Understanding Reports in Windows SBS 2008

Updated: February 16, 2009

Applies To: Windows SBS 2008

The reporting feature in Windows SBS 2008 provides you with consolidated information about the Windows SBS 2008 environment and enables you to distribute this information to other people. This information can be viewed within the Reports tab of the Windows SBS Console. With the Reports tab, you can do the following:

• Leverage native reports to get a complete snapshot of the environment.

• Generate reports, either immediately or on a schedule, with automatic e-mail forwarding.

• Create customized reports.

• View the archived reports.

By default, Windows SBS 2008 includes two reports:

• A Summary Network Report, which includes summary information about the performance of your network.

• A Detailed Network Report, which includes detailed information about the performance of your network.

The following table describes each item in the reports.

Item	Description
Security	Displays the status of any of the following security components that have a Critical status: Security essentials.   This information is obtained from Security Center, and it applies to all client computers in the network. The reports display the names of computers that are reporting at least one security issue, along with the status of anitvirus software, anti-spyware software, and the firewall on each computer. Spam protection for e-mail.   This information is obtained from Exchange Server 2007, and it applies to the server. The reports display the number of e-mail messages that were rejected, the number of e-mail messages that were scanned, and the version numbers of the Content Filter, Spam Signature, and IP Reputation. Virus protection for e-mail.   This information is obtained from Forefront Security for Exchange Server, and it applies to the server running Windows SBS 2008. The reports display information about Forefront Security for Exchange Server licensed engines and about the version numbers for Forefront Security for Exchange Server and its service pack. Server firewall.   This information is obtained from Windows Firewall, and it applies to the server running Windows SBS 2008. The reports display the status of Windows Firewall and the network location of the server firewall. This information is collected only for Windows SBS 2008 and not for any other servers in the network. For more information about the monitoring of security components, see “Monitoring Security Components” within the Monitoring in Windows SBS 2008 section of this document. Note If the client computer is offline when the report is generated, there is an error in reporting the status of that client computer. The default time for running reports is 3:00 A.M. You must ensure that the client computers are not turned off when the report is run, in order to get an accurate status for the computers. Note For an up-to-date status of all the computers in the network, view the Computer tab in the Windows SBS Console.
Updates	Displays the status of computers that are missing updates, computers with updates that were not installed successfully, updates that are pending approval, the status of updates synchronization, the time when the last synchronization took place, and the time of the next scheduled update synchronization. In addition, it also includes a summary of the update policy. For more information about the monitoring of updates, see “Monitoring updates” within the Monitoring in Windows SBS 2008 section of this document.
Backup	Displays when the last backup was performed for the server, and displays when the next server backup is scheduled for the server running Windows SBS 2008. For more information about the monitoring of server backup, see “Monitoring Server Backup” within the Monitoring in Windows SBS 2008 section of this document. Monitoring server backup helps you to determine if the backup is running as configured. For more information about configuring server backup, see “Backing Up and Restoring Data on Windows Small Business Server 2008” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=141373).
Other Alerts	Displays the number of active alerts on the network. For more information about the monitoring of Other Alerts, see “Monitoring Other Alerts” within the Monitoring in Windows SBS 2008 section of this document.
E-Mail Usage and Mailbox Sizes	Displays the number of critical errors for sending or receiving e-mail messages, and the mailbox quotas for all the network user accounts. This information applies to the last 24 hours since the report was generated. Windows SBS 2008 retrieves and stores all the e-mail messages for your organization and sets default quotas on the size of Exchange Server mailboxes for individual users, which saves disk space on the server. Monitoring e-mail usage and mailbox sizes helps you know how many e-mails are sent and received within your network and whether user accounts are reaching their mailbox quotas.
Server Event logs	Displays a list of critical errors in the event logs for the server, along with the Event Source, Event ID, Last Occurrence, and total number of occurrences for that particular event. The information is recorded as chronological messages in the log. You can use these messages to monitor and troubleshoot the server running Windows SBS 2008. In Windows SBS 2008, all the critical events that are listed in the Server Event logs are reported in the Server Event Logs section of the Network Report. If you have third-party applications that are running on the server, critical events that are reported for these applications are also displayed in the network reports.

Reports are available at any time in the Windows SBS Console, and reports can also be delivered to multiple recipients through e-mail. By default, a daily summary report is sent to the network administrator every night, and a weekly detailed status report is sent to the network administrator once a week. The reports can be customized to include as much or as little information as you want, and they can be generated at any time or according to a schedule by using the tasks on the Windows SBS Console.

The following table lists the tasks that are available to assist you with managing reports on your network.

Available tasks for managing server reports

Task	Description
View report properties	Opens the ReportName Properties page of the selected report, which you can use to do the following: Change the name and description of the report. Change the monitoring content that is generated in the report. Change the e-mail recipients for the report. Change the schedule for the report.
Generate report	Generates the selected report and displays it in the details pane.
Generate and e-mail report	Generates the selected report, displays it in the details pane, and e-mails the report to the user account that is specified in the report settings.
View archives	Displays the Archives tab on the ReportName Properties page of the selected report, which lists the archives of the report. Report archives can support trend analysis.
Add a new report	Opens the New Report Properties page, which you can use to do the following: Specify the name and description of the report. Specify the monitoring content that is generated in the report. Specify e-mail recipients for the report. Modify the schedule for the report.
Refresh this view	Refreshes the Reports page.

You can also view the up-to-date status of your network in the Network Essential Summary section on the Home page of the Windows SBS Console. For more information about items that are displayed in the Network Essential Summary, see “Reviewing the Network Essential Summary” at the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=141374).

For more information about managing and reviewing reports, see the following:

• Managing Reports in Windows SBS 2008

• Reviewing Reports in Windows SBS 2008