Azure AD Scheduler Status Test

Azure AD Connect can be set up in an Active-Passive High Availability setup, where one server will actively push changes to the synced AD objects to Azure AD and the passive server will stage these changes in the event it will need to take over.

To define a highly available Azure AD Connect infrastructure, you need to follow the broad steps below:

  1. Install an Azure AD Connect server that will actively perform identity synchronization - this is the Active Azure AD Connect sever.

  2. Install another Azure AD Connect server in the staging mode; a server running in this mode has its synchronization service ready for action but does not perform any identity data exports. This is the Staging Azure AD Connect server.

  3. Next, put the Active Azure AD Connect server in the staging mode

  4. Finally, make the Staging Azure AD Connect server active.

Each of the steps above will impact the scheduler settings on the corresponding server. For instance, when an Active AD Connect server is installed, the SyncCycleEnabled scheduler setting will be 'true' on that server, and the StagingModeEnabled setting will be 'false'. Likewise, if an active server is put on the staging mode, then the StagingModeEnabled scheduler setting will be 'true' on that server.

For the high availability setup to serve its true purpose, only one Sync Server should be actively syncing changes at any given time. In other words, the following configuration should exist only on one server throughout this process:

SyncCycleEnabled=true

StagingModeEnabled=false

Any inconsistencies in these settings between the two servers will cause switch over to fail, when disaster strikes. To avoid this, administrators should keep an eye on the changes to the scheduler settings on both the active and passive servers, promptly detect discrepancies, and rectify them before anything untoward happens. This is where the Azure AD Scheduler Status test helps!

This test compares the scheduler settings between the server hosting the eG agent and a specified Azure AD connect server. Alerts are sent out if these settings are not conducive to smooth synchronization in the event that one server is rendered unavailable. Detailed diagnostics of the test indicate what the problem is and which settings are mismatched, so that administrators can quickly make the required changes and ensure service continuity.

Target of the Test: A Microsoft Azure Active Directory Connect

Agent deploying the test: An internal agent

Output of the test: One set of results for the Azure AD Connect that is monitored

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameters Description

Test Period

How often should the test be executed.

Host

The host for which the test is to be configured.

Port

The port at which the specified Host listens

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.
Measures made by the test:
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Operational status

Indicates whether/not the scheduler configuration on both the servers is correct and is conducive for synchronization.

 

The values that this measure reports and their corresponding numeric values are listed in the table below:

Measure Value Numeric Value
OK 100
Warning 75
Error 50
Configuration issue 25

To know under which circumstances each of the above values will be reported, refer to the table below:

Measure Value Condition(s)
OK One server is in the Active Production mode (StagingModeEnabled =false and SyncCycleEnabled=true), and the other is in the Active Standby mode (StagingModeEnabled=true and SyncCycleEnabled=false)
Warning One server is in the Active Production mode (StagingModeEnabled =false and SyncCycleEnabled=true), and the other server is in the Offline Standby mode (StagingModeEnabled =true and SyncCycleEnabled=false) or unreachable
Error One server is in the Standby mode (StagingModeEnabled =true) and the other server is in the Offline mode (SyncCycleEnabled=false) or unreachable.
Configuration Issue
    • Both servers have their cycles disabled (SyncCycleEnabled=false)
    • Both servers are in Standby mode (StagingModeEnabled =true)
    • Both servers are in Active Production mode (StagingModeEnabled =false and SyncCycleEnabled=true)

If this measure reports an abnormal value, then you can use the detailed diagnosis of the test to understand what the problem is, and why it occurred.

Note:

By default, this measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate the operational status. In the graph of this measure however, the same is represented using the numeric equivalents only.

Scheduler status

Indicates which server in the high availability setup is in the Active mode currently.

 

The values that this measure reports and their corresponding numeric values are listed in the table below:

Measure Value Numeric Value
Active Production 1
Offline Standby 2
Unknown 3
Active Standby 4

Note:

By default, this measure reports the Measure Values listed in the table above to indicate the server in the Active mode. In the graph of this measure however, the same is represented using the numeric equivalents only.

Use the detailed diagnosis of the Operational status measure to understand what is the problem with scheduler configuration.

Figure 1 : The detailed diagnosis of the Operational status measure