Microsoft Systems Management Server

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In terms of cost, a quiet revolution is taking place inside this industry segment. Aggressive as ever on pricing, Microsoft is driving a price war by significantly lowering the going rate for SMS. According to one analyst, SMS has made this a commodity-type market. Officially, SMS costs $889 for 20 desktops, and server nodes are $1779 for 25 servers, but some users report obtaining licenses for one or two dollars as part of larger package deals. LANDesk is priced similarly. Just about everyone is following the SMS lead to lower prices, except Marimba, which remains over $100; however, vendors like to keep discounts close to their chests, so these prices may actually go much lower during negotiations.

Lack of simplicity, though, seems to be the bugbear of SMS and other high-tier and many mid-tier products. Novadigm, LANDesk, and SMS are all accused of excessive complexity by users and analysts. Marimba has made a play against the Novadigm market share by saying it is much simpler and more accurate. Microsoft SMS, too, suffers from complexity. Despite each SMS release stressing how it is far simpler than the previous version, Microsoft still has a long way to go to make SMS truly user friendly.

Nevertheless, Microsoft has been successfully using its market clout to penetrate the systems and software management markets. By offering its SMS at low cost, sometimes free with the purchase of other products, the company has made some progress in expanding the SMS installed base. Although Internet Explorer grabbed more than ninety percent share of the browser market from Netscape, Microsoft's SMS has largely failed to capture the imagination of systems managers primarily due to such factors as complexity and lack of functionality, but that may be changing, as Microsoft has been working hard to address these faults and produce an easy-to-use, full-functionality version of SMS

Microsoft SMS 2.0 addresses software distribution, asset management, and remote troubleshooting:

  • Software Distribution. The software distribution function deploys applications, software updates, and operating systems over the network. It can also remove already installed software. Rather than having to deploy the software to all desktops from a single server, it can send the software package out to site servers to distribute the packages locally, reducing bandwidth requirements. It works with most Windows client versions with the exception of Windows XP Home Edition, 64-bit Windows XP, and Windows XP Embedded (see Chapter 14).

  • Asset Management. The asset management function of SMS inventories all Windows-based software and the machines it runs on. This includes servers, desktops, and laptops. It collects the hardware data using Win32, Simple Network Manage Protocol (SNMP), and the Desktop Management Task Force's Desktop Management Interface (DMI) protocol for centralized inventorying and managing of desktops. It inventories the software by checking each installed executable for version and other information rather than looking at a specific database such as the registry. It also includes a software metering function for monitoring and controlling usage to avoid licensing violations, something that Microsoft is particularly interested in even if its customers are sometimes less concerned about it.

  • Remote Troubleshooting. The SMS troubleshooting functions allow support staff to remotely troubleshoot desktops, laptops, and servers, eliminating the need to visit the units in person, thereby cutting down on costs while providing faster response time and higher first-call resolution rates.

The main problem with SMS, some say, is that it is not exactly what you would call an out-of-the-box tool. A study by NerveWire, Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts) found that it took mid-sized and large enterprises an average of four full-time employees working 36 days to pilot SMS 2.0. After that, it took five personnel fifty days, on average, to roll out SMS. Anyone planning to deploy SMS, therefore, should be well versed in the application by taking Microsoft courses on it and conducting thorough research on how others have fared during the implementation stage.

Microsoft Press offers a host of texts and courses. The Systems Management Server 2.0 Training Kit is one example. It contains an 800-page training guide, plus a CD with supplemental course materials. Alternatively, instructor-led classes, such as the one-day Microsoft Official Curriculum course, are available, as are three- and five-day courses on how to administer, deploy, and support SMS.

Microsoft's efforts to simplify SMS appear to be paying off. While SMS 1.2 required the user to be something of a rocket scientist, the learning curve on version 2.0 is not nearly as steep. That said, the best bet is to hire a Microsoft Certified Solution Provider to assist in implementing SMS and offer advice on best practices, which may take some of the complexity out of the deployment.

Although SMS certainly beats deploying software manually, the NerveWire study found that it still takes about four days of preparation to deploy one update to a thousand workstations. On top of that, its takes a day or two to address machines where installation has failed. Veteran SMS users, however, refute these findings, stating that once users know what they are doing, SMS is much faster to utilize.

So, those who have already purchased SMS or are planning to should make sure to have a realistic estimation of the effort required to deploy it. There is no substitute for know-how, obtained by enrolling in courses, hiring well-trained SMS specialists, or bringing in consultants to deploy it. SMS also enjoys plenty of newsgroup support for help in getting the product up and running.

As an alternative, Microsoft also offers a free downloadable tool called the Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer, but it only notes what versions of Microsoft's own software are on the network.



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Server Disk Management in a Windows Enviornment
Server Disk Management in a Windows Enviornment
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 197

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