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SYSTEMS MANAGEMENTSoftware Change ManagementUsing Dell OpenManage IT AssistantDell OpenManage IT Assistant 7 enables organizations to significantly enhancemanagement of the software life-cycle process, allowing administrators to inventorysoftware asset information (BIOS, firmware, and drivers) in a centralized database;compare that asset information with a certified Dell Update Package or System UpdateSet; and schedule software updates for remote systems. This article outlines the ITAssistant 7 software change-management architecture and feature set.BY SUDHIR SHETTY, STEVE HERACLEOUS, AND ROHIT SHARMARelated Categories:Asset managementChange managementDell OpenManageDell PowerEdge serversInventory managementSystems managementVisit www.dell.com/powersolutionsfor the complete category index.Dell OpenManage IT Assistant (ITA) 7 provides severalkey features that enable IT administrators to streamlinemanagement of the software life-cycle process. This featureset includes capabilities that enhance software inventory,software release management, compliance reporting, andsoftware update processes. This article explains these featuresand provides step-by-step instructions for implementingsoftware updates with ITA 7.Figure 1 represents the Dell OpenManage IT Assistantchange-management architecture. ITA requires the appropriateagent to be installed on the remote Dell PowerEdge server to enable the change-management infrastructure.The minimum supported agent is Dell OpenManage ServerAdministrator 2.0 (available on the Dell OpenManage 4.3CD) running on a Microsoft ® Windows ® or Red Hat ®Enterprise Linux ®OS.Software inventoryITA collects software asset data from remote agents viaSimple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) andWindows Management Instrumentation (WMI). Thisinformation is gathered from Dell OpenManage ServerAdministrator agents (version 4.3 or later) and centrallystored in the ITA database. This capability enables administratorsto run software inventory reports via either ITAor third-party enterprise reporting tools.ITA collects the software inventory information duringan inventory cycle scheduled by the network monitoringservice. The inventory cycle can be scheduled within ITA.Alternatively, the inventory cycle can run on demand fora specific device or for a specific range.Software release managementITA enables administrators to view the Dell Update Packagesand System Update Sets that reside on the DellPowerEdge Updates CD, which is available as part of theDell OpenManage Subscription Service. A System UpdateSet is a certified aggregate of Dell Update Packages thatare specific to a hardware platform. Dell Update Packagesare also available on the Dell support Web site atsupport.dell.com.In ITA, administrators can open a software repositoryvia the Software Updates View. To open the repositorylocated on the Dell PowerEdge Updates CD, administratorsshould right-click on the Software Update Repositoriesnode in the tree and select “Open Repository (Update CD).”24DELL POWER SOLUTIONS Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, August 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. August 2005