Exchange Server 2010 MP: No Synthetic Transaction Tests Please

For many times I’ve imported and configured the Exchange Server 2010 MP. And now for the first time ever, for a particular use case, there are good reasons NOT to enable the Synthetic Transaction Tests, as described in the related MP guide on pages 14 and 15

However, even though the related MP guide is a big one, there is nowhere a description to be found about how to do that. Nor on the internet. So it was time for me to look for some solutions myself and soon I was disabling quite a few Rules and Monitors.

However, the Exchange 2010 MP has a whole different kind of operation so when disabling a Rule, the Monitor with the same name has to be disabled as well. When you don’t do that, changes are the related SCOM DB will get some serious issues. All thanks to the Correlation Engine, this marvelous wonder of code

Even KB2592561 didn’t help at all. By the way, did you ever read that KB? It contains this sentence which makes my skin crawl: ‘…This is by far the largest MP to date from Microsoft, and provides a massive amount of visibility to Exchange issues.  However, there are just some things in the Management Pack that just don’t work…’

Still don’t know whether to laugh or to start crying here… However, I am wandering of now. Back to the topic of this blog posting now.

So here are the Rules and Monitors I disabled up to now. When there are more to come I’ll update this posting accordingly.

Rules: Test-OwaConnectivity

• NonServiceImpacting: There was an Outlook Web App connectivity (External) transaction failure. The Test-OWAConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.
• NonServiceImpacting: There was an Outlook Web App connectivity (Internal) transaction failure. The Test-OWAConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.
• KHI: Exchange Control Panel connectivity (Internal) transaction failure - The test credentials can't be used to test the Exchange Control Panel.
• KHI: Exchange Control Panel connectivity (External) transaction failure - The test credentials can't be used to test the Exchange Control Panel.
• KHI: Failed to execute the Test-OWAConnectivity (Internal) diagnostic cmdlet.
• KHI: Failed to execute the Test-OWAConnectivity (External) diagnostic cmdlet.
• KHI: A directory error occurred while running the Test-MAPIConnectivity cmdlet.
• KHI: An error occurred while executing the Test-OWAConnectivity (Internal) cmdlet.
• KHI: An error occurred while running the Test-OWAConnectivity (External) cmdlet.
• Script performance collection: Execute: Test-OwaConnectivity (External) diagnostic cmdlet. (Report Collection)
• Script performance collection: Execute: Test-OwaConnectivity (Internal) diagnostic cmdlet. (Report Collection)

Rules: Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity

• KHI: An error occurred while running the Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity (Internal) cmdlet.
• KHI: Failed to execute the Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity (Internal) diagnostic cmdlet.
• KHI: There was an Exchange ActiveSync connectivity (Internal) transaction failure. The Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.
• Script performance collection: Execute: Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity (Internal) diagnostic cmdlet. (Report Collection)

Rules: Test-WebServicesConnectivity

• KHI: An error occurred while running the Test-WebServicesConnectivity cmdlet in internal mode.
• NonServiceImpacting: The internal Web Services connectivity transaction failed. The Test-WebServicesConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.
• Script performance collection: Execute: Test-WebServicesConnectivity (Internal) diagnostic cmdlet

Rules: General

• NonServiceImpacting: WebServices connectivity (Internal) transaction failure - The credentials can't be used to test Web Services.
• WebServices connectivity (Internal) transaction failure - The credentials can't be used to test Web Services.
• Some Client Access test cmdlets failed to run
• KHI: An Outlook Web App connectivity (External) transaction failure occurred. The test credentials can't be used to test Outlook Web App.

Monitors: Test-OwaConnectivity

• NonServiceImpacting: There was an Outlook Web App connectivity (External) transaction failure. The Test-OWAConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.
• NonServiceImpacting: There was an Outlook Web App connectivity (Internal) transaction failure. The Test-OWAConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.
• KHI: Exchange Control Panel connectivity (Internal) transaction failure - The test credentials can't be used to test the Exchange Control Panel.
• KHI: Exchange Control Panel connectivity (External) transaction failure - The test credentials can't be used to test the Exchange Control Panel.
• KHI: Failed to execute the Test-OWAConnectivity (Internal) diagnostic cmdlet.
• KHI: Failed to execute the Test-OWAConnectivity (External) diagnostic cmdlet.
• KHI: A directory error occurred while running the Test-MAPIConnectivity cmdlet.
• KHI: An error occurred while executing the Test-OWAConnectivity (Internal) cmdlet.
• KHI: An error occurred while running the Test-OWAConnectivity (External) cmdlet.

Monitors: Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity

• KHI: An error occurred while running the Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity (Internal) cmdlet.
• KHI: Failed to execute the Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity (Internal) diagnostic cmdlet.
• KHI: There was an Exchange ActiveSync connectivity (Internal) transaction failure. The Test-ActiveSyncConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.

Monitors: Test-WebServicesConnectivity

• KHI: An error occurred while running the Test-WebServicesConnectivity cmdlet in internal mode.
• NonServiceImpacting: The internal Web Services connectivity transaction failed. The Test-WebServicesConnectivity cmdlet must be run on a Client Access server.

Monitors: General

• NonServiceImpacting: WebServices connectivity (Internal) transaction failure - The credentials can't be used to test Web Services.
• WebServices connectivity (Internal) transaction failure - The credentials can't be used to test Web Services.
• Some Client Access test cmdlets failed to run
• KHI: An Exchange ActiveSync connectivity (Internal) transaction failure occurred. The test credentials can't be used to test Exchange ActiveSync.
• KHI: An Outlook Web App connectivity (External) transaction failure occurred. The test credentials can't be used to test Outlook Web App.
• KHI: An Outlook Web App connectivity (Internal) transaction failure occurred. The test credentials can't be used to test Outlook Web App.

Yes, I know. Everybody is on Exchange Server 2013 by now or is using Office 365 . But for the customers out there who’re still on Exchange Server 2010 (and that’s still a huge part…), this posting might come in handy when you don’t want to use the synthetic transactions.