Microsoft: SQL Server Enhanced Release Notes version 108

Version 108 of the Microsoft: SQL Server Enhanced PowerPack updates the PowerPack to monitor SQL Server Always On Availability Groups, Replications Agents, and Database Mirroring.

• Minimum Required SL1 Version: 12.1.0

• Other Key Information:

• Additional permissions are required for the user account SL1 uses to perform collection. See the Required Permissions section of this document for more information. If you are currently monitoring devices using the PowerPack, you must update the permissions of the user account you are using to monitor those devices. New Dynamic Applications will be aligned to existing devices during the next discovery of those devices.
• This version of the PowerPack requires PowerShell version 3.0 or later to be installed on the monitored SQL Servers.
• The SQL Servers that you monitor must have the SQL Server PowerShell module installed.

Before You Install or Upgrade

Ensure that you are running version 12.1.0 or later of SL1 before installing "Microsoft: SQL Server Enhanced" PowerPack version 108.

For details on upgrading SL1, see the relevant SL1 Platform Release Notes.

In addition, ensure that the SQL Servers you want to monitor are running PowerShell 3.0 or later.

Required Permissions

Version 108 of the Microsoft: SQL Server Enhanced PowerPack requires the following permissions for the user account used for monitoring:

• SQL 2014 and later versions require one of the following configurations:

• The user account has an enabled login on every instance and database to be monitored, with CONNECT SQL, VIEW SERVER STATE, and CONNECT ANY DATABASE permission granted to the login on each instance. The login should have VIEW DATABASE STATE permission and DB_DATAREADER role granted on the 'master' database, and the DB_DATAREADER role granted on the 'msdb' database.
• The user account has an enabled login on every instance and has the SYSADMIN role.

• SQL 2012 requires one of the following configurations:

• The user account has an enabled login on every instance and database to be monitored, with CONNECT SQL and VIEW SERVER STATE granted to the login on each instance. The login should also have VIEW DATABASE STATE permission and the DB_DATAREADER role granted on the 'master' database, and the DB_DATAREADER role granted on the 'msdb' database. In addition, every database in the instance should have CONNECT access granted to the login.
• The user account has an enabled login on every instance and has the SYSADMIN role.

Installation and Upgrade Process

To install this PowerPack:

1. Search for and download the PowerPack from the PowerPacks page (Product Downloads > PowerPacks & SyncPacks) at the ScienceLogic Support Site.
2. In SL1, go to the PowerPacks page (System > Manage > PowerPacks).
3. Click the Actions menu and choose Import PowerPack. The Import PowerPack modal appears.
4. Click Browse and navigate to the PowerPack file from step 1.
5. Select the PowerPack file and click Import. The PowerPack Installer modal displays a list of the PowerPack contents.
6. Click Install. The PowerPack is added to the PowerPack Manager page.

Features

This release includes the following features:

• Dynamic Applications to discover and monitor SQL servers and their component devices
• Event Policies that are triggered when SQL Server components meet certain status criteria
• Device Classes for each type of SQL Server components device monitored
• An example credential you can use to create PowerShell credentials to connect to SQL servers

Enhancements and Issues Addressed

The following enhancements and addressed issues are included this release of the "Microsoft: SQL Server Enhanced" PowerPack:

• Removed the following alerts and their events from the "Microsoft: SQL Server Database Performance" Dynamic Applications:
  • Microsoft: SQL Server Data Free Space has returned to normal
  • Microsoft: SQL Server Data Free Space is below threshold
  • Microsoft: SQL Server DB Utilization has exceeded the threshold
  • Microsoft: SQL Server DB Utilization has returned to normal
  • Microsoft: SQL Server Log Free Space has returned to normal
  • Microsoft: SQL Server Log Free Space is below threshold
• Relocated the "Microsoft: SQL Server Database Performance" Dynamic Application Database and Transaction Log usage alerts to the new Dynamic Application: "Microsoft: SQL Server Database Files Configuration".
• Added the "Microsoft: SQL Server Database Files Configuration" Dynamic Application to gather file configuration information.
• Added functionality to monitor SQL Server Always On Availability Groups. The following object were added:
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Always On Discovery" Dynamic Application. This application is disabled by default.
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Always On Configuration" Dynamic Application
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Always On Database Configuration" Dynamic Application
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Enable Always On Monitoring" Run Book Automation
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Enable Always On Monitoring" Run Book Action

• Added functionality to monitor SQL Server Database Mirroring. The following objects were added:

  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Database Mirroring Discovery" Dynamic Application. This application is disabled by default.
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Database Mirroring Configuration" Dynamic Application
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Enable Database Mirroring Monitoring" Run Book Automation
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Enable Database Mirroring Monitoring" Run Book Action

• Added functionality to monitor SQL Server Replication Agents. The following objects were added:

  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Replication Agent Discovery" Dynamic Application. This application is disabled by default.
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Replication Agent Configuration" Dynamic Application
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Enable Replication Agent Monitoring" Run Book Automation
  • "Microsoft: SQL Server Enable Replication Agent Monitoring" Run Book Action

Known Issues

The following known issues affect version 108 of the Microsoft: SQL Server Enhanced PowerPack:

• SQL Server instances with a "$" in the instance name will not discover databases or collect data. The instance name displayed in SL1 will contain only the characters after the "$".
• The "GetDB-Counters" snippet in the "Microsoft: SQL Server Database Performance" Dynamic Application will not collect data when the performance counter cannot be found. To address this, you will need to rebuild the performance counter manually. See the Microsoft documentation for the steps to rebuild the performance counter: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/performance/manually-rebuild-performance-counters
• The Microsoft: SQL Server Dashboard PowerPack is not compatible with the Microsoft: SQL Server Enhanced PowerPack.
• The performance Dynamic Applications in the PowerPack do not collect data for SQL Server x86 instances installed on a 64-bit platform.

• Upgrading to from v103 to v104 may log an exception which includes “get_cached_dictionary - Exception for 8C0F8D1AB88C18E1ADD9DFA4A0D43E50_SqlInventoryCache_52_Me_SqlDatabase.CLUS_INST02.model.52 - __new__() takes exactly 13 arguments (12 given)” The exception does not recur on subsequent collections.