Intel Extends PC Health Management To Mobile PCs

LANDesk Client Manager v3.2 Meets Challenges of Dynamic Mobile Environments

HILLSBORO, Ore., Feb. 10, 1998 — Intel Corporation today introduced LANDesk Client Manager v3.2, the latest version of its PC health monitoring tool, which helps businesses reduce the costs of business computing. This release extends PC management capabilities from high-performance desktops into the dynamic mobile environment and will make mobile PCs that are not always connected easier to remotely manage, subsequently helping facilitate reduced mobile PC maintenance.

New advanced features in LANDesk Client Manager v3.2, such as remote dial-up, enable PC management for users who are out of the office. Recognition of swappable devices — such as PC cards and docking stations — provide fast communication of changes in the mobile PC configuration, improving inventory tracking systems.

"LANDesk Client Manager v3.2 provides a significant step forward in reducing the total cost of supporting mobile PCs," said Stephen Nachtsheim, Intel vice president and general manager, Mobile/Handheld Products Group. "By coupling LANDesk Client Manager with Wired for Management-enabled mobile PCs, IT managers can provide the same degree of manageability to mobile users, both in and out of the office, as they do for their desktop counterparts."

LANDesk Client Manager delivers strong support for the Wired for Management industry initiative which is reducing the total cost of business computing. The LANDesk family of software products helps IT managers to better control the key stages of the network evolutionary cycle: configuration and deployment, persistent management and critical node protection.

Delivering Manageability to Growing Mobile PC Market Segment
Several major original equipment manufacturers, including Acer America Corp., ASUSTeK Computer Inc., Elitegroup Computer Systems Inc., First International Computer Inc., IBM Corp., Packard Bell NEC Inc. and Toshiba Corporation, plan to ship LANDesk Client Manager v3.2 to extend the manageability of both their desktop and mobile PCs.

Industry analysts estimate that the number of mobile users is expected to grow from 50 million to 108 million over the next four years, greatly increasing the need for mobile management tools such as LANDesk Client Manager.* With key features like remote dial-up, LANDesk Client Manager gives mobile PC users access to client management functions that include hardware and software inventory, file transfer, remote reboot, and local and remote real-time monitoring and alerts on PC performance and health.

Other changes in the software will allow PC manufacturers to customize their PC management tools with very little effort and support the interchangeable devices attached to a mobile PC. For example, an OEM could take LANDesk Client Manager v3.2 and extend the alerting capabilities to support the battery and/or battery pack, provide the IT manager with travel configurations or customize the support of remote BIOS.

LANDesk Client Manager v3.2 continues to support the Desktop Management Interface (DMI) 2.0 and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) support, and allows for remote wake-up and reboot of mobile and desktop clients instrumented for those capabilities. LANDesk Client Manager v3.2 also communicates alerts via the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to existing enterprise consoles.

This release supports leading operating environments including Microsoft Windows** 95 and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and offers 32-bit capabilities and backwards compatibility.

LANDesk Client Manager is a member of the Intel LANDesk family of products, which allow companies to cost-effectively deploy, manage and protect networked PCs and servers. Intel's LANDesk products include LANDesk Management Suite, LANDesk Configuration Manager, LANDesk Virus Protect and LANDesk Server Manager products. LANDesk Client Manager v3.2 has been released to PC OEMs and will appear on PCs beginning in the second quarter.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.