IBM Corp has spruced up its core NetView for AIX network management environment with release 4.0, at the same time introducing some of the promised enhancements to SystemView for AIX, its graphical user interface-based systems and network management combine of which NetView is part (CI No 2,639). NetView 4.0 gets a new event correlation mechanism and an object collection facility that enables users to group different kinds of nodes together under graphical submaps. An agent policy manager provides centralised configuration of SystemView’s systems monitor; together they support the mid-level manager, a new systems-level manager and system information agents. They also monitor mid-level manager domains via a graphical display and dynamic event window. A new WinSNMP 1.1 Application Programming Interface enables developers to write applications that can communicate with Simple Network Management Protocol 1 and 2 agent devices. Graphical user interface processing has been moved out to clients to free server cycles for additional polling, and version 4.0 can now support up to 30 operator consoles. There is a new set of security services, including user and message authentication, sequential group log-in, access control and administration and audit services for SystemView for AIX users and operators. NetView for AIX 4.1 server costs $15,000, clients cost from $500 and upgrades go for $1,000. New SystemView for AIX features include a system-level manager, that provides local systems management and works in conjunction with the systems monitor.
Critical situations
It can be installed remotely to collect data periodically for NetView. IBM described the mechanism as an intermediate Simple Network Management Protocol manager that filters and off-loads network and systems information, sending only critical situations to top-level management. It runs under AIX 4.1 and 3.2.5. There is also a new version 2.2 of the SystemView for AIX remote distributed configuration management framework which IBM calls the distributed management interface tool, DSMIT; it has additional security features and now supports AIX 4.1 and Solaris clients. Systems Monitor for AIX version 2.2 Mid-Level Manager costs from $1,500, the systems information agent costs $200 and the systems-level manager is priced at $300. Version 2.2 of the distributed management interface tool server costs from $5,000, clients are from $300. There will be a further revision of SystemView before the end of the year to deliver other promised features. OS/2, OS/400, MVS, HP-UX and Solaris implementations are still under way. IBM has signed Accugraph Inc, Bay Networks Inc, Boole & Babbage Inc, BridgeWay Corp, Chipcom Corp, Cisco Systems Inc, Gradient Technologies Inc, Ki Networks Inc, OpenVision Inc, Oracle Corp, Platinum Technology Inc and Unison Software Inc onto an independent software vendor programme for SystemView it’s calling Advance Team, supposedly modelled on its existing NetView Association, which provides varying degrees of access to advance SystemView releases, from $500. All of the new NetView 4.0 features roll over into Digital Equipment Corp’s implementation, called Polycenter Manager on NetView Version 4.1 for Digital Unix. DEC isn’t licensing any of IBM’s object-based SystemView technologies, claiming most of the functionality is already provided by other Polycenter applications, or will feature in its forthcoming Polycenter implementation for Windows NT, which is where most of its network management development resources are going. Polycenter for Windows NT will be announced within a couple of months. DEC’s NetView 4.0 pricing is $15,500 for the server, $700 for clients. The company is looking to the NT work to provide it with SystemView-type functions, including an integrated object framework for network and systems management, database integration and a graphical user interface. NetView – and DEC’s implementation of it – is rooted in the OpenView network management technologies licensed from Hewlett-Packard Co and still command royalty payments.
IBM says it will gradually move off the Hewlett base, but it offers no timeframe.
