Smarter analysis with SMARTS
 
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One of the vendors that has taken root-cause analysis - the art of pinpointing the cause of existing or potential failures - from myth to reality is Systems Management ARTS (SMARTS).
Founded in 1993, the rise of SMARTS has been one of the first and one of the clearest indicators that automating problem resolution is not only possible but realistic and productive. As SMARTS has matured, the larger market has matured and moved beyond the bleeding edge.
SMARTS' approach to isolating points of failure via its product, InCharge, is called Codebook Correlation. This approach is extensible and scalable, and it detects problems much like a doctor might diagnose an illness through a series of physical symptoms. InCharge looks for symptoms like alarms, Managment Information Base variables, SNMP event data, system log data, or data from external sources such as Hewlett-Packard's OpenView and Tivoli's Netview. The Codebook approach allows for extensibility to address not only network problems, but system and application problems as well - although the broader SMARTS portfolio of " adapters, " or management modules, has focused mostly on network management.
InCharge allows for a combination of out-of-the-box and customized software. It achieves high levels of out-of-the-box automation through a combination of topological insight (as of fall of this year, InCharge can generate its own topology and map independently) and information about each managed element and its behavior, which is organized into network-independent object models. This approach, in which element behavior and an understanding of topological relationships are " built into " the product, shifts considerable development burden away from the user and onto the vendor - in this case, SMARTS. The effort and intelligence applied to this type of modeling through SMARTS and other vendors is beginning to redefine the management marketplace.
If there is a consistent limiter in these types of solutions, it's price. Real-world installations for SMARTS, as well as for most other root-cause vendors, tend to begin at around $50,000 and go up to $250,000 and more. Clearly, that means that these products aren't for just anyone seeking to gain efficiencies.
SMARTS has added some significant features to its core product, including physical network (Layer 2) and Layer 4 mapping for TCP/IP-based services and applications. SMARTS has also introduced a new object database that's fully compliant with the Common Information Model (CIM) for object-based interoperability across management systems and managed elements. This CIM support is especially important to use best-of-class " intelligence engines " across complex environments.
Today, interoperability is a chief user requirement for root-cause analysis, although it's usually achieved less elegantly than through CIM. A good example of this is an InCharge implementation in a large financial organization. In this case, InCharge is correlating events generated through NetIQ software, OpenView and NetView. InCharge then feeds a Micromuse Netcool console for broader operational control. InCharge brings scalability, efficiency and a higher level of automation so the IT organization can deploy its staff more efficiently. But it also participates in a larger management ecosystem - significantly extended to include system and application as well as network data.
The flexibility to use different types of management software together - such as combining InCharge with NetIQ and Netcool - is critical to this model of management. While some of these product lines are expanding to overlap and compete with each other (for instance, InCharge is moving towards more service-oriented views, and Micromuse towards root-cause analysis), the market will still favor choice and diversity.
SMARTS has been wise in seeding relationships that will enable this type of flexibility and choice. It is natural, especially within the root-cause analysis market, to take advantage of users' investment in " intelligence engines. " In the end, this is good for vendors as well as users. It will drive higher requirements for competitiveness and flexibility, and provide plenty of opportunity for " next-generation " innovators to develop well-focused products in root-cause analysis and other areas.
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Dennis Drogseth is a director with Enterprise Management Associates, a leading analyst and market research firm based in Boulder, Colorado, focusing exclusively on all aspects of enterprise management. Dennis has extensive experience in network management platforms and products and is researching trends in management software and changing IT roles internationally. His 18-plus years of experience in high-tech includes positions at IBM and Cabletron. He has been quoted in the press and is a speaker at industry events. He can be reached via e-mail.
Audrey Rasmussen is a research director with Enterprise Management Associates in Boulder, Colorado, a leading analyst and market research firm focusing exclusively on all aspects of enterprise management. Audrey has more than 20 years of experience working with distributed systems, applications and networks. Her current focus at EMA is e-business, SMB/SME and MSPs. She can be reached via e-mail.
Enterprise Management Associates in Boulder, Colorado, is a leading analyst and market research firm focusing exclusively on all aspects of enterprise management software and services.
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