S 2.171 Selection of a suitable system management product

Initiation responsibility: Head of IT

Implementation responsibility: Administrator

After having surveyed the current system environment (see S 2.168 IT system analysis before the introduction of a system management system) and defined the management strategy (see S 2.169 Developing a system management strategy), a suitable system management system must be selected. Depending on the size of the system to be managed, different implementations may be expedient here:

State-of-the-art network-capable operating systems normally already include functions which allow central management of users and user groups, for example. For example, NIS or NIS+ can be mentioned here for Unix systems; in Windows systems, the Windows NT domain concept allows central user management using the domain controller. Similar options are also offered by Novell with Intranetware. Normally, there are additional options for operating a policy management across the entire network.

In small and medium networks, software management, computer configurations management, as well as system components monitoring constitute the most urgent problem areas additionally. Here, additional software tools may be used that may assume the tasks individually. Particularly in the areas also covered by the network management disciplines (configuration management, monitoring), using a network management tool may be taken into consideration.

For Windows, tools such as the "Novell Zero Administration Kit" which support the administrator when installing new computers, the "Microsoft Management Console" offering a uniform central view on all administration tools, as well as the "Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)" can be mentioned, for example. For example, the SMS product provides the administrator with the following options:

However, SMS is not designed for a heterogeneous environment. Furthermore, remote maintenance is only semi-automatic and requires an on-site administrator so that the use only makes sense for smaller and adjacent networks.

For Unix, the "rdist" program can be used in order to administrate and distribute software, for example, in order to install or update software on remote computers. With this, it is possible to install exactly those products from a central software pool to the respective computers that are actually required by the employees in order to perform their tasks. Additional, often free programs (mostly from the university environment) allow monitoring of the network using SNMP, for example.

The solutions compiled this way constitute a low-cost alternative for smaller and medium networks. However, they normally require an experienced administrator, who also performs adaptations to local circumstances or integrates additional functionalities by self-programming, under some circumstances.

For larger and large-scale networks, such solutions are not suitable, though, since the functionalities are located in different tools that are not integrated. For large-scale networks in companies or government agencies, only system management systems come into question. Before introducing such a system, it should be taken into account that this normally constitutes a significant intervention in the running system and requires careful planning. Frequently, the introduction takes more than 12 months with at least a six-digit amount to be invested for larger networks. Therefore, it is important to select the proper management system. The following criteria should be taken into consideration when selecting the system to be procured:

The aspects mentioned here must be understood as guiding principles when evaluating management systems. Depending on the local circumstances, requirements for the management system that may be used as KO criteria when making a decision should be formulated based on the current system environment (see S 2.168 IIT system analysis before the introduction of a system management system) and based on the management strategy (see S 2.169 Developing a system management strategy). The above mentioned criteria should always be weighted in such a way that the local preferences are reflected.

Normally, the requirements for the management system and the features of the selected management system cannot be harmonised completely. As a result, it is necessary to adapt the management strategy drawn up to the scope of functions of the selected specific product.

Review questions:

© Federal Office for Information Security. All rights reserved.