Dell OpenManage

System administrators can monitor Dell systems from OpenManage IT Assistant or from other management frameworks. Dell integrates detailed messages about the status of Dell systems into the HP OpenView Network Node Manager for Windows NT, Tivoli Enterprise Center, and Computer Associates Unicenter TNG consoles. Dell also supplies a detailed set of Management Information Bases (MIBs) that can be integrated into most SNMP-based frameworks.

Configuration management enables system administrators to install and update systems and to perform remote configuration tasks. Many customers choose to have Dell preconfigure their OptiPlex desktops, Precision WorkStations, Latitude notebooks, and PowerEdge servers for their environment, including the installation of the operating system and application programs.

Dell provides OpenManage Server Assistant to customers who prefer to configure and set up Dell server systems themselves. Using Server Assistant, customers can install appropriate Dell hardware drivers and the operating system. Once the systems are installed, customers may choose to use Dell OpenManage IT Assistant to monitor system health, reconfigure or update systems, and locate systems by content.

Asset and inventory management is the process of obtaining information about systems deployed on the network. Asset management deals with the financial aspects of the systems (such as purchase price, warranty period, and purchase order number). Inventory management deals with the content of the systems (such as asset tag, amount of memory, and hard-disk drive capacity).

Dell OpenManage IT Assistant, along with some other inventory-management tools, is capable of collecting inventory and asset information from Dell systems to generate inventory reports. For example, system administrators can discover all Dell servers by BIOS version or model.

Problem management begins with event management but extends it further. Event management allows an administrator to remotely receive notification of events on managed nodes. Problem management attempts to remotely identify the source of problems and manage the problem to resolution. Administrators can be more productive when these functions are performed remotely and data collection is automated.

To help with problem management, Dell provides utilities such as the Dell OpenManage Server Diagnostics and IT Assistant. These tools provide you with a proactive system for discovering problems such as:

• Pre-Failure warnings such as Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology alerts from hard drives
• Hardware failures
• Potential developing problems such as internal temperatures exceeding a desired threshold