* Details of Novell’s ambitious ZENworks 7 Suite
How many of you remember what the “zen” in ZENworks stands for?
Originally spelled “Z.E.N.works, it was an outgrowth of the development of the NetWare Application Launcher released in the early ‘90s as a technology to allow network managers to more easily control the (at the time) “new” Windows environment on corporate desktops. In late 1997 Novell described the new product, which shipped about a year later, as “a compilation of enhanced versions of Novell’s Application Launcher and Workstation Manager products, and new remote control and help desk integration tools,” as Network World reported.
I recently said ZENworks would be around for some time to come, probably longer than either NetWare or BorderManager, as far as “current products” go. There’s new evidence from Novell that this is true.
Just last week Novell announced that the ZENworks 7 Suite is shipping, describing it as the first systems management software to automate the complete lifecycle of Linux systems while allowing organizations to manage their Windows workstations from a Linux platform. Included in the suite are 15 different services and applications:
* Desktop Management
* Server Management
* Handheld Management
* Linux Management
* Asset Inventory
* Software Usage
* License Compliance
* Hardware/Software Inventory
* Novell Messenger
* Personality Migration
* Patch Management
* Software Packaging
* Data Management
* Imaging
* Remote Management
Not included in the suite, but available separately, is ZENworks Asset Management. However, ZENworks 7 Suite does include the Asset Inventory module for asset management, updated and enhanced to support more software and hardware. For a good overview of the entire suite, including the “new and improved” functions, download and read “7th Heaven”.
Yes, it’s a PDF file, but there are some interesting pictures and effects!
So what can you manage with ZENworks?
Managed Desktops
* Windows XP Professional
* Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
* Windows 2000 Professional
* Windows 98 SE
Managed Servers
* Open Enterprise Server
* NetWare 5.1, NetWare 6 and NetWare 6.5
* Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003
* SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 and 9
* Red Hat Advanced Server 2.1 and Red Hat Enterprise Server 2.1
* Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3 and 4 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 3 and 4
Managed Handhelds
* Palm OS 3.5 and later on Palm devices
* Windows CE 2.11 and later, including Pocket PC devices
* BlackBerry 850/870 devices using the DataTAC network and 950/957 devices using the Mobitex network
* Synchronized devices, through a Windows 95 and later desktop, or via TCP/IP, to the ZENworks for Handhelds server
Linux Management with Novell ZENworks Linux Management
* Novell Open Enterprise Server
* SuSE Linux Professional 9.3
* SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP1
* Novell Linux Desktop SP1
* Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 (AS, ES and WS)
Quite an impressive list, I’d say.
Z.E.N., by the way, originally stood for “Zero Effort Networks.” That was a lofty goal, which we still haven’t achieved, but ZENworks does contribute a lot towards “Reduced Effort Networks”!
Of course ZENworks, like most tools, isn’t very useful if you don’t know how to use it. Come back next time and I’ll tell you about a new aid to using ZENworks that you really ought to have.
