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I suggest considering the following approach:
1) Look to NTAS (NT Advanced Server) for a good chunk of your local
system administration requirements. In particular, this will give you
pretty good user account management, printer management, file and disk
services, security and audit capabilities. IMHO it is fairly weak on
network backup but they have something (vs nothing). Accounting is weak.
There is an event log which is useful but that doesn't quite cut it.
1a) Look at the NTAS trusted domain concept (and the subtree replication
feature) to provide higher levels of system administration.
1b) I strongly recommend looking at running NTAS on an ALPHA AXP. There
is a very good fit between the tasks NTAS is trying to do and the power
ALPHA provides.
2) Take a look at HERMES (in BETA test now) for what it can do for you
w.r.t.:
Software Distribution
HW/SW inventory
Remote control
Application management.
2a) Again, take a look at HERMES running on ALPHA AXP. This is not
available yet but if you run the BETA version you will immediately
understand why you want an ALPHA.
3) For right now look to DECmcc or (later) to POLYCENTER Netview to
manage TCP/IP, other network components, and heterogeneous nodes.
Remember that both NT and NTAS have extensible SNMP agents and supports
both the Lanmanager MIB2 as well as Internet MIB1.
POLYCENTER Netview may be able to do more (W.R.T. management of WNT)
in the future but it is not appropriate to discuss it here and given
your timetables - it is not relevant.
NOTE: This assumes that you are not trying to solve a heterogeneous
management problem.
Jeffrey P. Snover
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