REVIEW

Server Management Software: Bundles Of Joy For Your Web Server

by Jay Milne

The PC LAN marketplace is finally growing up. Corporations are starting to implement critical applications such as Micro-soft Exchange for enterprise messaging and NetWare 4.1 and NDS for directory services.

With this new role comes the need to be able to manage the underlying hardware, the operating system and the various applications on a 24x7 basis. But there's a problem. There isn't a single application that can manage a system from the hardware up to the application.

One area where this is especially true is managing, troubleshooting and gathering information about server hardware. In our San Mateo lab, we tested four server applications that assist you in managing your server platforms. We chose to examine those server management applications that are developed by the hardware vendor and provide some additional value to its hardware/software combination.

Our winner, Compaq Insight Manager, does one thing and does it well: It lets you manage, diagnose and remotely configure your Compaq server. It's designed to work only with Compaq servers but provides you with more information about that server than any of the other products. Taking a different approach is the Hewlett-Packard NetServer Assistant (NSA). NSA runs inside HP's OpenView for Windows and is designed more as a workgroup network management platform. It al so can receive SNMP traps from any SNMP-enabled device such as a printer or hub.

Just behind HP is IBM's newest entry into this field, TME 10 NetFinity 4.0 (formerly PC SystemView). TME 10 NetFinity 4.0 is more of an asset management application than a server manag ement utility. At the bottom of our ranking is Cubix, whose server management utility is not as feature rich and provides only a subset of the information that the others provide. In addition, it was the only product that does not ship bundled with the vendor's server.

Compaq Insight Manager

Compaq Insight Manager (CIM) has set the standard for Intel-based server management products. CIM provides considerable value-added features to any Compaq server. It ships with every ProSignia and ProLiant model and allows for the effective fault management and remote configuration of selected aspects of the server and information gathering via a useable Windows interface. It can be a snap-in to ManageWise.

While CIM had the best GUI interface among the group, there is definite room for improvement. It is currently a 16-bit Windows application that can run on Windows 3.x and Wind ows NT. We choose to run it on NT because it supports the Microsoft TCP/IP stack. In the Windows 3.x environment you are forced to use the Novell TCP/IP protocol stack. This is similar to the other applications we tested, such as the HP NSA/OpenView, which according to HP works best with FTP's TCP/IP stack. NT allowed us to run each application on the same workstation using only one TCP/IP protocol stack. We can't understand why these vendors don't support the Windows Sockets standard.

Another area that needs improvement is in menuing. Compaq should reduce the amount of drilling down within applications menus-sometimes we had to traverse five or six different screens to get to the information we wanted. In addition, there is no provision to set up logical dom ains or groups of servers. You are presented with one linear list of servers with no ability to filter a server based on a set of criteria. Cubix's CMS also suffers in this respect. IBM's TME 10 NetFinity 4.0, on the other hand, allows you to create various groups that are logical groupings of servers. You also have the ability to create groups based on keywords entered for each server at the time server agents are installed. With HP OpenView you can create multiple maps of your network that most resemble your network configuration.

CIM uses three colors-red, yellow and green-to indicate visually the status or condition of a server. Red indicates that a component has failed, while yellow indicates a component is in a degraded condition. While this is not as granular as HP's seven levels of status, we found it to be more than adequate and provides an easy way to determine the status of the server. In addition, alarms can be generated based on defined thresholds. For instance, you could generate an alarm if the utilization of the EISA bus reaches a certain percentage. All four products have alert logs, but in our NT environment none write to the NT alert log, thus forcing network administrators to look in a second area for errors.

One area that separates CIM from the pack is in the level of information that can be obtained about the server. This is because of the engineering that Compaq has added to its hardware that provides for advanced information gathering. With CIM you can find information such as EISA bus utilization (good for performance tuning and troubleshooting), SCSI bus status and errors, ECC memory errors and statistics about Compaq hard disks and disk arrays in the system. The 80/20 rule applies here-80 percent of the time you'll only use 20 percent of the information provided. Having the ability to gain access to the other 80 percent on a sporadic basis is also very useful.

Another feature that differentiates Compaq from the rest of the pack is Version Control, which allow s a system administrator to query each Compaq server and compare the server's firmware (such as system BIOS or SCSI controller BIOS) and OS-specific driver versions (currently it only uses Compaq supplied drivers) to a database that con tains the most current version numbers. The current version database can be manually downloaded from Compaq's Web site; we would like to see this done automatically. Besides just providing details about what is out of date, CIM can also tell you what the update corrects so you can decide if the upgrade is necessary. It'll also inform you of any dependencies on other firmware that might need to be upgraded. This type of information is invaluable to a system administrator and is reason enough to use CIM.

HP NetServer Assistant

HP NetServer Assistant (NSA) is integrated tightly with HP's workgroup management platform, OpenView for Windows. NSA provides an adequate level of information about the server, allowing the user to get information about any installed disk arrays or ECC memory, but does not go to the lengths that Compaq does. The NSA/OpenView combination is overkill for thos e needing just server management. It provides an adequate platform for those needing an SNMP-based console for managing not only HP servers but other SNMP-enabled devices such as printers, hubs and routers. We don't see OpenView for Windows eroding the market share of the Unix version, since it's only a 16-bit application and does not have the more robust utilities of its bigger brother.

Like Compaq and Cubix, the NSA/OpenView console can run on Windows and Windows NT (IBM was the only vendor to provide an OS/2 console). But the HP solution is a little more intimidating. Its GUI interface is adequate, but in many cases it displays data in tabular format. A more visually appealing interface would help.

Like IBM and Compaq, NSA can perform predictive drive failure analysis. This feature provides proactive examinations that can diagnose that a drive is in a degraded state and could fail. According to HP, most drive failures are catastrophic and will not be detected by this feature, but abo ut 8 percent of the time it can. Eight percent is better than zero.

NSA is not very strong in alerting. HP provides a third-party application to send pages based on SNMP traps but it does not have the flexibility of IBM's product, which can send alert messages via MAPI, paging, network broadcast or execute an external program such as a custom application. Both Compaq and Cubix provide several alerting mechanisms but not as many as IBM.

For remote management, HP falters slightly compared to Compaq and IBM. With Compaq and IBM, the server itself can dial up to a central console and deliver alerts. Compaq goes even further since its supports PPP. It can deliver SNMP alerts to any management console that supports PPP such as HP OpenView for Unix. With HP, one must configure a NSA/OpenView console at the remote site, which would then deliver an alert to a central console via a modem.

IBM TME 10 NetFinity 4.0

To judge fairly, TME 10 NetFinity 4.0 is a different product t han those offered by HP, Cubix and Compaq. It's more akin to an asset management application, such as Intel LANDesk or Symantec Norton Administrator for Networks. TME can perform software inventory, hardware inventory, and report on various specific operating system elements, such as listing the various processes running under Microsoft Windows NT. Additionally, it can perform server management like HP, Compaq and Cubix and, when used with an IBM Server, it can perform the same predicative drive failure analysis and gather information about IBM RAID controllers. But for the specific function of managing server hardware, TME 10 NetFinity 4.0 falls short of Compaq in terms of detail and useability of the information displayed.

We tested the final beta version of TME 10 NetFinity 4.0 and ran into a few problem s that we hope will be resolved in the production version. For example, we were successful in installing agents on both Windows 3.x and NT 3.51 but could not get agents to function on our OS/2 W arp workstation. In addition, we had problems with the utilization graphs; on several occasions it showed our Intel Pentium running between 14,000 and -500 percent-talk about mood swings!

We were not very fond of the TME GUI. While the information displayed is readable, it is not as well formatted as CIM and only slightly better than the Cubix and HP interfaces. With TME you often end up with multiple windows open on your screen. We found this confusing and we had problems determining what screen belonged to which system.

When used with an IBM PC Server, TME 10 NetFinity 4.0 provides detailed attribute information about the server, but it does not provide needed status information about the server and its components. For example, with CIM, you are provided with the number of parity errors on the Compaq embedded SCSI bus. This type of information is lacking from IBM, as well as HP and Cubix.

A distinguishing feature of IBM's product is its Web interface. When installing TME 10 NetFinity 4.0, there is an option to install an HTTP server on the system. By default, the port address is 411, which is different from the usual port 80, thus decreasing the likelihood of a conflict between two HTTP servers on the same system. We were impressed with the quality of information presented via the Web browser, but encountered some problems. It occasionally hung and we were forced to re-establish a connection with the server. Also, much of the information is presented via tables. You will also need a Java-capable browser.

While security is minimal, TME provides the capability to define a list of IP addresses that are allowed to view the information. There is no option to create a list of users and passwords.

Cubix Management System

The Cubix Management System (CMS) is a not on the sam e playing field as the other products tested. It does not present the same amount of information as the others, nor does it have the breadth of operating system support. Currently i t only supports NetWare 3.x and 4.x and lacks support for OS/2 and NT-OS/2 and NT are supported by all the other management utilities. It was the only product tested with a price tag-$595. You'll also need to purchase the IES module for $1,195, which will support up to 248 servers.

CMS is a 16-bit Windows application, like the others, but can only run on a Windows 3.x system using the Novell NETX or VLM protocol stack, unlike the others, which work on NT without any problems. Windows95 is supported only using the 16-bit VLM drivers. Cubix is currently working on a 32-bit NT version, due out some time this year. This future version should allow CMS to compete more closely with the likes of HP, Compaq and IBM.

The information obtained about the various Cubix systems is limited. Most of the information can be obtained from other third-party applications, such as Intel LANDesk. CMS offers the ability to remotely power cycle the server. It provides information about the Cubix chassis' power and fuse status. It can measure usage statistics and availability of installed components. You can export this information to an ODBC-compliant database for further reporting. It lacks the ability to check the status of the installed RAID controller and other installed devices. Unlike CIM, CMS does not allow for any remote controlling of server functions. It also lacks remote management; rather it requires the administrator to remotely control a CMS machine. In contrast, Compaq uses PPP and IBM has its own dialer.

CMS works with a hardware module called IES. A Cubix system is unlike a typical file server in that the chassis can house multiple systems. It contains a passive backplane that allows for communication between the system processor and expansion cards.

Jay Milne can be reached at jmilne@nwc.com.

Where Is The Rest Of The Pack?

While we only reviewed the server management offerings from IBM, Compaq, HP and Cubix, there are several other vendors that have similar products. Dell Computers ships an application called SafeSite that works only with its PowerEdge SP/XE servers. SafeSite provides monitoring of drive arrays (as do the others), support for alphanumeric pages via a third-party application and the ability to monitor devices attached to Adaptec controllers. The ability to monitor Adaptec controllers stems from a partnership between Dell and Adaptec, but it only applies to the Adaptec 2940 series of SCSI controllers. SafeSite supports SNMP, which can send traps to various network management consoles.

Another vendor, Tricord, allows for the monitoring of servers only via a dial-in connection, but not over the network-a gap in its strategy. Both network and dial-up support should be provided at a minimum.

From the storage side, Storage Dimensions ships a product called Vantage Point that supports both NetWare and NT. It allows for the management, troubleshooting and performance analysis of any Storage Dimensions disk subsys tem attached to the network. Information such as average throughput, I/O mix expressed in read/write percentages and transaction rates are represented.

Other Ways To Manage Your Server

Our review of server management software represents one way to manage a server. Software-based solutions are fine when the server is on the network and the operating system is functioning correctly. But what happens if the operating system burps or hangs? You are out of luck unless you can somehow reboot the server or physically go to the server. In some instances this is not possible. In these instances, HP, Compaq, Intel and others have designed hardware-based management solutions.

These solutions are expansion board-based (the HP and Compaq units are EISA cards and the Intel unit is an ISA card) and all have a battery and a built-in modem. HP Remote Assistant Card and Compaq Server Manager/R are designed for their respective servers only, but Intel LANDesk Server Monitor Module is des igned to run in any server. The Compaq unit is being revised and is due out in June or July, replacing its old Server Manager/R.

All three allow for remote power cycling, checking the temperature and voltage, and redirected text screen images. You can cycle the server and watch the entire boot sequence; you can even execute keystrokes and run character-based utilities. You can boot the OS, but with NT, once the GUI loads, you lose the ability to view. According to Compaq, its unit will be able to redirect the NT GUI as well. It's ideal for remote servers, but it comes at a high price-about $1,000.

Updated June 14, 1996