IBM Corp Monday launches a new version of its Netfinity Manager software designed to ease network management and lower total cost of ownership by providing tight integration with Tivoli Systems’ system management software. Version 5.2 of Netfinity Manager includes a module that enables network administrators to launch the Netfinity software on a remote server, from a host-based Tivoli TME console. A spokesperson for IBM said the two management platforms had always enjoyed a certain level of integration, for example the ability to recognize network alert signals, but now the integration is so tight you can get the same functionality of a Netfinity console from a Tivoli platform. In everyday terms this means a network manager can sit at a console in the office headquarters and access data from a Netfinity server at a remote branch. This not only makes the entire network easier to manage, it also reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO); something every IT and network administrator perpetually strives for, the spokesperson said. The Netfinity Manager code is split in two with one part on the server and one on the client side. The client software comes pre-loaded with the majority of new IBM PCs and laptops and Netfinity Manager 5.2 is bundled free with every Netfinity server product. But you can also buy the latter for non-IBM servers. The spokesperson said that later this year, the client software will be replaced with IBM and Intel’s recently-announced Universal Management Agent, which will enable the client PC to share data with a greater number of server platforms on top of Netfinity and Tivoli’s TME. Additionally, Version 5.2 includes the Update Connector Manager: a piece of software that enables network administrators to poll PCs on the network and see what BIOS and operating system they are running. The software can then automatically download the latest release of the product from the internet and schedule the best time to download the software.
