HP SIM V5.1 User Guide (356920-009, January 2007)

Security
• Role-based security HP SIM enables effective delegation of management responsibilities by giving
system administrators granular control over which users can perform which management operations
on which systems.
• Manage SSH keys The SSH Keys feature enables you to view and manage the public SSH keys,
stored in the known_hosts file, from the CMS. SSH keys enable the CMS and a managed system to
authenticate a secure connection.
• Secure remote management HP SIM leverages operating system security for user authentication and
uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Secure Shell (SSH) to encrypt management communications.
• The Configure or Repair Agents feature enables you to repair credentials for SNMP settings, System
Management Homepage, or Management HTTP Server trust relationships on Windows, Linux, and
HP-UX systems supported by HP SIM. See “Configure or Repair Agents overview” for more information.
Installation
• Easy and rapid installation. HP SIM installs on your server platform of choice running HP-UX 11i v1,
HP-UX 11i v2 or HP-UX 11i v3 on PA-RISC/Integrity or ProLiant platforms running Windows or Linux.
• First Time Wizard HP SIM provides you with step-by-step, online guidance for performing the initial
configuration of HP SIM. The wizard helps you configure HP SIM settings on the Central Management
Server (CMS).
Discovery
▲ HP SIM can automatically discover and identify systems attached to the network. Discovery filters enable
you to limit discovery to specific network segments or IP address ranges. Use discovery filters to prevent
discovery of unwanted system types.
Custom tools
▲ HP SIM defines tools using simple XML documents that enable you to integrate off-the-shelf or custom
tools. These tools can be command line tools, web-based applications, or scripts. Access to these
integrated tools is governed by role-based security.
Reporting
• Data collection and inventory reports HP SIM performs comprehensive system data collection and
enables you to quickly produce detailed inventory reports for managed systems. Reports can be generated
in HTML, XML, or CSV format. Data collection and reporting has been added for Superdome systems
and other cellular complexes. Data that can be collected includes information on enclosures, cabinets,
cells, memory, Integrity virtual machines, non-Integrity virtual machines, virtual partitions (vPars), and
hard partitions (nPars). The data collected depends on which filters are selected, or which WBEM
providers are installed.
• Snapshot comparisons HP SIM enables you to compare configuration snapshots of up to four different
servers or configuration snapshots of a single server over time. This functionality assists IT staff in
pinpointing configuration issues that can contribute to system instability. Snapshot comparisons can
also be used to save a picture of a standard configuration for comparisons to other systems.
Partner applications
• HP Version Control HP SIM automatically downloads the latest BIOS, driver, and agent updates for
HP ProLiant servers running Windows and Linux, identifies systems running outdated system software,
30 Product overview