Software Quarterly

How to Pick the ESD Software You Need


"We started by writing our own ESD software," says Jim Wolf, a systems analyst at Whirlpool Corp. "But it couldn't effectively manage our updates. So we looked at ESD software offerings. Our criteria were: ease of use, price, and the time required on our part. And, we wanted a solution that could handle not only multiple concurrent configurations, but also different configurations within the network."

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.

The No. 1 Question

But for larger networks, look for ESD packages that provide data integrity checking features (to ensure that files aren't corrupted during transfer), options for "push" and "pull" installation support, status reporting capabilities, and built-in recovery (to restore workstations to usability if there's a catastrophic failure during an ESD process).

"'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


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