Computer Associates International Inc is set to launch a new desktop management initiative at Comdex today, with support from 13 personal computer manufacturers, including AST Research Inc, Compaq Computer Corp and Dell Computer Corp. The Enterprise/CSI Configuration Standard Initiative, to be delivered free to customers as part of the Unicenter TNG framework, builds on the Desktop Management Task Force’s DMI desktop management interfaces to support such features as pre-loading and waking up of PCs, remote control, software delivery and asset management. CA claims that Intel Corp’s Wired for Management initiative and Microsoft’s Zero Administration Kit are both subsets of the things that it is offering, though it is supporting both Intel’s network computer and wake-up software along with rival Magic Packet software from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. On top of that, CA has added the ability to provide configuration by user ID, meaning that signing on to the network will conjure up a user’s preferred system configuration, using policy based management rules. Also added is software delivery, which requires a complete inventory of software already on the network. The work has arisen in part from the Merit survey Computer Associates carried out in conjunction with Andersen Consulting Inc earlier this year, in which it identified the major causes of downtime experienced by large corporates. CA claims that 200 third parties are now developing or extending products to fit into the TNG framework, making it the most pervasive in the industry.
