Users Guide

Scenario 2: Configuration management
A company plans to standardize the client platform and manage each system through its lifecycle. As part
of this effort, the company acquires a suite of tools, and plans to automate the deployment of a new
client operating system using the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE).
The challenge is to modify the boot order setting in the BIOS of each client computer without manually
visiting the desktop. With Dell Command | Monitor installed on each client system, the IT department of
the company has several options for remotely modifying the boot order. The OpenManage Essentials
(OME) is a management console that can be used to remotely monitor BIOS settings on all enterprise
client systems. Another option is to write a script (VB/PowerShell/WMIC) that changes the boot order
setting. The script can be remotely delivered over the network and run on each client system.
For more information on Dell Command | Monitor, see Dell Command | Monitor Reference Guide at
dell.com/dellclientcommandsuitemanuals.
Standardized configurations can provide significant cost savings for companies of all sizes. Many
organizations deploy standardized client systems, but few manage the system configuration throughout
the life of the computer. With Dell Command | Monitor installed on each client system, the IT department
can lock down Legacy ports to prevent the use of unauthorized peripherals, or enable Wake On LAN
(WOL) to revive the system from a sleep state during non-peak hours to perform systems management
tasks.
Scenario 3: Health monitoring
A user receives read error messages while trying to access certain files on the client-system hard drive.
The user reboots the system and the files now appear to be accessible. The user disregards the initial
problem because it appears to have resolved itself. Meanwhile, Dell Command | Monitor queries the hard
drive with the problem for a predicted failure and passes a Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting
Technology (SMART) alert to the management console. It also displays the SMART error to the local user.
The alert indicated that several read/write errors are occurring in the hard drive. The IT department of the
company recommended that the user must make a backup of critical data files immediately. A service
technician is dispatched with a replacement drive.
The hard drive is replaced before it fails, preventing user downtime, a help desk call, and a technician trip
to the desktop to diagnose the problem.
Monitoring system events through Windows Event Viewer or CIM indication
Dell Command | Monitor supports monitoring events through the following procedures:
• Pulling the log through WMI class DCIM_LogEntry.
• Monitoring CIM indication through DCIM_AlertIndication class.
• Monitoring events through Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).
For more information on Dell Command | Monitor, see Dell Command | Monitor Reference Guide at
dell.com/dellclientcommandsuitemanuals.
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