by ezs | Mar 16, 2006 | Uncategorized, ZENworks
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I wrote last week about ZENworks Server Management in the real world.
In that post I described how a deployment of ZENworks can deliver some rapid benefits – namely patching and updates for NetWare and its associated services.
Next I want to cover the second major benefit of ZENworks Server Management – Tiered Electronic Distribution. Using TED will save you time, money – and shoe leather!
Written at: Salt Lake City, UT
Tiered Electronic Distribution has been part of ZENworks since ZENworks for Servers was first released; it allows ‘content’ to be moved across your infrastructure (WAN and LAN) efficiently, between servers and sites, supporting multiple platforms.
The ‘content’ can be of multiple types – I quickly covered NetWare updates, but any type of file content can be moved using TED. We have customers moving all imaginable data using this technology.
One of the most cool uses of TED is integration with ZENworks Desktop Management – moving desktop applications from a development/test/staging area – to production – and then out across a campus, departmental or branch infrastructure.
We have many customers using this type of infrastructure today – and seeing huge benefits.
How do you know this will work in your environment – just ask a few simple questions:
- am I manually (or semi-manually) moving ZENworks applications across my network?
- are my administrators creating and re-creating application objects for each site and department?
- does a change to a global application require days, weeks or months of rollout; touching each site and server?
If these questions trigger uncomfortable answers then maybe you should look at using Tiered Electronic Distribution in conjunction with your NAL applications.
Typically once the ZENworks Server Management infrastructure is deployed you will see payback in weeks; some customers have paid for their deployment projects with their first deployment.
I’ll leave this post for now – I will point people to Erin Quill’s session at BrainShare. TUT 350 covers using ZENworks in this manner – as well as other high availability ideas. There is also an Advanced Technical Training Session at BrainShare – ATT 345 – as well as a Technical Tutorial – TUT 347 – covering advanced application management.
Written at: Salt Lake City, UT
by ezs | Mar 15, 2006 | Uncategorized, ZENworks
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I wrote last week about ZENworks Server Management in the real world.
In that post I described how a deployment of ZENworks can deliver some rapid benefits – namely patching and updates for NetWare and its associated services.
I wanted to add some new information about a BrainShare session – TUT 351 – being run by Martin Irwin.
The session is titled “Upgrading NetWare to NetWare OES” – but part of the session will be how to upgrade and deploy eDirectory 8.8 using the ZENworks Server Management infrastructure.
From Martin:
We worked closing with the development team for eDirectory 8.8 to actually design into the IPS scripts a placeholder and APIs that allow for a ZSM software package (CPK) to edit and run NWCONFIG.NLM to upgrade your eDirectory 8.73 servers to eDirectory 8.8
So what can you do now?
In 30 minutes you can run a CPK that upgrades your NetWare 6.0 servers to Open Enterprise Server running on NetWare then in another 5 minutes you can run another CPK that upgrades the same server to eDirectory 8.8
The demo will also be available in the BrainShare Technology Lab – and also showcased at Meet the Experts.
Written at: Provo, UT
by ezs | Mar 13, 2006 | evilzenscientist, Uncategorized
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We will soon be welcoming a host more Novell technologists to our Cool Blogs community.
I’ll not steal their thunder; they can and will introduce themselves. We will have Jason Williams representing Open Enterprise Server, Ken Muir and Alex Evans for GroupWise followed by Volker Scheuber giving us the inside track on Novell Identity Manager.
In the run up to Novell BrainShare 2006 we will introduce more Novell insiders from across our business. Stay tuned!
Written at: Provo, UT
by ezs | Mar 13, 2006 | Uncategorized, ZENworks
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I wrote last week about BrainShare 2006 – just one week to go!
A new session introduced a few years ago is the ‘Birds of a Feather forum‘. This differs from the usual technical track in that rather than a Novell or partner subject matter expert giving a one or two hour presentation and demonstration – you run the session and decide the content.
A Novell moderator acts as a host, keeps the peace – and generally facilitates the discussion. Also in the session are several Novell and partner subject matter experts. The rest is entirely unscripted, unrehearsed – and very useful.
There are five BrainShare Birds of a Feather sessions for 2006 that directly cater to ZENworks:
| BOF145 |
FORUM: Novell ZENworks Imaging Techniques, Tricks and Other Magic |
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| BOF146 |
FORUM: Novell GroupWise 7 Upgrades Using Novell ZENworks 7 |
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| BOF245 |
FORUM: Novell ZENworks Engagements – Lessons Learned |
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| BOF246 |
FORUM: Architecting and Scaling Your Novell ZENworks Solution |
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| BOF247 |
FORUM: Desktop Configuration, Application, and Release Management |
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My advice? Get them on your BrainShare Scheduler – it’s now live – and get there early. These sessions are usually standing room only.
Written at: Provo, UT
by ezs | Mar 13, 2006 | blogging, Evangelism, evilzenscientist, Novell, Uncategorized
Novell Cool Blogs has been officially up and running for less than a week – but it’s working just great.
Slowly but surely Novell technologists from across the company are being introduced to blogging and let loose on the wider blogosphere.
Seems like I’m the only one posting on a daily basis – I’ve got a lot to post though 🙂 I must work out a way to slow down and spread out the load.
by ezs | Mar 12, 2006 | Uncategorized, ZENworks
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Here is an interesting social experiment – can you resist not looking at a presentation being written on someone elses laptop screen?
Thought not; it’s human nature!
If I then asked you to list your top actions within the IT department for handling the barrage of regulations and laws that cover personal data and information – I’d not be surprised if you included a lot of Novell’s award winning solutions.
Novell Identity Manager, Secure Login, ZENworks, Novell iChain – and many others – play a vital part in securing data and workstations wherever your employees happen to be.
One thing that many people forget is that laptop users often work in public places. As an example I am writing this blog post at San Francisco International Airport. I’ve also been using my laptop on a flight in from London Heathrow this morning. On my flight across I saw presentations being written for many different industries – including those for Novell competitors and partners! One person on the flight was even writing annual performance reviews.
Not so good eh?
Written at: SFO, San Francisco, CA
The issue becomes more critical when you consider the privacy implications of HIPAA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, Data Protection Legislation – and others.
I saw about a dozen people using laptops – and not one person thought to consider the audience around them. [As a side note: I’ve not been working on confidential information on flights for about two years now for this very reason]
Several vendors make security screens – 3M have an advertising campaign right now – but there are many others available.
The moral of this story? Consider the ‘non technology’ aspects of a data security policy too!
Share your own best practices here; let me know your horror stories too.
Written at: SFO, San Francisco, CA
by ezs | Mar 12, 2006 | evilzenscientist, travel, Uncategorized
I was due to travel from Edinburgh to London Heathrow this morning on the 6.30am flight – scheduled to arrive at London Heathrow at 8.00am
I heard from the people in the Novell Scotland office and a few others that heavy snow was forecast; I decided to travel down from Scotland early – “Just in case”.
Smart planning. Edinburgh Airport was closed for several hours this morning; flights started leaving at 9.30am. My scheduled flight arrived at London Heathrow at 11.30am – much later than my connecting flight to San Francisco.
Phew! I may have had a hectic Saturday travelling down to London – but at least I made my flight and I’ll be back home tonight.
Posted at: San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA
by ezs | Mar 12, 2006 | evilzenscientist, fun stuff, Novell, Novell BrainShare, Uncategorized, ZENworks
Mark Schouls sent me a link to this Tshirt site; I don’t know whether to be worried by this…
Someone in Germany (or maybe Austria/Switzerland) is either surprisingly supportive of the Evil ZEN Scientist concept.. or I have a doppelganger. (I hope it’s not a stalker!)
Reminds me of my good friend Jerry Chadwick – who used to be the engineering manager for Novell Application Launcher. He had ‘NAL groupies’ who would follow him around at BrainShare – even into the restroom. 🙂
Written at: London Heathrow Airport, England
by ezs | Mar 11, 2006 | evilzenscientist, fun stuff, Gonetoutah, travel, Uncategorized
Wow – I went out for dinner tonight in Birmingham, England with my sister.
Birmingham is renowned as one of the curry capitals of England; the original home of the Balti.
This evening I chose to visit a recommendation – Lasan in the Jewelery Quarter.
Put simply – the food was superb. Modern, classy Indian, served with style. Very tasty, extremely high quality ingredients – and they cook parathas to order 🙂
Highly recommended
Written at: on the train between Birmingham, England and London, England.
by ezs | Mar 11, 2006 | Uncategorized, ZENworks
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Many of you may have seen the immense media hubbub regarding the ‘Origami Project‘; many news and gossip sites have been speculating what the Microsoft and Intel project really could be.
The hardware device itself was showcased at CeBIT in Hanover this week – and honestly reviews have been mixed.
My biggest question to you – is this just another gadget? (After all – it’s just a small form factor Windows XP Tablet Edition box.) Do any of you expect to see these appear in a corporate setting? Will any of you be expected to manage these devices!
I wager $5 that someone has SUSE Linux running on one of these things within a day or so of ship!
Written at: Birmingham, England
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