Their choice: IBM's LAN Automated Distribution/2 (LAD/2). Small networks -- with just a few machines and infrequent updates and upgrades -- may not need an ESD system.
"'Will it work throughout my network?' That's the number one question companies ask me," says Steve Beardslee, a networking consultant with Electronic Data Systems. His answer: "There are some products that just handle standalone LANs. Others can accommodate multiple LANs interconnected by bridges and routers. If the ESD software can't bridge NetBIOS, you can't have enterprisewide ESD."
In large networks, ESD also has to support multiple transport protocols, inventorying software and hardware, automatic scheduling, grouping of nodes and software packages, license management, configuration management, and interfacing with other system management software.
"There is no universal panacea package," says Jeremy Gray, data center manager for Boise Cascade Corp., Boise, Idaho. "The technology is still relatively immature. I suggest that data center managers get involved tactically now to prepare for the strategic solutions that are coming."
See also:
ESD's Bright Future
Taking ESD to a New Level
Tips for Succeeding With ESD
NetView Distribution Manager