POWER SOLUTIONS

SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT• An organization needs to include hardware updates as animmediate and seamless part of the server build process—without relying on or waiting for the installation of othermanagement agents to determine update applicability, downloadthe needed updates, and execute the updates on a predeterminedreboot schedule.• Security or other concerns require Dell updates to be appliedbefore any OS is installed. Although Altiris DeploymentSolution for Dell Servers provides comprehensive sample jobsfor applying Dell Update Packages in post-OS Windows orLinux environments, some organizations need to apply Dellupdates before any OS is installed. For that purpose, AltirisDeployment Solution for Dell Servers provides a sample jobthat uses Dell tools to apply a BIOS update in a preboot environment,before the installation of an OS.Altiris Patch Management Solution for Dell Servers is best utilizedwhen:• Automated applicability assessments are needed to identifywhich updates are required. The value of this automaticassessment increases with the number of servers in productionand the number of different models and configurationsbeing used.• Dynamic policies are required to reduce the time administratorsmust spend downloading and applying updates. Inproduction environments, organizations value the accuracyand convenience of automated downloads and update distribution.As server configurations change in the data center,dynamic policies can provide a safety net for detectingneeded updates in predefined scenarios and applying themwithout manual administrative intervention.• Comprehensive reporting and notification alerts are needed.Altiris Patch Management Solution for Dell Servers providesgraphical reporting and various automated notification optionsto help administrators track the exact revision levels on existingservers. Alerts can trigger e-mail messages, generate help-desktickets, execute custom processes, forward Simple NetworkManagement Protocol (SNMP) traps, and so forth.• Flexible scheduling capabilities are needed to apply patchesduring off-peak hours. Updating production servers oftenrequires a tightly controlled schedule that supports managementwindows for periodic reboots during off-peak hours.• Advanced software delivery options including bandwidththrottling, checkpoint recovery, and update multicasting arerequired. Environments in which remote production serversmust be updated across slower-bandwidth links are well suitedfor the strengths of Altiris Patch Management Solution for DellServers. In comparison, Altiris Deployment Solution for DellServers offers checkpoint recovery but generally assumes highbandwidthconnections given the nature of server provisioningtasks—such as sending very large image files, scripted installations,and server applications across the network.Altiris tools are specifically designed to advance the updateprocess at different points throughout the server management lifecycle. Because both packages for updating Dell server hardwareare offered as part of the Altiris Server Management Suite for DellServers, organizations can use them together alongside several othermanagement tools—through a single Altiris console.Streamlining management of Dell server environmentsThe integration of Altiris patch management and deploymenttools with the Dell OpenManage 4 infrastructure enables highlyautomated solutions for updating Dell server components. Basedon feedback from server administrators, Altiris has designed theAltiris Server Management Suite for Dell Servers to help streamlinemanagement across the data center. Two components of thissuite—Altiris Deployment Solution for Dell Servers and Altiris PatchManagement Solution for Dell Servers—enhance efficiency by targetingthe unique needs of Dell environments.Todd Mitchell is the Dell alliance technical director at Altiris. Todd has abachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University.Hector Valenzuela is a solutions architect in the Custom Solutions EngineeringGroup at Dell. Hector has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineeringfrom The University of Texas at El Paso.Kevin Winert is a product marketing manager in the Dell OpenManageMarketing Group at Dell. Kevin has a B.S. in Computer Science from BrighamYoung University and an M.B.A. from The University of Houston.Landon Hale manages Dell’s relationship with Altiris within the Dell GlobalAlliances team. Landon has a B.A. in Political Science from Carleton Collegeand an M.B.A. from the Marshall School of Business at the University ofSouthern California.FOR MORE INFORMATIONAltiris Patch Management Solution for Dell Servers:www.altiris.com/products/dellpatchAltiris Deployment Solution for Dell Serverswww.altiris.com/products/delldeployAltiris and Dell solutions:www.altiris.com/dellwww.dell.com/altiriswww.dell.com/powersolutions Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, August 2005. Copyright © 2005 Dell Inc. All rights reserved. DELL POWER SOLUTIONS 41