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Articles and Tips: article

01 Aug 2005

This year marks the seventh anniversary of Novell ZENworks. And what better time to release ZENworks 7? That's right. Novell is releasing ZENworks 7 in calendar Q3!

ZENworks 7 has many enhancements and new capabilities. It includes updated versions of ZENworks Desktop Management, ZENworks Server Management, ZENworks Handheld Management, ZENworks Linux Management and more. But some of the most significant changes are in the Linux Management, Desktop Management and new Asset Inventory offerings. Table 1 shows the key features and functionality of ZENworks 7 and what's new or improved.

Desktop Management

How would you like to manage your Windows workstations using the power and security of Linux? Now you can! With Novell ZENworks 7 Desktop Management, you can now install the following key elements on SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 Support Pack 1 or Novell Open Enterprise Server (Linux) 1.0:

• ZENworks Desktop Management Server: This software enables you to centrally create and manage policies and profiles for users and workstations. These policies and profiles enable you to distribute, manage and update applications, perform advanced inventory and remote management functions, and automatically install operating systems on the Windows workstations in your network.

• ZENworks Middle Tier Server: This software works with Web Server software installed on a Linux server to set up authentication and communication between the Desktop Management Server inside the corporate firewall and workstations outside the corporate firewall. This communication makes it possible for mobile users to get Desktop Management services when they are traveling or working from home. You can also fully manage PCs without the full Novell Client32.

Some of the most significant changes in ZENworks 7 are the Linux Management, Desktop Management, and New Asset Inventory Offerings.

During installation you can now choose between the two elements organized in various combinations called "install sets." You can choose any of the following install sets:

1. Install All ZENworks Features on a Linux Server

2. Install Only the Desktop Management Server on a Linux Server

3. Install Only the ZENworks Middle Tier Server on a Linux Server

4. Customize the ZENworks Desktop Management Installation on a Linux Server

Although you can store the workstation application and policy files on a Linux server, you must use Novell ConsoleOne to configure them from your administrative Windows workstation or server.

Linux Management

ZENworks 7 Linux Management makes it easy to embrace and extend Linux within your existing environment. It's the only solution that uses policy-driven automation to deploy, manage and maintain Linux resources. These automated and intelligent policies allow administrators to provide centralized control across the lifecycle of Linux systems for desktop lockdown, imaging, remote management, inventory and software management. The result is a comprehensive Linux management solution that eliminates IT effort by dramatically reducing the required overhead needed to manage Linux systems.)

Web-Based Administration

ZENworks 7 Linux Management introduces a new Web-based management tool for administering your ZENworks features: the ZENworks Control Center.

You can launch the ZENworks Control Center using either Internet Explorer 6 SP1 (or higher) or Firefox version 1.0 (or higher). If you are using a browser that's not supported, you'll get a warning message when you log in. After you log in, enter the URL into the URL locator. The default URL for the ZENworks Control Center is https://server/zenworks, where server is either the DNS or IP address of the ZENworks server.

The first screen to appear is the ZENworks Login. (See Figure 1.) Enter the username and password you assigned during the installation. You can also choose the language. The ZENworks Control Center supports English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

Figure 1: ZENworks Control Center Login screen allows different administrators to gain secure access to only the information they have rights to.

After you successfully log in, you will see the Getting Started page. (See Figure 2.) From this page you can:

• get a product overview

• learn how to register Linux devices

• learn how to deliver an application

• learn how to use policies

• link to online documentation

Figure 2: The Getting Started page provides a quick way to access information about ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

If you want the Getting Started page to come up every time you launch the ZENworks Control Center, uncheck the "Do not show me this again" option at the bottom of the page.

After viewing the Getting Started page the first time, you will see the main home page. (See Figure 3.) This page contains important information about the state of ZENworks Linux Management.

Figure 3: ZENworks Control Center task based approach gives you a single view into the health and status of the system.

Besides the ZENworks Control Center, the suite includes new capabilities for reporting, imaging, remote control, desktop lockdown and hardware/software inventory. For more information, check out "Hear Ye! Hear Ye!" in the March/April 2005 issue of Novell Connection magazine for an in-depth look at ZENworks 7 Linux Management.

Asset Inventory

In May, Novell announced the first shipment of Novell ZENworks Asset Management. (See Figure 4.) ZENworks Asset Management integrates asset inventory usage and license reconciliation capabilities to provide the most complete, accurate view of software installations and license compliance available. Combining data enables you to get a complete view of your IT assets. This ensures license compliance and eliminates software overspending so you only buy the licenses your organization needs.

Figure 4: Most ZENworks Asset Management administrators access the reports and analysis they need to complete projects from the Web Console.

While ZENworks 7 Suite does not include ZENworks Asset Management, it does include the Asset Inventory component of ZENworks Asset Management. ZENworks 7 Desktop Management and ZENworks 7 Server Management also include the Asset Inventory component. Table 2 shows the differences between the traditional inventory in ZENworks, Asset Inventory and ZENworks Asset Management.

Handheld Management, Server Management and more...

Although I've focused mainly on Desktop Management, Asset Inventory and Linux Management, other parts of the ZENworks 7 Suite also have key improvements. With ZENworks 7 Handheld Management you can now:

• remote control or remotely view a handheld device

• synchronize the device password with the network password

• assign multiple Access Points to a device and define the order of the Access Points to which the Palm OS or Windows CE device must connect

• specify the date and time when you want to install the Handheld Application object files on the device

• automatically uninstall the software from the Windows CE devices

• automatically delete the files from Palm or Windows CE devices

ZENworks 7 Server Management adds support for SUSE LINUX and Red Hat Linux servers. The Management and Monitoring Services also have improvements. You can enable, disable and specify intervals for NetWare and eDirectory Traps for multiple NetWare servers. You can create rules for managing incoming alarms and performing various actions when the alarms occur. The software processes the alarms based on the rules you create. You can create rules by combining the following parameters:

• Source Address

• Severity

• State

• Alarms

• Varbinds of traps

• Time

ZENworks 7 includes functionality for managing Tablet PCs, as well as support for Windows XP SP2. Novell Messenger, also included, provides administrators and help desk technicians with an easy, secure way of chatting with end users to resolve problems. (See Figure 5.)

Figure 5: Novell Messenger, also included in ZENworks 7, provides administrators and help desk technicians with an easy, secure way of chatting with end users to resolve problems.

Conclusion

ZENworks 7 provides significant improvements and can change the way you manage your diverse IT resources. Only ZENworks 7 provides you with a choice of back-end infrastructure and client devices. For more information on ZENworks 7, visit /zenworks.

And last, but not least, let's wish ZENworks Happy Birthday and many more to come!

You can install ZENworks 7 Desktop Management services on a SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 or Novell Open Enterprise Server Linux server:

1. From the terminal console, use the su command to switch to the root user.

2. Run mount /media/cdrom to mount the ZENworks 7 Desktop Management Installation CD or CD recorder.

3. Change to the CD mount directory, and run ./setup to display the first page of the installation program.

4. Read the introduction, then press Enter to display the Installation Prerequisites page.

5. Read the prerequisites, pressing Enter to page down as you read. At the end of the prerequisites, press Enter to display the License Agreement page.

6. Read the terms of the license, pressing Enter to page down as you read. At the end of license agreement, enter Y if you accept the terms of the license.

Enter back on any page of the installation program to go back to the previous page.

Enter quit on any page to cancel the installation program.

The first page of the installation displays.

Table 1: A High-Level Features Summary of ZENworks

Yes

New/Improved

*Patch subscription for 90 days on 100 devices

Table 2: ZENworks Asset Management Feature Summary

Yes

New/Improved

*General list of report types. Does not represent a comprehensive list of available reports.

We have talked about many technologies and capabilities within ZENworks. Table 3 shows a highlevel view of what capabilities are in each product.

Table 3: ZENworks Products

Yes

New/Improved

*Patch subscription for 90 days on 100 devices

* Originally published in Novell Connection Magazine

Disclaimer

The origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. While Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information, Novell does not make explicit or implied claims to its validity.

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