Streamlining Dell Server anD Client management …...2010/01/18 · The NetX Appliance—based on Dell hardware, the Dell Management Console, and optional Altiris Client Management
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features and functionality of each possible solution,
but also factors such as implementation, training,
scalability, ease of use, support, and overall cost.
The NetX Appliance—based on Dell hardware, the
Dell Management Console, and optional Altiris Client
Management Suite software from Symantec—is
designed to help administrators quickly deploy a sim-
plified, integrated management solution that they can
use to centrally discover, monitor, manage, and
update Dell servers and clients throughout their orga-
nizations. By helping to streamline both initial imple-
mentation and ongoing management, the NetX
Appliance enables administrators to shift their efforts
from managing their management tools to solving IT
problems, automating tasks, and contributing to their
organization’s success.
ComprehenSive management featureSThe NetX Appliance is designed for rapid deployment
right out of the box using a simple three-step con-
figuration process (see Figure 1). The hardware is built
and supported by the Dell Custom Factory Integration
service and includes an extendable one-year warranty
for on-site, next-business-day service, while the Altiris
software includes phone-based technical support
from Symantec. The appliance supports management
of up to 3,000 client systems from a single Web
browser–based console.
The NetX Appliance comes in a basic and an
enhanced configuration. The basic configuration is
based on a Dell PowerEdge™ R200 rack enclosure with
dual-core Intel® Xeon® processors, 4 GB of RAM, two
250 GB Serial ATA (SATA) drives in a RAID-1 mirrored
configuration, a single power supply, and the Microsoft®
Windows Server® 2003 OS. The enhanced configura-
tion—which should be considered for organizations
planning to run additional Altiris software—uses quad-
core Intel Xeon processors, two 500 GB SATA drives,
and a redundant power supply.
The included Dell Management Console software
is designed to provide a single view into the IT environ-
ment, including discovery, inventory, reporting, hard-
ware monitoring, OS monitoring, and hardware update
functionality for Dell systems. The Altiris Client
Management Suite software, which can be activated
as a separately licensed add-on, adds a wide range of
management functionality, including the following:
Comprehensive inventory:■■ Ability to inventory
virtually any system, including those running
Microsoft Windows®, Novell® NetWare®, Linux®,
Designed for rapid deployment, the NetX Appliance—based on Dell™ hardware, the Dell Management Console, and optional Altiris™ Client Management Suite™ software from Symantec—provides a simple, cost-effective way for admin-istrators to centrally discover, monitor, manage, and update Dell servers and clients throughout their organizations.
By Keith Saltstein
Streamlining Dell Server anD Clientmanagement with the netX applianCe
Figure 1. Simple three-step configuration process for the NetX Appliance
Figure 2. Dell Client Manager Plus portal page in the Dell Management Console
“The NetX Appliance is designed to help administrators quickly deploy a simplified, integrated management solution that they can use to centrally discover, monitor, manage, and update Dell servers and clients throughout their organizations.”
reduCed deployment CoStSAutomation can help significantly stream-
line systems management tasks for
administrators, helping to reduce costs
and increase stability, security, and con-
sistency throughout the IT environment.
However, maintaining point solutions
from multiple vendors to accomplish this
automation can present its own chal-
lenges: in addition to requiring time and
effort to learn each tool and keep them
up-to-date, nonintegrated or proprietary
solutions often cannot evolve effectively
to meet changing requirements.
The Dell Management Console,
included with the NetX Appliance, is
designed not only to provide a holistic
view of the IT environment, but also to
support modular plug-ins that can extend
taking Control with the netX applianCe Delsea Regional School District provides IT services to three school districts in
southwest New Jersey—Delsea Regional High School District, Franklin Town-
ship Public Schools, and Elk Township Public Schools—with a total of 1,300
Dell desktops and laptops distributed across nine buildings. Until recently,
managing, remediating, and refreshing those client systems was a major chal-
lenge. “Everything was basically sneakernet,” says Greg Taylor, shared services
technology coordinator for Delsea. “We did a lot of traveling between buildings,
and we had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get to someone’s computer
and work on it.”
As the 2008–2009 school year came to a close, Taylor decided to look for a
better way. After a product evaluation, he decided on Altiris Client Management
Suite for three reasons. “Number one, I’ve seen Altiris Client Management Suite
in action at other school districts, and I knew that I would be completely happy
with it,” he says. “Number two, I was able to get a specialized version of the
product, called Altiris Management Suite for Dell Clients, that builds upon the
existing free hardware management capabilities of Dell Client Manager. Third, I
was able to get a preconfigured, appliance-based version of the solution through
Symantec Platinum Partner NetX Inc.”
By using the NetX Appliance, Taylor avoided the need to install an OS and
Microsoft SQL Server® database platform, both of which were done ahead of time.
Within five business days, Taylor and his two-person staff were fully trained on
the solution, and the Altiris agents had been pushed out to the 750 endpoints—
the original number budgeted. “NetX left us feeling comfortable, and they were
very efficient,” says Taylor. “The difference in how we’re spending our time now
is remarkable—it’s like typing a document on a computer versus carving it out on
a stone tablet. We started seeing value from the solution right away, so we were
able to get budget approval to roll it out to the 550 client machines at Franklin
Township as well.”
Taylor and his staff can now image PCs, deploy software to client systems,
and troubleshoot remotely without driving out to the campuses, enabling the
team to install and configure 192 new Dell clients in just three weeks. “Altiris
products are going to cut down on our travel by at least 25 percent, if not by
half,” says Taylor.
By helping eliminate the manual process of gathering compliance data, the
Altiris software has also significantly improved patching compliance and end-
point protection for Delsea. “We’re pretty close to 100 percent patch compliance
now, whereas before we were around 75 percent or less,” says Taylor. “I also
discovered through the reports that we had 15 endpoints that had no antivirus
protection, for whatever reason. So I created a task within the product that if
it finds an unprotected computer, it will automatically install antivirus. So now
I can say I know for a fact that we have antivirus on every computer.”
With the time-saving features of Altiris Management Suite for Dell
Clients, Delsea will not need to hire an additional desktop support technician
in the near future—meaning that payback on the solution will be achieved in
less than one year, says Taylor. The Altiris software may also allow the district
to help the community by providing shared IT services to other local entities
as well. “As all the districts expand, we have talked about possibly provid-
ing services to the local municipality—the police department, for example,”
says Taylor. “How far we can stretch as humans is very limited. Symantec is
helping us stretch farther.”
“NetX left us feeling comfortable, and they were very efficient. The difference in how we’re spending our time now is remarkable—it’s like typing a document on a computer versus carving it out on a stone tablet.”
—Greg TaylorShared services technology coordinator for Delsea Regional School DistrictJuly 2009
Altiris Client Management Suite installation and configuration
US$1,900 (1 day) US$1,900 (1 day) Included
Total services cost US$3,800 US$3,800 US$237.50
Total installation cost US$4,599 US$6,025 US$3,232.50
* Hardware and software costs are listed as shown at DELL.COM as of October 15, 2009, for Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition and a Dell PowerEdge R200 server configured with dual-core Intel Xeon E3110 processors at 3.0 GHz; 4 GB of RAM; a Dell Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) 6/iR SATA/SAS controller for two drives in a RAID-1 configuration; two 250 GB, 7,200 rpm SATA hard drives; and Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition. NetX Appliance cost is for the basic configuration as of October 15, 2009.
** Services costs assume a rate of US$237.50/hour (based on US$9,500/week for 5 standard business days), with assumed length of service time specified in parentheses. Software installation and configuration tasks consist of installing and configuring RAID, the OS, patches, drivers, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft IIS, Microsoft ASP.NET, and additional utilities, as well as installing and configuring Altiris Client Management Suite to roll out agents.
Figure 3. Example Dell Management Console deployment costs comparing traditional installations with a NetX Appliance