The 3 Fundamentals of Systems Management

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1 The 3 Fundamentals of Systems Management Dell October 2007 There are three fundamental components to desktop and notebook systems management Deploy; Monitor; and Change (Update). There are many subelements, which are also important; but if you can simplify and improve the deployment, monitoring and change management of your systems, there is much to be gained. Deployment refers to the making-ready of a system for use. This includes configuration, loading the OS and applications, applying specific settings or standard images, assigning security and access, and joining the network. Monitoring is a broad component, but generally refers to the ability to view the status (health) of systems on the network, understand their configuration (inventory), be alerted to conditions that may cause problems later (pre-failure alerts), be alerted when problems actually do occur, and take action to fix, quarantine or remove systems from the network. Change Management, or Updating, covers both the proactive and reactive response to keep all systems in good working order. Change management is common with OS patches, vendor BIOS revs, etc. Change management is a key element to maintain a stable set of images among client systems, which aids in troubleshooting and resolution. Change management can also simplify upgrades and new application rollouts via software distribution from a central console vs. desk-side visits to upgrade all users. How Many Remote Controls Do You Need? A good analogy to the challenges of systems management is the control of electronics components in a typical household. To operate and access all of the features of your electronics devices, it would not be uncommon to have separate remote controls for your television; cable TV or satellite receiver; DVD player; VCR; stereo/surround sound receiver; CD player; and maybe more if you have separate amplifiers, etc. That s 4-7 remote controls to access all the features of your home electronics - and that s just in one room! This is very similar to the state of systems management in many IT shops. Different tools have been provided or purchased to provide different functionality or access to different devices. What s needed is a universal remote control

2 one that can provide all, or almost all the functionality needed, from one device or console. Standardize for Simplicity, Flexibility and Control To provide a single console, or greatly reduce the number of tools, standards become important. One of the reasons so many tools have been required is because the interfaces to access, monitor and manage a given device were proprietary. When those interfaces become standardized, access and control is available to all management tools vendors adhering to the standards. This provides customers with fewer tools needed (simplicity); a choice among tools based on capabilities and preferences (flexibility); and vendor lock-in is removed via standards, leaving the customer, not the vendor, in charge of which tools will be used to provide which functionality (control). One of the leading standards bodies focused on systems management is the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF), an organization of more than 3,000 professionals and leading manufacturers dedicated to developing management standards and promoting interoperability for enterprise environments. Building on existing standards, the Task Force recently unveiled the DASH initiative. DASH specifies the necessary models, mechanisms and semantics to enable robust in-band and out-of-band systems management. Systems and tools built to DASH standards will offer customers much-needed interoperability and flexibility, with greater choice to use the tools that work best for their environment. Products built according to DASH standards should begin arriving in the market in late The standard itself will evolve through future generations to add even more robust capabilities for enhancing client management. Dell Drives Standards Dell takes a leadership role in driving standards, representing customers interests within various organizations to help shape the industry. Dell employees serve on the DMTF Board of Directors in fact, the DMTF President is Dell s own Winston Bumpus and over 50 Dell employees take part in various DMTF initiatives. Dell was actively involved in the development of SMASH, a DMTF initiative that offers in- and out-of-band management capabilities similar to DASH for systems in the datacenter. Dell also participates on the DMTF Platform Management Controller Interface (PMCI) working group, which is working towards standardizing chip-to-chip manageability to ultimately enable more robust platform design with better manageability at lower costs. Internally, Dell has undertaken a number of initiatives to help make systems management more unified, simple, modular and open. Dell s Unified Manageability Architecture (UMA) was developed to help create the ecosystem

3 that will enable true open systems management. Dell developed a blueprint to standardize the instrumentation and communications protocols for clients, servers, switches, storage and even printers. This new architecture is being integrated into new Dell products and partners such as AMD, Intel, Avocent, Broadcom, Microsoft, Novell, Oracle and VMware have already adopted many of the UMA concepts for their products. Advanced Remote Management from Dell Desk-side visits can greatly increase the cost of maintaining and supporting a large number of computers. Even simple tasks such as tracking inventory or updating software can quickly become expensive when they require physically visiting each and every computer. Dell desktops and notebooks offer new remote management technologies such as ASF 2.0, Intel AMT 3.0, and Intel vpro that help reduce the cost of system management while increasing network security. Capabilities include: Inventory Management. Dell systems allow remote inventory tracking, even when PCs are powered down. With easy access to current and centralized hardware information, IT can make smart decisions about the management of their system environment. Service Systems Remotely. Manageability features built in to select Dell systems allow IT to remotely repair systems, even after operating system or application failures. Proactive alerting helps IT detect problems quickly to reduce downtime. Systems can be diagnosed and re-booted remotely allowing end users to stay productive while saving IT a desk-side visit. Client Isolation. Select Dell systems offer technology that reduces exposure to virus infections by containing outbreaks and sealing the infected system from the rest of the network. IT has the ability to remotely quarantine an infected computer on the network and address the computer s infection without impacting other users or systems on the network. Zero Touch Deployment. Select Dell systems offer options that allow IT to provision and configure new systems for remote management without a desk-side visit. This minimizes the cost associated with sending IT personnel to each system. Integrated, Standards-Based Solutions for Today In a parallel effort designed to help customers avoid a single, high-cost proprietary management solution, Dell created the Dell OpenManage Certified Partner Program. Through the program, partners can use OpenManage developer toolkits to enhance their management applications with integrated control of Dell hardware. This gives customers the freedom to use their choice of

4 leading systems-management applications, and can minimize the tools required to deploy, monitor and update their infrastructure. Leading systems management vendors such as Altiris, LANDesk and Quest Software are all participating in the OpenManage Certified Partner Program. Dell and Altiris extended their partnership to co-develop the next generation of OpenManage applications based on the Altiris platform. OpenManage tools allow seamless hardware and software management, using just one console, and the entire portfolio has been streamlined and simplified. The basic hardware management tool is available from Dell free of charge (e.g., Dell Client Manager Standard). Advanced capabilities are available as cost-effective pay as you grow upgrades that add functionality. Quest Software addresses the challenge of maintaining and managing heterogeneous systems by providing powerful integration solutions designed to allow organizations to leverage their existing investment in Microsoft products and technologies--such as Active Directory, Systems Management Server (SMS), and Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM)--by extending their capabilities to UNIX, Linux, Java, and Mac platforms. LANDesk Software is an industry leading provider of integrated management solutions for desktops, servers and mobile devices. LANDesk solutions are scalable and easy to use, supporting heterogeneous IT environments. LANDesk solutions enable IT professionals to automate most processes, including: Software distribution, security and patch management Software license monitoring and reporting Remote control/problem resolution IT asset discovery, analysis and management OS imaging and profile migration System and application monitoring, alerting and healing Systems Management: Standardized; Simplified; Superior The fundamentals of deploying, monitoring and updating desktop and notebook systems won t change. These are required functions to establish and maintain end-user productivity. What are changing are the approaches and the options available to IT organizations. By standardizing the interfaces across platforms customers will be able to select the best tools for their needs vs. those required for a certain system. By adding functionality to tools and integrating capabilities, such as hardware management into popular third-party tools, systems management is simplified and improved for customers. The result is a superior solution for customers one where they choose the best tools for their needs; require fewer tools to be used; and have flexibility and control over their decisions.

5 Dell will continue to drive, promote and incorporate standards into products with the goals of simplifying IT infrastructures, improving user experiences, and providing superior value.