The Future of Systems Management

Systems management is one of today's hottest IS topics. What this topic lacks in flashiness it makes up for in importance. Systems management is not new; the idea has been around since mainframes dominated computing. But systems management is becoming increasingly important for Windows NT environments as growing numbers of business-critical applications and databases run on NT.

Managing these resources means making sure users can run applications, access data, send email, and complete the other computer-related functions their jobs require. Systems management involves resolving all the administrative questions that surround the use of computers: Is a computer down? How well are applications running? How do I add users to the system and grant them privileges? Is the network having problems? How can I deploy applications? How can I ensure that users can access the applications? What can I do to optimize performance? How do I recover information if a server goes down? How do I track compliance to software licensing agreements?

The list of questions systems managers must address goes on, and the proliferation of distributed systems adds more management tasks to the list. No single software package answers all these questions, but Microsoft's management initiatives in NT 5.0 and enhancements to Systems Management Server (SMS) 2.0 help large, heterogeneous IS departments run mission-critical NT applications.

The Next SMS
SMS 2.0 is currently in beta 1. Microsoft might release beta 2 by the third quarter of 1998 and release SMS 2.0 to manufacturing by the end of 1998. The final version will run on NT Server 4.0 on both Intel and Alpha platforms and will support Windows 3.1, Windows 9x, NT Workstation 3.51 and 4.0, and Macintosh clients. Beta 1 requires NT Server 4.0 on an Intel system, Service Pack 3 (SP3), SQL Server 6.5, Internet Explorer (IE) 4.01, a Win32-based client, and an NT or LAN Manager network.

SMS 2.0 beta 1 includes improvements to SMS 1.2's installation, user interfaces (UIs), management information, software distribution capabilities, and scalability. In addition, beta 1 includes software metering, a feature SMS 1.2 doesn't offer.

Easier installation. Installing SMS 1.x requires familiarity with SQL Server, access to a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) or Backup Domain Controller (BDC), and a lot of work. To make SMS setup easier, Microsoft merged SMS 2.0 installation with SQL Server installation. SMS 2.0 includes SQL Server database tools that help administrators who aren't familiar with SQL Server install SMS. In addition, you can install SMS 2.0 on any NT 4.0 server that is a member of a domain; you don't have to install SMS 2.0 on a PDC or BDC.

Better UIs. Microsoft has redesigned the UIs for SMS 2.0. The SMS Administrator program is now a collection of Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins, as Screen 1 shows. This redesign means that the SMS Administrator program is not a standalone application but a module of functionality you snap in to the MMC frame. Eventually, all BackOffice administration programs will be MMC snap-ins, so the administrative UI will be consistent across all BackOffice programs.

Microsoft has also improved the client UI. The SMS 2.0 client interface is a 32-bit agent that remains invisible to the end user except when distribution packages are available. Software distribution in SMS 2.0 leverages the Add/Remove Programs infrastructure and provides a mechanism for administrators to advertise software--to notify users when applications are available for installation from a distribution point at an SMS site. When an application is available and its installation requires user intervention, users see an icon in their taskbar. This concept is similar to NT 5.0's application advertising.