Considerations for Deploying FIM 2010 R2 Reporting

The following sections will provide information on things that need to be considered prior to installing and deploying FIM 2010 R2 Reporting.

General Considerations when Deploying FIM 2010 R2 Reporting

The following are considerations that must be taken into account when upgrading to FIM 2010 R2. These considerations are general things that need to be taken into account.

System Center Service Manager Management Server and Data Warehouse must be on separate Windows Instances

At minimum, the SCSM Management Server and the Data Warehouse must be on separate Windows Instances. There are several options available for doing this. Use the following table as a guide for deploying FIM 2010 R2 Reporting servers.

Number of Servers Server 1 Roles Server 2 Roles Server 3 Roles

2

FIM Service, SCSM Management Server

Data Warehouse Server

NA

3

FIM Service

SCSM Management Server

Data Warehouse Server

2

FIM Service

Data Warehouse Server + Virtualized SCSM Management Server

NA

For additional information see the FIM 2010 R2 Supported Reporting Topologies later in this document.

The FIM Service database must be on a separate SQL instance from SCSM Databases

This means that you will need three instances of SQL minimum. That is, one for the FIM Service, one for the SCSM Management Server and one for the Data Warehouse server. These can all be residing on the same SQL Server but they must be different instances.

SQL is the bottleneck for most deployments

Because SQL is the bottleneck for most deployments, when it comes to hardware, this server should be given the maximum amount available to gain the most significant benefits. For additional information on SQL requirements see Hardware and Software Requirements later in this document.

Ensure your SQL Collations are identical on the SCSM Management Server and the Data Warehouse server

The SQL Collations must be identical on both the SCSM Management Server and the Data Warehouse server. To verify the SQL Collations, use the following procedure:

To verify SQL Collation

  1. Log on to the SCSM Management Server or the Data Warehouse server with the appropriate credentials.

  2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, and then click SQL Server Management Studio. This will launch SQL Server Management Studio.

  3. On the Connect to Server dialog box, under Server Type, select Database Engine.

  4. On the Connect to Server dialog box, under Server name, select your server’s name.

  5. On the Connect to Server dialog box, under Authentication, select Windows Authentication.

  6. Click Connect. This should be successful and the database information will be displayed on the left.

  7. At the top, click New Query. SQL Server Management Studio will populate the center with a blank white screen. There will be a blinking cursor at the top of this white center pane.

  8. Enter the following into the center pane:

    sp_helpsort
    
  9. At the top, click Execute. This will take a moment and you should see the default collation in the lower part of the center pane.

Repeat these steps on both servers and ensure that they match.

Ensure initial MPSync is completed on SCSM before installing FIM Reporting

The Management Packs that are originally installed with an SCSM deployment must be synchronized with the Data Warehouse. The initial MPSync may take a while to complete and you need to ensure that this is done prior to installing FIM Reporting. This is the initial MPSync that needs to be done just after installing SCSM and the Data Warehouse. To verify the initial MPSync is complete use the steps outlined in How to Determine When Management Pack Deployment Is Complete

After installing FIM Reporting, ensure the MPSync is completed on SCSM before deploying FIM Data Warehouse Support Scripts

After installing FIM Reporting, the Management Packs that are added to the SCSM Management Server must be synchronized to the Data Warehouse server prior to deploying the FIM Data Warehouse Support Scripts. For steps on how to verify this, see Environmental Pre-requisites later in this document.

Metric Considerations when Deploying FIM 2010 R2 Reporting

The following table is a list of considerations with regard to metrics and their affects on FIM 2010 R2 Reporting..

Metric Affects Mitigation

Total # of users, groups, requests

Initial load time

Reduce request retention window or force expiry of existing requests.

Change rate in FIM (requests / hour)

Incremental load time

Change incremental load schedule if HW cannot keep up with load (default is every 8 hours).

Data retention period in DW

Max Data Warehouse size

Remove bindings in FIM for objects you aren’t interested in tracking, or reduce data retention period.

Expected growth of user base

Data Warehouse growth rate

Add additional storage to Data Warehouse as needed.