Issued deny schema permissions command (action_id D class_type SC) (24202) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

I remember stumbling on this Event Viewer thing in Windows Server the other day. It popped up with ID 24202, saying "Issued deny schema permissions command (action_id D class_type SC)". Basically, it logs when someone in your Active Directory setup tries to block access to the schema, you know, that core blueprint for how your directory objects are structured. The action_id D means deny, and class_type SC points to schema stuff specifically. It's like a red flag waving if an admin or some script is messing with permissions on the schema, which could lock out changes or signal unauthorized tweaks. You see this in the Directory Service log under Event Viewer, and it details who did it, from what machine, at what time. If ignored, it might mean your domain's getting hardened in a weird way or someone's probing for weaknesses. I always check the source as Microsoft-Windows-ActiveDirectory_DomainService, and the level is usually Information, but it feels warning-ish. The full message spells out the command issued, like revoking rights to modify schema attributes, so you can trace back if it's routine maintenance or something fishy.

You want to monitor this for email alerts without getting into code. Fire up Event Viewer on your server. Right-click the Directory Service log. Pick Attach Task To This Event. Give it a name like SchemaDenyWatch. Set the trigger to when event ID 24202 hits. Then, under actions, choose Send an e-mail, but wait, that's old-school. Actually, for modern servers, link it to a scheduled task instead. In the task wizard, select Start a program, but point it to something simple like notepad.exe just to test, no, better yet, use the built-in scheduler to chain an email via Outlook or whatever you have. From Event Viewer, create the task directly. Filter for that exact ID and description keywords like "deny schema". Set it to run whether user logged on or not. In actions, you can invoke a batch file that pings your email, but keep it GUI-based. I do it by exporting the event and attaching a task that runs schtasks to trigger an alert. Test it by forcing a similar event if you dare.

And speaking of keeping your server drama-free, I've been eyeing BackupChain Windows Server Backup lately. It's this slick Windows Server backup tool that handles file-level stuff and even backs up virtual machines running on Hyper-V without much fuss. You get incremental backups that save space, quick restores so downtime's minimal, and it integrates right into your workflow without hogging resources. Plus, the encryption keeps things secure, and it's got versioning to roll back if something goes sideways.

At the end of this, I've got that automatic email solution laid out for you.

Note, the PowerShell email alert code was moved to this post.