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 IT services have become so essential to most organizations that there are often IT services designed to support them as well. For instance, consider how this concept applies in the case of software provisioning. In the same way that IT services typically enable all other services in an organization—functioning as the central nervous system by which information flows from point to point—software provisioning helps to enable IT services.
Consider that virtually every complex IT service, such as database hosting, e-mail, Web applications, and security, such as authorization and identification, is delivered via servers. Each must be provisioned with the appropriate software to help ensure maximum uptime and the highest possible service levels, and such provisioning can be an extremely complex and potentially error-prone process if undertaken on a manual basis. Even trivial errors can result in serious consequences, ranging from an inability to download e-mail to a catastrophic loss of core business data. Nor are servers the only logical targets for software provisioning; others include end-user solutions, such as desktops and notebooks, and even intelligent networking hardware, such as routers and switches.
Optimizing the software provisioning process, therefore, has emerged as a central tactic in the overall strategy of optimizing IT itself. In this context, modern solutions have been developed specifically to simplify and automate provisioning wherever possible.
IBM Tivoli Provisioning Manager: Software Provisioning, Simplified and Accelerated
One such solution is IBM Tivoli Provisioning Manager (TPM), a best-in-class tool specifically designed to make provisioning as reliable, straightforward, consistent, and efficient as possible—even in today’s most complex, enterprise-class organizations, which can easily involve tens of thousands of network nodes. TPM empowers virtually all IT operations through features such as advanced scripting and sophisticated disk imaging; administrators can prepare disk images in advance, then use TPM to provision some or all elements of those images to virtually any supported node on the network, even in extreme cases such as bare-metal servers with blank hard drives.
In cases where a given target requires special software, such as drivers, which deviates from the image, this software, too, can be installed automatically and remotely. Furthermore, because it supports a range of different operating systems, including different flavors of Windows, Linux, AIX, HP-UX, and Solaris, TPM also helps by unifying the software provisioning process—abstracting out all the many details of the installation despite the fact that they differ tremendously from operating system to operating system.
With the latest version of TPM, 5.1.1, IBM has improved things still further by adding a host of powerful new features sure to accelerate performance and simplify ease of use. Web Replay, for instance, acts as a recording mechanism for advanced administrators; after activating it, any series of mouse clicks, typed text, or other forms of input are captured and can be replayed subsequently by any user with sufficient access privileges.
The TPM deployment process has also been enhanced with an intelligent new installation wizard that performs environmental checks on the target system(s). In this way, technical issues which might otherwise have halted the installation process can be detected and resolved in advance, meaning that for many customers, only half a business day is now required for a complete installation.
Application Testing Demands Rigorous Provisioning
Of course, the phrase “business day” isn't entirely accurate in every case, since TPM is a powerful provisioning tool well-suited for any complex IT operation— even one which has no connection to the traditional business world. At Poughkeepsie, NY-based Marist College, for instance, the IT staff has discovered that TPM delivers significant improvements in many operational areas that apply just as they would in a conventional enterprise.
Marist’s needs are not entirely dissimilar to an enterprise's, after all. The total student headcount exceeds six thousand, and IT services designed to support the many needs of those students must be reliable and efficient. Just as in the enterprise, Marist delivers a wide range of services as well; each of those services will require the appropriate software to be installed and functioning on supporting systems. Nor is that the end of the provisioning challenge. New applications, and new versions of applications, are frequently deployed, yet before deploying them, Marist's IT team is responsible for verifying that they perform both robustly and with the full range of intended features.
This testing process must be performed rigorously in order to generate useful information. When applications perform unexpectedly in testing, it's essential to be able to isolate the fault to the software; otherwise, no valid conclusion can be drawn about software performance. Such isolation, however, requires that the application function in extremely controlled conditions. Supported versions of all software on the host machine, such as the operating system, security/update patches, other applications, and data, must be completely consistent from host to host, as well as consistent across testing cycles.
Ensuring that this consistency is achieved can be difficult, requiring considerable time and energy on the part of IT staff that has many other tasks. Furthermore, it was clear at Marist that the provisioning challenges involved in achieving such rigorous testing were requiring more and more resources and time. In order to fulfill testing goals, for instance, new servers had to be bought, and each provisioned and reprovisioned appropriately for every testing cycle with all the supported software. Optimization of the provisioning process for these test machines, therefore, became increasingly attractive to Marist's team.
TPM Helps Create Better Software at Marist College through Faster, More Accurate Testing
In this context, TPM proved to be a particularly valuable tool. After consulting with IBM Global Technology Services, Marist decided to invest in new IBM solutions designed to accelerate and simplify provisioning—specifically, a Linux-driven IBM BladeCenter and TPM. Less than three weeks were required to get the new solution up and running, and the results have been remarkable.
Through the TPM image-driven, automated feature set, Marist has achieved a dramatic acceleration of the testing process; typically, it begins the same day as a new application is released. Because provisioning tasks no longer require manual attention, IT staff are freed to attend to other tasks better suited to their knowledge levels. Furthermore, the software on the test machines is now more consistent across testing cycles, helping to isolate problems specifically related to the new applications. Costs, too, have been reduced, because the IBM solution enables test environments to be safely shared across applications.
The end result for Marist? Better applications, higher service levels, and an enhanced experience for the faculty and staff—the ultimate equivalent of the business bottom line for an institution of higher education.
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