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SYSTEMS MANAGEMENTprovisioning needs through all aspects of hardware configuration andupdates, OS installation, and application installation. In any environmentin which fast server builds or rapid repurposing is required,the capability of Altiris Deployment Solution to apply Dell hardwareupdates as an integrated part of a customized server build can helporganizations meet business requirements quickly and efficiently.Figure 1. Altiris console drop-down list to filter available updates by vendor beforelaunching the Altiris patch wizard• Application distribution and installation: Includes examplejobs for popular applications such as Dell OpenManageServer Administrator, Microsoft SQL Server, the Apache Webserver, and so forthAltiris jobs package the preceding capabilities into customizedsets of ordered tasks that display as a single drag-and-drop eventin the Altiris console. One job can be created for each server configurationan organization requires. For example, an organizationmay have three configurations for a Web server and four configurationsfor a database server—with Altiris Deployment Solution, everyconfiguration becomes a single build job.Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers also providessample jobs for updating server components using Dell UpdatePackages. These sample jobs will install Dell Update Packages in theorder recommended by Dell, and they can be included within morecomprehensive server build jobs to help ensure that all needed Dellupdates are applied as part of the build process. This capability canbe valuable because it provides administrators with the flexibilityto adapt to a variety of provisioning scenarios. For example, beforesome server applications can be installed or configured, they mayrequire a Dell server to first adhere to a specific BIOS level, EmbeddedServer Management (ESM) firmware revision, BMC firmwarerevision, DRAC firmware revision, RAID driver version or firmwarerevision, a network interface card (NIC) driver version, or a combinationof such specifications.Altiris Deployment Solution can address such scenarios whilestreamlining the server deployment process. Updating server hardwarecomponents as an integrated function of the server’s build caneliminate the need for additional agents to install, configure, determinewhich updates are needed, and then apply them. Altiris offersa unified approach that is designed to address comprehensive serverEmploying Altiris Patch Management Solutionfor Dell Servers to update serversAltiris Patch Management Solution for Dell Servers is designed toaddress the ongoing need to assess and maintain component revisionlevels on Dell servers already in production. These servers mayhave been provisioned many months or even years ago, but theystill must be periodically updated to maintain the latest hardwarecomponent versions from Dell. The needs for applying updatesin production vary significantly from those in the provisioning orrepurposing stage of a server’s life cycle.Organizations that depend on a large number of servers oftenstruggle to maintain an awareness of the various updates that Dellmakes available and the different servers to which these updatesapply. As a result, many IT organizations choose to update servercomponents only when there is an associated problem. Thisapproach obviously increases risks and is not recommended.Altiris and Dell have streamlined the update process by enablingperiodic downloads of Dell Update Packages directly from Dell andthen scanning an organization’s IT environment to determine existingcomponent revision levels. By correlating the results into a series ofeasy-to-read reports as shown in Figure 3, Altiris Patch ManagementSolution for Dell Servers helps administrators quickly determinewhich servers lack the requisite updates and then automates thedownload and distribution of updates to the appropriate systems.Administrators use a simple wizard in the Altiris software tobuild policies that distribute Dell Update Packages. The wizardFigure 2. Prebuilt Altiris Deployment Solution jobs that can update Dell servercomponents during the build processwww.dell.com/powersolutions Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, August 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. DELL POWER SOLUTIONS 39