Foreword

We are a society of connectivity and service. We carry our cell phones, our PDAs, and our laptops and demand connectivity to any resources that we need or want. We have become accustomed to the Internet and its perpetual service that can provide us data 24x7x365. When we do attempt to connect to a Web server that is down, some of us grumble while others move on to competitors to find what they need. Our businesses depend on being in constant contact with our employees, partners, and customers. We must provide constant services, with maximum efficiencies and security.

The cornerstone device of the worldwide network and any business or community network is the powerful server. The server provides the muscle that is required to keep the network functioning and providing the data and features that a hungry connected community requires. Not only must that server function at peak performance, but it must also be able to thwart attacks and viruses that threaten to dismantle stability and business vitality. The server must not fail. The server must perform. The server must be up to date with the latest security measures.

As businesses grow through partnerships it becomes imperative that communication flows freely and securely between corporations. Orders, inventories, sales, contact data, and price and parts lists must be updated constantly and shared appropriately across diverse systems and corporate networks. For you and your partners to work effectively and beat the competition you must be coordinated.

We are placing more demands on our servers, and consequently we are also placing a greater responsibility on our IS&T departments to keep the servers up and accessible to everyone in the system. Not only is IS&T required to keep existing systems up; they must continue to manage an ever growing, sprawling network of servers. They require a solution that is powerful enough to provide the ease of traditional centralized management of any server and that still enables them to monitor and maintain control at each of the diverse server locations. IS&T requires the tools to manage this mass of server power not only through central consoles but through the Internet itself, managing servers anywhere in the world, whether they are connected into your company's private network, the Internet, or a partner's private network. Making sure the data is where it needs to be to make your business strategy sound and the most effective.

ZENworks takes this need seriously. With ZENworks for Servers 3, Novell, Inc. has examined your needs and provided your IS&T department with the tool they need to effectively manage your servers and keep this vital resource functioning. ZENworks combines its SNMP management of network devices with its directory-enabled policy management to provide an all-encompassing product to fully support the servers in your network, providing self-managed servers and freeing your IS&T staff so that they can help you move your company to the next level. And ZENworks knows that your network of servers is not going to be homogenous; therefore its cross-platform solution provides support for any mix of servers you may have, including NetWare, Windows, Linux, and Solaris. Indeed, with ZENworks for Servers 3 providing SNMP and trap management, alarm monitoring, policy-based server management, and Tiered Electronic Distribution (which enables the efficient and secure transfer of applications, patches, virus updates, and any amount of corporate data to any other server in the world) you are set to succeed.

Novell ZENworks for Servers 3 Administrator's Handbook is concentrated exclusively on the deployment and use of ZENworks for Servers in any computing environment. This book covers many aspects and features of ZENworks for Servers, including more advanced subjects, and can make the installation, deployment, troubleshooting, and use of the product a smooth and rewarding process. This book should be in every administrator and server manager's library.

Brad Anderson
Vice President and General Manager
ZENworks
Novell, Inc.