/
Simply, LANutil32 aims to recognize mainstream applications with the highest reliability and accuracy and sensitivity to versions, while providing powerful facilities for generating identification rules for in-house and other applications not in the shipped database.
LANutil32 does not claim to be able to detect the determined efforts of skilled users to hide pirated applications. The emphasis is on helping maintain consistent and managed deployment of approved applications. Using inventory change events, LANutil32 detects where applications have strayed from the designated groups of users, where there are instances of multiple application installs, cases of installations having been prematurely upgraded to newer versions by users, etc.
The Software Inventory process is usually performed by a LANutil32 Host (a Console or Scheduler) accessing PCs in real-time. The PC users are not disturbed by the process, and the Inventory generates very little network traffic as it produces an up-to-the-minute analysis of installed applications.
LANutil32 makes it easy to see changes in inventory information by visually highlighting areas of change and by color-coding items. The following example shows the Software Inventory results that identify packages which were previously seen but which have since been removed; packages which have just been seen for the first time; packages which have been updated; as well as other packages which have not changed since the last scan.
Three modes of accessing Client PCs are provided:
5000 licenses
$26.00 software
$ 3.90
Total for this location, $149,500.00 Detroit Campus
3000 licenses
$26.00 software
$ 3.90
Total for this location, $89,700.00 National Sales Offices
2500 licenses
$26.00 software
$ 3.90
Total for these locations, $74,750.00 Desktop Management Software using Vector Network's LANutil Elite, $313,950.00 We would like to schedule a visit with your technical group to review this proposal, further study the requirements as they relate to your environment and participate with you in evaluating LANutil Elite. Our only requirement is a 48 hour notice for a site visit, we have openings in our schedule for February 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to arrange this meeting. Thank you again for the opportunity to offer a solution for your desktop management requirements. We look forward to becoming a part in your continued success. Sincerely, Scott Taylor
National Sales ManagerAprisma Management Technologies
ClickNet Software
Intel
Microsoft
Vector Networks
Desktop management suite RFP - Vector Networks
Patchwork Corp.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland, OH
Proposal for desktop management software
Thank you for the opportunity to propose Vector Network's LANutil Elite to meet your requirements for desktop management. LANutil Elite is being proposed to Patchwork Corp. based on your recent request for proposal. This is a summary describes the features of LANutil Elite, which highlight your requirements. There are however, other features of the application that could add value to your desktop and network administration challenges. We would like to encourage you and your staff to communicate with Vector Networks regarding your evaluation of our software and take advantage of our pre-sales technical support services. This department within Vector Networks will enable you to have immediate access to technicians who will assist you in proving if LANutil Elite is the best match for your environment. In many cases, we will dispatch a technician to your site to participate with you in testing our software. It is our objective with these activities to help you expedite the evaluation process so you can move on to the next step of implementing a desktop management solution.
Scope of Work
The desktop management requirements for Patchwork Corp require a software solution that enables, hardware/software inventory, software distribution and remote control. Hardware configuration capabilities for the administration group are necessary. In addition, the application must support a common database of inventory and configuration data that enables job scheduling, access to real-time inventory data and the ability to remotely access a users PC to fix any problems. The administration of this suite must be accessed from a Web-based console throughout the enterprise. In the Cleveland headquarters of Patchwork Corp. there are 5000 users, in Detroit thee are an additional 3000 users and the total combined users at all 40 national sales offices is 2500. This is a total count for users of 10,500. Connectivity to the corporate LAN among these sites consists of a T3 link at the headquarters, a combination of 56K frame relay, dial-up and ISDN connections at the other sites.LANutil Elite
This suite is composed of two applications, LANutil32 Suite for hardware/software inventory and software distribution, and PC-Duo for remote control. The exceptions we have to the Patchwork Corp. requirements are the optional features of license metering and virus checking and Macintosh support is not provided. The following describes each component of LANutil Elite as their features relate to the requirements:Hardware/software Inventory
LANutil32's system and hardware interrogation covers the spectrum from DOS to NT with a suite of programs for DOS, 16-bit and 32-bit Windows. Windows APIs vary hugely between Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 and NT, and LANutil32 is one of a very few products that provides a consistently high level of information across all of today's Windows platforms. LANutil32 collects comprehensive Hardware Inventory data from the desktop PCs. This includes items such as the CPU type and speed, the memory size, various operating system details (such as Windows NT Service Packs and build info), the network card and address, and a wide range of other data. The hardware inventory display looks like this:
Simply, LANutil32 aims to recognize mainstream applications with the highest reliability and accuracy and sensitivity to versions, while providing powerful facilities for generating identification rules for in-house and other applications not in the shipped database.
LANutil32 does not claim to be able to detect the determined efforts of skilled users to hide pirated applications. The emphasis is on helping maintain consistent and managed deployment of approved applications. Using inventory change events, LANutil32 detects where applications have strayed from the designated groups of users, where there are instances of multiple application installs, cases of installations having been prematurely upgraded to newer versions by users, etc.
The Software Inventory process is usually performed by a LANutil32 Host (a Console or Scheduler) accessing PCs in real-time. The PC users are not disturbed by the process, and the Inventory generates very little network traffic as it produces an up-to-the-minute analysis of installed applications.
LANutil32 makes it easy to see changes in inventory information by visually highlighting areas of change and by color-coding items. The following example shows the Software Inventory results that identify packages which were previously seen but which have since been removed; packages which have just been seen for the first time; packages which have been updated; as well as other packages which have not changed since the last scan.
Software Distribution
PC Software Distribution with LANutil32 Together with LANutil32 Inventory, the full LANutil32 Suite adds powerful Software Distribution capabilities. The Software Distribution module utilizes the power and flexibility of the LANutil32 Console and architecture. Software can be distributed to specified individual PCs, or to Fixed and Dynamic Groups you have created for your Database. Integration with inventory data allows powerful database searches to select eligible PCs. Typical target groups could be: "all PCs in the Sales department" or "all PCs with MS Word installed and that have at least 32MB memory." PC Software Distribution: Which Philosophy? Software packages were once simple to install and quite independent of each other. If you knew how a package was installed on one PC, you could simply repeat the same install-time changes on other PCs of an approximately similar specification. The situation has changed, and cloning installations is no longer a viable route for software distribution. The advent of Windows 95 and Windows NT and the software industry's rapid progress means that applications are getting more complicated and much more interdependent than ever. Many applications share files, and those shared files which must be installed can vary from PC to PC according to the individual versions of the files already present. The concept of having a standard set of files which can be copied across many PCs is no longer valid - you could easily install older versions than the copies already present, which could adversely affect another, seemingly unrelated application. The increasing use of the Registry further complicates the picture. The Registry has a complicated structure, with many internal dependencies and pointers. You can't be confident that a set of Registry changes made during one installation will be representative of the changes required by that application on any other machine. Many devices are assigned numeric IDs in the Registry - so if you install another device, it gets assigned the next ID. This means, for example, that a particular modem may appear as item zero in the list on one PC and as item 2 in the list on another PC, simply because one of them has Dialup Networking installed, or perhaps an old modem was used for a period and later upgraded. Such historical dependencies mean that the Registry is unique to each PC, so replicating changes to the Registry is fraught with danger. The summary is that cloning a supposedly representative installation onto many PCs is no longer a viable means of installing many modern applications, and becomes less attainable with each release of many leading applications. Many Software Distribution products have relied upon this approach in the past and are struggling to apply it in the modern environment. So what are we to do? Rather than attempting to clone changes from PC to PC, LANutil32's approach is to allow the application to always install itself. LANutil32 provides a framework which allows every Client PC to use the application's installation program so that the package is installed properly, with whatever interdependencies and idiosyncrasies that the vendor applies. LANutil32 is aimed at providing automated application deployment that is safe. Key Features of LANutil32 Software Distribution- Reliability - Using the application to install itself means that you can rely on safe installs of even complex applications. There is no requirement to clone the changes made on a supposedly 'standard PC' - there is no such thing!
- Privileged Installs - run the Software Distribution Agent as a Windows NT service, to give access to the privileged environment required to install many applications.
- System Reboots - Many installs require a system reboot to complete. LANutil32 supports these too, and confirms install completion after the reboot.
- Network load control - spreads installations across several days, eliminating any problems due to network load.
- Arbitrary Commands - you can execute a command or batch file that is not actually an application install - LANutil32 doesn't care!
- Security - encrypted paths and file checksums are used to make it impossible for unauthorized users to trigger jobs.
- Check Paths - specify files and file sizes to be checked prior to an installation, to check if software is already installed (including allowing for international versions that may be valid alternatives). These are also checked afterwards to make sure installations have been successful.
- User Interaction - some installations may take time, so users can refuse an install a given number of times if necessary before the install will be become mandatory.
- Real-time feedback - log file entries for progress and any errors enable you to monitor your installations.
- Platform Support - Windows 3.x, 95, 98, and NT are all supported. MS-DOS Clients that do not run Windows are not supported for Software Distribution.
- System Snaphot
PC-Duo's System Snapshot feature enables you to quickly obtain a comprehensive hardware inventory for your Client PCs. In conjunction with PC-Duo's Remote Control facilities, PC-Duo is an essential tool for supporting users.
This detailed inventory information includes the CPU type and speed, memory, operating system, service pack information, printers, screen type and display driver, drive size and free space, network domain, network card and much more. - Security Features
PC-Duo contains highly configurable security settings which enable you to meet your exact security requirements. For example, it features multiple level security for both the Client and Control applications, in the form of Client and Control Security Profiles. Client Profiles enable you to govern which Controls can connect to a particular Client, to specify whether the Control needs to enter a valid NT user name and password in order to connect, and to specify which operations can be performed by Controls on the Client. Control Profiles determine the level of access Control users can have to Client PCs. Additional security features are available in PC-Duo. For example, sessions in which a Control is connected to a Client can be recorded to a file, and then later replayed. - Installation Wizard
One simple installation quickly guides you through the process of installing the PC-Duo Client and Control applications. - Easy-to-use Interface
PC-Duo features a familiar, folder-based interface for the Control window. Commonly used operations are accessible via toolbars, menus and context-sensitive menus. Drag-and-drop functionality is supported, for example you can drag a Client into a Group.
Flexible ways of viewing and organizing items such as Clients, Groups and Help Requests. Additional, dedicated windows are used for tasks such as Viewing Clients and Transferring Files, resulting in an uncluttered and immediately accessible application.
The Client application operates in the background, and usually only appears as an icon the taskbar's system tray. - Supports all Commonly-used Connection Methods
PC-Duo supports multiple protocols - you can simultaneously connect to PCs which are using different network transports, whether it be NetBIOS, IPX or WinSock TCP/IP. Modems, ISDN and RAS are also supported and you can connect to Clients over the Internet via TCP/IP. - Flexible Ways of Locating and Connecting to Clients
You can let the PC-Duo Control search for all currently available Clients, or specify a Client's details yourself to connect straight to a Client. You can also select multiple Clients to connect to simultaneously. - Organize Clients into Groups
Organize your PC-Duo Clients into Groups based on the departments in your organization, based on their PC platforms, or in any way you see fit. You can create as many Groups as required, Clients can belong to more than one Group and you can add new members and remove existing members at any time.
Many of the operations performed on Clients can be performed on entire Groups, such as connecting to all the Clients in a Group simultaneously, as shown below: - Scripting Capabilities
You can create your own PC-Duo Scripts using a dedicated, powerful Scripting language, in order to automate PC-Duo tasks. The PC-Duo Script Editor lets you drag-and-drop Scripting commands, and offers comprehensive on-line Help for Scripting Functions. After creating and testing a Script, you can schedule it to be performed on specified dates and times.
Three modes of accessing Client PCs are provided:
- Use Watch mode to view the Client PC screen passively
- Use Share mode to share the control of the Client PC with the Client.
- Use Control mode to disable the Client's input and have total control of their PC
Summary
What we have done with this proposal has been to take the overall requirements of Patchwork Corp for desktop management and match these with the features of LANutil Suite. As is with all opportunities at Vector Networks, we have been most successful when a partnership is formed between our technical groups and their technical counterparts at our prospect. In the next step of this process we would welcome an invitation to visit with Patchworks Corp. to better understand the unique requirements of the desktop management project and how well the features of LANutil Elite may offer a solution.Pricing
LANutil Elite is licenses per node, with no additional software required for any version of Windows operating system, or special designation between desktop and server machine. The following chart represents the number of licenses necessary for each location, with the sales office being grouped together. The per license price reflects the total number of licenses to satisfy the requirement. Each section has a per license price for the software and a per license price for the annual maintenance agreement: Cleveland Headquarters5000 licenses
$26.00 software
$ 3.90
Total for this location, $149,500.00 Detroit Campus
3000 licenses
$26.00 software
$ 3.90
Total for this location, $89,700.00 National Sales Offices
2500 licenses
$26.00 software
$ 3.90
Total for these locations, $74,750.00 Desktop Management Software using Vector Network's LANutil Elite, $313,950.00 We would like to schedule a visit with your technical group to review this proposal, further study the requirements as they relate to your environment and participate with you in evaluating LANutil Elite. Our only requirement is a 48 hour notice for a site visit, we have openings in our schedule for February 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to arrange this meeting. Thank you again for the opportunity to offer a solution for your desktop management requirements. We look forward to becoming a part in your continued success. Sincerely, Scott Taylor
National Sales Manager
Read the Patchwork RFP Vendor responses:
