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Manage Change with the Windows 2000
Platform
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As organizations rely more heavily on their
computer networks, the amount of critical information about
people and processes that is stored on those networks grows
daily. And because those networked organizations change
frequently, it is even more important that the information they
keep on their networks is managed efficiently, in a way that
provides flexibility to users and yet controls access to vital
data. The change and configuration management features that are
built into the Windows� 2000 operating system help network
administrators manage day-to-day tasks such as installing,
updating, managing, and repairing users� data, software, and
settings while maintaining a high level of control over critical
data.
IntelliMirrorTM management
technologies and Remote OS Installation are features included in
the Windows 2000 operating system. Systems Management Server 2.0
complements these built-in management features. Together they
provide a base set of change and configuration management
features that help IT administrators manage their Windows 2000
Professional user communities and data through centrally
administered policy.
The IntelliMirror technologies that are
built into Windows 2000 supply the following change-management
capabilities:
 | User data management. These policy
settings define the properties and the location of a Windows
2000 user�s files, documents, workbooks, and other
information. The user�s data is available from any
computer on the network, both online and offline.
| | Software installation and management.
These policy settings define how to install, configure,
repair, and remove applications, service packs, and software
upgrades.
| | User settings management. These
policy settings define both customizations and any
restrictions that should be applied to the operating system,
desktop environment, and applications for each user. |
Using a Windows 2000-based server as the
remote source, Remote Operating System (OS) Installation
is the network equivalent of a CD-based installation of Windows
2000 Professional or an installation of a pre-configured Windows
2000 Professional desktop image. A Remote OS Installation works
in either of the following ways:
| CD-equivalent installation. This is
similar to the process of setting up a computer directly
using the unattended install options available on the
Windows 2000 Professional compact disc; however, in this
instance, the source files reside across the network on
available Windows 2000-based servers rather than on a
compact disc.
| | Pre-configured desktop image. This
type of remote installation allows a network administrator
to clone a standard corporate desktop configuration,
complete with operating system configurations, desktop
customizations, and locally installed applications. Once
configured, the cloned image is stored on Windows 2000-based
servers. On request, the server downloads these images to
new computers. The new computer hardware does not have to be
identical to that of the machine on which the image was
created; the Windows 2000 Professional support for Plug and
Play adjusts for hardware differences. |
Systems Management Server 2.0 (SMS)
complements IntelliMirror and Remote OS Installation by
extending change and configuration management to the full range
of Windows-based computers. Specifically, SMS adds the following
management functions:
| Planning. Systems Management Server
helps administrators meter application usage and check for
year 2000 compliance. The planning tools in SMS also help
administrators conduct audits and compliance checks, monitor
and restrict application use, and plan operations such as
deployments and upgrades.
| | Deployment. Using SMS, an IT
administrator can distribute and install software in the
background to one, ten, or tens of thousands of computers on
a Windows 2000-based network, whether the users are logged
on or not.
| | Diagnosis. Systems Management Server
provides a range of advanced remote diagnostic tools to help
administrators manage desktops and servers without having to
conduct on-site 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 tool that can track critical performance
information on the Windows NT� Server operating system and
the BackOffice� family. |
To explain how each of these features works,
here are a few typical change-related scenarios that demonstrate
how Windows 2000 can help administrators manage their networks.
Moving Around the Network
Susan, the coordinator of the delivery
department at the Wide World Importers corporate headquarters,
spends time in several different buildings on the company�s
campus every day. She visits each of the company�s warehouses
to plan upcoming deliveries, and she updates her department�s
delivery schedules every few hours. Susan rarely logs on to the
network from the same Windows 2000-based computer twice in one
day. Instead, she uses the nearest computer that isn�t being
used by someone else.
Managing the Change: IntelliMirror
Technologies
IntelliMirror technologies make Susan�s
constant movement around Wide World Importers� network
possible by providing access to her data, software, and
settings, regardless of where she is when she logs on to the
network.
Susan�s access is consistent and reliable
because it is based on policies that her company�s network
administrator sets at the group level. Each user on a Windows
2000 network belongs to a group, or several groups, based on the
business needs of the organization and the individual. Susan is
a member of three groups at Wide World Importers: first, the
group comprising Susan and the small team that reports to her;
second, the group comprising the Delivery department at the
corporate headquarters; and third, the group comprising all the
full-time employees at Wide World Importers. Each time Susan
logs on to the network, Windows 2000 recognizes her and gives
her access to the data, software, and settings that she needs
because she is a member of these three groups. Her software
loads quickly because IntelliMirror pulls applications from the
geographically closest server. IntelliMirror technologies
"mirror" Susan�s computing experience regardless of
where she is when she logs on to the company�s network. Not
only does IntelliMirror make Susan�s computing experience
easier, but since her information actually lives on Wide World
Importer�s network rather than on a specific computer,
IntelliMirror also protects the company�s data.
Disaster Recovery
Susan arrived at work to find a disaster in
her office. A broken pipe on the second floor dripped through
the ceiling onto her desk all night, and her computer is flooded
beyond repair. She calls Doug, Wide World Importers� network
administrator. He has a new, unconfigured desktop computer
delivered to Susan�s office. Susan plugs the computer into the
network, logs on, and goes to a meeting. When she returns to her
office an hour or so later, the Windows 2000 installation has
conducted itself�and her documents, software, and settings are
available to her, too.
Managing the Change: Remote OS Installation,
then IntelliMirror
A little bit of preplanning goes a long way.
When he conducted the original Windows 2000 installation on the
network, Doug created a clone image of a standard desktop
configuration and stored it on one of the Windows 2000-based
servers on the company�s network. Because he did this, anytime
that he needs to conduct a Windows 2000 installation, the user
logs on to the network and Remote OS Installation does the
rest�it locates the correct server and then conducts the
installation from the cloned desktop configuration on that
server. Once the cloned configuration installation is complete,
IntelliMirror technologies can do their job. As soon as Susan
logs on to her new computer, she can access her documents and
the documents that are available to all the members of her
groups. And since IntelliMirror installs applications by pulling
them from the geographically closest server, Susan truly has a
just-in-time recovery from the morning�s disaster.
Managing a Large-Scale Software Installation
Doug needs to make sure that everyone in the
company who uses Microsoft Office has the most recent version of
the software, and only that version. Rather than simply
"pushing" the installation onto every Office user�s
computer, Doug decides to first check each Office user�s
computer to see what version he or she has. If the user has the
correct version, nothing will happen. If the user has an
incorrect version, Doug sets up SMS to remove the old version
and replace it with the new version automatically. He instructs
SMS to conduct the diagnosis and deployment overnight.
Managing the Change: Systems Management
Server
Doug is using SMS to manage software
installation from the top down; that is, across a set of
desktops rather than one by one. Rather than conducting a
just-in-time installation, which would have installed the
software on all users� computers the next time they logged on,
thereby placing two different versions of the same software on
many users� computers, Doug decided to use SMS to conduct a
remove-and-add installation. Since he used SMS to help him
diagnose, plan, and carry out the installation, he spared many
people the hassle (and potential problems) of having to be aware
of or participate in the installation themselves. And because he
conducted an installation that first removed previous versions
of the software, he helped to reduce the compatibility issues
that often occur when organizations involve users in
installations or updates.
Change and Configuration Management Features
Add Convenience, Reduce TCO, and Increase Data Security
Through its underlying management features
that allow network administrators to manage change over the
network, Windows 2000 helps companies, users, and administrators
to be flexible without having to compromise corporate data. The
centrally administered, policy-based nature of the Windows 2000
platform means that network administrators can do their work
without having to visit individual computers, and that saves
time as well as administrative costs. And since their data and
software are stored and managed centrally, Windows 2000-based
organizations can feel more secure about their vital
information.
 Introduction
to Windows Management Services
Introduction
to Change and Configuration Management
Introduction
to IntelliMirror
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