This IBM® Redbooks® publication positions the IBM Systems Director Management Console (SDMC) against the IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC). The IBM Systems Director Management Console provides system administrators the ability to manage IBM Power System® servers as well as IBM Power Blade servers. It is based on IBM Systems Director. This publication is designed for system administrators to use as a deskside reference when managing Virtual Servers (formerly partitions) using the SDMC. The major functions that the SDMC provides are server hardware management and virtualization management.

IBM® Systems Director is a platform management foundation that streamlines the way that physical and virtual systems are managed. Using industry standards, IBM Systems Director supports multiple operating systems and virtualization technologies. This paper provides guidance and preferred practices about how to install and configure IBM Systems Director Version 6.3. Also, installation guidance, fundamental topics, such as discovery and inventory, and more advanced topics, such as troubleshooting and automation, are covered. This paper is meant to be a partner to the comprehensive documentation in the IBM Systems Director Information Center. This paper is aimed at IT specialists who are planning to install and configure IBM Systems Director on Microsoft Windows, Linux, or IBM AIX®.

In this IBM® Redbooks® publication we discuss IBM Systems Director Navigator for i, which is a Web console interface for IBM i administration where you can work with the Web-enabled tasks of System i® Navigator. IBM Systems Director Navigator for i includes a number of welcome pages that allow you to quickly find the task that you want to perform. The IBM Systems Director Navigator for i interface is not just a set of URL addressable tasks, but is a robust Web console from which you can manage your IBM i system. However, the System i Navigator Tasks on the Web, which are a set of URL-addressable tasks, can be accessed by using the URL or from within the IBM Systems Director Navigator for i interface. The information in this book is intended to help you start using the Web-based console, IBM Systems Director Navigator for i, by providing you with a look at the new interface as well as tips for working with various parts of the new console.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication helps you install, tailor, and configure a solution with IBM Systems Director VMControl so that you can move beyond simply managing virtualization to using virtualization to better manage your IT infrastructure. This book describes how the combination of IBM Systems Director and VMControl reduces the total cost of ownership of a virtualized environment by decreasing management costs, increasing asset use, and linking infrastructure performance to business goals. This book provides a broad understanding on how VMControl simplifies the management of virtual environments across multiple virtualization technologies and hardware platforms, freeing you from silos of virtualization and delivering enterprise-wide visibility and control. A leading multi-platform virtualization management solution, VMControl is now available in three Editions (Express, Standard, and Enterprise) to best match your virtualized environment. In addition, this book describes the VMControl Enterprise Edition plug-in for IBM Systems Director, which uses a workload-optimized approach to decrease infrastructure costs and improve service levels. With VMControl Enterprise Edition, you can manage system pools with the simplicity of managing a single system, an essential capability for moving to cloud computing and a dynamic infrastructure.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication describes the positioning of the IBM Systems Director in the complete management range. It also compares the IBM Systems Director with the IBM Flex Systems Manager (FSM) and describes the environments for which each tool is best suited. This publication helps you plan, install, tailor, and configure the IBM Systems Director on different platforms. It contains information about required system resources and which network ports are used. It shows how to use the Workload Estimator to select the appropriate hardware for IBM Systems Director server and provides information about the IBM Systems Director Editions. Best practices are covered for the basic management tasks that are available in IBM Systems Director, including how to perform discovery; how to collect inventory on discovered resources; how to deploy agent, driver, and firmware updates; how to manage hardware events; and other miscellaneous tasks. An overview of best practices is provided for using IBM Systems Director VMControlTM. Systems Director VMControl is a cross-platform product that assists you in rapidly deploying virtual appliances to create virtual servers that are configured with the operating system and software applications that you want. It also enables you to group resources into system pools, which enable you to centrally manage and control the different workloads in your environment. The following plug-in offerings are described: Energy monitoring and management features offered by IBM Systems Director Active Energy ManagerTM along with the best practice, which needs to be followed in using the IBM Systems Director Active Energy Manager. The IBM AIX® Profile Manager is a tool that can help implement and monitor the security of all AIX servers in a production environment but also implement and monitor the system compliance of those AIX servers. Best practices and the most important questions to ask before creating Workload Partition Manager (WPAR) and WPAR Manager infrastructure. In addition, how you can manage and relocate WPARs using WPAR Manager graphical interface and the command-line interface. Network Control basic functionalities and how to plan for Network Control deployments and also a number of common scenarios with best practices. The IBM Systems Director Service and Support Manager describes how to set up and how to handle serviceable events. Best practices for the Storage Monitoring and Management capabilities offered by IBM Systems Director server. This book is for IBM IT specialists and IT architects, IBM Business Partners, and clients, who are utilizing or considering implementing IBM Systems Director.

Monitoring and managing your system's performance is critical to ensure that you are keeping pace with the changing demands of your business. To respond to business changes effectively, your system must change too. Managing your system, at first glance, might seem like just another time-consuming job. But the investment soon pays off because the system runs more efficiently, and this is reflected in your business. It is efficient because changes are planned and managed. Managing performance of any system can be a complex task that requires a thorough understanding of that system's hardware and software. IBM® i is an industry leader in the area of performance management and has many qualities that are not found in other systems, such as: - Unparalleled performance metrics - Always-on collection of metrics - Graphical investigation of performance data While understanding all the different processes that affect system performance can be challenging and resolving performance problems requires the effective use of a large suite of tools, the functions offered by IBM i are intended to make this job easier for users. This IBM Redbooks® publication explains the tasks and rich tools associated with performance management on IBM i.