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Understanding the Value of
IntelliMirror, Remote OS Installation, and Systems
Management Server
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IntelliMirrorTM management
technologies, Remote OS Installation, and Systems Management
Server work together to offer a full complement of change and
configuration management features for Windows� 2000 operating
systems. This article is a guide designed to help administrators
select the right combined solution to configure and maintain
user desktops in corporate computing environments.
IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation are
features included as part of Windows 2000. Together they
provide a base set of change and configuration management
features for IT administrators to manage their Windows 2000
Professional users through centrally administered policies.
Systems Management Server 2.0 complements IntelliMirror and
Remote OS Installation, providing additional, scalable change
and configuration management options to support a full range of
Windows-based computers and more complex environments.
IntelliMirror, Remote OS Installation, and
Systems Management Server (SMS) each perform a complementary
range of change and configuration management tasks. The
following table shows how each can be used separately or in
combination in order to provide specific management functions:
Table 1. Range of Management Functions Each
Solution Provides
|
Management Function
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Remote OS Installation
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|
IntelliMirror
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SMS
|
| Install Windows 2000-based
desktop images |
= |
Yes
|
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| Follow Me user environments
(persistence of data, software, and settings) |
= |
|
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Yes
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| Basic disaster recovery for
Windows 2000-based systems |
= |
Yes
|
+ |
Yes
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| Inventory, advanced deployment,
troubleshooting, and diagnostic tools |
= |
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Yes
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| Manage environments that are
not Windows 2000-based |
= |
|
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|
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Yes
|
| Comprehensive change and
configuration management for Windows |
= |
Yes
|
+ |
Yes
|
+ |
Yes
|
The Value of IntelliMirror
Using IntelliMirror, IT administrators can
give users Follow Me functionality for desktop
environments. This provides users with consistent access to
personal computing environments from any computer running
Windows 2000 Professional, even if the computer is
subsequently disconnected from the network.
IntelliMirror also gives IT administrators
centralized control of each user�s desktop resources by
applying change and configuration management policies based on
the business needs and location of users. The Windows 2000
Professional operating system uses these persistent policies to
reconfigure and repair the desktop configuration dynamically to
meet the predefined needs of the logged on user. This helps IT
administrators reduce the day-to-day support overhead associated
with maintaining users� desktop environments, and simplifies
the task of protecting user-generated corporate data.
At the core of IntelliMirror are three
separate management functions:
 | User Data Management: Policy
settings defining the properties and locations of users�
files, documents, workbooks, and other information, so that
the user�s data is available both online and offline from
any computer.
| | Software Installation and Maintenance:
Policy settings defining the installation, configuration,
repair, and removal of applications, service packs, and
software upgrades.
| | User Settings Management: Policy
settings defining both customizations and any restrictions
that should be applied to the operating system, desktop
environment, and applications for each user, including
language settings, custom dictionaries, desktop
configuration, and other user preferences and restrictions. |
IntelliMirror features can be used on their
own or teamed with other management features. For example, to
augment the installation and maintenance functions of
IntelliMirror in multi-LAN environments, IntelliMirror can be
teamed with the Windows 2000 distributed file system (Dfs)
to provide a network of distribution servers. In more complex
multi-LAN and mixed Windows environments, the Software
Installation and Maintenance feature of IntelliMirror can be
replaced with Systems Management Server. Implementing the User
Data Management and User Settings Management features of
IntelliMirror with Systems Management Server provides the
broadest range of features for change and configuration
management of Windows-based desktops.
The Value of Remote OS Installation
The Remote OS Installation feature works
during initial startup, before the resident operating system has
been loaded. It allows computer hardware that is connected using
a LAN to find a networked computer running Windows 2000
Server, and request installation of a fresh copy of Windows 2000
Professional, appropriately configured for that user and that
computer. The ability to autoinstall the operating system by
policy, without the need for additional technical support, can
significantly reduce the IT support overhead in bringing new
computers online and in reinstalling operating systems on
computers in the field.
Remote OS Installation uses a Windows 2000
Server-based computer as a remote source, serving as the network
equivalent of a CD-based installation of Windows 2000
Professional or a preconfigured Windows 2000 Professional
desktop image. These work in the following manner:
| CD-equivalent installation: This is
similar to setting up a computer directly by using the
Unattended Install options available on the Windows 2000
Professional CD. However, rather than residing on a CD, the
source files are placed on Windows 2000 Servers and made
available across the network.
| | Pre-configured desktop image: This
feature allows a network administrator to clone a standard
Windows 2000-based corporate desktop configuration, complete
with OS configurations, desktop customizations and locally
installed applications. Once configured, the cloned image is
stored on computers running Windows 2000 Server. On
request, the server downloads these images to new computers.
The new computer�s hardware does not have to be identical
to that of the computer on which the image was created,
because the Windows 2000 Professional operating system
support for Plug and Play can adjust for hardware
differences. |
Using IntelliMirror and Remote OS
Installation Together
IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation
provide IT administrators the key management functions necessary
for configuring and maintaining users� Windows 2000
Professional desktop environments in a Windows 2000
Server-based environment. One use of this is to provide a basic
level of disaster recovery.
When used together, IntelliMirror and Remote
OS Installation offer the following benefits:
| Reduce the costs incurred in setting up new
computers running Windows 2000 Professional.
| | Provide dynamic configuration and repair,
making it easy for users to log on anywhere in the network.
| | Provide better recovery from computer
failures. |
Whether a user is adding or replacing a
computer, or returning a repaired computer to the network,
Remote OS Installation provides the services to reload the
operating system, while IntelliMirror provides the services to
regenerate applications quickly and restore user data and
personal computer settings.
The Added Value of Systems Management Server
In simple network configurations, where
subnets are interconnected at LAN speeds, the combination of
IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation provides the change and
configuration management features required to maintain a
well-managed network of computers running Windows 2000
Professional in a Windows 2000 Server environment. However,
as enterprises become more distributed and complex, IT
administrators need to supplement this base set of change and
configuration management functions with advanced planning,
deployment, and diagnostic tools. Systems Management Server
provides these tools. Used together, IntelliMirror, Remote OS
Installation, and Systems Management Server provide a
comprehensive range of change and configuration management
functions to track, maintain, and manage all Windows-based
desktop computers in Windows NT� operating system-based and
NetWare-based environments. This combination also provides full
Follow Me functionality for users of Windows 2000
Professional systems operating in Windows 2000 Server
environments.
Specifically, Systems Management Server 2.0
adds the following management functions:
| Planning tools: Systems Management
Server uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and
inventory scanning utilities to upload detailed hardware and
software inventory information into an SQL server�based
repository. Additionally, Systems Management Server includes
tools that can monitor and report on application usage, and
check for product compliance such as Windows 2000 readiness,
Euro currency support, and year 2000 issues. This collection
of planning tools helps administrators to understand the
configuration of their environment, complete audits and
compliance checks, monitor and restrict application use, and
plan for operations such as new software deployments and
upgrades.
| | Deployment tools: Using Systems
Management Server, IT administrators can schedule and
synchronize the deployment of software to Windows-based
computers. This distribution is fully integrated with
inventory to allow sophisticated targeting, while also
allowing detailed status reporting on the progress and
success of each scheduled deployment. Systems Management
Server is WAN-aware, allowing IT administrators to define
what percentage of inter-site bandwidth can be used for
management tasks. With Systems Management Server, an IT
administrator can distribute and install software in the
background to one, ten, or tens of thousands of computers,
even when no users are logged on.
| | Diagnostic tools: Systems Management
Server provides a range of advanced remote diagnostic tools
to help manage desktops and servers without onsite visits.
These include tools such as remote control and remote
reboot, a Network Monitor with real-time and post-capture
�experts� to analyze network conditions and performance,
and a server health monitoring tool, which can track
critical performance information on Windows NT-based servers
and BackOffice� family systems. |
Which Software Deployment Method Should I
Use?
In addition to their other functions,
IntelliMirror, Remote OS Installation, and Systems Management
Server each have a software deployment component. Each offers
different capabilities, as follows:
| Remote OS Installation: This
component is used specifically to deploy Windows 2000
Professional or company-standard Windows 2000
Professional-based desktop images. Remote OS Installation
will reload the operating system or desktop image even where
the existing system configuration is non-operational. (Note:
The Microsoft System Preparation Tool used with a
third-party cloning tool provides similar desktop image
replication.)
| | IntelliMirror: This component uses a
pull model for software deployment. This provides a
highly dynamic solution that makes software available to
users as it is needed, installing software just in time.
However, for a satisfactory end-user experience,
IntelliMirror typically requires high-speed LAN connectivity
between the client computer and the distribution server
where the installable software is held.
| | Systems Management Server: This
component uses a push model to deploy software to
computers or to distribution points, where it can then be
locally pulled down onto a computer either by the user or
through use of IntelliMirror. Using Systems Management
Server, IT administrators can coordinate and schedule
software deployments, allowing single- or multiple-phase
rollout of software and even arranging for off-hours
distribution and installation. Using the push model, Systems
Management Server provides IT administrators with the
ability to control and synchronize software deployments over
multiple sites, helping to reduce compatibility issues that
may otherwise occur. |
Which Combination of Management Solutions Do
I Need?
IntelliMirror, Remote OS Installation, and
Systems Management Server (SMS) can be used either separately or
together. The following table provides recommendations for the
optimal combination of IntelliMirror, Remote OS Installation,
and Systems Management Server for a given corporate computing
environment.
Table 2. Recommended Change and Configuration
Management Solution
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Client OS mix
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Network Type
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Single LAN/simple multi-LAN with LAN
speed interconnects
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Complex multi-LAN/multi-site systems
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| Windows 2000-based systems |
IntelliMirror
Remote OS Installation |
SMS
IntelliMirror
Remote OS Installation |
| Mixed Windows environments,
including Windows 2000-based systems |
SMS
IntelliMirror
Remote OS Installation |
SMS
IntelliMirror
Remote OS Installation |
Windows 3.1
Windows for Workgroups
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows NT 3.51/4.0
based environments |
SMS |
SMS |
IntelliMirror,
Remote OS Installation, and Underlying Management Technologies
Systems
Management Server
Microsoft
Systems Preparation Tool
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