Application Deployment Software and AD

[ssssssss]

My company is moving from Novell to Active Directory and are looking
for software to replace our Zenworks program. Basically we want an
application that will package and deploy an application. Allow us to
update/uninstall applications remotely. We would like it to image but
doesn'thave to (we use Ghost for that). Remote Control of desktops is
a must. We are starting to look at apps like, Altiris, SMS w/Wise,
LANDesk, Livestart. I am just wondering what kind of program other
companies are using with Active Directory out there. Any suggestions
or information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Brandon McCombs]

My company is moving from Novell to Active Directory and are looking
for software to replace our Zenworks program. Basically we want an
application that will package and deploy an application. Allow us to
update/uninstall applications remotely. We would like it to image but
doesn'thave to (we use Ghost for that). Remote Control of desktops is
a must. We are starting to look at apps like, Altiris, SMS w/Wise,
LANDesk, Livestart. I am just wondering what kind of program other
companies are using with Active Directory out there. Any suggestions
or information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I am on a gov't contract where we originally had specified Zenworks and
later on LANDesk (after a rumor spread that Novell was dropping Zenworks
which of course never happened). LANDesk worked okay in most areas (we
evaluated version 6.x I believe; it's been a while now). I haven't
touched it since we evaluated it. However the operations/maintenance
staff did not like it and so we looked at other products.

We discovered that corporate editions of Ghost can deploy software as,
what Symantec calls, AI packages. You build the AI package on a separate
computer. It does something similar to what LANDesk does in that it
determines what changed and makes a package that replicates those
changes so you can push it out to multiple workstations and have it
installed remotely. Ghost can also push out individual files that, in
our case, the gov't uses for in-house software applications.

Since you are moving to ADS I presume you will have Windows
workstations. If that is the case, and you will be using WinXP, then you
already have the ability for remote administration by using
RemoteDesktop. Windows XP allows 1 remote desktop connection directly
to the console. Windows Server 2003 allows 3 connections (1 console, 2
non-console) before you have to purchase Terminal Server licenses.

HTH
Brandon