How to Install an Audit Collection Services (ACS) Collector and Database
Updated: May 13, 2016
Applies To: System Center 2012 R2 Operations Manager, System Center 2012 - Operations Manager, System Center 2012 SP1 - Operations Manager
Use the following procedures in System Center 2012 – Operations Manager to install an Audit Collection Services (ACS) collector and database and to start the service for the ACS collector computer. Both procedures are performed on the computer that is designated as your ACS collector.
The ACS database runs on a supported version of Microsoft SQL Server. The Audit Collection Services Collector Setup wizard creates the ACS database on an existing installation of Microsoft SQL Server. To complete the installation procedure, you must be a member of the local Administrators group on both the ACS collector and the ACS database computers as well as a database administrator on the ACS database. As a best practice for security, consider using Run As to perform this procedure.
For information about system requirements and best practices for performance, see Collecting Security Events Using Audit Collection Services in Operations Manager and Audit Collection Services Capacity Planning in the Operations Guide.
To install an ACS collector and an ACS database
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Log on to the server by using an account that has local administrative credentials.
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On the Operations Manager installation media, run Setup.exe, and then click Audit collection services.
For monitoring UNIX and Linux computers, click Audit collection services for UNIX/Linux.
The Audit Collection Services Collector Setup wizard opens.
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On the Welcome page, click Next.
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On the License Agreement page, read the licensing terms, click I accept the agreement, and then click Next.
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On the Database Installation Options page, click Create a new database, and then click Next.
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On the Data Source page, in the Data source name box, type a name that you want to use as the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) data source name for your ACS database. By default, this name is OpsMgrAC. Click Next.
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On the Database page, if the database is on a separate server than the ACS collector, click Remote Database Server, and then type the computer name of the database server that will host the database for this installation of ACS. Otherwise, click Database server running locally.
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In the Database server instance name field, type the name of the database that will be created for ACS. If you leave this field blank, the default name is used. In the Database name field, the default database name of OperationsManagerAC is automatically entered. You can select the text and type in a different name or leave the default name. Click Next.
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To display a list of SQL Server Instances, on the database computer click Start, point to Programs and open SQL Server (the appropriate version of SQL Server is dependent on the version of Operations Manager – see System Requirements for System Center 2012 – Operations Manager), and then click SQL Server Management Studio. On the Server name list, click Browse for more and then expand Database Engine. All databases are listed as server name\database name.
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On the Database Authentication page, select one of the authentication methods. If the ACS collector and the ACS database are members of the same domain, you can select Windows authentication, otherwise select SQL authentication, and then click Next.
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If you select SQL authentication and click Next, the Database Credentials page displays. In the SQL login name box, enter the name of the user account that has access to the SQL Server and the password for that account in the SQL password box, and then click Next.
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On the Database Creation Options page, click Use SQL Server's default data and log file directories to use SQL Server's default folders. Otherwise, click Specify directories and enter the full path, including drive letter, to the location you want for the ACS database and log file, for example C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data. Click Next.
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On the Event Retention Schedule page, click Local hour of day to perform daily database maintenance. Choose a time when the number of expected security events is low. During the database maintenance period, database performance will be impacted. In the Number of days to retain events box type the number of days ACS should keep events in the ACS database before the events are removed during database grooming. The default value is 14 days. Click Next.
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On the ACS Stored Timestamp Format page, choose Local or Universal Coordinated Time, formerly known to as Greenwich Mean Time, and then click Next
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The Summary page displays a list of actions that the installation program will perform to install ACS. Review the list, and then click Next to begin the installation.
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If a SQL server login dialog box displays and the database authentication is set to Windows authentication, click the correct database and verify that the Use Trusted Connection check box is checked. Otherwise click to remove the check and enter the SQL login name and password. Click OK.
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When the installation is complete, click Finish.