Hewlett-Packard Co. yesterday announced a series of enhancements to its OpenView network management system designed to bolster application and Web-based management.
Many of the enhancements fill out or formalize plans announced by HP last summer at the OpenView Forum conference to broaden the scope of OpenView.
For application management, HP unveiled the HP OpenView SMART Plug-Ins program. HP OpenView SMART Plug-Ins are integrated, pre-configured software packages that "plug into" the HP OpenView platform.
Currently, HP offers plug-ins for SAP R/3, and Oracle and Informix databases. Next year, the company will add Baan, Microsoft SQL Server, Exchnage and Commercial Internet System, NetScape Suite Spot and Remedy ARS to the mix.
For Web-based management, HP and Cisco will integrate Cisco's Resource Manager Web user interface and management device inventory data with HP OpenView network and systems management products. HP has also integrated its Network Node Manager with firewall products from Cisco, Lucent and Secure Computing.
HP has also recruited NetScape into its OpenView-Ready program. Under this program, NetScape will bundle HP's OpenView IT/Operations Special Edition agents with its SuiteSpot servers. This will enable OpenView users to access IT/O's message browser from a Java user interface.
HP already bundles NetScape SuiteSpot with OpenView as part of its Domain Business Suite offering. HP and NetScape have been collaborating on OpenView/NetScape server integration for over a year.
HP has also bested Computers Associates and Tivoli on a $3.2 million contract to provide management products to America Online. AOL will deploy HP's IT/O, PerfView, Measureware and GlancePlus products. HP also said Sterling Software is now shipping Solve:Operations for IT/O, software that allows OpenView users to manage IBM mainframe environments.
