Having more than one Management Server offers a lot of benefits. Therefore I decided to write a series of blog posts that demonstrate how to install and use, load balance and decommission Service Manager Management Servers.
Dealing with multiple Management Servers series:
- Part 1/3: Install an additional Management Server (this post)
- Part 2/3: Load Balance Management Servers
- Part 3/3: Decommission old Management Servers
Why would you need more than one Management Server? Here are some possible reasons:
- You have lots of concurrent Console connections
- You need or want to use Load Balancing
- You need to optimize performance
- You want to be prepared for Disaster Recovery scenarios
- You want to eliminate your old MS and add a new one
To install an additional Management Server you need to be a member of the SCSM Administrators User Role. Next make sure all prerequisites are installed/configured (.NET Framework 3.51, SQL Analysis Management Objects, SQL Native Client and Report Viewer Controls), then launch the Service Manager 2012 setup and install a SM Management Server.
Now select the existing Service Manager database by entering the Server name and Instance of the SQL Server where the actual Service Manager Database is located.
Setup now reads information from the database and detects the actual settings. Because the SM Management Groups already exists, the Management Group Name and the Management Group Administrators cannot be changed here.
Now enter the credentials for the Service Manager Services. I would recommend using the same credentials here that you use on the existing Management Server. Before you continue, add this account to the local Administrators Group.
Then complete the wizard and wait for the installation process to complete. After Installation is done check the OperationsManager Event Log on the new Server. When your SM Service Account does not have administrative permissions in ADDS, you will get the following Warning.
You need to register the SPN manually in ADDS by using administrative credentials.
- setspn.exe –A MSOMSdkSvc/ServernameNetBIOS –U Domain\ServiceAccount
- setspn.exe –A MSOMSdkSvc/ServernameFQDN –U Domain\ServiceAccount
Then check if the SPNs are registered correctly.
- setspn.exe –L Domain\ServiceAccount
Now we are ready to use the new Management Server. Start the Service Manager console and try to connect to the new server. It should be displayed when you click on the “Registered Servers” button.
With 2 Management Servers in place that are not load balanced, a best practice is to use the first (initial) Management Server for executing the workflows (this is automatically the case) and connecting console users to the second Management Server.
Have fun!
Marcel
