computers) remotely. Eg: in the Computer Management console, you can right-click the Computer Management root node and select Connect to Another Computer. From the Select Computer dialog box, click the Another Computer option and either type the name of the remote computer or click Browse to locate it. Click OK to connect to the remote computer.

Most other MMC snap-ins also support remote administration. For Event Viewer, Services, and DNS Management (among others), you can also right-click the root node and select Connect to Another Computer to manage other machines remotely. You must be running the MMC snap-in under a user account that has the permissions required to access those remote computers. Many MMC snap-ins offer the option of local or remote focus when adding them to a console. You can add the snap-ins that you need into an empty MMC shell. Once you have configured them, you can create a custom Microsoft Saved Console (.msc) file. You can use this repeatedly, without having to reconfigure it every time you use it. You can create a custom MMC for managing computers remotely as follows:

1. Click Start > Run. Type mmc and click OK. An empty MMC appears. Click File > Add/Remove Snap-in or press Ctrl+M to display the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box.

2. Click the Add button to add snap-ins to this MMC. The Add Standalone Snap-In dialog box appears.

3. Select one of the snap-ins shown in the Available Standalone Snap-Ins list and click the Add button. If the snap-in supports remote management, a Select Computer dialog box appears for the Disk Management snap-in.

4. Click The Following Computer option button and type in the remote computer's name or click Browse to locate it, then click Finish to add the snap-in.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each snap-in that you want to add.

6. Click Close to exit from the Add Standalone Snap-In dialog box. The selected snap-ins appear in the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box.

7. Click OK to close the Add/Remove Snap-In dialog box and return to the main MMC window with all the selected snap-ins loaded.

8. To save your customized console, click File > Save as, type in a filename and click Save.

The activities given on this page and the following pages can contribute towards your log book for this unit. You are expected to demonstrate that you can Manage a server remotely by using Remote Assistance and/or Terminal Services Remote Administration mode.

Next: Remote Assistance