The Management of Windows Networks
The Cost Of a Networked PC – the Real Story Recent research reports by the Gartner Group and others show that, on average, the five year total cost of ownership of a networked PC has grown from about $19,000 in the mid 1980s to more than $40,000 today. This is a price that in some cases exceeds the value derived from that PC. The Gartner Group data indicates that the capital cost of acquiring personal computers for a networked environment is only 21% of the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over the three to five year life cycle of the computers. The other 79% includes the ongoing costs of ownership such software updates, technical support, user downtime, user training, and losses from system failures. The most significant contributing factors to the rising TCO are: Inability to establish and maintain standard
desktop configurations throughout the company. The Good News The Gartner Group data projects a 2-to-1 difference in the cost per seat between enterprises that take a best-practices TCO approach and those that do not. This means that a well-managed approach to computer implementation can cut your TCO.
The Four Ways to Decrease TCO at Your Company Automatic application installation and
computer updates What Are the Specific Techniques that can be used to Manage TCO? The industry has come up with five basic techniques to manage TCO. Here is a summary: 1) The Net PC This is a Microsoft and Intel response to Oracle’s and Suns NC (Network computer). The design and implementation of the NET PC is still in its early stages. A Net PC is a special computer that has very little software loaded on it – the software is loaded on a central network server computer and all stations run the software from the server. The advantages of the Net PC are: o Central control o Central administration o Lower cost workstations o Lower support cost with limited application use. For example, for use as point of sale systems, cash registers, accounting terminals and other single-use systems. The disadvantages of the Net PC are: o The Net PC is a non-standard solution. This creates more compatibility problems, not less. The NetPC can’t utilize all of the software packages that most companies want to use. o Performance of most modern software programs is poor when run from a central computer as the programs are bulky and designed to be run from the workstation and not from the server. The data that needs to be pushed down the cable from the server is too big for the cable and the servers are not fast enough to handle it effectively. (This was not true with DOS and Windows 3.1 programs, as DON’T WORRY INC.’s long-term clients know). o Flexibility is severely limited. For example, users can’t install a program themselves if they really need one installed. Another example is that a program you may need to add to your network may not work.
2) Microsoft’s Zero Administration Initiative
Microsoft is working on methods to cut TCO through a variety of methods. These methods hold great promise. As with most Microsoft technologies, these methods will be incorporated into the NT server operating system (NT version 5 and NT version 6) and into the Windows desktop operating system (Windows 2000). This means that the management technology for the PC will become a core part of the PC itself. Most of these methods are still under development and are not ready for the current generation of computers and software. 3) Microsoft’s Current built-in Management Systems Microsoft has some PC management capabilities built into the current Windows98 operating system. These technologies are not widely used. However, they are available today and are effective in controlling costs. These technologies include: o Roaming Profiles Roaming Profiles allows the user’s desktop configuration, menus, screen colors, and preferences for some programs to follow the user from desktop to desktop as around the company. Each user’s desktop configuration is stored centrally on the file server and distributed to the workstation that user logs into. A user is free to log in at any station and get their standard desktop menu configuration. This greatly aids in swapping out a PC when one breaks. It also makes it easier to do remote dial in from home or on the road o Policies Policies allow a workstation to be locked down in any number of ways. You can restrict access to certain areas of the PC such as network options and registries. You can disable the run command and DOS prompt so users can’t load their own programs. You can lock down certain menus so users can’t change them. You can eliminate access to components such as the floppy disk drive. The more you lock down, the more reliable the computers become. 4) Third Party Central Management Systems There are a few companies (such as CyberMedia and Network Associates) who have developed central PC management systems. The advantages of central management systems are: o Central control o Central Administration o Central troubleshooting management o Flexibility of workstation configuration The disadvantages of central management systems are: o Expensive to purchase, implement, and manage. o Non-standard (this means, non-Microsoft). o Limited market penetration (niche product) o Microsoft’s initiatives will possibly kill the companies, as their successful features will likely end up embedded in the Microsoft operating system. o Designed for a target market of large companies with lots of MIS talent to manage the non-standard systems. o Difficulty of training and retaining computer professionals to work on non-standard systems. It is not good for their careers. So you can’t guarantee future support of internal or external support professionals. o Lack of flexibility in Server configuration. 5) Workstation Cloning This is a technique started by a company called Ghost. The company’s software has been wildly successful and is now in use by over ½ of the Fortune 500. The company was recently acquired by Symantec, an acquisition which has given Ghost instant popular credibility. To "Ghost" a computer means to make an exact software clone of one workstation onto another. Once one workstation is setup to company standards (the "prototype workstation"), that computer image can be cloned to every workstation in the company. Users are trained to store their data centrally on the file server and limit storage on the local hard drive. To augment this, centralized backup systems are sometimes used to backup workstation data to tape. When a workstation starts misbehaving, when a hard drive breaks, or when a user inadvertently breaks their computer software, the machine is simply re-ghosted. The computer reverts to a known, working configuration. This is often much cheaper and less time consuming than trying to troubleshoot the presenting problem. When combined with the use of Microsoft Profiles, the user will get their desktop configuration back. When combined with tape backup of the workstation, some or all of the workstation data can be recovered. Ghost Advantages o Standard desktop configuration o Substantially cuts desktop installation costs o Quick way to fix a broken workstation o Does not conflict with Microsoft since it is not a software application product, it operates "under" that layer. Ghost Disadvantages: o Does not work on 100% of the computers on the market. If Ghost does not work on a particular computer model, it is often cheaper to get another computer than to load software and configure the computer from scratch. The most problematic systems are selected laptops. o Once new computers are rolled out, software additions need to be managed by adding firm approved applications to the master Ghost image or writing "post ghost" procedures for what to do after a system is ghosted to bring it up to the current firm standard.
DON’T WORRY INC.’s Recommendations Establishing a uniform desktop configuration has long been the dream of many a network administrator. It reduces the number of unknown variables in the system that in turn reduces the number of potential conflicts that can occur. When conflicts do occur, it is possible to fall back on the last known working configuration to resolve the problem. This sort of policy largely addresses the "Four Ways to Decrease TCO at Your Company." DON’T WORRY INC. believes that in the current environment, the best techniques to cut TCO include: o Implement Microsoft Profiles o Implement Microsoft Policies to lock down desktops when required o Ghost of workstations for rollout and maintenance o Selective, Centralized backup of workstations when required o Wait for Microsoft to implement management solutions in NT 5 and Windows 2000 to further cut the cost of TCO. These techniques are inexpensive to implement, supported by the current generation of computer technology, and flexible. They are not niche technologies subject to a short life span. These techniques do not run counter to the industry direction of moving toward more distributed systems. And, these techniques play along with Microsoft, not against them. DON’T WORRY INC. believes that the Net PC is not the answer to reducing TCO for most organizations. The industry is not headed in that direction, the industry is headed toward more distributed systems. The fact is that 60,000 new web sites are coming on line every day! Now that’s distributed processing. It is logically flawed to suggest that getting rid of them and replacing them with centralized systems can solve the problem of distributed systems. In fact, it can’t. In our opinion, the NetPC is at best a niche product. There is no reason to abandon one of the most successful devices ever invented to try to solve the problems of managing it. An effective resolution to the cost of owning personal computers requires a more sophisticated answer.
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