######################################################################
DELL OPENMANAGE(TM) IT ASSISTANT, VERSION 6.5 README
######################################################################
======================================================================
Criticality
======================================================================
Recommended
======================================================================
Title and Description
======================================================================
IT Assistant is the premier Dell OpenManage systems management
application for managing and monitoring Simple Network Management
Protocol (SNMP), Desktop Management Interface (DMI), and Common
Information Model (CIM)-instrumented systems. IT Assistant is designed
for system administrators to remotely manage networked Dell systems
equipped with SNMP, CIM, and DMI instrumentation.
This document contains the latest update information for Dell
OpenManage IT Assistant, version 6.5. For the latest version
of this readme, see the Dell(TM) Support website at
"support.dell.com."
The online IT Assistant documentation includes the "Reference Guide"
and context-sensitive help. You can access the context-sensitive help
from the "Help" button in the user interface. You can also access the
"Reference Guide" from the product documentation CD or from the Dell
Support website at "support.dell.com". The new IT Assistant "User's
Guide," for IT Assistant version 6.5 is available at "support.dell.com."
The "User's Guide" provides user scenarios, best practices information,
and task-oriented instructions for using IT Assistant in your small,
medium, or large enterprise network.
See the Dell Support website at "support.dell.com" for the most
current information.
NOTE: Some procedures described in this document require you to
specify file locations (paths) according to an example. All
example paths specified in this document refer to the default
file location. If you specify paths other than the defaults
during installation, use those paths instead of the examples
specified in this document.
######################################################################
README TABLE OF CONTENTS
######################################################################
Compatibility/Minimum Requirements
What is New in This Release?
What is Fixed in This Release?
Installing IT Assistant Version 6.5
Known Limitations
IT Assistant User Notes
######################################################################
COMPATIBILITY/RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS
######################################################################
Enterprise Size (Number of Managed Systems)
Small (200) Large (500-5000)
User Interface
Only
Processor and Memory One processor, 256 MB One processor,
512 MB
800 MHz 800 MHz
Operating System Windows(R) XP SP1, Windows 2000 SP3,
SP4 and Windows
Windows 2000 SP3, SP4 Server 2003
and Windows Server
2003
Disk Space 200 MB 200 MB
User Interface
And Services
Processor and Memory One processor, 512 MB Two to four
processors,
1 to 2 GB
1.8 GHz 800 MHz
Database Microsoft(R) Database MS SQL Server
Engine(MSDE) 7.0 or higher
Operating System Windows XP SP1, Windows 2000 SP3,
Windows 2000 SP3, Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003
Disk Space 500 MB 500 MB
Note on performance: IT Assistant has a discovery speed slider bar in
the "Discovery Cycle Options" dialog box that you can use to balance
discovery speed with system performance. Use this slide bar to adjust
IT Assistant for your network management station and network environment.
For a new installation of IT Assistant, the slider bar by default is
set to 40% to minimize the impact on other applications. If you are
upgrading from a previous version of IT Assistant, the slider bar remains
at its previous setting.
======================================================================
Operating System Requirements
======================================================================
The following subsections list operating systems that are compatible with
the IT Assistant interface and the IT Assistant services.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
IT Assistant User Interface
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3 or SP4 (Professional and
Server Editions)
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1
* Microsoft Windows Server 2003
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
IT Assistant Services
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3 or SP4 (Professional and
Server Editions)
* Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP1
* Microsoft Windows Server 2003
See the "Known Issues" section that follows for issues concerning
Microsoft Windows 2000 SP3.
######################################################################
WHAT IS NEW IN THIS RELEASE?
######################################################################
IT Assistant version 6.5 has made changes in the user interface,
discovery process, Dell OpenManage lifecycle strategy, has added more
support for Dell PowerConnect(TM) switches, has added support for new
devices, and has removed support for the IPX network protocol.
User Interface
* Now based on Microsoft(R) .NET framework that requires local installation
or terminal services for remote access.
* Added a new RAC system group to the Home View window that displays
Remote Access Cards with embedded SNMP agents.
* Added a device count for each system group on the "Home" view window.
* Added alert categories and types on the "Alerts" view window and enhanced
speed for displaying alert information.
* Added an offline summary feature that allows you to view the last
summary screen even if IT Assistant cannot communicate with the system.
Discovery
* Enhanced the discovery speed.
* Added the system name correlation based on MAC address.
* Added discovery and status poll feedback.
* Added the ability to exclude systems from discovery.
* Added support for discovering and grouping systems that are a part of
Microsoft high availability clusters.
* Added the ability to schedule discovery by the time of day and the
day of the week.
* Added the ability to enable protocols per discovery range.
* Added the ability to specify wider discovery ranges.
* Added support for multiple SNMP community names on one discovery range.
* Changed the default behavior for desktop management interface (DMI)
discovery for managed systems running Novell(R) NetWare(R). See the
"IT Assistant Reference Guide" for additional information.
Dell OpenManage Lifecycle Strategy
* Implemented the Dell OpenManage Lifecycle strategy, which allows an
upgrade from IT Assistant, version 6.2 and later only. Under the
Dell OpenManage Lifecycle strategy, IT Assistant version 6.5
is the last major release to support DMI-based management.
Support for New Devices
* Support added for discovery of Digital Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM)
switches, display of switches as part of the system tree or status
tree, and classification of the switches.
* Added support for additional Dell PowerConnect Switches. See the
"IT Assistant Reference Guide" for the detailed list of supported
agents and devices.
* Added two new command line utilities: "importnodelist.exe" and
"configuregroups.exe".
* Enhanced IT Assistant Installation Logs
-During installation of ITA version 6.5, the "ITALogFile.log" file
is created in the 'temp' folder located in the operating system
drive.
-If MSDE 2000 SP3A causes an error during installation, see the
MSDE "MSDE_setup.log" file located in the \temp folder of the operating
system drive.
-Microsoft .NET framework version 1.1: see the log file "dotNetFx.log"
created in the operating system \temp folder located under
"Documents and Settings" during installation. Make sure to set the
folder options to "Show hidden files and folders".
-Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1 language pack on a non-English
operating system: See the log file "langpackSetup.log" created in the
operating system \temp folder located under "Documents and Settings"
during installation. Make sure to set the folder options to
"Show hidden files and folders."
- Microsoft J# Framework version 1.1 and the language pack:
See the log file "jsredistSetup.log" created in the operating system
\temp folder located under "Documents and Settings" during installation.
Make sure to set the folder options to "Show hidden files and folders."
Removed Feature
* Removed support for the Internet Packet eXchange (IPX) protocol. Dell
recommends that you remove any IPX discovery ranges before or after
upgrading to IT Assistant, version 6.5. For IT Assistant to continue
to discover and manage these systems, TCP/IP must be installed on
them.
######################################################################
WHAT IS FIXED IN THIS RELEASE?
######################################################################
The following issues are corrected in IT Assistant, version 6.5:
* The Microsoft JVM interface support has been replaced by using the Microsoft
.NET framework Redistributable Package.
* Several memory leaks in the IT Assistant Services have been corrected in
this release.
* Significant modifications to the IT Assistant Network Monitoring
service have increased the overall robustness and stability of
this service.
* Several issues related to duplicate system entries have been resolved.
* Decreased start-up time for IT Assistant User Interface.
* Terminal Services installation in 'Administration Mode' is now supported.
######################################################################
INSTALLING IT ASSISTANT VERSION 6.5
######################################################################
To install IT Assistant version 6.5 using the "Systems Management" CD or using
Dell preinstalled software, see the "IT Assistant Reference Guide."
To install IT Assistant, perform the following steps:
1. Insert the "Systems Management" CD into your CD drive.
The CD auto-starts and displays the "Welcome" screen.
2. Click "Info."
The screen displays installation instructions for all of the
systems management products.
3. Select and follow the installation instructions for the management
station.
NOTE: The IT Assistant installation program offers two options: express
and custom. Express installation does not enable CIM discovery. If you
later require CIM, you can enable CIM discovery manually. Custom
installation provides the option of enabling CIM discovery during
installation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coexistence with Dell OpenManage Network Manager
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
A full installation of IT Assistant version 6.5 on a system that has
Network Manager installed on it will be blocked due to a conflict with
the SNMP trap port. In this case, only the user interface for IT Assistant
version 6.5 will be available.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Un-installation Issues
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
During an IT Assistant un-installation, you may see the following error
message: "The log file 'C:\location of where the ITA is installed\uninst.isu'
is not valid or the data has been corrupted. The inability to create the
un-installation file may be due to a slow network. To address this issue,
delete the "uninst.isu" file in the IT Assistant installation directory
and reinstall IT Assistant.
######################################################################
KNOWN LIMITATIONS
######################################################################
This section provides information about open issues for IT Assistant
version 6.5.
NOTE: This section describes only the latest known issues for IT Assistant
version 6.5. You can find information on older issues in the "Known Issues"
sections at the end of many of the main topics in the IT Assistant
"Reference Guide." If you require help in resolving an issue, see these
sections. Also see the "Frequently Asked Questions" section of the
IT Assistant "Reference Guide."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Security Within IT Assistant
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The encryption model for Windows 2000 is different from that found
in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. Because of this difference, CIM
passwords and the IT Assistant password must be reset when upgrading
from Windows 2000 to Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. In addition,
migrating an IT Assistant database across operating systems that have
different encryption types is not supported.
NOTE: If these (CIM) passwords are not re-entered, the IT Assistant Network
Monitoring Service may exhibit instability. Because of Microsoft's
change in authentication from Windows 2000 to either Windows XP or Windows
Server 2003, you must either uninstall and then reinstall IT Assistant or
see the IT Assistant migration white paper titled "Migration and Deployment
Strategies for IT Assistant on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 ".
This paper can be found at "support.dell.com."
* When IT Assistant communicates with a managed system, it uses
user-level security to prevent unauthorized changes to system
settings. The security implementation is derived from the RSA Data
Security, Inc. MD5 Message-Digest Algorithm.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Concurrent Database Connections Events in Windows NT(R) Application Event
Log
------------------------------------------------------------------------
During a discovery cycle, IT Assistant makes several concurrent
connections to the Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE) database. The MSDE
database can support a maximum of eight concurrent connections. More
than eight concurrent connections causes MSDE to log events to the
"Application Log." The issue results in extraneous events in the
"Application Log" but does not impact IT Assistant. To avoid the
extraneous events, you can upgrade to MS SQL Server.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Switch Ports Status Graphic Display Issue
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
When launching the PowerConnect Console from IT Assistant, the
graphic display that represents the current status of the switch ports
may not load properly. To correct this problem, enable the Java
console in Internet Explorer. By opening the "Internet Options"
Control Panel located under "Tools" in the top menu bar of Internet
Explorer, you can click the "Advanced" tab and scroll to the "Microsoft VM"
section. Click the check box next to "Java console enabled (requires
restart)", and then click "OK". Restart Internet Explorer. The graphic
display now loads correctly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Supported PowerConnect Trap Version
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
When managing PowerConnect switches (supporting SNMP V1 and V2) with
IT Assistant, it is necessary to set the SNMP trap version to V1 when
setting-up trap destinations on the switch.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installation Issues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* If MS SQL Server 7.0, MS SQL Server 2000, MSDE 1.0, or MSDE 2000 is not
installed before you install IT Assistant, IT Assistant installs
MSDE 2000 SP3a with Windows authentication mode only.
* If SQL Server 7.0, SQL Server 2000, MSDE 1.0, or MSDE 2000 is
installed before you install IT Assistant, IT Assistant leaves the
password for the "sa" account unchanged. You can use the OSQL
utility "osql.exe" that comes with MS SQL Server and MSDE to change the
password. See the Microsoft Knowledge Base article Q322336,
"HOW TO: Verify and Change the MSDE System Administrator Password" at
"support.microsoft.com."
* During the IT Assistant installation, an MSDE installer may replace a
protected file in the base Microsoft operating system resulting in a
Microsoft File Sharing Violation in the Windows NT(R) Event Log. This
behavior is normal.
* IT Assistant installation through a terminal session on a Windows 2000
system with Terminal Services 'Application Mode' enabled is not
supported. Perform the installation locally. See the Microsoft Knowledge
Base Article SQL KB # 830629: "MSDE 2000 SP3 Install fails on Windows 2000
Terminal Server in 'Application Mode'."
* IT Assistant expects (and will install, if not already present) a
database that supports the English locale. If you already have a database
installed that is localized to a non-English locale, perform the following steps:
1. Edit IT Assistant's "dconfig.ini" configuration file in the IT Assistant
configuration directory. Add the following key under the "dconfig.ini"
[DATABASE] section:
[DATABASE]
DATEFORMAT=LOCAL_LOCALE
2. Save the "dconfig.ini" file and restart the IT Assistant services.
NOTE: Mismatches in localization may cause failures in the IT Assistant
Discovery Feedback View to not update automatically. If you have a
non-English database and this occurs, either perform the changes above or
press 'Refresh' to update the discovery feedback information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discovery Issues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* IT Assistant services may exhibit instability on Windows 2000 SP3. See
the Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 813648: "Random Access Violations
When Multithreaded Applications Call the 'setlocale' Function."
* During a discovery, a managed system with an unresponsive agent
may cause the IT Assistant user interface to hang. If you believe this
has occurred, move that system to a discovery exclude range and then
restart IT Assistant services.
* Delays of Discovery Feedback Appearing in the "Discovery Feedback" Window
If a discovery task is already running and another discovery range is
entered, the new range may not immediately show in the "Discovery Feedback
Window". This behavior is also dependent on the number of systems which
are being discovered.
* If IT Assistant has CIM enabled and is discovering managed systems with
Server Agent version 4.4 or earlier that are configured for CIM,
discovery may hang. Instrumentation for these systems should be
upgraded.
* If IT Assistant times out while discovering a managed system (running
the Red Hat(R) Linux 7.x operating system) and it is equipped with an embedded
or add-in Broadcom network adapter, perform one of the following:
- On the managed system, run the "ifup" command on the Broadcom network
adaptors that are down. Do not assign IP addresses if you do not want
to use them.
- If you do not want to perform the previous option, reboot the managed system.
You should then be able to launch the IT Assistant "Summary" and "Status" pages
for that system and perform normal monitoring and management operations.
* If IT Assistant is installed on a system that is running Windows 2000 SP4,
a known issue with the Microsoft WMI API (Microsoft Knowledge Base
Article KB827711) results in a memory leak in the IT Assistant Network
Monitoring Service when using the CIM protocol. The leak occurs when the
remote system is passed incorrect authentication credentials during a
Discovery or Status Poll.
* IT Assistant has an improved threading model that results in
increased discovery and status performance. Because the threading model
has changed since version 6.4.4, you may notice a significant
consumption in system resources. This behavior may be more prevalent in
systems that are below the recommended configurations for IT
Assistant. If resource consumption seems excessive, use the IT
Assistant Discovery and Status Poll slider bar to decrease the IT
Assistant load on the system.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dell Array Manager Issue
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
If Array Manager is not installed on your network management station,
an attempt to launch Array Manager by clicking the Status Page
'Manage Disk Storage' button may result in a browser page with the following
address format: 'http://<webserver>/ArrayManager/loadarm.htm.'.
If you see this URL, use the Dell OpenManage Application CD to
install Array Manager on your system.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BIOS Flashing Issue
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flashing the BIOS of a managed system from a management station that
has dual network adaptors and that is running the IT Assistant services may
not work. If you run the "ipconfig" command from a command prompt on a
management station and the first IP address returned is not on the
same subnet as that of the managed system, the BIOS update fails.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status and Alerting Issues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* When viewing embedded devices on the "Status" page, some devices
might appear twice, although only one device exists.
* If IT Assistant is installed on Microsoft XP and is receiving several
alerts per second, the SMTP outgoing mail queue may eventually develop a
backlog. Symptoms of this condition may include "cscript.exe" application
error messages. To resolve this problem, upgrade to an enterprise class
operating system such as Microsoft Windows 2000 or 2003 Server.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interface Issues
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Resetting the memory error counter resets the "ECC Usage Count" and
the "Multibit Error Count" to zero.
* If you click "Cancel" on the log-on prompt of the system
configuration window, you must select another system before the
log-on prompt appears again.
* Due to the implementation of MIB2 on Red Hat(R) Linux, the "Network" section of
the IT Assistant Summary page does not have a detailed description
of the network adapter manufacturer. For example, "eth0" or a similar string
appears under "Product Name".
* Leaving the IT Assistant user interface open for an extended time
with the "Alert View" window's continuous updates checkbox 'On' may result in
excessive consumption of system memory. To prevent this, deselect
this option and allow Event Management system actions to provide
continuous alert notification through email and/or paging.
* Changing the IT Assistant desktop shortcut to open as maximized
results in a blank screen. To resolve this, set the shortcut attribute
back to default on startup.
* If you are viewing a managed system in IT Assistant and the managed node
configuration changes, click on another system and then back to the
original system to refresh the user interface with the most current
system information. This also applies to password and SNMP community
string changes while the system is being viewed in IT Assistant.
* IT Assistant may exhibit a mismatch between the number of nodes
discovered and the number of nodes being displayed in the user interface.
This may occur if the user interface is launching while a discovery cycle
is in progress. To correct this, click the System view Refresh button.
######################################################################
IT ASSISTANT USER NOTES
######################################################################
This section provides information to help you use IT Assistant:
======================================================================
General Issues for Installing and Configuring IT Assistant Version 6.5
======================================================================
* Dell does not recommend or support the installation of the IT
Assistant services on a portable computer.
* You must log in to IT Assistant with read-write privileges to
make changes to IT Assistant in the following areas:
- Under "Configuration" in the navigation tree: "Event Categories,"
"Event Filters," "Event Actions," and "Event Logging."
- Under "Management" in the navigation tree: "Remove Discovered
System."
- Under "Options" on the left-panel menu: "Custom Groups,"
"Discovery Cycle," "Set Discovery Range," and "Change
Read-Write Password."
NOTE: If a user has read-only privileges in IT Assistant, it does
not mean that the user has read-only privileges for managed
systems. Read-only users can authenticate themselves to a
managed system and perform management actions.
######################################################################
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
(C) 2002-2003 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in any manner whatsoever without the written permission
of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: "Dell", "PowerEdge", and "Dell OpenManage"
are trademarks of Dell Inc.; "Microsoft," "Windows," and "Windows NT"
are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; "Novell" and "Netware" are
registered trademarks of Novell, Inc.; "Red Hat" is a registered trademark of
Red Hat, Inc.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document to refer
to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products.
Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in
trademarks and trade names other than its own.
November 2003
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.