Reining in the road warrior

What's worse than managing an enterprise full of PCs? Managing an enterprise full of PCs that weigh about six pounds each and fit inside a briefcase. Mobile clients are inherently more complex to manage than network-attached desktops. Mobile clients connect to the home LAN on an unpredictable schedule, and when they do dial in, their bandwidth is seriously constrained. How do you roll out a Windows 95 Year 2000 update to users who may not be in the office until next February?

A new crop of software aimed at managing mobile systems, from PCs to PalmPilots, has arrived to help rein in the road warrior. We looked at Sterling Commerce's Connect:Manage 2.0, Callisto Software's Orbiter 3.0, and Mobile Automation 3.0 from Mobile Automation - three applications that provide software distribution and asset management capabilities to remote systems.

Sterling's Connect:Manage is the most comprehensive product. It can support more than a single server, which makes it well-suited for an enterprise intranet. Unlike the others, Connect:Manage offers a browser interface and employs the Windows channel paradigm for browsing content available for downloading.

Callisto's Orbiter has several components that interoperate - an NT server process, a client agent and an administration console. Orbiter also has native TCP/IP support and built-in hardware and software inventory capabilities, both of which Mobile Automation lacks. The capabilities let you get a detailed view of users' hardware and a full list of installed software. Orbiter distinguishes between commercial and unknown (proprietary) applications.

Mobile Automation is similar to Orbiter, with several important differences. Mobile Automation has intuitive tools that help administrators manage PCs, PalmPilots and Windows CE devices; core components that include a management console; a server process that manages the distribution and collection of information; a client agent; and an installation scripting editor. Mobile Automation requires little training, and it let us easily identify our test PCs and target software updates.

All these products have strengths and weaknesses. Connect:Manage has the most flexible architecture, including support for various plug-in modules, Web support and the Windows channel paradigm. Unlike the other products, multiple Connect:Manage servers can communicate with each other on the LAN - a big advantage for large enterprises. Orbiter supports TCP/IP, and is a fine all-around mobile client manager. Mobile Automation is great for a small enterprise, in which using e-mail makes the most sense. In a large organization, however, there is the potential to overload an e-mail system with too many attachments.

Managing mobile workers

Sterling's Connect:Manage uses a channel paradigm, in contrast to the job or activity distribution approaches of Orbiter and Mobile Automation. Connect:Manage supports four different types of channels: software distribution, session manager, document management and transmitter. The transmitter channel provides a means of broadcasting the presence of other Connect:Manage servers in a larger enterprise network, which makes this product more scalable than its counterparts.

Sterling offers other channel types that plug in to the Connect:Manage architecture, including hardware and software inventory management. However, they are available as separate products and were not included in this review.

Connect:Manage updates clients using the software distribution and session manager channels. Software distribution channels deliver either shrink-wrapped or relatively simple home-grown applications. Enter a source directory and setup file name, and the package is automatically compressed. Administrators comfortable with third-party installation editors can use them to create packages.

The session manager channel is used for more complex tasks and includes a scripting language, which we used to create a simple distribution job with no problems.

Connect:Manage also offers document management features. A group of related documents can be placed into a channel. When users subscribe to this channel, they get the most up-to-date version of its contents.

You have to publish channels in the administrator program to enable user access. By default, channels are available to all users. You can enable and require authentication via Windows NT's group management. Connect:Manage is the only product of the three we reviewed that supports NT authentication. Add-on software from Sterling is required to limit access at the user level.

Depending on the configuration settings of each channel, information can be pushed or pulled to the desktop. The proprietary interface and channel architecture are easy enough for most users to grasp. Like Orbiter, the TCP/IP-based Connect:Manage supports checkpoint and restart capabilities when transmitting data or applications to mobile users.

Using Callisto's Orbiter is a snap. Orbiter refers to actions carried out on a workstation as jobs, and you create jobs on the administration console. Jobs come in four basic flavors: inventory, change analysis, maintenance and software distribution.

Creating inventory and maintenance jobs requires little input. For inventory jobs - hardware and software - select target machines and determine the schedule or frequency with which the job should run. While the inventory applet is not Desktop Management Interface-compliant, it produces a good amount of detail about each system, including operating system version, service packs, processor, total memory and hard disk space.

Software distribution jobs are also simple to create. Orbiter does not include a scripting engine. It assumes you use either a setup routine that comes with the product being installed or a third-party installer such as InstallShield.

One particularly useful Orbiter software distribution feature is the ability to synchronize the contents of a source folder. You can create a recurring schedule when the job is created. Each time the job runs, it checks the original source directory for updated files. This process helps keep data that requires frequent updates synchronized with little administration overhead.

The change analysis feature is a potential support boon, depending on the level of standardization in an organization. Change analysis takes a snapshot of a system's key files (including the registry, AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS) and compares it to a standard set of files. The theory is that when a mobile user calls the support desk with a problem, the support staff can see the changes the user made that resulted in the errors. Given the myriad of potential configuration problems with networked applications, it's hard to say how successful this feature would be in every case.

The client agent has two main features that give dial-up users some breathing room. Most importantly, when using TCP/IP, Orbiter uses a checkpoint and restart mechanism during software distribution jobs. This means that if a dial-up connection is broken during a download, the job restarts from the last successful package transmitted, rather than from the beginning.

Because Orbiter software distribution jobs can run without alerting the user on the client PC, checkpoint and restart lets software updates occur even when bandwidth availability is spotty.

Orbiter also employs a feature called Mobile Profiles. The profiles, which can be used on either a user or group level, specify when to update clients and how much bandwidth to use when communicating with clients. This is especially useful during software distribution. There are four levels of profiles, ranging from "always in the office" to "never in the office." The underlying intent is to not waste bandwidth on users who will be in the office soon or for noncritical distribution jobs.

Like Connect:Manage and Orbiter, Mobile Auto-mation is a breeze to use. All activities are managed through a server-based console. The most common activity is the creation and distribution of software packages. The Package Editor is a fully functional - although not overly sophisticated - scripting tool. For the novice, the Package Editor has a Wizard interface, which is useful for the simplest installations.

Anyone familiar with a commercial scripting tool can easily adapt to the new environment. Mobile Automation packages can distribute and launch any executable. When the packages are compiled, they can be broken into subpackages of definable lengths and sent sequentially. As soon as the client agent has acknowledged receipts of all subpackages, the agent starts the installation.

The client agent logs the installation process and reports back to the management console during installation, letting you quickly view the installation status.

Mobile Automation is the only product we tested that can directly manage Palm and Windows CE devices. When you install Mobile Automation's client agent, it automatically detects the personal digital assistant synchronization software and reports it

to the Mobile Automation server process. You can distribute new applications to these devices and easily deploy them the next time the devices synchronize with their host PCs.

Server installation

Installing and configuring Connect:Manage's console is simple. You only need to install a service that Connect:Manage calls a transmitter, with administration rights. The product uses the transmitter to communicate with other Connect:Manage servers on the network. Context-sensitive online help was also useful, and the documentation provided a good general overview of the process.

Installation and setup of the Orbiter server components were straightforward. We created an Orbiter user ID on our NT server with administration privileges capable of running the Orbiter NT service. We configured the server for native TCP/IP support. Orbiter offers e-mail transport as well, though with fewer e-mail options than Mobile Automation. However, Orbiter's support for TCP/IP makes this less of an issue. The product also has good online help and documentation.

We installed Mobile Automation's server software and were up and running in less than half an hour. While we installed the software on our NT server, it also runs on a Windows 9x workstation. Unlike the other products in this review, Mobile Automation requires an e-mail system for the transport of its distribution jobs. Mobile Automation figures that a company is more likely to have an e-mail system for remote users than a remote IP dial-up service. However, this reliance on the corporate e-mail infrastructure is limiting for organizations in which dial-up IP services are available to users. We had to enter a username and password during the server installation process for an e-mail administration account. Mobile Automation includes good documentation and context-sensitive online help.

Client installation

Once you configure the server software, the next step is to create a setup package to deploy to client systems. Connect:Manage's client agent software, Connect:Manage Scheduler, is not directly customizable. You must enter the name of the Connect:Manage transmitter when you visit the client PC during installation, although a clever administrator can create a customizable installation package for the 4M-byte client using a product such as InstallShield.

The client for Connect:Manage comes in two flavors: a full-featured proprietary client and a "lite" browser plug-in. The proprietary client has a Windows Explorer-like interface and is useful for navigating around different Connect:Manage channels.

The Connect:Manage browser plug-in is triggered by HTML code an administrator publishes to a Web site. The code is dynamically created by the server process when you create an application deployment package. When a user with the browser plug-in clicks on the HTML code, the plug-in is automatically launched and performs the installation. However, as with the proprietary client, it is too easy for browser users to press the cancel button to avoid a download.

Installation of Orbiter's client, while simple, needs some improvement. As with Connect:Manage, you can't configure the client installation package prior to distribution. The 8.5M-byte installation, which is practically speaking too big to send over a modem, requires someone on the client PC to input the server name and transport type. The parameters are too technical to trust to end users, so an IT visit is required to each workstation.You perform all Mobile Automation client management functions at the Mobile Automation Console.

To create a setup package for Mobile Automation, you must first specify your e-mail system. Mobile Automation supports a variety of mail systems, including Notes, Exchange, cc:Mail, GroupWise and Internet Post Office Protocol 3/Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. We selected Internet mail and specified a dedicated Mobile Automation administration account.

Other configuration parameters include whether to display the Mobile Automation Agent that runs on client workstations, the type of network connection (dial-up or LAN-based) and the schedule on which the agent checks for new packages. The schedule can be time-based or triggered by a successful dial-up network connection.

As soon as all information is entered into Mobile Automation, you are prompted to compile it into either a single 2M-byte file or smaller files that can be sent as separate packages and assembled when they all arrive on the client. Sub-dividing client packages is one of the principal means by which Mobile Automation reduces the overhead for remote users because you can choose to send the packages out at convenient times.

After the package is compiled, you can e-mail it to selected recipients. Mobile Automation lets you manually enter e-mail addresses, or the software can import recipients from the selected mail system.

Unfortunately, you have to import the names again when you have user additions, deletions and modifications; there is no real-time synchronization between the Mobile Automation and e-mail system address books.

Common cause

Connect:Manage is a solid player in the remote management market. It is intended to be the foundation for a larger architecture, with add-ons ranging from client backup software to integration with IBM's Tivoli. On its own, though, Connect:Manage is certain to bring some relief to the problems of mobile-systems management.

It has an intuitive interface, a comprehensive set of tools and a client agent that makes the most out of limited bandwidth. To be a true enterprise tool, Orbiter should integrate into either NT's directory or the chosen e-mail system's address book, rather than managing two distinct systems.

Overall, Mobile Automation is a solid tool that is best-suited for mid-size enterprises because of its reliance on e-mail as a transport mechanism. The product needs native IP services tied into the NT directory to move to the next level of sophistication.

NetResults Connect:Manage
Sterling Commerce
300 Crescent Court, Suite 1200
Dallas, Texas 75201-7832 USA
(214) 981-1000
Pros: Supports browser and proprietary client; Intuitive channel architecture ; Native NT groups used for authentication
Cons
Client installation requires IT intervention; Client agent easily bypassed


Orbiter 3.0
Callisto Software, Inc.
203 East Liberty Drive
2nd Floor
Wheaton, Ill. 60187
(630) 682-8200
Web site
Price: Orbiter Server, $5,000; Orbiter Clients, $150 to $100 depending on quantity
Pros: Native TCP/IP support; Checkpoint/restart for failed transmissions; Mobile profiles optimize bandwidth
Cons: No native NT or e-mail integration; Client install requires IT intervention

Mobile Automation 3.0
Mobile Automation, Inc.
11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 1220
Los Angeles, Calif. 90025
(800) 344-1150
Web site
Price: $4,995 for one server and 50 client licenses; Additional clients $135 to $74 depending on quantity
Pros: Comprehensive e-mail support; Easy use and setup; Basic software installation scripting included
Cons: No support for native TCP/IP
Scorecard

	Mgt./ ad- min.	Re- port- ing capab- ilities	TCP/ IP sup- port	E- mail sup- port	User inter- face	In- stall.	Docu. and online help	T O T A L
Conn- ect: Manage	8 x 0.25 = 2	8 x 0.20 = 1.6	10 x 0.15 = 1.5	3 x 0.10 = 0.30	8 x 0.10 = 0.8	7 x 0.10 = 0.7	6 x 0.10 = 0.6	7.50
Orbiter	7 x 0.25 = 1.75	8 x 0.20 = 1.6	10 x 0.15 = 1.5	5 x 0.10 = 0.50	7 x 0.10 = 0.7	7 x 0.10 = 0.7	7 x 0.10 = 0.7	7.45
Mobile Auto- mation	7 x 0.25 = 1.75	7 x 0.20 = 1.4	3 x 0.15 = 0.45	10 x 0.10 = 1.0	7 x 0.10 = 0.7	9 x 0.10 = 0.9	7 x 0.10 = 0.7	6.90

RELATED LINKS Goldberg, a contributing editor at Network World for five years, manages mobile systems in a large enterprise environment. He can be reached at sgoldberg@ pobox.com.

NetResults and Scorecard
Key findings and vendor contact info.