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Systems Management Server Equivalent for Linux?
em_tasol asks: "While tearing my hair out trying to manage an expanding network and keep the 'Standard' in 'Standard Operating Environment', someone suggested we use Microsoft's Systems Management Server for many tasks that we currently run around doing manually. We are using a Linux-based Samba PDC at the moment, and installing SMS would require a total infrastructure rethink, because it appears to require a Windows PDC to install itself and SQL Server. Does anyone know how I might put something together in the Linux environment that will be compatible with a Samba NT4 domain environment that will perform the same sort of functions as SMS?"
Novell's Zenworks is the other big player on this field. Unlike Active Directory [which requires Microsoft PDCs & BDCs], Novell's underlying NDS [or eDirectory, or whatever they're calling it this week] can run on Linux. Last I checked, there were aspects of Zenworks that were NetWare specific [although I believe they are working to port the entire package to non-NetWare platforms], but with NDS, you can tie in all your Linux servers.
I'd suggest that you take a look at Caldera's (now SCO, again) Volution Manager. It offers the same features for Unix systems, that M$ SMS offers for Windows. Plus, it can be integrated into larger enterprise management platforms like Unicenter and Tivoli should your needs grow so large. Also, if you are a Compaq/HP shop, Volution Manager integrates with Compaq's Insight Manager which is fabulous for hardware management.
Your info is out-of-date. The latest Zenworks for Servers, version 3.0, has full policy and distribution services support on Linux - you can distribute and install RPMs, for instance. Read the latest docs - Novell posts them for download at http://www.novell.com/documentation/lg/zfsi/index. html.
The supported platforms are Solaris 8 and Linux kernel 2.4.x (tested on RedHat 7.1/7.2, but others should work).
Policy and Distribution services provides: (from the docs
* Control the versions of software installed on servers throughout the network
* Define and enforce a standard configuration on any given set of servers
* Control the behavior of servers in given situations, such as downing a server, backing up volumes, managing thresholds exceeded, and so on
It is still true, as far as I can see, that the Zen for Servers Management & Monitoring services, along with Inventory & Remote Control, do not extend natively to the Solaris or Linux platforms. Maybe there will be full support in the next version. In the meanwhile, SNMP management should still be available from a ZfS management console, and Remote Control can be handled through Telnet/SSH, VNC, etc.
Utilities like Snapshot exist for Linux in many forms already - think Tripwire & its relatives.
The Crystal Wind is the Storm, and the Storm is Data, and the Data is Life
Even if your enterprise feels that it must migrate away from Netware (a separate, debatable topic) - why not stay with Zenworks? Zen for Desktops 4 can run with NO Client32 (new feature, requiring a new workstation agent) and NO Netware - since 3.x, you can run ALL ZfD components, including eDirectory, from a NT or W2K server.
AND the price isn't too bad (list for Zen for Desktops 4 alone is on the order of $59/user, and it's hard to NOT qualify for a quantity discount).
AND it now includes the DirXML pieces necessary to synchronize the eDirectory IDs with your NT domain or Active Directory.
AND it will manage your W2K workstations, including MSIs, better than SMS.
The Crystal Wind is the Storm, and the Storm is Data, and the Data is Life