CA, Microsoft announce joint plans

Computer Associates International Inc. and Microsoft Corp. last week announced plans to provide remote systems network and applications management via the Internet.

The pact announced at the CA-World '96 conference in New Orleans combines CA's expertise in enterprise systems management with Microsoft's Internet technology. Specifically CA plans to use Microsoft's ActiveX Technologies and Internet Explorer World Wide Web browser to provide Internet and intranet access to CA-Unicenter TNG the latest version of the company's widely used systems management software. The product is in beta testing at sites such as the Defense Information Systems Agency.

CA has briefed federal customers including the Air Force DISA and the Social Security Administration on the Web-enabled systems management thrust according to Mike Miller senior vice president of CA's federal operations. He said the technology would allow federal users to more easily perform remote systems management which in the past required a dedicated line. With the CA/Micro-soft technology however a secure user with Internet access can tap into a CA-Unicenter TNG terminal to do systems administration tasks and trouble-shooting Miller said.

"There's a lot of value in using the Web as a transport for network management systems " said Greg Cline director of network integration and management at Business Research Group Newton Mass. The technique he said provides the ability to manage a worldwide organization.

CA and Microsoft said they will use the HyperMedia Management Schema (HMMS) and HyperMedia Management Protocol (HMMP) to ensure compatibility between CA-Unicenter TNG and future systems management products from Microsoft. HMMS and HMMP were proposed last month as part of an industry effort to define cross-platform Web-based enterprise management CA said.

The company said it will distribute Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.0 with the CA-Unicenter TNG Software Developers' Kit. Miller said elements of the CA/Microsoft technology will be available in the fourth quarter.In other CA-World announcements CA and Intel Corp. said they have developed technology that allows CA-Unicenter TNG to glean systems management data from servers using Intel's Pentium Pro processors. The technology will allow CA-Unicenter TNG to obtain information such as temperature and voltage status.

In addition Tandem Computers Inc. said it will standardize on CA-Unicenter for all its server platforms. CA and Tandem will develop a cluster-aware version of CA-Unicenter for managing Tandem and other clustered environ-ments.