tremendous flexibility to provision target systems. Administrators
can even switch between any of these preboot environments as
needed within a single deployment job.
Furthermore, Altiris Deployment Solution can deploy the fol-
lowing package file types:
• .rpm: Red Hat® Package Manager (RPM™) file • .bin: Binary file • .gz: Compressed file package • .tar: Collection of files in a package • .tgz: Compressed collection of files in a package • .bz2: Compression file • .shar: Tar file with a shell script as a package • .deb: Debian package file • .pkg: Solaris package file
The value of Altiris Deployment Solution is centered in its abil-
ity to capture a complete sequence of management tasks (including
workflow with conditional logic) as a simple drag-and-drop job in
the Altiris console. For example, a single job can be built to provi-
sion a server from bare metal (including low-level BIOS and RAID
configuration) through OS deployment and application installation.
Once a job is built, it can be executed over and over again simply
by dragging and dropping it onto the icons representing managed
systems in the Altiris console. This functionality can be used to
create automated jobs for many of the activities administrators
currently perform manually.
Administrators can use Altiris Deployment Solution to help
their IT department define, standardize, and automate deployment
processes for Linux-based servers. Deployment standardization
helps ensure Linux-based configurations are reliable and consistent.
Altiris Deployment Solution also can help significantly reduce the
administrative time required to provision Linux-based servers. In
fact, in a KeyLabs study that was jointly commissioned by Altiris
and Dell in November 2004, 25 Dell PowerEdge 2650 servers run-
ning Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3 were deployed using various
installation methods. Deployment using Altiris Deployment Solution
was 87 percent faster than a manual deployment.1 Dell IT also used
Altiris Deployment Solution to deploy its own servers and was able
to reduce deployment of Windows- and Linux-based servers from
an average of 6 hours down to just 20 minutes per server.2
Altiris Inventory SolutionAltiris Inventory Solution® software is designed to gather hardware,
software, and OS data from each UNIX/Linux-based system based
on Altiris policies (see Figure 3). A policy implements a user-defined,
recurring schedule for collecting data from target systems. Policies
can provide comprehensive data collection or limit inventory scans
to a subset of data specified by an administrator.
Administrators can also define custom inventory scans to col-
lect additional data values not gathered by the default Altiris scan.
Administrators can create
shell scripts to pull data
from a variety of sources,
store the data in the
Altiris CMDB, and display
it in the Altiris console just
like data returned from a
standard scan. This data
is also available for Altiris
reports, policies, and collec-
tions in the same way that
data from a default Altiris
scan is made available.
The first time a system is scanned, all inventory data is
aggregated into a single XML file (typically 300 KB in size)
on the target system and then forwarded to the central Alti-
ris server via HTTP or HTTPS. To minimize bandwidth, sub-
sequent scans typically send only delta information (that is,
data that has changed since the last scan)—typically 15 KB to
25 KB in size.
From the central console, administrators can view the Altiris-
provided reports, create their own reports, or build notifica-
tion policies. Notification policies scan incoming data for pre-
defined values and immediately notify administrators of problem
1 For a synopsis of the methodology and findings of this study, see “Time-Savings Validation for Dell Server Deployment with Altiris Deployment Solution” by Todd Mitchell and Landon Hale, Dell Power Solutions,s August 2005; www.dell.com/downloads/global/power/ps3q05-20050221-Altiris.pdf. The complete study documentation can be found at www.dell.com/downloads/global/solutions/Deployment%20Comparison%20for%20Dell%20PowerEdge%20Servers.pdf.
2 For more information, see the Dell success story at www.dell.com/downloads/global/casestudies/2005_altiris.pdf.
Figure 3. Partial Linux inventory from the Altiris Resource Summary
extensive history of low-level information for long-term trend analy-
sis via the Web-based console. Administrators can analyze real-time
and trended data together for an extremely accurate picture of data
center performance.
A central monitor dashboard provides a holistic view of the
state of all monitored machines, making it easy to identify prob-
lem areas. From the dashboard, administrators can drill down
into detailed system logs and information provided by a variety
of Altiris tools.
Another valuable feature of Altiris Monitor Solution is the
periodic capture (every 60 seconds, by default) of the current
process list. Servers often crash when no administrator is readily
available—for example, on nights, weekends, or holidays. Deter-
mining what caused the failure typically involves a tedious search
through numerous system and application log files. Because the
Altiris Monitor Solution captures a variety of monitoring metrics or
data points (including the process list), it can be a powerful tool to
aid in tracing the root cause of a machine failure. Administrators can
easily launch the historical monitoring view on the failed machine
and view metric details up to the time of failure. The process list
snapshot often reveals valuable insight about how applications
were utilizing system resources immediately prior to system failure,
enabling administrators to identify the problematic service and the
circumstances surrounding it.
Altiris security auditingIT administrators who are responsible for securing data and appli-
cations have two broad strategic goals: preventing unauthorized
access to IT resources and maintaining IT services. Altiris soft-
ware is designed to enhance security by automating vulnerability
audits and leveraging best-of-breed remediation tools.
For administrators who want a comprehensive UNIX/Linux
security audit (see Figure 5) based on predefined templates, Altiris
tools offer a vulnerability assessment in seven areas:
• Antivirus status • Security patch status • Industry-known vulnerabilities • Personal firewall status • System security configuration settings • Unauthorized software • Unauthorized hardware
Altiris security tools can even provide agent-less support for
UNIX/Linux environments using SSH. Agent-less auditing is often
the preferred method for auditing desktop and server systems.
Audit credentials can be assigned to the security audit team, but
not revealed to the local desktop user. Full-time agent support
is also available for Windows, UNIX, and Linux environments.
No administrative credentials are required when the agent is
installed locally.
Using Altiris security management software, IT administrators
can perform the following tasks:
• Secure the environment according to best practices, while
implementing mitigation and shielding techniques to prevent
common breaches. • Audit the environment against a database of known vulner-
abilities and integrate the information with common configu-
ration management components. • Fix discovered vulnerabilities against a standard risk prioriti-
zation strategy to control or eliminate the root causes.
Figure 5. View of a Linux-based server in Altiris AuditExpress
• Enforce best practices through standardized configuration
management, policy-based system maintenance, and change-
control procedures.
Altiris network discovery and topology mappingDocumenting and tracking changes in network topology can con-
sume a tremendous amount of time and effort. Typically, enough
of the network has changed by the time such a documentation
project ends that the resulting topology maps are outdated.
Altiris offers a variety of software products for standardizing
the deployment and configuration of network devices and virtual
LAN (VLAN) settings. Additionally, Altiris tools can generate a
Layer 2 connectivity map based on a quick scan of the environ-
ment to eliminate inaccuracies and save time. An assortment of
maps can be created using various filters and editing tools (see
Figure 6). Furthermore, once topology maps are finalized, they can
easily be exported to a Microsoft Visio® file for further editing.
These Altiris tools also can be used to locate rogue devices
and quarantine them by moving the devices from the produc-
tion network to a non-production VLAN. Needed system patches
and configuration changes can be performed in the quarantine
VLAN before moving a noncompliant device back to the pro-
duction LAN.
Centralizing systems management for heterogeneous environmentsAltiris provides a comprehensive set of software products for man-
aging UNIX/Linux-based systems via a single console and manage-
ment infrastructure. Altiris software can help dramatically improve
an IT organization’s ability to “do more with less,” especially within
heterogeneous environments. For Windows-centric organizations,
Altiris tools not only can help to efficiently manage systems already
in place, but they also can help position IT organizations to simply
and easily begin building out a Linux strategy.
By providing policy-driven, one-to-many management tools
for diverse environments, Altiris software is designed to automate
several common management functions. Additionally, Altiris tools
can provide a helpful layer of abstraction that helps minimize the
differences between operating systems for low-level, one-to-one
management tasks and utilities—enabling administrators to quickly
become effective at managing diverse environments.
Patrick Bourke is a senior technical support engineer for Akibia, Inc. He has assisted numerous Dell customers, along with Akibia’s internal IT depart-ment, in designing comprehensive Altiris management infrastructures. Prior to joining Akibia, Patrick spent many years as a network engineer and systems management consultant specializing in the design, implementation, and long-term support of complex, multivendor data center environments.
Todd Mitchell is the Dell alliance technical director at Altiris. He has worked with numerous Altiris customers to support Dell-specific imple-mentations and management needs. Todd has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University.
Rich Lacey is the product line manager for server management and the UNIX/Linux advocate at Altiris. Prior to joining Altiris, Rich spent several years as a consultant and engineer specializing in the architecture, imple-mentation, and integration of operational support systems in the telecom-munications industry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Dell and Altiris:www.dell.com/altiriswww.altiris.com/dell
Figure 6. Automated network discovery and management
