In the previous articles have explained how to extend an existing server class with a ‘Location’ attribute by building a custom Management Pack and how to feed location information from an external source into OpsMgr using a connector. In this article I will explain how you can use Live Maps to dynamically visualize these server objects based on the location attribute.

Introduction

Live Maps allows you to take different approaches to create dynamic views based on information in OpsMgr. In a previous article I have detailed how you create dynamic views based on IP subnet. In this article we will use the ‘Location’ details taken from an external source.

Adding a Dynamic List

To dynamically populate views with Live Maps we use the ‘Dynamic List’ view type. You can configure one or more rules that filter on discovery information of an object. In this example we create a dynamic list for the New York site. The rule we create is targeted to the extended class we have created in the first blog post of this series and we filter on the ‘Location’ attribute. Dynamic list are created with the Live Maps authoring console.

In the Edit Rule dialog we select the ‘Windows Server Extended’ class. We filter on the ‘Location’ property where it contains the string ‘New York’

Save the the changes.

For this example we also create and overview map for the United States and nest the New York view. To create a geographical view we use the Map wizard. In the wizard we select the United States map and leave all other settings default.

To nest the New York view we just drag and drop the New York view onto the United States view and save it.

If we open the United States view in the OpsMgr console we we see the consolidated state of the objects in New York. By drilling down into the New York view you will see all servers matching the location filter we have created.

Coming Soon: Dynamic Drawing

One of the new features of Live Maps v5 is the ability to create dynamic drawings. This allows you to create context aware maps with dynamic rules. Let me give you an example: if you have defined a rack view with Live Maps you need to add newly discovered servers manually. With the dynamic drawing feature you can now add rules that will automatically add objects to a drawing. They will be listed in the ‘Unplaced Objects’ section until they are dragged onto the drawing. So, new servers are automatically associated with the rack view and are part of the consolidated health state of the rack view. Below you see a screenshot of a rack view in the Live Maps v5 authoring console with a rule that matches on the location object.

Conclusion

I hope that this blog series has been helpful for those looking for ways to dynamically visualize the health of their IT infrastructure with data from another source than OpsMgr. It is impossible for me to show you all possible variations that Live Maps unleashes in this scenario but I hope it inspires you to try it in your own environment.

The connector created in this blog is very basic. If you are looking to build a more advanced connector you can always contact Savision or one of its partners for a custom offering.

More Information on Live Maps: www.savision.com

Related Articles:

• How-To: Import Computer Location Information Into OpsMgr (Part 1-3)
• How-To: Import Computer Location Information Into OpsMgr (Part 2-3)