System Management Challenges

Michael OteyPresident TECA, Inc.Senior Contributing EditorWindows IT ProSQL Server Pro

What This Session Covers• Today’s datacenter requirements• Challenges

– Managing Windows and Linux– Management of virtual systems– Monitoring and capacity planning– Deploying and updating applications– Preparing for containers and

microservices– Keeping on top of inventory and licensing– Cloud and hybrid cloud

Rapid Technology Changes are Driving New IT Demands

• Vast increases in connectivity– The mobile cloud connects 3.1 billion of 7.3 billion people worldwide– They average 3 connected devices per person– By 2025, 80% of the population will be

connected• Explosive data growth

– Data growth – 30-50% per year– IoT, Big Data, social, mobile data

• Rapid cloud adoption– 90% of VMworld attendees had workloads

deployed in the public cloud

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Today’s IT Requirements• Agility

– Meeting quickly changing business conditions

• Reducing complexity• Increasing automation• Consumerization of IT• Reducing costs

– CapEX & OpEx• Data control and security

Modern IT Infrastructure• Heterogeneous “Best-of-Breed” implementation• Virtualization

– The foundation of the modern data center– Enables mobility– Enhances flexibility

• Storage– Scalability & flexibility– Data storage efficiency – deduplication– Snapshots & replication

• Cloud– Flexibility & extensibility– Disaster recovery

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System Management Challenges

Managing Windows & Linux• Heterogeneous platforms are growing

– Standalone applications– Microsoft’s recent adoption of Linux and open source

• User authentication– Multiple authentication sources– Build a centralized user directory and integrate standard

protocols such as SAML, OAuth 2.0, or Openid Connect • Configuration management & automation

– Different tools and approaches– Use personnel or cross platform tools like Chef and Puppet

• Log file management– Differently formatted system and application log files– Use open source or third party log management tools

Managing Windows & Linux• Reduction of console sprawl

– Different platform management tools and multiple support structures

– PowerShell– Use open source &

third party tools• Remote Access tools

– VMC, UltraVNC

Managing Virtual Systems• Multiple hypervisors

– VMware vSphere & Hyper-V (60%-40%)– Different management capabilities/tools– Limited cross platform capabilities

• Siloed management– Different personnel

• Lack of visibility• Integration tools

– VMware has Multi-Hypervisor Manager – Microsoft has VMM– Third party tools

• Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) standards

Monitoring and Capacity Planning

• Goal is improving capacity utilization• Performance baselining multiple OSes and tools• Virtualization hides capacity• Creating service levels• Under / Over provisioning

– Proper control mechanisms • Forecasting business demand

– Analyzing the historical workload data – Working in cooperation with business teams

Deploying and Updating Applications

• Version differences– Version control systems

• Multiple device support– Workspace / VDI technologies

• Multiple platform targets– Desktop, web, on-premise, cloud– Cross platform tools

Containers and Microservices• Moving away from legacy monolithic

applications– Mode 2 – microservices– Application redesign

• New to Windows environments• Mixing legacy & mode 2 apps• Different monitoring tools• Docker provides a common

management experience

Inventory Management• Virtual server sprawl

- Self-service VMs• Users and developers

- Unexpected licensing- BYOD management- Inventory tools

- System Center- Third party tools

Licensing- Vendors use different licensing- Products use different licensing- Licensing is complicated

- Trend toward core licenses- Virtualization further complicates

licensing - Ongoing inventory is required- Cloud and SaaS tend to simplify this

Challenges of Cloud Adoption• Growing quickly• Legacy Infrastructure• Potentially lower performance

– Shared hardware• Consolidation and pooling of

resources– Giving up dedicated resources

• Adoption of new technologies

Integrating the Cloud and Hybrid Cloud

• Moving legacy workloads• Distributed applications• Lack of expertise• Multiple cloud providers• Difficult to estimate costs• Partners and third party tools

Key Takeways• Be prepared for growth – more technology

changes are coming in the next few years than ever before

• Linux & heterogenous virtualization will grow

• Proper planning and tools are essential for effective systems management

• The cloud is the future– But that journey is a long one– Hybrid cloud is the next practical step

KACE Systems Management Appliance 7.0(K1000)

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• Scan in your new or existing assets

• Multiple platform support• Scan and GO!

• Free update to the K1 GO! app

Barcoding

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• Pull data from multiple appliances into single report

• No specialized hardware needed

Cross appliance reporting

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• New easier to use wizard• New features

• Multiple approvers• Specific approver notifications• Approval Timeout

• Customizable notifications• Customize your templates with

HTML/markdown

Process enhancements & approval workflow

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• My devices made easier• Assign devices easier

• Multiple devices? No problem

• Interactive feedback• Get more info during

your install

Self-service software provisioning enhancements

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• Hardware monitoring made easier

• Real-time alerts• Stay on top of your

environment

SNMP Trap Receiver

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AirWatch integration

• Single pane of glass• All your devices in one place

• Integrated asset management• Assign mobile devices to users and

more

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• Supports ESX 5.5 and 6.0• Discover what VM’s are running

on your servers• Get hardware/software details

from your VMware environment• Get hardware usage available

VMware/Vcenter discovery

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• My Profile• More for your users

• See what tickets/assets/devices are assigned to you

Users

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• Manually or automatically assign users to a device• Control Panel > General > Device Assignment• Synchronous occurs upon inventory

• Used in conjunction with user portal and “My Profile”

User/Machine assignment

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• Installing software made easier• Ability to leverage the software

catalog• “Run Now” option added

• Publish for users• Existing MI’s usable from

software portal

Managed Installs

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• Blacklisting improvement• Upgrade/Downgrade rights• Asset Management Appliance licensing changes• Agentless and grandfathering• REST API’s /SDK

• Ability for 3rd parties to pull information about inventory, assets, scripting, reporting, managed installs, and users

Software compliance/Licensing/API’s

KACE Systems Deployment Appliance 4.0 (K2000)

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• Native UEFI support• Removes reliance on current workarounds (Legacy BIOS setting, thumb drives)• Secure Boot still needs to be disabled

• Multicasting in Cisco networks• Router vendors lack Pragmatic General Multicast (PGM) support• PGM not designed to cross routers• Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP) is vendor agnostic• IGMP can cross between routers/subnets

• Increased Windows deployment speed• WIM and Kimage speeds 10% faster

KACE SDA Imaging Connectivity and Speed

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• Major focus on underlying OS architecture• Update to the K2000 Appliance 3.7 SP3 (3.7.345)• Combined SDA and RSA codebase• FreeBSD 10.0 to 10.3 for SDA• FreeBSD 7 to 10.3 for RSA• 32-bit to 64-bit for RSA• RSA Hyper-V support

KACE SDA Infrastructure

Watch the webcast here: http://bit.ly/2ilF7N6