Teach Me

When you're working with a new product, isn't it nice when it comes with a few samples that show what you can do with the software? Deployment Solution includes a folder full of sample tasks that can be used to get the hang of things and point you in the right direction. These samples include items such as executing commands, distributing software, capturing a user's personal files and settings, and starting/stopping services.

Altiris' handling of SIDs was superior as well. If you use Sysprep in conjunction with Altiris' SIDgen utility, you can distribute an image and configure Windows without a trip to the desktop.

Altiris required four reboots for an image to be successfully installed on a workstation, but when those were done, the system was immediately ready for use. The company said the imaging process could require from two to four reboots and that these were required for hardware configurations. The amount of time the PCs spent rebooting factored into our performance test but was offset by the time saved by not having to configure the clients manually after the image was installed. Plus, with the other disk-imaging products, our fingers got tired entering in the CD keys for each image we distributed. We consider multiple reboots a well-worth-it trade-off for not having to visit the client machines.

Disk Imager Performance Click here to enlarge

Altiris' hidden-partition functionality for remote boot of clients is called BootWorks. Altiris separates its remote-boot capabilities and the client software used for software distribution and migration into two separate client installations. From the server console we were able to remotely install the "AClient" onto our client PCs in a push or pull fashion, a perk only Altiris and Symantec Ghost offer. Once the AClient was installed we were able to manage such functions as reboot/shutdown, Wake-on-LAN, remote control and software distribution. BootWorks is used in addition to the AClient when you are creating an image of a machine or distributing images. Symantec Ghost and PowerQuest DeployCenter keep the hidden partition and the client software in the same package, making installation a little easier. The client software and server console stand out because of the number of operations, such as inventory and system configurations, that can be performed with only a few clicks. However, there is no way to tell if BootWorks is installed unless you look at logs, which can be confusing.

The product's configuration and inventory features are comprehensive. We changed such settings as TCP/IP address, domain, OS license key and user accounts, and the inventory utility offered a comprehensive report of both software and hardware installations, including an automatic inventory schedule that let us check machines' application loads on a regular basis. You won't find this in the other products we tested.

Altiris let us perform scripted OS installations, not only of Windows but also of Red Hat Linux distributions. However, Altiris' support for Linux is limited: It does not support ext2/ext3 partitions and does not offer Linux client software for software distribution, inventory and the like. However, Altiris says it will add support for both Linux file systems soon and provide a deployment agent for Linux in Deployment Solution's Service Pack 2.

Unlike the other products, which use RIS, Altiris offers OS installations as one of its own functions. The scripting language uses the MS DOS batch-file syntax, so we had no trouble getting the hang of it. In addition, the migration abilities integrated into the console let us easily capture our users' personal data. A friendly wizard helped us retrieve files and folders like "My Documents," capture desktop backgrounds and settings, and collect common program settings. We simply selected all the things we wanted to back up, and the wizard created an executable file that we used to restore the user's machine.

PXE Me

When client machines connected to the server using PXE, we were prompted with two options. One let us install a fresh copy of the operating system and the other let us execute tasks that were pending on the server--for clients that had connected to the server in the past, we could queue up tasks, and when they rebooted with PXE, we could execute those tasks.

Adding additional solutions in the Client Management Suite can bring your organization a wealth of control and management features, but we found that Deployment Solution offers more than adequate functionality for extensive disk-imaging operations. One feature that is unique to Altiris' product--and that we were surprised to see--is a remote-control capability that let us log in and control end-user workstations. This was particularly helpful when we were preparing to migrate users from Windows 2000 to Windows XP. We were able to check locations of user data files and conduct many other investigative procedures. The remote-control feature also comes with a chat program that can be used by helpdesk personnel--with this tool we could see what the user sees on his or her desktop and determine the seriousness of a problem.

Altiris Deployment Server has the highest price tag of the products we tested--$37 each for 1,000 clients--but we consider the cost justified by its extensive feature set. If your organization is looking not just for centralized management of disk images, but also software distribution, migration and even remote control, this product is worth the investment.

Altiris Deployment Solution, perpetual license for 10 to 99 nodes: $49 per node, including one year annual upgrade protection. Altiris, (888) 252-5551, (801) 226-8500. http://www.altiris.com