HP Systems Insight Manager Service

Get a PDF version of the HP Systems Insight Manager Service here.

Overview
Many companies see the value of purchasing HP Proliant Servers. Proliant servers offer industry leading features related to performance, reliability, manageability, and investment protection. However, one of the key features offered with Proliant servers, Systems Insight Manager (SIM), is often overlooked and not implemented. HP’s SIM is a hardware/firmware management product included with all Proliant servers. SIM centrally monitors the health of multiple Proliant servers, alerting network administrators of impending hardware failures and firmware upgrades. Other features such as inventory control and snapshots resolve issues that contribute to system instability.

Too often, the installation of this powerful network management product is never completed. Other urgent projects take priority or administrators are simply not aware of the many benefits of SIM. SIM offers pre-failure warnings on hard disks, memory, and processors. There are a wide array of additional hardware and firmware monitoring, troubleshooting, and diagnostic tools. In short, SIM will reduce network outages and production downtime. Yet, this free management product goes uninstalled.

Solution
Trusted Network Solutions offers its clients an inexpensive way to get HP’s Systems Insight Manager up and running with a small flat fee. TNS provides an engineer onsite to quickly and efficiently install SIM and train IT staff on its use. This service can be customized to meet the particular needs of any firm.

The service offered by TNS will get SIM fully functioning and employees trained.

• The SIM Management Server will be installed and configured.
• The SIM Management Agents will be installed on up to two Proliant Windows Servers.
• Employees will be trained on how to install SIM agents on additional servers.
• Employees will be trained on how to monitor Proliant servers using SIM.

Advantages and Requirements
The advantages to the company and IT staff are numerous and compelling.

• Provides in-depth fault, inventory, and configuration management of HP servers.
• The company and IT staff benefit from knowing exactly what is happening with a key resource, its Proliant servers.
• Unplanned network outages are avoided with pre-failure warnings and advanced firmware management.
• SIM allows users to compare configuration snapshots of up to four different servers.
• The company takes advantage of a powerful tool that has already been paid for with the purchase of Proliant servers.
• SIM is quickly and efficiently installed by a highly trained and experienced engineer.
• Internal technical staff is formally trained on how to use and deploy SIM.

There are a few requirements that should be considered before deploying SIM.

• The SIM management software must be installed on a Windows 200x server or XP desktop with 1GB RAM and 2GB free disk.
• The SIM agent software must be installed on each managed Proliant server.
• TNS engineer must be given access to the managed devices during business hours or additional fees may apply.
• When installing the SIM server or agents, a reboot may be required.
• SNMP is required on all servers and MSDE will be installed on the SIM management server.

More information on HP SIM can be found at http://www.hp.com/go/hpsim

Proposal
A TNS engineer will:

1. Install the SIM management server software on a Windows server or desktop.
2. Install the SIM agents on two Windows Proliant servers.
3. Train internal staff on how to deploy and use SIM.

Investment: $749 flat fee*.
*Additional fees may apply for additional servers or off-hours work.