White Paper: Software and Client Management with Empirum …ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2004/07/23/143798/Techn_WP_Empirum9_5_Eng.pdfWhite Paper: Software and Client Management with Empirum

White Paper: Software and Client Management with Empirum PRO 9.5

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction: about Empirum PRO 9.5

2. The Modular Setup of Empirum

2.1. Overview

2.2. Empirum Manager

2.3. Empirum Configurator

2.3.1. Empirum Package Wizard

2.3.2. Empirum Scripts

2.3.3. Empirum MSI Suite

2.4. Empirum Installer

2.5. Empirum Personal Backup

3. Supported Infrastructure / System Requirements

4. Client Management with Empirum PRO

4.1. How to Create and Distribute Software

Packages with Empirum

4.2. The Role Model

4.3. Activation of a Rollout Process

4.4. Monitoring during the Rollout Process

4.5. Operating System Installations with Empirum

4.6. The Empirum ‘Mobile Client Concept’

4.7. Terminal Server

5. Inventory, Reporting, Alarm Management

6. Connection to External System Management

Solutions

7. Features Overview

Copyrights

The information in this document is provided in connection with the matrix42 products. This document neither expressly nor implicitly nor in any other way grants any rights to intellectual property. matrix42 does not take any responsibility as regards the sale and / or use of matrix42 products, including any warranties or guarantees, which involve the merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or the infringement of a patent, copyright or other intellectual property right, except as provided in the General Terms and Conditions of matrix42 for the sale of such products. matrix42 reserves the right to modify specifications and product descriptions at any time without prior notice. You can find the latest product information under http://www.matrix42.de

Copyright 2000-2003, matrix42 AG. All rights reserved.


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1. Introduction: about Empirum PRO 9.5

With Empirum PRO, you can manage the entire stock

of PCs, servers, and software of your enterprise

efficiently and make it available from one central

location. The modular software is completely database-

based and the central management console allows you

to use all features intuitively and in an interconnected

manner: this means you can easily distribute, install, or

modify any system component with Empirum—

operating system, applications, personal settings, and

files. Empirum PRO consistently combines this so-

called lifecycle approach with sophisticated, role-based

configuration management. By means of drag & drop,

you can group enterprise-wide systems and users and

afterwards distribute the required software to them. The

configuration standards defined in this manner can be

inherited within an administration group and allow you

to create homogeneous, easy-to-manage structures

even in decentral IT environments.

Thanks to comprehensive scaling and monitoring

functions, you can control and monitor installation and

rollout processes in line with your requirements.

Empirum PRO can be integrated into existing IT

infrastructures and other IT management solutions

either completely or as a modular supplement. The

centralized inventory of all systems together with

consolidated reporting and alarm management is the

basis which ensures maximum transparency of your IT

infrastructure. By means of inventory history and alarm

mechanisms, the administrator is informed of changes

regarding the memory of a PC just as promptly as of a

failed installation of the latest virus patch on specific

PCs.

Empirum PRO—Manage. Save. Relax.

2. The Modular Setup of Empirum

2.1 Overview

Empirum PRO is a homogeneous PC management

suite consisting of four basic modules:

Central management of all PCs/users of various sites.

Integrated inventory, reporting, and alarm management.

Software distribution and installation. Includes the MSI

suite and the Empirum Package Wizard.

Automated installation of operating systems.

Configuration backup and restoration.

All modules are proprietary developments of matrix42

AG and can be combined at will; they can be used

separately or combined with other management

solutions. The systematic approach of proprietary

development of the applied technologies makes it

possible to integrate the Empirum modules much more

thoroughly than would have been achievable via the

usual market approach of integrating other OEM

products. The user can therefore enjoy maximum

benefit if he or she uses all modules together.

The entire suite is operated centrally via the Empirum

Management Console (EMC). All modules

communicate with each other by means of the

underlying MS SQL/Oracle database. In order to make

the overall system performant and scalable, the

communication with the nodes (computers, users)

managed by Empirum has been separated from the

database and shifted to control files. This means that a


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large number of systems can be managed

simultaneously in one database without risking a central

communications bottleneck.

The design of each Empirum module permits direct

mapping and management of virtually any existing

infrastructure (network, locations, domains,

NDS/ADS...) and simplified communication with existing

management systems.

2.2 Empirum Manager

Empirum Manager is the central link of the Empirum

suite. It is based on one or more SQL databases and

allows you to use the features of all modules centrally in

one graphical work environment, the so-called Empirum

Management Console (EMC).

This administration interface permits direct access,

control, and monitoring of all software-related

processes. Due to the role-based1 working method,

complex tasks can be carried out simultaneously for

any number of PCs or users. This includes, for

instance, the compilation of PC standard configurations,

consisting of software, operating system and all

configuration settings, as well as the initiation and

monitoring of software rollouts or complete migrations.

1 See section 4.2

Features of Empirum Manager:

• Role-based configuration management

• Rollout monitoring and status overview

• Automatic cancellation of rollouts if a specified

threshold is exceeded.

• Creating off-line installation packages (CD/DVD

distribution).

• Inventory incl. history and export function

• Reporting on the basis of pre-defined Crystal

Reports® or database export routines. Exportable

to multiple formats (html, XLS, pdf...)

• Alarm management—diverse events within

Empirum can trigger SNMP traps, mails, or other

activities. For instance, the system can send an e-

mail to the administrator if the memory on a

workstation changes.

• Administration of rights—within the Empirum PRO

suite, administration rights can be assigned for

diverse administrative tasks.

• Empirum allows both the administration of

“computers” and “users”. Moreover, Empirum offers

the option to assign any desired number of

attributes (variables) to computers and users.

These attributes may be asset information, such as

leasing period and location, but also script

variables for customized software installations.

• Synchronization of locations—automated

synchronization of the central server with the

depots or locations.

• LDAP interface for ADS and NDS directory

services.

• Integration of any remote control solutions and

other external tools.


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2.3 Empirum Configurator

Empirum Configurator contains all functions needed to

create packages (preparation of automated installation),

distribute and install applications, patches, service

packs, printer drivers, and any other system

adaptations.

On the client-side, the basis is a modular agent which

receives the installation and configuration commands

and carries them out with the appropriate rights. By

means of a wizard, the agent can be exactly and easily

adjusted to the requirements of the enterprise. One

special feature is the Mobile Agent. It is specially

designed for the requirements of notebook users and

permits bandwidth-dependent “package caching”. This

means the decision whether software is transmitted to a

mobile end device (notebook) is made on the package

level depending on currently available bandwidth. For

example, you can specify that a security patch always

has to be transmitted and installed immediately,

whereas the update of an OfficeXP installation is only to

be carried out when high bandwidth is available in the

LAN.

The installation of the agent on existing systems is

performed by an integrated application for ‘agent

distribution’ and can be initiated centrally during system

runtime.

The distribution of software can be computer- and/or

user-related. This means that ‘roaming application’ and

‘roaming user’ concepts can be implemented. For each

distribution package, multiple distribution criteria and

dependencies can be defined. You can, for instance,

define the following criteria for OfficeXP: OfficeXP is

only to be installed on PCs using Win2000 or WinXP as

an operating system, with at least 256 MB RAM and/or

at least 250 MB free memory on the application drive,

and where IE 6.0—but not ‘Staroffice’—is installed.

If the distribution definition is made without Empirum

Manager, the distribution destinations are defined either

directly from within the “Configurator” console or by

means of group memberships in domains or directory

services. Integration into existing solutions can be

implemented without any significant effort.

Empirum distributes and installs both the installation

routines delivered by software manufacturers (such as

MSI or InstallShield®), and proprietary developments

without installation programs. The basis of every

distribution is the process of creating packages, i.e.

preparing software for automatic distribution and

installation on multiple end devices. Empirum

Configurator supports several procedures:

2.3.1 Empirum Package Wizard

This application uses a status analysis to make out all

changes occurred during installation and subsequent

configuration on a reference PC. It is able to distinguish

machine-related parts from user-related parts of the

installation. After the system conditions (before and

after the installation) have been analyzed, Empirum

creates a modifiable script. Wherever possible, this

script uses the Microsoft APIs (Application Program

Interfaces for the operating system) for the installation

on the end device (performed by the Empirum Agent).

Empirum can therefore carry out installations with

maximum flexibility and fault tolerance, since printers,

services or ODBC installations are directly forwarded to

the operating system, and DLLs and other system

components are registered and/or deregistered

correctly.

2.3.2 Empirum Scripts

Besides using installation scripts automatically

generated by the wizard, it is also possible to create

one’s own scripts. These scripts support many

commands for system modification, registry handling,

file handling, and the administration of rights and can

therefore automatically carry out every feasible change

on the PCs. Tools for the adaptation of specific

configuration files, such as SAP.ini and

TNSNAMES.ora are also included. Due to the

application of ‘computer’ / ‘user’ variables, these

changes are customizable and are performed according

to the customization during the runtime.


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2.3.3 Empirum MSI Suite

Tools for the simplified application of the MSI

technology in the context of software distribution are

delivered along with Empirum Configurator. This is the

only way to combine the advantages of the traditional

installation method (flexibility, customization) with the

ones of the MSI technology (standardization, self-

healing).

The following tools are included:

• MSI Converter—Conversion of Empirum scripts to

MSI databases (MSI jobs). The MSI Converter

allows you to create new MSI installation jobs. By

using a so-called Custom.dll (manufacturer

extension), the range of functionalities of MSI is

increased considerably.

• MSI Transformer—Creates installation instructions

for unattended installations (MST files). This is

achieved by means of logging and transforming a

simulated MSI installation.

• MSI Patcher—After having performed MSI

installations on PCs, changes to the installation

(e.g. file updates) can no longer be carried out by

simply exchanging files. The “self-healing” feature

included in MSI would always try to restore the

original state. The MSI Patcher makes it possible to

implement the desired changes both on PCs which

have already been installed and on the

administrative sources.

2.4 Empirum Installer

With Empirum Installer, you can prepare and carry out

fully automated operating system installations

conveniently and easily. Any 32-bit Microsoft® Windows

Workstation and Server operating system is supported.

Besides the default ‘unattended’ installation procedure,

the ‘imaging’ solution “Ghost” of SymantecTM is fully

integrated (licenses have to be acquired separately).

The installations are based on graphically created EIS

scripts, which are processed by the Empirum Installer

Script (EIS) Interpreter. The latter detects the hardware

used, sets up a network connection, dynamically

generates the required ‘unattended’ files, partitions and

formats, copies the operating system source files and

required drivers, and finally initiates the fully automated

and customized operating system installation.

The integrated driver database of Empirum Installer

enables hardware detection which allows untrained staff

to easily install PCs even without knowing the

destination hardware. Empirum detects the required

drivers and copies/installs them during the operating

system installation. The driver database is initially filled

with 3 CDs included in the scope of supply of Empirum

and can be updated anytime via on-line update. A

further wizard makes the import of your own drivers or

new drivers a very simple task. Apart from the basic

drivers for NICs, graphics and sound cards, P&P drivers

(such as chip set, modem, USB...) are supported.

Operating system installations are started by means of

boot disks, PXE images (Preboot Execution

Environment), or an Empirum partition created on the

PC. Combined with PXE and WOL (Wake On LAN), a

fully automated operating system installation or

migration can be initiated and monitored remotely at a

preset time.

Three basic installation types are available:

• Auto—The installation is carried out without having

to make any entries. Any definitions made

beforehand (e.g. IP address, computer name...) are

taken into account.

• Manual—Installation templates can be selected

from a list during installation. Optionally, you can

also make entries during the installation (e.g. PC

name) in this mode.

• Template—Fully automated installation. The

installation instructions are dynamically generated

from the PC properties of the “Empirum Manager”

database and the operating system specifications

of the “Installer”.


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The operation of Empirum Installer is divided into five

major sections:

1. Creating disks or PXE images—Disks and PXE

images for operating system installation can be created

on the basis of predefined disk templates. Templates

for Microsoft and Novell networks, Ghost installations

and spy disks/images are included. The spy disks serve

to automatically read hardware information in order to

simplify the integration of drivers.

2. Operating system configuration—Reproduced

original dialog boxes allow you to easily create

installation instructions for the diverse operating

systems. The settings refer to country and language

settings, video settings, network and system service

configurations, services to be installed, as well as

games and extended applications (e.g. IE, Novell

Client, MSN Messenger), etc.

3. PXE administration—Allows you to activate (incl.

WOL) and monitor PXE-based installations as well as to

adjust PXE images later on. If the “Installer” is used

together with Empirum Manager, the latter performs the

activations and creates the installation files.

4. Software administration—The files required for the

installation (operating system, IE, Novell Client, Option

Pack) can be imported easily. Multiple languages and

MUI (“Multi User Interface”) are supported.

5. Hardware—Administration of the integrated driver

database. Allows you to update the local database on-

line via the matrix42 FTP server or another source

(driver CD collection provided) as well as to import your

own hardware drivers.

2.5 Empirum Personal Backup

Empirum Personal Backup was developed in order to

be able to completely restore a PC after a hardware or

software failure, or in the case of an intended re-

installation or migration. Personal Backup backs up

application configurations and data on a network drive

or some other storage medium in regular intervals.

Backups are performed incrementally and can be

stored in several generations.

By means of the Empirum Management Console, you

can control which data/settings are to be stored at

which point of time. The restore process can be started

by the user or, in the case of a re-installation of a PC,

performed automatically (‘Exact Disaster Recovery’).

Personal Backup can be called, for instance, via a login

script or the startup group. The user is not disturbed in

his or her work by a permanent backup.

Definitions of many common software applications and

operating system settings are included in the scope of

supply. These definitions use dynamic variables and

therefore ensure that both backup and restore

(recovery) processes are independent of the installation

directories and/or drives. You can easily create and

modify your own definitions. To support migrations, the

backup and restore behavior can be customized for

diverse operating systems.

3. Supported Infrastructure / System

Requirements

As has been described above, Empirum uses one or

more SQL databases to administrate all information.

Besides the database servers, Empirum knows service

and depot servers. The system services, required by

Empirum for communication with the database or the

end devices, run on the service servers. Depot servers

are needed for load distribution and accommodate files

(packages) required for the installation of operating

systems and applications/patches. With Empirum, the

number of parallel installations permitted can be

specified individually for each depot. This means that

the optimum utilization can be defined according to the

specific network structure.

The simplest case is that all Empirum servers are

combined in one system. This installation type is

absolutely adequate for enterprises with one company

site and several hundred PCs. In more complex

structures with more than a thousand PCs and multiple

sites, these servers can be divided into several

systems.


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At the server, Empirum supports the following systems:

• Databases—MSDE Runtime, MSSQL 2000, Oracle

8.1.6+/9i

• Database servers—Windows NT/2000/2003, Linux,

Unix, Netware

• Service servers—Windows NT/2000/2003, Linux

• Depot servers (with PXE)—Windows

NT/2000/2003, Linux

• Depot servers without a PXE service of their own—

Windows NT/2000/2003, Linux, Unix, Netware, and

all devices which can provide shared permissions

(e.g. NAS).

The communication of the servers with each other is

performed via ODBC database connections and/or

shared permissions. The depots, which may be located

at different sites, are kept up-to-date with the help of

Empirum Sync. This program is implemented as a

system service. At predefined points of time, it

synchronizes the depots with the central server and

transfers the inventory and log information generated by

the end devices to the central service servers.

In order to ensure the flexibility and scalability of

Empirum, we take care during the development to keep

the client/server communication abstract and to allow

the integration into existing infrastructures. The

Empirum Activation Service writes any installation

information configured in the database (which operating

system or which software is to be de/installed when,

how and where) into so-called ‘client information files’.

The latter are text files which are stored in the depots

and read and interpreted by the agents installed on the

PCs. The depots return any information created by the

PC, e.g. inventory and log, to the service servers, and

the corresponding Empirum services write it to the

database. For this reason, direct communication

between the end devices and the central Empirum

servers is not required. This makes it possible to

administrate and manage any number of end

devices/users simultaneously with one central

database. If you want to administrate very large

environments or several independent clients (“MSP”,

Managed Service Providers), you can access several

databases from one Empirum console and transfer

information of the diverse databases automatically to a

central reporting database.


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4. Client Management with Empirum

PRO

4.1 How to Create and Distribute

Software Packages with Empirum

Empirum offers manifold options to assign software to

end devices, to distribute it, and install it. Some of the

available assignment options are:

• Information on the rights of the directory service(s)

used (ADS, NDS, domain...).

• Filters based on inventory data (e.g. PCs whose

service pack level is less than 6 or whose memory

is at least 256 MB).

• ‘Software-On-Demand’ provides users with a

shopping cart containing selected software

packages for autoinstallation.

• Roles and configuration groups

• Predefined software groups to which PCs can be

assigned.

4.2 The Role Model

The most powerful and efficient option to manage

software even in large environments is the Empirum

role model. It is based on the definition of function- and

organization-related configuration groups. The groups

are set up hierarchically and inherit the properties of the

superordinate groups. In addition to these inherited

properties, special additional attributes can be assigned

to every group. This means that any configuration

required by the organization can be defined easily from

a small number of basic configurations. The advantage

is that you do not need to constantly redefine default

values which you have defined before, i.e. you can omit

them. Of course, you can define exceptions. In practical

operation, configuration groups (roles) are frequently

defined for the individual departments. Every single

group describes which software and which operating

system are to be assigned to which users or PCs. You

can assign any number of elements to a group. For this

reason, it takes only a few mouse clicks to replace a PC

or to configure a large number of new PCs. To update

applications or to distribute service packs, it is only

required to assign/replace the specific distribution

package within the corresponding configuration group.

In the background, Empirum makes sure that the

required client information files are created and

distributed automatically. The customization is based on

the intelligent combination of the general configuration

(templates) and the specific configuration of the PC or

user (inventory/variables).

4.3 Activation of a Rollout Process

Once you have defined the configuration groups and

assigned all users and/or PCs, the subsequent step is

the activation. The activation defines via a wizard the

sequence of the installations. Operating system

installations, PXE, WOL, and software installations can

be selected. In the case of software installations, a

scheduler can be used to define the temporal conditions

for the installation or deinstallation process. You can set

deadlines, intervals and TTL (‚Time-To-Live’) in order to

determine that a deinstallation is to be carried out after

their expiration.

On the end devices, various installation situations can

occur. The decisive criteria are the configuration of the

agent and the settings of the “Activate” process—the

responsible person for these details is the administrator.

If no user is logged on to the system, the installations

are carried out completely in the background (e.g. at

night). If a user is logged on, the administrator can

decide, whether


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a) the user is informed of the installation and of its

expected duration, which would allow him to postpone

the installation, or whether

b) the installation is carried out immediately.

In neither case, the user will be logged off because of

an installation and thus be forced to interrupt his or her

work. If several packages are to be installed, Empirum

minimizes the number of required reboots and asks the

user if the required reboot should be performed

immediately.

4.4 Monitoring during the Rollout

Process

The monitoring function allows the administrator to

permanently view all status and process information

regarding an installation command.

Depending on the context, the following details are

available:

Status—Displays the overall status of a PC or a group.

The status is determined from inventory data and the

installation log.

Log—Provides a detailed list of all distribution activities

for the selected PC or group. The list displays success,

errors, ‘requirements’ which were not met (package or

hardware dependencies) and ‘running’ (installation is

active).

SetupErrorLog—Contains details regarding errors

occurred and installation routine messages displayed

on the screen of the corresponding end device.

Rollout coordination—Active overview of all installations

currently or recently performed. The view is

automatically refreshed in real time.

You can set filters for all views and sort the views. In

addition, the integrated alarm function makes it possible

to send e-mails or SNMP traps in the case of specified

events.

The bundling of diverse functions constantly provides

the IT administrators with absolute transparency of all

software distribution processes.

The so-called ‘rollout termination’ is a unique

functionality. It allows the administrator to define a

threshold of installation failures. If this threshold is

reached, the rollout or installation process will be

cancelled automatically and completely. Even if

comprehensive tests have been performed, you can

never be completely sure that installations work without

any problems—especially if you use original

manufacturer routines. An automated cancellation limits

the damage which might occur.

4.5 Operating System Installations with

Empirum

If the operating system installation via PXE was

selected when activating a group or PC, the PCs will be

reinstalled fully automatically the next time they are

booted (scheduling e.g. via WOL). The basis of this

automatism is the interconnection between the two

Empirum Modules “Manager” and “Installer”. In the

Installer module, all preparations are made in order to

install PCs fully automatically.

The dialog boxes displayed when creating PXE images

or boot disks or when preparing the driver

administration are easy to understand and simplify the

import of operating system, Internet Explorer, and

service pack files. The driver administration is a unique

feature of Empirum. All drivers relevant during an

operating system installation are administrated and

provided in a comprehensive database. Empirum

detects the required drivers prior to the installation and

automatically uses them during the installation.

Therefore, only the actually required drivers will be

copied to the PCs, instead of installing all known

drivers. Since the drivers are constantly kept up-to-date

by matrix42 via on-line update, there is significantly less

administration and adaptation effort for the

administrators.


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The actual installation instructions for the operating

system to be installed are defined by means of the

Empirum dialogs which are very similar to the original

Microsoft configuration dialogs. The settings you can

make here refer to country settings, partitioning

instructions, components to be installed, and so on.

Installation templates for all provided operating systems

can thus be created in an absolutely simple and

efficient manner.

Once these preparations have been made, the task of

the administrator or service staff is limited to assigning

a template to a configuration group and activating it

subsequently. Empirum combines the unambiguous

information for each PC specified in the database with

the general information of the template. The hardware

of the user is not relevant, since Empirum selects and

installs the correct drivers automatically.

Besides a plain new installation, “Disaster Recovery” or

migrations are the main reasons for the complete

installation of a PC. By combining the modules

“Installer”, “Configurator”, and “Personal Backup”,

Empirum allows you to exactly restore or migrate the

PCs including all changes / configurations made by the

user. In order to initiate a complete ‘recovery’ process,

the administrator merely has to activate the PC for

reinstallation. In the case of OS migrations, the

operating system template assigned to the configuration

group is replaced by a new one beforehand. In the case

of a reinstallation/migration, Empirum automatically

installs all components belonging to the configuration

role and restores the personal configuration and data.

4.6 The Empirum ‘Mobile Client

Concept’

The use of notebooks is a special feature when working

with Empirum. Just as with stationary PCs in the LAN

environment, the aim is to distribute the operating

system and software quickly and automatically. In the

notebook environment with its changing locations and

connection types, some special characteristics have to

be observed, however. The “Empirum Mobile Client”

was developed in order to distribute software to

notebooks while taking into account the available

bandwidth, and to permit installations at preset dates

even if no network connection exists. The concept

consists of three components:

1. The Empirum Partition—allows the complete

reinstallation of the operating system without a network

connection.

2. The Mobile Client—the modified Empirum Agent

sets up a local cache depot, depending on the assigned

software. Installations are performed locally and any

information required is transferred to/from the client

automatically (log, inventory, variables, control files...).

The minimum bandwidth permissible can be specified

globally or individually for each software package. The

bandwidth is detected by a service prior to each server

contact.

3. Off-line CD Creation—allows the compilation of

CD/DVD storage media with the complete information

required for off-line installation. The contents are

optionally transferred to the cache depot and installed

locally afterwards.


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Empirum therefore supports client management tailored

to the requirements of mobile staff. For instance, the

administrator can define that a hot fix is carried out

even in the case of ISDN connections, while a large

update of the Office package is to be transmitted in the

LAN only. Installations can be scheduled independent

of network connections.

4.7 Terminal Server

In many companies, terminal or Citrix servers exist

besides the usual client/server environments with

traditional PCs or notebooks as end devices. The

terminal or Citrix servers usually fulfill special

requirements and serve both “fat clients” and “thin

clients”. Empirum offers the option to use the

advantages of customized software distribution and

configuration in a terminal server environment. Apart

from automated server installation, the option to

distribute identical software packages to PCs and

terminal servers is an important feature. The effort for

the creation of packages is thus reduced, and real

customization (application configuration) is ensured for

all registered users. In addition, the Empirum module

“Personal Backup” makes it possible to transfer

configurations and personal data (such as bookmarks

etc.) from the terminal server to the PCs and vice versa.

5. Inventory, Reporting, Alarm

Management

One central component of the Empirum PRO concept is

based on the sharing of important data by all modules.

The primary source of most system information is the

comprehensive Empirum inventory. This application

regularly determines the entire hard- and software

properties of the administrated PCs and servers

(Windows and Linux) and stores them in the central

Empirum database. Among the determined details are

memory, operating system incl. service pack, network

configuration and installed software packages. Very

detailed hardware information is scanned by means of a

DMI scanner. Software can be accurately determined

via the entries in the system and via a reference list

(include and exclude list).

The data included in the inventory is applied to

dynamically customize operating system installations,

as mentioned above. Filters can be created easily and

allow you to export data selectively or to use it as a

special software distribution target.

Changes to the systems included in the inventory are

stored by means of the configurable ‘history function’

and forwarded optionally to the alarm feature. For

example, an e-mail can be sent to the administrator if

the memory on one of the PCs changes. Further alarm

functions are resource monitoring on the end devices,

software distribution messages and location

synchronization messages. All events can be output as

e-mail, SNMP trap, external program call, or sound.

In order to evaluate the information provided by the

inventory, Crystal Reports® has been integrated into

Empirum. The predefined reports can be viewed,

printed, and exported to various formats (e.g. PDF,

XLS, XML, Word, HTML…). Reports on the use of

operating systems, memory capacities, utilization of

hard disk space and license use are included in the

scope of supply. The license use is calculated from the

license specifications in the software distribution and

the actually detected installations. Extended or


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additional reports can easily be generated by means of

a full version of Crystal Reports®, which has to be

acquired separately.

Moreover, Empirum provides freely configurable export

features which allow you to easily export the data

stored in the Empirum database to a format appropriate

for creating further reports using third-party products.

0

4

8

12

16

20

0-64 MB 65-128 MB 129-256 MB 257-512 MB 513-1024 M > 1025 MB

Am

ount

6. Connection to External System

Management Solutions

As mentioned above, Empirum is based on an open

SQL database. This permits the simple connection to all

database-based management systems. For example,

connections to Remedy* ARS, OGD TopDesk*,

Peregrine*, HP OpenView*, LanDesk*, and Tivoli* have

been implemented. The integrated LDAP interface

enables the direct connection to NDS and ADS. In

addition, the powerful command line interface allows

you to send commands and configuration modifications

from external systems to Empirum. Empirum adopts

them and processes this information independently.

The hotline support staff can, for example, use a

helpdesk software to initiate the distribution and

installation of crashed applications on the PCs of the

employees.


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7. Features Overview

Operating system installation Plug & play hardware detection, extensible driver database, hard disk partitioning and formatting, as well as automated installation of all Microsoft operating systems via PXE, CD or floppy disk, either unattended or via imaging (OEM). By using operating system templates, you can install a large number of computers simultaneously.

• Plug & play hardware detection • On-line update of hardware drivers via FTP • Administration of up to 4 hard disks • Any partitions can be factored out • Wake-On-LAN (WOL) support • PXE support • Auto-discovery of new PCs

Supported operating systems The following operating systems are currently supported:

• Windows 2003 Server • Windows XP Professional • Windows 2000 Server • Windows 2000 Professional • Windows NT Server • Windows NT Workstation • Windows 98 • Windows 95C • Any operating system via imaging (OEM) installation

Extent of operating system migrations

Complete recovery of a personal work environment with a new operating system

Distribution of applications Package method:

• Creating installation scripts with the help of a wizard • Installation of software via MSI/MST • Automated run of the manufacturer setup

• Separating the machine and user setup • Bandwidth control • Self-extracting install routine • Distribution via e-mail • Distribution via Internet (http(s)/ftp) • Distribution via CD-ROM • Push • Pull • Software on demand • Traveling user support • Installation prior to the login • Scheduled distribution • Scheduled rollback • User rollback • Application-specific installation • Condition-specific installation • Locking of keyboard and mouse • Assignment: users • Assignment: groups • Assignment: computers • Assignment: software groups • Requirement check • Definition of dependencies of diverse installation packages • Script language


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• Direct use of the operating system APIs for the installation of printers, services, devices, etc.

• Access to group memberships, user privileges, local NTFS rights

Notebooks / home office • Bandwidth-dependent software distribution • Installations from a local software depot at preset dates.

Open architecture /

integration options

Integration into existing system management, framework, and other solutions, for example:

• SMS, Intel LANDesk, Tivoli, Novell, Z.E.N.works, CA-Unicenter, HP OpenView, etc.

• NDS and ADS (via LDAP) • Seamless integration of imaging solutions:

Symantec Ghost (OEM)

Available interfaces:

• Command Line Interface (CLI) • SQL • XML

Supported standards • Terminal server support • WOL (Wake-On-LAN) • PXE (preboot environment) • DMI (Desktop Management Interface) • SQL (Structured Query Language) • XML (Extensible Markup Language) MSI support:

• MSI Converter extends the default command set of Microsoft Installer, making the entire Empirum installation functionality available via MSI

• MST Transformer creates transform files which allow an automated installation of standard MSI installations without user interaction

• MSI Patcher adjusts installations after they have been performed. Backup / recovery Comprehensive backup options for application configurations and data, this

includes all registry keys and files.

Personal settings and data, such as favorites, Outlook contacts, address books, application settings, Word dictionaries, and My Documents, etc. can be restored

Role-based administration

of configurations

Configurations are defined by means of roles. The inheritance system allows you to perform changes once and adopt them for subordinate groups.

Inventory • The inventory scanner does not only read hard- and software configuration, but also DMI information, such as serial numbers

• Inventory import of any .csv files • Inventory overview for quick display of computer properties • Software inventory via a reference list or registry • Inventory modifications are available as history

Remote control Integration:

• Seamless integration of existing remote control solutions • OEM: LANDesk® Remote Control • OEM: Symantec pcAnywhere

Administration in the database

• Operating systems • Applications • Inventory and DMI information • Inventory history • Version information of executable files (*.exe, *.dll) • License management (number of existing / installed licenses) • Users (profiles, groups) • Computers • Software groups


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Database types • MS-SQL (version 7.0 SP2 and higher) • Oracle (Oracle version 8.1.6 and higher) • MSDE (Empirum can be used with an MSDE runtime without an additional DB

license)

Multi-platform support Windows (domain, ADS), Novell (Bindery, NDS), or Linux/Unix- (SMB) servers are supported as distribution servers. In each case, a Windows server is used as service server

Traveling users Empirum can assign software both to PCs and to users, this is enabled by the “traveling user” model

Rollout monitoring Current rollout information is displayed dynamically. Status and log views.

Alarm management Using today’s standard formats, such as SNMP, alarms and events can be forwarded to other management platforms or e-mail programs in various ways.

• Inventory changes • Software distribution • Client resource monitor • Synchronization of locations

Reporting • Real-time status messages regarding the distribution status in the context of software distribution

• Detailed reporting via integration of pre-defined Crystal Reports® queries • Real-time status reporting during operating system installation

Location management • Assignment of specific rights to administrators and support staff • Central inventory reads data in multi-site environments from diverse location

databases • New PXE-capable computers are automatically entered into the database the

first time they are started. • Empirum Sync: this service automatically synchronizes the files of the

applications to be installed (Software Depots), which are stored on the network servers.

• Distribution of information of the individual Empirum databases to all databases, which makes a connection to the main database unnecessary and thus reduces the WAN traffic

• The add-on Empirum Internet Gateway allows you to perform the entire client management of external sites or customers via the Internet. The firewalls do not have to be adjusted, which means that security is not endangered

General scalability Due to the technical structure of Empirum and because of the modules Empirum

Sync and Empirum Internet Gateway, Empirum is appropriate for enterprises of any size and infrastructure. The scalability of Empirum allows both entirely central and very decentral organizations to implement and use Empirum according to their specific requirements. The implementation of any kind of mixed operation is no problem, either.

matrix42 and Empirum are registered trademarks of matrix42 AG; the Empirum logo is also a registered trademark of matrix42 AG. All rights reserved. *)Any other trademark names, trademarks, or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Subject to alterations. December 2003


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© copyright 12/2003. matrix42 AG, Germany You can find further information under www.matrix42.de or www.empirum.de matrix42 AG Dornhofstrasse 34 63263 Neu-Isenburg Phone: ++49(0)6102 / 816-500 Fax: ++49(0)6102 / 816-100 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.matrix42.de