Article
05/19/2016

Windows Service Template

Updated: May 13, 2016

Applies To: System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager, System Center 2012 - Operations Manager, System Center 2012 SP1 - Operations Manager

The Windows Service template lets you find and monitor instances of a particular service installed on a Windows-based computer. The template locates computers that are running the service and then applies monitors and rules to test its availability and collect performance data. The only information that you have to provide is the name of the service and the types of monitoring that you want to perform.

Scenarios

Use the Windows Service template for any application that uses a service because typically the basic health of the service is critical to the health of the application. You can simply provide the name of the service and have it discovered and monitored on any computer where the application is installed.

Monitoring Performed by Windows Service Template

Depending on your selections in the Windows Service Template wizard, the monitoring performed by the created monitors and rules can include any of the following settings.

Type	Description	Enabled?
Monitors	Running state of the service	Enabled.
	CPU utilization of the service	Enabled if CPU Usage monitoring is selected in the wizard.
	Memory usage of the service	Enabled if Memory Usage monitoring is selected in the wizard.
Collection Rules	Collection of events indicating a change in service’s running states.	Enabled.
	Collection of CPU utilization for the service	Enabled if CPU Usage monitoring is selected in the wizard.
	Collection of memory usage for the service	Enabled if Memory Usage monitoring is selected in the wizard.
	Collection of Handle Count for the service	Disabled. Can be enabled with an override.
	Collection of Thread Count for the service	Disabled. Can be enabled with an override.
	Collection of Working Set for the service	Disabled. Can be enabled with an override.

Wizard Options

When you run the Windows Service template, you have to provide values for options in the following tables. Each table represents a single page in the wizard.

General Options

The following options are available on the General Options page of the wizard.

Option	Description
Name	The name used for the service. This name is displayed in the Operations console for the wizard.
Description	Optional description of the service.
Management Pack	Management pack to store the class and monitors that the template creates. If you create any additional monitors or rules that use the service as a target class, they have to be stored in the same management pack. For more information about management packs, see Selecting a Management Pack File.

Name

The name used for the service. This name is displayed in the Operations console for the wizard.

Description

Optional description of the service.

Management Pack

Management pack to store the class and monitors that the template creates. If you create any additional monitors or rules that use the service as a target class, they have to be stored in the same management pack.

For more information about management packs, see Selecting a Management Pack File.

Service Details

The following options are available on the Service Details page of the wizard.

Option	Description
Service name	The name of the service. This name is searched on the agent-managed computer to determine whether it is installed.
Targeted group	The service is only discovered on computers that are included in the specified group.
Monitor only automatic service	If selected, only those services that are set to start automatically when Windows starts are monitored. Any services with their startup value set to manual or anything other than Automatic are not monitored.

Performance Data

The following options are available on the Performance Data page of the wizard.

Option	Description
Generate an alert if CPU usage exceeds the specified threshold	Specifies if CPU usage should be monitored. A monitor is created to set an error state on the object and generate an alert when the specified threshold is exceeded. A rule is created to collect CPU usage for analysis and reporting.
CPU Usage (percentage)	If CPU usage is monitored, this option sets the threshold. If the percentage of total CPU usage exceeds the threshold, the object is set to an error state and an alert is generated.
Generate an alert if memory usage exceeds the specified threshold	Specifies whether memory usage should be monitored. A monitor is created to set an error state on the object and generate an alert when the specified threshold is exceeded. A rule is created to collect CPU usage for analysis and reporting.
Memory Usage (MB)	If memory usage is monitored, this option sets the threshold. If the percentage of total CPU usage exceeds the threshold, the object is set to an error state and an alert is generated.
Number of samples	If CPU usage or memory is monitored, this option specifies the number of consecutive performance samples that must be exceeded before the object is set to an error state and an alert is generated. Specifying a number greater than 1 for this option limits the noise from monitoring by ensuring that an alert is not generated when the service only briefly exceeds the threshold. The larger the value that you set, the longer the period of time before you receive an alert. A typical value is 2 or 3.
Sample Interval	If CPU usage or memory is monitored, this option specifies the length of time between performance samples. A smaller value for this option reduces the time for detecting a problem but increases overhead on the agent and the amount of data collected for reporting. A typical value is between 5 and 15 minutes.

Additional Monitoring

In addition to performing the specified monitoring, the Windows Service template creates a class that you can use for additional monitors and workflows. Any monitor or rule that is using this class runs on any agent where the service is installed. If it creates Windows events that indicate an error, for example, you could create a monitor or rule that detects the particular event and uses the service’ class as a target.

Creating and Modifying Windows Service Templates

To create a Windows Service template

Determine the target group for the monitor by using the following logic:

- If you want to discover the service on all Windows-based computers in the management group, you do not have to create a group. You can use the existing group **All Windows Computers**.

- If you only want the service to be discovered on a certain group of computers, either ensure that an appropriate group exists or create a new group by using the procedure in [How to Create Groups in Operations Manager](hh298605\(v=sc.12\).md).

- If the service you are monitoring is in a cluster, create a group with objects of the class **Virtual Server** representing the nodes of the cluster that contains the service.

Start the Add Monitoring wizard.
On the Select Monitoring Type page, select Windows Service, and then click Next.
On the General Properties page, in the Name and Description boxes, type a name and description for this new monitor.
Select a management pack in which to save the monitor, or click New to create a new management pack. For more information, see Selecting a Management Pack File.
Click Next.
In the Service Name box, type the name of the specific service that you want to monitor, or click the ellipse (…) button to browse for the service. You can select any computer that has the service installed.
Under Targeted Group, specify the group from step 1 of this procedure.
Clear the Monitor only automatic services option if you want the monitor to apply to services that are not configured to start automatically. If the service that you are monitoring is in a cluster, clear this option.
Click Next.
Select the performance counters and thresholds that you want to monitor. For more detailed information, see the Wizard Options section.
If you have selected performance counters, specify the monitoring interval.
Click Next.
Review the summary of the monitor, and then click Create.

To modify an existing Windows Service template

Open the Operations console with a user account that has Author credentials.
Open the Authoring workspace.
In the Authoring navigation pane, expand Management Pack Templates, and then select Windows Service.
In the Windows Service pane, locate the monitor to change.
Right-click the monitor, and then select Properties.
Enter the changes that you want, and then click OK.

Viewing Windows Service Monitors and Collected Data

To view all Windows Service monitors

Open the Operations console.
Open the Monitoring workspace.
In the Monitoring navigation pane, select Windows Service and Process Monitoring, and then click Windows Service State.

To view the state of each monitor

In the Windows Service State pane, right-click an object. Select Open, and then click Health Explorer.
Expand the Availability and Performance nodes to view the individual monitors.

To view the performance collected for a service

In the Windows Service State pane, right-click an object. Select Open, and then click Performance.
In the Legend pane, select the counters that you want to view.
Use options in the Actions pane to modify the Performance view.