Alternative to ZENWorks for Servers
 
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Regular readers of this newsletter will remember that I had nice things to say about Novell's new ZENWorks for Servers product, but was less than excited about its pricing.
After the initial rant about pricing a server product on a "per user" basis, Novell relented and came up with a server-based pricing model - but at $5,000 per server, it was hardly a bargain.
At the recent BrainShare conference, Novell announced new packaging in which ZENWorks products (ZEN for Desktops, Servers and Networks) could be bundled with each other or with ManageWise - but still on a "per user" price basis.
Fortunately, there's a way you can get essentially the same functionality as ZEN for Servers in a reasonably priced package - only $249 per server. Netpro's Config Central is the product to look at.
Config Central lets administrators distribute NetWare Loadable Modules (NLM), Support Packs, updates, and Enhancement Packs to servers anywhere in their network, scheduling the updates for convenient times. Config Central also lets administrators scan all NLMs running in their NetWare 3.12, 3.2, 4.x and 5.0 networks. They can make comparisons to a single NLM master and push changes out to multiple servers automatically - all from one central location.
Version 4.0 of Config Central will soon ship, adding a flexible, networkwide file distribution system to the product's feature set. The new file distribution capability includes subdirectory support, which enables administrators to copy all of the files within a certain directory branch, including its subdirectories, as part of a single action. NetWare administrators can use Config Central to automatically synchronize files with changes, and then schedule the process to run when the network is inactive.
The file transfer will preserve file and directory attributes, and the administrator can "undo" the action with the touch of a button if a cancellation is necessary. File compression and improved connection mapping are incorporated into Config Central 4.0 to ensure that distribution occurs faster than ever before.
Additional features of Config Central 4.0 include an enhanced configuration file editor, which enables administrators to create multiple scripted changes to one or more servers. Further, a preview mode lets users view the adjustments that will occur to a given server once the script changes have been made. And Version 4.0 contains new exporting and reporting capabilities, allowing administrators to export and print schedule summaries and event log summary pages in a variety of formats.
That's a lot of functionality for only $249 per server. This is a product you need to check out.
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Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. His most recent book is "Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks" published by SAMS. Dave's company, Virtual Quill, provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more at Virtual Quill or by e-mail at info@vquill.com
NetWare archive
Past newsletters.
Press release from Novell
Review: NetPro's Config Central
Network World, 1/19/98.
Archive of Network World on Novell NetWare newsletters
