Linux-based network manager gives IT departments a boost

– by Tina Gasperson –
Enterprise-scaled management tools for the IT department are nothing new — software that will organize resources, monitor systems and automate processes is a necessity for companies that have LANs and WANs to take care of. Microsoft will sell you a pre-built “solution,” or refer you to a contractor for something specialized. IBM, Intel, HP and Novell each has its own brand of network management software. Even Red Hat provides what it calls “Enterprise Systems Management” consulting.And Caldera has Volution Manager, a product that is pre-packaged but quickly customizable for the unique needs of enterprise. HON Industries is the biggest mid-market office furniture maker in the United States. They use Volution Manager to take care of their continental scale WAN. A case study at Caldera’s site reveals that Jon Syvertson, HON’s UNIX systems manager, needed to run the company’s network from one location. “We had planned to create our own tools for network management internally-until we found Caldera Volution Manager,”
Syvertson said.

“Volution Manager could do exactly what we needed. We didn’t have to spend the time or money creating our own management solution because Volution Manager was already packaged and could be customized to fit our specific network management needs.”

Another benefit of using Caldera’s Volution Manager is the ability to preset profiles and policies so that IT managers don’t have to spend time configuring individual systems.

Volution will run on several Linux distributions, including Caldera’s own desktop and server products, and Red Hat, Mandrake and TurboLinux. You’ll need $2,995 per server installation.

Caldera’s Volution recently was recognized by Network World as a “Category Breaker” favorite product for 2001. “The important thing is that Volution marks almost a ‘coming of age’ for Linux,” wrote Network World columnist Dave Kearns. “The management utilities your CIO wants to see for business-critical operating systems are now available for Linux in a policy-driven, directory-enabled package.”

If you’re interested in Volution as an enterprise solution, you can try before you buy. A free 60-day evaluation version of the Volution product line is available for download at Caldera’s site.