For Hosted Exchange and Windows SharePoint Services data collection, the data collection applications are started by a schedule system task. This section provides an overview of the data collection and update applications that are deployed with Hosted Messaging and Collaboration version 4.5.

The solution includes a data collection application called exchangedata.exe. This utility gathers information from the Exchange servers using Windows Powershell, and then collects the results in the performance warehouse database PWDB40. The process runs every 24 hours, collecting Exchange mailbox and public folder statistics that are used in reports.

Rules within the Hosted Exchange Management operate in conjunction with a data collection application, CollectWindowsSharePointServices.exe, which is installed on the primary front-end Windows SharePoint Services server. Once CollectWindowsSharePointServices.exe finishes collecting information, it posts a completion event that is processed by System Center Operations Manager 2007. In response to the completion event, Operations Manager executes an application, UpdateWindowsSharePointServices.exe, installed on the Operations Manager server to update PWDB40.

CollectWindowsSharePointServices.exe

The data collected by CollectWindowsSharePointServices is written to XML files stored in shared directories on the primary Windows SharePoint Services server.

UpdateWindowsSharePointServices.exe

On the Operations Manager database server, UpdateWindowsSharePointServices opens the XML files in the shared directory on the back-end Exchange servers. This application then uses ADO.NET to write the collected data to PWDB40.