Because the refresh interval for Server Manager cannot be configured to be less than one minute, Server Manager does not really provide a real-time view of the status of servers on your network. In addition, if you try to monitor too many types of events on dozens of servers with Server Manager, you might get a delayed response when you try to use Server Manager.
If you need real-time monitoring and easy monitoring of hundreds or even thousands of servers in your environment, your best solution is to deploy products from the Microsoft System Center suite for this purpose, such as System Center Operations Manager 2012 SP1 and System Center Configuration Manager SP1. For more information on System Center products, see http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/server-cloud/system-center/default.aspx.
This tip is excerpted from my latest book Training Guide: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 from Microsoft Press.
Mitch Tulloch is an eight-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award and a widely recognized expert on Windows administration, deployment and virtualization. For more information see http://www.mtit.com
