BizTalk administration presents several challenges as it is a complex product unfamiliar to many IT professionals. Specialized backup procedures, lack of developer discipline, and treating BizTalk as just another application by hosting companies can all cause issues. The document outlines key things required for proper BizTalk administration like recognizing it as a dedicated role, training, using Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) or System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) for monitoring, enabling backup jobs, log shipping, and practicing disaster recovery procedures. Virtual environments can help administrators gain skills in areas like installation, configuration and failover testing.

1. Brian Loesgen & Alan Smith

2. BizTalk Administration
Challenges
BizTalk is a complex product
 IT-Pros are not usually familiar with BizTalk
 BizTalk requires specialized backup procedures
 Developers often lack required discipline
 Hosting companies often treat BizTalk as a
customer application
 Who is responsible for BizTalk production
environment?


3. Danger Signals
“Can you send us a word document
telling us how to install BizTalk?”
 “We don’t use MOM or SCOM, we have
our own monitoring software”
 “We have our own procedures for
database backups”
 “How big are these databases going to
get, it’s causing issues with our
backups?”


4. Required Knowledge
Recognize that “BizTalk Server
Administrator” is a dedicated role
 Allow time for training and education
 Developers can mentor administration
personnel
 Start to get serious with administrating
your test environments


5. Database Administration

We all know this but…
 Enable and use the BizTalk backup job
 Ensure tracking purge and archive is
running
 Backup your ESSO master secret

It’s also important to…
 Use BizTalk Log Shipping
 Monitor BizTalk Server & ESSO using
MOM/SCOM
 Monitor SQL Server using MOM/SCOM

6. Disaster Recovery
Backup is only half the story, if you can’t
restore “Disaster Recovery” becomes
“Disaster”
 Enabling the BizTalk Backup job is
easy, restoring BizTalk databases is not
 Consider using BizTalk Log Shipping
 Consider using SAN systems
 Practice Disaster recovery procedures


7. ESSO Master Secret Server
Ensure you have backed it up
 Practice and document MSS restore

 Promoting another serve to MSS

Be aware of security implications

8. Monitoring BizTalk

Use MOM or SCOM
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Install the appropriate management packs
BizTalk has over 50 events to monitor
ESSO also has over 50 events
SQL Server should also be monitored
BizTalk is very verbose with logging events
 Some warning events can highlight critical
problems
 ESB Guidance Error Reporting console is great!

 But you need the system monitoring from MOM/SCOM

9. Gaining the Skills

Virtual environments can be used for multi server
installations
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
Installation
Configuration
Disaster recovery
Monitoring
Failover testing
BizTalk Server Administration Guide
 CHM document

BizTalk for Administrators – 5 day Quick Learn
course