BMC Promises Faster Install Time For Patrol Suite

BMC Software Inc. will ship its Patrol Version 7 application-management suite next week. A key feature of the product is an improved installation process that makes it easier to implement the management modules, cutting install time by 50% to 70%. The suite adds support for SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7, Microsoft .NET, and Microsoft Windows XP.

With Version 7, customers get a single Web-based interface for installing Patrol products on Windows, Unix, and Linux systems, so they won't have to go through a number of disparate interfaces to install the suite in multivendor environments. Security enhancements include the ability to define management profiles and classifications of job responsibilities, in order to limit certain users' abilities to perform tasks within the various Patrol modules.

The Men's Warehouse in Fremont, Calif., likes what it's seen in beta versions of the suite. The installation is much easier now with the new process, says Katie Scully, manager of enterprise management services at the retailer. A single person can do all the company's installs.

But Gartner analyst Ray Paquet doesn't think the improved Web-installation interface addresses a problem customers face in getting the most benefit from the software. Currently, customers don't get enough advice when alarm thresholds are reached, he says. Says Paquet, "BMC has got to continue embedding knowledge into the product out of the box."