Overwhelmed by DCE Cell Administration?

The Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) is the future for your organization. Its trusted server/client computing model provides the secure data access you need. You've worked with DCE in the lab and in pilot programs, and you understand the principles of its powerful command set. Now you are moving DCE into production cells across your company and transferring the administration of those cells to other people, some unfamiliar with the depths of DCE. Where do you go from here?

Simplify DCE

Ideally, you could perform your tasks with minimal knowledge of DCE's complex syntax. HaL Software System's DCE Cell Manager frees you from the command line and creates an accessible graphical environment for your DCE-related tasks.

Efficient access to DCE tools: launch our tools or your own DCE applications in the same secure context. (image = about 4K)

Point-and-click ease replaces scripts or long, interactive command-line sessions like this:

Increase productivity

You want to understand immediately the relationships between the data you manage, to clarify what is where from a tremendous output stream. The DCE Cell Manager toolset processes DCE output into a readable presentation that lets you see the hierarchy of the cell, choose entries by type, and modify the contents and access to individual data objects.

Graphical interfaces: view, search, and operate on DCE objects using displays that make DCE information understandable. (image = about 16K)

Deciding which DCE command options to use takes time. DCE Cell Manager's task-oriented menus show the appropriate options for the items you select. One-step combination of underlying DCE commands whenever possible decreases your interaction time. Multiple targeting for particular operations means faster task completion.

Centralize management

Keeping up with the brands of DCE installed in your multiplatform environment can be inconvenient. With DCE Cell Manager, you don't have to track down the implementation specifics from different DCE vendors to configure a client host into a cell.

Keeping track of what's going on in the cell takes time if you remotely log in to each host. DCE Cell Manager lets you quickly determine the status of DCE daemons throughout the cell from a single machine. Better yet, you can stop and start DCE and unconfigure and configure client hosts from your central command post without remotely logging in to each host.

Remote management: without leaving your machine, monitor DCE processes on each host; configure client hosts; and unconfigure, start, or stop DCE. (image = about 20.4K)

Reduce training costs.

DCE Cell Manager's intuitive user interface helps you assimilate DCE more readily. This same graphical user interface insulates you from learning all the command-line syntax so that you can focus on actual cell management. Short QuickHelp cues and extensive on-line help with procedures and explanations promote hands-on learning and rapid task completion.

Online help: check QuickHelp cues or access extensive help cards for operations such as modifying security permissions on DCE objects. (image = about 14K)

Support many vendors, many platforms

Heterogeneity is what DCE is all about. Your administration tools must also run on a wide variety of platforms and operating systems. DCE Cell Manager is the first administration tool for managing multivendor, heterogeneous DCE cells. This consistent interface eliminates system administrators' need to learn vendor-specific administration tools or utilities, thus reducing overall training and management costs while increasing responsiveness.

		Platforms	Operating Systems

	     --------------------------------------------

		DEC Alpha AXP	HP-UX 9.x

				IBM AIX 3.2.5+

		HP 9000		OS/2 (agents only)

				OSF/1 V2.0+

		IBM RS6000	Solaris 2.3

				SunOS 4.1.x

		Sun SPARC

The list of supported platforms and operating systems is constantly growing, with more being incorporated into each release. For information on additional platforms and operating systems, contact your HaL Software Systems representative in the U.S. or overseas.

Commit to the future

When you move DCE into your production cells, you need to know that your administration tools will keep up with new DCE releases and your growing network of machines, users, and applications. HaL Software Systems commits to providing solutions for its customers' DCE administration needs and keeping abreast of the latest advances in DCE technology. The DCE Cell Manager product family continues to evolve to meet the future requirements of DCE users.

For more information on how DCE Cell Manager can solve your DCE administration dilemma, contact your HaL Software Systems representative in the U.S. or overseas.

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Last updated and validated Mon 29 Jan 96 by nita@halsoft.com