Computer Groups

Updated: May 13, 2016

Applies To: System Center 2012 SP1 - Orchestrator, System Center 2012 - Orchestrator, System Center 2012 R2 Orchestrator

System Center 2012 - Orchestrator is designed to interact with all of your data center systems. Computer groups let you target selected activities against a set of similar computer systems instead of a single computer. By configuring the activities in your runbook to use a computer group, you have the flexibility to add computers dynamically by adding them to the computer group.

You can create computer groups by using Active Directory queries, and you can manage the list of computers in a group outside of Orchestrator. For example, if you have a computer group that is created from an Active Directory query that retrieves all instances of Microsoft SQL Server, when an instance of SQL Server is added to your Active Directory system, it is automatically included in that group.

To use computer groups in your activities, create a computer group, and then add computers to it.

You can also organize your computer groups into folders. Use the following steps to create a new folder.

To create a folder

1. In the Connections pane in the Runbook Designer, click the Computer Groups folder or a subfolder.

2. Right-click to select New, and then click Folder.

Use the following procedure to add a computer group. To add computers by using an Active Directory query or a System Center 2012 Configuration Manager collection, use the Active Directory Integration Pack or the Integration Pack for System Center 2012 Configuration Manager.

To add a computer group

1. In the Connections pane, right-click the Computer Groups folder or a subfolder.

2. Select New, and then click Computer Group to open the New Computer Group dialog box.

3. In the New Computer Group dialog box, on the General tab, in the Name and Description boxes, type a name and description of the computer group.

4. Click the Contents tab. The list displays all the computer entries that make up this computer group.

5. Click Add to open the Add Computer to Computer Group dialog box.

6. Enter the name of the computer that you are adding, or click the ellipsis (…) button next to the Computer box, and then select the applicable computer. Click OK to add the computer.

7. To add more computers to the group. repeat the previous two steps.

To modify settings

1. To modify the settings of an entry you added, click the entry on the Contents tab, and then click Modify.

2. To remove an entry on the Contents tab, click the entry, and then click Remove.

Any standard activity that requires you to identify a Computer name in the Configuration Properties dialog box, such as the Send Event Log Message activity, can use a computer group. Other activities can use the Computer Group where you define a remote system or computer.

Use the following procedure to use a computer group.

To use a computer group

1. Right-click the applicable activity from your runbook, select Properties on the menu, and then select the Details tab to open the Activities Properties dialog box.

2. In the Computer box, right-click to open a menu, select Subscribe, and then select Computer Group to open the Select Computer Group dialog box.

3. Select the computer group, and then click OK.

   A placeholder {computer group name} is inserted next to the computer name in the Computer box.

   When the activity runs, it runs on each computer in the group.

Data Manipulation