Software and Service Installation Test

Changes made to the configuration of the Windows system that hosts the Active Directory server – eg., installation of new drivers/software/services, application of Windows updates, etc. – can impact the performance of the server. This in turn can adversely impact the overall health and uptime of mission-critical applications and business services that rely on the Active Directory server. It is hence the responsibility of the AD administrator to keep an eye out for such system-level configuration changes, analyse their impact as and when they occur, and decide whether/not to rollback the changes. The Software and Service Installation test helps administrators in this exercise.

This test promptly alerts administrators to crucial configuration changes – eg., loading of new drivers, installation of new Windows services/applications/packages/updates, etc. – on the Active Directory host. Using the detailed diagnostics reported by the test, administrators can also clearly understand the nature of these changes. In the light of the detailed change information provided by this test, administrators can perform effective impact analysis of the change.

Target of the test : An Active Directory

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for every Active Directory site that is being monitored

Configurable parameters for the test

Parameters	Description
Test period	This indicates how often should the test be executed.
Host	The IP address of the machine where the Active Directory is installed.
Port	The port number through which the Active Directory communicates. The default port number is 389.
DD Frequency	Refers to the frequency with which detailed diagnosis measures are to be generated for this test. The default is 1:1. This indicates that, by default, detailed measures will be generated every time this test runs, and also every time the test detects a problem. You can modify this frequency, if you so desire. Also, if you intend to disable the detailed diagnosis capability for this test, you can do so by specifying none against DD Frequency.
Detailed Diagnosis	To make diagnosis more efficient and accurate, the eG Enterprise embeds an optional detailed diagnostic capability. With this capability, the eG agents can be configured to run detailed, more elaborate tests as and when specific problems are detected. To enable the detailed diagnosis capability of this test for a particular server, choose the On option. To disable the capability, click on the Off option. The option to selectively enable/disable the detailed diagnosis capability will be available only if the following conditions are fulfilled: The eG manager license should allow the detailed diagnosis capability Both the normal and abnormal frequencies configured for the detailed diagnosis measures should not be 0.

Measurements made by the test

Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
New kernel filter driver loaded and registered	Indicates the number of kernel filter drivers that were newly loaded and registered.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the kernel filter drivers that were loaded and registered and the user responsible for the same.
New Windows services installed	Indicates the number of Windows services that were newly installed.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the Windows services that were installed recently and the user who installed them.
New MSI files installed	Indicates the number of MSI files that were newly installed.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the MSI files that were installed recently and the user who installed them.
New applications installed	Indicates the number of applications that were newly installed.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the applications that were installed recently and the user who installed them.
Updated applications	Indicates the number of applications that were updated during the last measurement period.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the applications that were updated recently and the user who updated them.
Removed applications	Indicates the number of applications that were removed during the last measurement period.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the applications that were removed recently and the user who uninstalled them.
Updated packages installed	Indicates the number of updated packages installed during the last measurement period.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the packages that were installed recently and the user who installed them.
Windows updates installed	Indicates the number of Windows updates that were installed during the last measurement period.	Number	The detailed diagnosis of this measure reveals the Windows updates that were installed recently and the user who installed them.