New MP: Amazon Web Services MP

Some days ago a totally new and UNIQUE MP has been released: a MP for monitoring Amazon Web Services (AWS) with SCOM 2007 R2 or OM12.

This MP is unique for a number of reasons (taken directly from the System Center Engineering blog):

1. It is the first MP of its kind to be able to separate the computer (Operating System) from the AWS Instance (Virtual Machine).
2. It creates a logical monitoring and reporting mechanism that can intelligently identify where a problem or error state exists, either in the AWS cloud or the server OS/application running within AWS.

IMHO, some other reasons why this MP is unique:

1. Microsoft helped to develop this MP even though AWS is a competitor of Microsoft’s cloud portfolio (Azure);
2. The MP is developed by VIAcode, a company which has an awesome and impressive track record for developing MPs.

Microsoft states they helped developing this MP in order to proof that System Center (read: SCOM) is capable of providing rich monitoring, alerting and reporting any application from any location in any cloud.

I haven’t tested this MP myself but not only Microsoft is totally happy about this MP but Amazon as well. And I know for sure they don’t want this kind of exposure when they don’t believe in it. So this MP must offer some very good things.

The MP can be downloaded for FREE and it’s good to know it comes in two flavors: SCOM 2007 R2 and OM12. I have checked the (online) guide and I must say, it looks pretty solid to me.

Here are the related links:

1. Blog posting by the System Center Engineering Team;
2. Blog posting by the AWS Team;
3. Download location of the AWS MP;
4. Online MP Guide.

So for anyone running SCOM 2007 R2/OM12 and using AWS, this MP is a MUST have!