HP Client Management Solutions Overview - White Paper

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your managed IT environment. Using HP CMI, systems management tools and applications can request
in-depth client inventory, receive health status information, and manage system BIOS settings by
communicating directly with the client computer, reducing the need for agent or connector software to
achieve integration.
HP CMI provides an interface that simplifies the integration of HP business computers with popular
industry system management tools. HP CMI is based on industry standards including Microsoft
Windows Management Interface (MS WMI), Web Based Enterprise Management (WBEM), System
Management BIOS (SMBIOS), and Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). The IT
administrator can access the HP Client Management Interface by writing simple scripts and integrating
those scripts to the management solution of their choice. The HP Client Management Interface used in
conjunction with system management software can:
 Request in-depth client inventory information — Capture detailed information about the processors,
hard drives, memory, BIOS, and sensor information (such as fan speed, voltage, and temperature)
 Receive health status information — Subscribe for a wide range of client hardware alerts (such as
over-temperature, fan stall, and hardware configuration changes) to be sent in real time to the system
management console, application, or local client computer when triggered by hardware events
 Manage system BIOS settings — Perform F10 setup key functions including setting and changing the
BIOS passwords and computer boot order remotely from your system management console on any or
all of your client systems without having to visit each machine
Refer to the white paper provided with the HP CMI Software Provider SoftPaq for information on
developing scripts to interface with the HP Client Management Interface.
HP SoftPaq Download Manager
HP SoftPaq Download Manager is a free, easy-to-use interface for locating and downloading software
updates for the HP commercial client PC models in your environment from the HP Support and Drivers
website. By specifying your models, operating system, and language, you can quickly locate, sort, and
select the SoftPaqs you need. To download HP SoftPaq Download Manager go to
www.hp.com/go/sdm.
HP System Software Manager
HP System Software Manager (HP SSM) automates remote deployment of device drivers and BIOS
updates for your networked HP commercial PCs. When HP SSM runs, it silently determines the revision
levels of drivers and BIOS installed on each networked client system and compares this inventory
against system SoftPaqs (compressed software files) that have been tested and stored in a central file
store. HP SSM then automatically updates any down-revision system software on the networked PCs to
the later levels available in the file store. Since HP SSM only allows distribution of SoftPaq updates to
the correct client system models, administrators can confidently and efficiently use HP SSM to keep
system software updated.
Available as a free download, HP SSM integrates with enterprise software distribution tools such as HP
Configuration Management Solution and Microsoft Systems Center Configuration Manager. Using
SSM, you can distribute customer-created or third-party updates that have been packaged in the SSM
format. HP SSM may be downloaded at no charge from www.hp.com/go/ssm.
Software Image Compatibility
One of the design benefits of many HP desktop and notebook products is that HP carefully engineers
the software image to be compatible across the various hardware form factors within a product series.
Maintaining a single image within a product series provides unprecedented IT simplicity,
manageability, benefit of ownership and investment protection. A single image:
 simplifies customer’s pre-install qualification process when buying multiple HP product families, or
multiple generations of the same product family