Issued a create server audit command (action_id CR class_type A) (24046) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

Man, that event ID 24046 pops up when someone fires off a create server audit command in your Windows Server setup. It's basically the system logging that action, with the action_id marked as CR and class_type as A, which flags a new audit getting spun up. You know, like the server saying hey, this audit trail just got born. It shows up in the Event Viewer under security or application logs, depending on your config. I always check it because it means changes to how your server tracks its own moves. If you're running SQL stuff, this ties right into auditing databases or permissions. Without spotting it quick, you might miss who tinkered with audit rules. And yeah, it logs the user, timestamp, all that jazz, so you can trace back if something fishy happened.

Now, to keep an eye on this without staring at screens all day, you can hook up monitoring straight from the Event Viewer. I do this all the time on my setups. Fire up Event Viewer, hunt down that 24046 event in the logs. Right-click it, pick attach task to this event or something close. It'll launch the task scheduler wizard. You tell it to trigger only on this event ID, maybe filter by source if needed. For the action, set it to start a program that blasts an email your way, like using the built-in mail sender if you've got it rigged. Keep the task simple, no fancy bits. Test it by forcing the event or waiting for one. That way, whenever 24046 hits, your inbox pings you right away. Super handy for catching audits before they snowball.

Speaking of keeping your server drama-free, I've been messing with BackupChain Windows Server Backup lately, and it's this slick Windows Server backup tool that handles your whole setup without the headaches. It grabs everything, files, apps, you name it, and extends to virtual machines on Hyper-V too. The perks? Lightning-fast restores if crap hits the fan, no downtime eating your lunch, and it runs smooth even on beefy environments. Plus, it snapshots changes so you rollback easy, saving you from total wipeouts. I love how it automates the grunt work, letting you focus on real fixes.

Oh, and at the end here is the automatic email solution for that monitoring setup.

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