System Center Management Pack for SQL Product Family Community Technology Preview (CTP1)

UPDATE (4/6/2016): We've added Replication MP bits to the list. Please see below for new features and fixes.


We are getting ready to release the next versions of SQL Management Packs as well as new MPs for SQL Server 2016. In this Community Technology Preview release, we hope to bring you the changes planned now so that with your feedback we can make the final release the best it can be.

We are creating a new download center page that will host all CTP bits. At the download step, you will be able to choose to download only the packages you are interested in.

Please provide feedback either as comments on this page or by emailing SQLMPsfeedback at microsoft.com.

Microsoft System Center Management Packs (Community Technical Preview 1) for SQL Server

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2005-2014, 2016 CTP
  • Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2016 CTP
  • Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services 2016 CTP
  • Microsoft SQL Server Replication 2008 - 2016 CTP

Guide History section in each of the guide documents has the full list of changes. Please see below for a quick look at the changes:

New SQL Server 2005-2012 MP Features and Fixes

  • Fixed intermittent "Cannot login to database" alert with some rules
  • Added support for SQL Express Instances
  • Updated Knowledge Base articles
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2012 x86 on Windows 2008 R2: fixed the issue when DB file groups cannot be discovered
  • Win10 support: fixed "Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Path' because it is an empty string." issue
  • Fixed issue when SQL Configuration Manager starts snap-in of wrong version
  • Fixed invalid Always On non-readable replica detection

New SQL Server 2014-2016 MP Features and Fixes

  • Fixed intermittent "Cannot login to database" alert with some rules
  • Fixed display string for AgentsGroup.Discovery
  • Added support of SQL Server Express Instances
  • Always On issue: Events “967” are no longer fired for File Group and Files discoveries when server has a non-readable DB
  • DB Discovery issue fixed: masterDB is to be used if the target is inaccessible
  • DBSize issue: filter < 0 values in provider, return data for fileSize
  • Win10 support: fixed "Cannot bind argument to parameter 'Path' because it is an empty string." issue
  • Agent Job Discovery is now disabled by default
  • Fixed issue when SQL Configuration Manager starts snap-in of wrong version
  • Fixed invalid Always On non-readable replica detection
  • Updated summary dashboards

New Analysis Services 2016 MP Features and Fixes

  • Updated references and removed deprecated elements to support 6.6.4.0+ visualization library
  • Fixed bug when SSAS Monitoring Pack could not collect OS performance counters with localized names
  • Updated discoveries to throw errors in case of some problems detected during the discovery
  • Fixed module error collection on cluster instances to reduce the noise
  • Changed defaults for CPU Usage monitor, added sampling to Memory Usage on the server monitor
  • Reduced inner complexity of modules
  • Fixed the discoveries; now the last items can be undiscovered
  • Simplified the dashboard to make it quicker and more informative
  • Reviewed and updated the Knowledge Bases
  • Added timeout support for every non-native workflow
  • Fixed Blocking Session Monitor – in some situations it could calculate blocking sessions incorrectly
  • Win10 support: fixed OS version detection issue
  • Fixed CPU usage alert description
  • “Known Issues and Troubleshooting” section of the guide is updated

New Reporting Services 2016 MP Features and Fixes

  • Fixed issue: Microsoft System Center Management Pack for SQL Server Reporting Services doesn’t discover SSRS instance when the instance name starts from some certain symbols (0-9, A-F)
  • Instance configuration monitor is introduced
  • Implemented a better logging system
  • Improved the Report Manager availability monitor: now it parses human readable message to get the real status of the Report Manager
  • Improved the Report Manager and Web Service availability monitors: now the user can treat some status codes as healthy via the override.
  • Fixed the discoveries, now the last items can be undiscovered
  • Added timeout support for every non-native workflow
  • Simplified the dashboard to make it quicker and more informative
  • Reviewed and updated the Knowledge Base articles
  • Improved Run As mappings
  • Updated the discoveries to throw errors in case of some problems detected during the discovery
  • Updated the references and removed deprecated elements to support 6.6.4.0+ visualization library
  • Changed the performance rules write actions accounts to “Default Action account”
  • “Known Issues and Release Notes” section of the guide is updated
  • Fixed “Memory consumed by other processes (%)” rule having no Run As profile for DS; added SQL MP default Run As to the data source
  • Fixed “Failing replacement: $Data/Context/Property[@Name='<MonitorName>’]$” issue in OM log

New Replication MP Features and Fixes

  • Added support for SQL Express edition
  • Added timeout support for .Net modules
  • Reviewed threading implementation
  • Supported case-sensitive collation on DBEngine instance
  • Updated Low-Privilege Environments configuration
  • Updated Known Issues and Troubleshooting section of the guide
  • Updated dashboards to support SQL Server 2016 Replication objects
  • Fixed issue: Distributor Discovery could fail for Replication
  • Fixed error logging, added more details
  • Fixed "Availability of the Distribution database" monitor issue: added missing overridable parameter
  • Fixed replication monitoring issue: compatibility with SQL 2005 as a part of Replication
  • Fixed Publisher Discovery issue: unable to cast object of type 'System.DBNull' to type 'System.String'
  • Fixed issue: SQL Server Event Log Collection Target was not discovered Associate due to invalid path in DataSource
  • Fixed issue: an INSERT EXEC statement cannot be nested
  • Fixed Replication Agent State monitor type cookdown issue
  • Fixed issue: failing replacement warning in "One or more of the Replication Agents are retrying on the Distributor" monitor
  • Assigned SDK profile to the Replication Database Health Discovery
  • Fixed upgradeability
  • Fixed Knowledge Base articles and display strings
  • Fixed "Invalid length parameter passed to the LEFT or SUBSTRING function" error after deleting last replication objects
  • Fixed “SQL Server blocked access to Agent XP's procedure”

 

We are looking forward to hearing your feedback.