---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash Tivoli Announces New Software Applications for Managing Distributed Computer Systems SunFLASH Vol 47 #5 November 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: mturner@rockytop.tivoli.com (Mike Turner) Newsgroups: comp.newprod Subject: Tivoli/Works(tm) 1.5 Organization: TIVOLI Systems, Inc. Contact: John Hime Phone: (512) 794-9070 Contact: Janice Brown Janice Brown and Associates, Inc. (617) 332-8066 Applications Promote Team Approach; Simplify Remote Systems Monitoring, Network-wide Distribution of Software, Other Tasks AUSTIN, Texas (September 8) -- Tivoli Systems, Inc., of Austin, Texas, today announced new software packages that help companies reduce the cost and complexity of managing their distributed computer systems by using teams of systems-management staff. The new applications make it much easier to manage basic system resources such as users and servers, maintain security, perform system monitoring and troubleshooting, and distribute software updates throughout a network. Tivoli also announced the availability of toolkits that let non-programmers and programmers fine-tune the Tivoli applications and build custom team-oriented systems-management applications, respectively. The applications and toolkits initially are available on Sun Microsystems workstations running the Solaris operating environment, a superset of UNIX System V.4. The new software extends the capabilities of the Tivoli Management Environment, a complete software environment that has been endorsed by the computer industry as a breakthrough in managing distributed computers. Based on an object-oriented framework, TME provides easy-to-use management tools, a consistent interface to diverse tasks, and built-in security that enable a collaborative approach to managing distributed computers. The applications and toolkits are also compatible with the base framework selected for the Open Software Foundation's Distributed Management Environment (DME), an important industry software standard forthcoming in 1993 that uses the Tivoli framework as its central technology. The new developer's toolkit, Tivoli/Advanced Development Environment (Tivoli/ADE)(TM), is the first commercially available programmer's kit for building systems-management applications that will be compatible with the OSF DME. "Last year, Tivoli pioneered a new paradigm for managing distributed networks of computers, an object-oriented framework that's become the de facto industry standard for open systems management. In January, we shipped the very first applications compatible with the core systems-management technology selected for the OSF DME. Today, we're delivering a new set of management applications that plug into this framework and provide major productivity gains in managing distributed systems, regardless of their size or complexity," said Tivoli's president Frank Moss. "Companies now have everything they need to get a head start implementing advanced systems-management solutions that will be fully compatible with the DME," said Moss. "Tivoli applications are the first and only software that lets companies distribute systems-management throughout their enterprises, so teams of systems-management professionals can collaborate regardless of their physical location or skill level. This team approach is critical to successful distributed computing." For example, using the Tivoli applications, the senior system manager could elect to delegate the management of user accounts and servers to junior system managers, and focus on developing roles and management policies, monitoring remote systems, and managing the company's software assets. New Applications Improve Management Control, Reduce Network Downtime Using the Tivoli applications, system managers perform key tasks using point-and-click, drag-and-drop techniques or simple English-language commands instead of arcane computer syntax. The new applications are: Tivoli/Works(TM) Release 1.5, a consolidated and updated version of Tivoli's core applications for primary resource and security management, introduced earlier this year. Featuring many improvements in the area of enhanced functionality, usability and performance, Tivoli/Works manages basic system resources, including users, clients/servers, Network Information Service (NIS), and security services; Tivoli/Courier(TM), for automatically distributing software throughout the network; and Tivoli/Sentry(TM), for remotely monitoring systems to spot problems and minimize system downtime. All applications are based on the Tivoli Management Framework, which comprises object-oriented and management services designed specifically for systems management. The framework lets system managers map out and manage any distributed system as a collection of objects instead of as a set of low-level computer files. During software installation, an auto-installation facility automatically converts all resources in an existing installation into objects, and stores them in an object database ready for use by Tivoli applications. The Tivoli framework models the system to match the way system managers like to work. Tivoli/Courier and Tivoli/Sentry use a unique "management by subscription" approach, which lets system managers describe a management policy, indicate those resources to which it pertains, and produce a template that automatically updates the subscribing resources without the need to update each machine individually. Through the subscription method, system managers can easily build simple programs that simultaneously manage similar resources, replacing the traditional process of managing each resource individually using complex, protocol-driven network-management applications. Tivoli/Works Tivoli/Works includes the Tivoli Management Framework and is the foundation for the other applications. It gives system managers control over core system resources, including users and user accounts, clients and servers, Network Information Service (NIS), and security services based on the Kerberos standard. New features in Tivoli/Works include support for the OSF/Motif graphical user interface; enhancements to managing NIS netgroups maps; interface enhancements, including more user feedback, detailed error messages, and expanded notification and auditing services; and faster installation. Developing and enforcing management policies -- the rules and guidelines that keep computer networks functioning and secure -- is greatly simplified using Tivoli/Works. System managers can interactively and easily break down their system into "policy regions" that represent functional, departmental or geographic groups reflecting their organizations. An advanced, multi-level policy-setting mechanism lets system managers specify acceptable values for individual resources -- a big advantage, because UNIX traditionally allows only all-or-nothing access to system resources. This means that system managers can securely parcel out key systems management tasks to more junior administrators and end-users without giving up root-password access. The ability to securely delegate or distribute systems management is critical as networks get larger and more complex, noted Moss. Tivoli/Works gives system managers a single network-level view of all resources under management and the ability to make both local and global changes with ease. The software also provides a unified interface and simplified way for managing Network Information Service (NIS) and the Kerberos Authentication Service, two popular UNIX network services. As resources are created, modified or deleted, Tivoli/Works automatically updates these services, transparent to the system manager. Tivoli/Works is fully integrated with the other applications, providing a consistent set of systems-management tools for users. Tivoli/Courier Tivoli/Courier brings Macintosh-like simplicity to the task of getting software updates to users -- identified by many system managers as the number-one problem in distributed systems management. With Tivoli/Courier, system managers can automatically distribute updates, eliminating the need to directly install software on each client or server. With a few mouseclicks and simple commands, the system manager identifies as a module any applications package or collection of files, indicates the machines that subscribe to the software, and automatically distributes the module to these computers. Tivoli/Courier provides better management control over software assets and helps ensure consistent software configuration across the network, reducing the chance of user problems due to inconsistent software versions or incomplete installation. Built-in tools let system managers validate the configuration of each desktop computer or server prior to installation to verify its readiness, "push" the module to subscribing systems, confirm the update post-installation, and specify licensing constraints and operating mode (for example, protected mode) of the installed files -- all from the system manager's desktop. Any set of software or programs can be defined as a module for distribution, including popular third-party applications software, proprietary applications, and system configuration files. Software modules can reside on any node in the network, and not all packages need to reside in the same place. Once update instructions have been finalized, they can be pushed to all subscribing computers immediately, or scheduled for later distribution during off hours. Tivoli/Sentry Tivoli/Sentry helps system managers manage local and remotely located computers, to spot problems and correct them, reducing network downtime. System managers can build custom "sentries" that monitor portions of the network or the entire system. No programming or working with low-level protocols is required. Once various sentries are established, they can be distributed throughout the enterprise for better management control or provided as templates for local adaptation and implementation by more junior systems management staff. A simple, graphical interface leads system managers through the tasks of specifying key characteristics of computers and services to be monitored, defining sampling frequency, and defining a list of workstations that will subscribe to the monitoring service. Tivoli/Sentry presents the system manager with a list of common system resources, such as filesystem usage, from which to choose; the list can be extended through the addition of any resource that can be queried by a standard UNIX command. A selection of responses to system alarms can be triggered by Tivoli/Sentry, including feedback to the Tivoli Management Environment, electronic mail messages, or initiating user-supplied programs that, for example, fire off a pocket pager. Tivoli/Sentry generates detailed audit records for spotting recurring trends and improved site planning. Toolkits Enable Extensibility The toolkits let companies tune Tivoli applications to the specific needs of their enterprise networks. Using the Tivoli/Application Extension Facility (Tivoli/AEF)(TM), nonprogrammers can customize Tivoli applications by adding new functions and changing the graphical user interface. No knowledge of the object-oriented architecture or programming languages is required. Tivoli/AEF includes easy-to-use language tools; commands and utilities for attaching user-supplied functions, including shell scripts; and complete documentation with several examples. Tivoli/AEF helps companies migrate their existing system-management programs to an emerging industry standard, protects investments in current tools and scripts, and provides a secure, standard way for system managers to transfer expertise to more junior staff. Tivoli/Advanced Development Environment (Tivoli/ADE)(TM) is a complete development environment for commercial and corporate software developers who want to build distributed systems management applications for the Tivoli Management Environment and compatible with the industry standard for systems management being promoted by OSF, UNIX International and major UNIX system suppliers. Tivoli/ADE provides open access to all the interfaces, tools and concepts within the Tivoli Management Environment. It lets developers construct user interfaces, model system resources, create new objects, and build communications hooks into other applications. The need for writing complex system management scripts is thus eliminated. Applications created with the toolkit are fully architecture- and network-independent, are fully interoperable across computing networks, and will integrate smoothly with the DME standard when it becomes available. Tivoli/ADE includes documentation, a build environment with files for compiling and linking ADE applications, debugging tools, runtime libraries, training and hotline technical support. Tivoli Management Environment Introduced in January 1992, the Tivoli Management Environment is the first software environment designed specifically for managing open networks of distributed computers. TME provides a simple, consistent interface to diverse operating systems, applications, and distributed services, as well as secure delegation of systems management tasks throughout the enterprise. The environment includes: -- the framework, including a rich set of object and management services, built-in security services, and a migration path to the DME; -- easy-to-use system management facilities, including policies, roles, and notification services; -- a system manager's desktop, with graphical and command-line options; and -- the system-management applications and toolkits. Pricing and Availability Current Tivoli customers will automatically receive the new software and toolkits. Tivoli is offering new customers a special start-up package based on a 50-node network, which comprises Tivoli/Works (includes the Tivoli Management Environment), Tivoli/Sentry, and Tivoli/Courier; Tivoli/AEF; one full year of support and product updates; and two days of on-site consulting and training. The Tivoli Start-Up package is priced at $30,000 (a $46,200 value). Other packages are available, comprising Tivoli/Works, Tivoli/Courier and Tivoli/Sentry. Prices start as low as $375/node for a 500-node license. Tivoli/AEF is priced at $3,000 per site, and Tivoli/ADE is priced starting at $26,500 for a three-seat developers' installation. All products are available October 1. System requirements for Tivoli software are a Sun Microsystems SPARC workstation running Solaris 1.0 (SunOS 4.1 or 4.1.1 or above) with 8 MB RAM (16 MB RAM for primary host) and 30 MB hard disk storage recommended (primary host system only); OPEN LOOK 2.0 and derivatives or OSF/Motif; NFS (recommended); and a quarter-inch cartridge tape drive for installation. Founded in 1989, Tivoli Systems is the premier provider of standards-based software that dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of managing distributed computer systems. Tivoli is dedicated to supporting major industry standards affecting systems management, and actively participates in the Open Software Foundation, UNIX International and the Object Management Group. In addition to its central role in the OSF DME, the Tivoli object-oriented framework is being integrated with two popular versions of UNIX, Solaris and System V.4, under agreements with their providers, SunSoft and UNIX Systems Laboratories, respectively. Tivoli, Tivoli Management Environment, Tivoli Management Framework, Tivoli/Works, Tivoli/Sentry, Tivoli/Courier, Tivoli/AEF, and Tivoli/ADE are trademarks of Tivoli Systems, Inc. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. UNIX and OPEN LOOK are registered trademarks of UNIX Systems Laboratories, Inc. SunOS and Sun Microsystems are trademarks and Solaris is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. SPARC is a registered trademark of SPARC International. Kerberos is a trademark of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. OSF, OSF/Motif and Distributed Management Environment are trademarks of the Open Software Foundation. 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