Avocent AdminWorks Service manual

For Technical Support:
www.avocent.com/support
590-551-501A
AdminWorksTM
Console Administrator’s Guide
Version 1.2

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
2Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contact Information......................................................................................................6
What is Avocent AdminWorks management suite?...................................................7
Summary of Features................................................................................................7
Accessing the Help Messages and FAQ...................................................................8
Definitions.................................................................................................................9
System Requirements ................................................................................................10
AdminWorks Console..............................................................................................10
AdminWorks Agent.................................................................................................11
Invoking the AdminWorks Console program............................................................12
Components of the Main Console Window...............................................................13
Topology Frame......................................................................................................14
Organization......................................................................................................14
Task Groups......................................................................................................15
Using the pop-up menu.....................................................................................15
New Group ..................................................................................................15
Rename Group............................................................................................16
Delete Group...............................................................................................16
Workgroup Frame...................................................................................................16
Illustrations of System Status Icons...................................................................19
Information Frame...................................................................................................20
System Display section .....................................................................................21
Information Display section ...............................................................................22
Summary.....................................................................................................22
Hardware.....................................................................................................22
Software......................................................................................................23
Health..........................................................................................................23
CPU Temperature..................................................................................24
CPU Fan................................................................................................25
Board Temperature................................................................................26
Board Fan..............................................................................................27
Power Supply.........................................................................................27
Hard Disk(s)...........................................................................................29
Indicators for “Sensor Not Detected”vs. “Off-line”.............................................30
If the System is On-line but Sensor is not Detected.....................................30
If the System is Off-Line..............................................................................30
Status Frame ..........................................................................................................31
The Menu Bar..............................................................................................................32
Console Menu.........................................................................................................32
Discover............................................................................................................32
Poll....................................................................................................................33
System Logs... ..................................................................................................34

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
Table of Contents 3
Discovery.....................................................................................................35
Polling..........................................................................................................36
Agent ID Sync..............................................................................................36
Hardware Change Alerts and the Hardware Change Log............................37
Event Filter.............................................................................................38
Event Properties....................................................................................39
Deleting all entries in any of the Logs..........................................................39
Exporting any of the Logs............................................................................40
Setting the number of entries to be saved in each Log................................40
Preferences.......................................................................................................41
General tab..................................................................................................41
Launch AdminWorks Console at System Startup ..................................41
Temperature Scale................................................................................42
Company Information.............................................................................42
View tab.......................................................................................................43
Logs tab.......................................................................................................44
Discovery...............................................................................................44
Poll Information......................................................................................44
Agent ID Sync........................................................................................44
Hardware Change..................................................................................44
Discovery tab...............................................................................................45
Auto-discovery at Console startup .........................................................46
Schedule Enabled..................................................................................46
Set IP range to discover systems across routers...................................46
Exit....................................................................................................................47
Client Menu.............................................................................................................48
Add to Group.....................................................................................................48
Managing Systems......................................................................................48
Adding an UnManaged System to a Group in Managed Systems..........49
Moving Managed Systems.....................................................................51
Remove.............................................................................................................52
Cancel...............................................................................................................52
Refresh .............................................................................................................53
Sync Agent ID With...........................................................................................53
Power Off..........................................................................................................55
Restart ..............................................................................................................55
Configure Restriction.........................................................................................55
Group Menu............................................................................................................58
New Group........................................................................................................58
Rename Group..................................................................................................59
Delete Group.....................................................................................................59
View Menu ..............................................................................................................60
Tool Bar.............................................................................................................61
Status Bar .........................................................................................................61
Windows ...........................................................................................................62
All Systems .......................................................................................................62
Online Systems.................................................................................................62
Absent Systems ................................................................................................63
Over 3 Days.................................................................................................63
Over 1 Week ...............................................................................................63

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
4Table of Contents
Over 1 Month...............................................................................................63
Over 3 Months.............................................................................................63
Large Icon.........................................................................................................64
Small Icon .........................................................................................................65
Detail List ..........................................................................................................65
Adding/Removing Columns .........................................................................66
Re-arranging Column Sequence .................................................................67
Sorting Information by Column....................................................................68
Moving Column Dividers..............................................................................68
Tools Menu.............................................................................................................69
Report Generator... ...........................................................................................69
System Asset Report...................................................................................70
Adding, Removing, and Re-sequencing Columns..................................72
Moving Column Dividers........................................................................73
Sorting Information by Column...............................................................73
Entering Comments...............................................................................73
Displaying Report Summary Data in Chart Form ...................................74
Software Asset Report.................................................................................75
Adding, Removing, and Re-sequencing Columns..................................75
Using the Tool Bar in the Report Windows..................................................77
Print.......................................................................................................77
Print Setting...........................................................................................78
Preview..................................................................................................78
Previewing the System Asset Report...............................................78
Previewing the Software Asset Report.............................................80
Using the Tool Bar in the Print Preview window...............................81
Export....................................................................................................83
Help.......................................................................................................85
Exit.........................................................................................................85
Find...................................................................................................................86
Help Menu...............................................................................................................90
AdminWorks Help .............................................................................................90
Check Updates..................................................................................................90
Enter Activation Key..........................................................................................91
If the Trial/Evaluation version expires..........................................................91
Contact Us ........................................................................................................92
About AdminWorks ...........................................................................................93
About Box for Console program...................................................................93
About Box for Agent program......................................................................93
General tab............................................................................................94
About tab...............................................................................................94
Frequently Asked Questions......................................................................................95
Index............................................................................................................................99

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
Copyright Information 5
Copyright Information
This User’s Manual, as well as the software described in it, are furnished under license and may
only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of the license. This document is furnished
for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a
commitment by Avocent Corp. Avocent Corp. assumes no responsibility or liability for any
errors or omissions that may appear in this document or any software that may be provided in
association with this document, and makes no warranties for damages resulting from corrupted
or lost data due to misuse, wrong operation, or malfunction of the products.
Except as permitted by such license, no part of this document, in whole or in part, may be
copied, reproduced, adapted, transmitted, reduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or
translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means, either
mechanically, electronically, or manually, without prior consent in writing from Avocent Corp.
The illustrations that appear in this User’s Manual may differ slightly from the screens that
actually appear when you operate the product. All names, telephone numbers, E-mail
addresses, and other data shown within the examples are fictional and for illustrative purposes
only. Any similarity to actual names, telephone numbers, E-mail addresses, and other data is
purely coincidental.
Avocent AdminWorks™is a trademark of the Avocent®Corporation.
Avocent®, the Avocent logo®, and “The Power of Being There™” are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Avocent Corporation or its affiliates.
Microsoft®and Windows®are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States and other countries.
Intel®, Pentium®, and Celeron®are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries
in the United States and other countries.
The names of other actual companies, products, and brands mentioned herein may be claimed
as the trade/brand names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of others.
First Edition for version 1.2 July 2005
Copyright ©2005 Avocent Corporation
All rights reserved.

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
6Contact Information
Contact Information
U.S. CORPORATE MAILING ADDRESS:
Avocent Corporation
4991 Corporate Drive
Huntsville
Alabama 35805
Telephone: [phone]
Toll-free telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web site: http://www.avocent.com/adminworks
Product support: adminwor[email protected]
Sales and marketing: [email protected]om
Other inquiries: [e-mail]

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
What is Avocent AdminWorks management suite? 7
What is Avocent AdminWorks management
suite?
Avocent AdminWorks™management suite (also referred to simply as “AdminWorks”in this
document) is a simple-to-use and yet powerful application that provides a complete physical
blueprint of desktop hardware and software to facilitate centralized asset management. It
allows System Administrators to perform many of their daily tasks from their Console screen,
rather than physically visiting individual workstations. Your everyday desktop or laptop PC is all
that it takes to put IT management at your fingertips, such as keeping track of inventory,
diagnosing faulty hardware, generating analytical reports, being alerted to unexpected
hardware changes, remote power off/restart, and preventing a system remotely from
performing certain operations such as using a diskette drive or downloading files.
In order for the Console to be able to remotely manage systems, the Avocent AdminWorks
Agent program must first be installed on each of the desired systems. The Avocent
AdminWorks Console program will then be able to “discover”those systems. This includes
UDP broadcast discovery and polling of nodes (systems) within the Local Area Network; and,
for cross-router discovery, systems for which IP address ranges have been set for scanning
capability.
Information polled from the systems is stored in a database. Therefore, if there is more than
one Administrator in the same organization, they can all share the same database information.
In the Task Group topology, you can view and manipulate your Managed Systems. In the
Organization topology, you can switch between Managed Systems and UnManaged Systems.
Summary of Features
Without leaving your own desk, you can simultaneously manage the desktop PCs, NoteBook
PCs, and Servers of the organization. Among other things, Avocent AdminWorks allows you to:
Manage systems
Un-manage/remove systems from groups
Know at a glance what the status of each system is
On-line, off-line, absent for various periods of time, being managed by another
Administrator, restricted usage, or “pending”(a state when an action is in progress or
waiting in queue).
View system information, both hardware and software
Asset tracking management automatically captures detailed configuration and
logs/monitors any asset changes. If hardware is found to be changed or missing, you
will receive an alert in the Console window and an entry will be made in the Hardware
Change Log.
Search for and display only systems meeting your specified constraints and criteria.

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
8What is Avocent AdminWorks management suite?
View the Health/sensor data history of managed systems
Avocent AdminWorks monitors the hardware of the systems in the network for
temperature, voltage, fan, hard drive, etc., and logs all abnormalities.
View system logs (Hardware Change, Discovery, Polling, Agent ID Synchronization) and
set the maximum number of entries you want to retain in the history.
Set restrictions on the usage of managed systems
Remote hardware and software restriction management capability allows Administrators
to prevent a remote system from downloading or creating files of the specified filetypes.
Usage of a USB storage device, a CD-ROM, a diskette drive, or 1394 mass storage
devices can be “locked”remotely to prevent data exchange.
Generate reports
System Asset Reports and Software Asset Reports with charts can be generated at any
time for tracking and information analysis. These can be printed or exported to a new
file. Preview and adjust reports before printing if desired.
Synchronize Agent IDs
Agent ID synchronization allows Avocent AdminWorks to retain the history data of a
system on which the Agent was re-installed, instead of recognizing it as a new, offline
system.
Customize auto-discovery settings.
Poll systems in the database to refresh the information and keep it up-to-date.
Power off, or re-start, your managed systems remotely.
Accessing the Help Messages and FAQ
If you have questions about a particular command or procedure while using Avocent
AdminWorks, you can probably obtain the answer by consulting the built-in Help messages.
In the main Console window, select AdminWorks Help from the Help Menu.
If the Report window is currently active, click the Help button in the Tool Bar to access
the Help.
In addition, at the end of this User’s Manual there is a Frequently Asked Questions section
which includes trouble-shooting tips.

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
What is Avocent AdminWorks management suite? 9
Definitions
In this document, the following terms are used.
System
Three types of computers can be managed by the AdminWorks Console: Desktop
computers, NoteBook computers, and Servers. In AdminWorks, these are
referred to as individual “systems.”(The AdminWorks Agent must be installed on a
system in order for the Console to be able to discover it.)
Discovery
During the installation of the AdminWorks Agent program on a system, a unique ID
known as the “Agent ID”is generated and stored in the system. The term
“Discovery”refers to the process whereby the Console sends a broadcast to detect
any systems on the network that are identified by Agent IDs, retrieves those
systems’most up-to-date information, and saves it in the AdminWorks database.
Managed System
A system on which the Agent program has been installed and which has been
discovered, and which you have chosen to add to a group in your “Managed
Systems”(and the owner of the system has agreed) so you can monitor and control
it (to a certain degree) using your Console.
UnManaged System
A system listed under “UnManaged Systems”in AdminWorks is a system on the
network in which the Agent has been installed and which has been discovered by
the Console, but which you have not yet chosen to list in your Managed Systems.
(Note that it could be a system that is currently being managed by another Console
Administrator.)
Absent System
A system that has previously been discovered, but has not been detected during the
Discovery process for a period of time since the most recent discovery. In the
Workgroup frame, you can filter the view so that only the systems that have been
absent for three days, or one week, or one month, or over three months are
displayed.

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
10 System Requirements
System Requirements
AdminWorks Console
After you have installed the Console program, you can use it to “discover”and manage systems
on which the Agent program has been installed. The machine on which the Console program is
installed should have the following minimum requirements.
Supported Operating System:
Microsoft®Windows®XP Home/Professional/Professional x64, Server 2003
Hardware:
Intel®Pentium®III 500 MHz or higher (or Celeron®equivalent)
256 MB of RAM or higher
Available Hard Drive Space:
20 MB of free space for AdminWorks Console installation
100 MB of free space for the database
Minimum Recommended Display Configuration:
800 x 600 with 16-bit color
NOTE: When you install the Console program, one of the Setup windows will
require you to select Typical or Agent Only. The Typical button is selected by
default and will install the Agent program on that computer along with the Console
program. (You will still need to install the Agent program individually on the other
computers that you wish to manage.)

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
System Requirements 11
AdminWorks Agent
The AdminWorks Agent program must be installed individually on each system that you want
the Console to be able to detect and recognize. The installation process places an Agent ID on
the system, enabling the Console program to “discover”it. The Agent program can be installed
on Desktop computers, Notebook computers, and Servers.
Any machine on which the AdminWorks Agent is installed should have the following minimum
requirements:
Supported Operating Systems:
Microsoft®Windows®2000 Professional/Server/Advanced Server
Microsoft®Windows®XP Home/Professional/Professional x64
Microsoft®Windows®Server 2003
Hardware:
Intel®Pentium®III 350 MHz or higher (or Celeron®equivalent)
128 MB of RAM or higher
Available Hard Drive Space:
5 MB of free space for AdminWorks Agent installation
Minimum Recommended Display Configuration:
800 x 600 with 16-bit color
NOTE: If you run the standard Setup program to install the Agent program on each
system, follow the instructions on the screen (make sure to select Agent Only when
prompted).
Alternatively, you can use the batch (.bat) files that are provided with the installation
package. This reduces the installation to one step. Batch files are provided for each
system type: Desktop, Notebook, and Server. Simply run the appropriate batch file.
For example, when installing the Agent program on a Desktop computer, just run your
batch file for Desktop computers.

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
12 Invoking the AdminWorks Console program
Invoking the AdminWorks Console program
After you have installed the AdminWorks Console, a shortcut icon will be placed on your
desktop:
You can launch the Console program the first time by double-clicking on the desktop icon, or by
selecting Start Menu > Programs > Avocent AdminWorks > AdminWorks Console.
If you want the AdminWorks Console to start automatically every time the computer that it’s
installed on is booted up, select the Console Menu > Preferences... > General tab and then
select the Launch AdminWorks Console at system startup checkbox. By default, the
checkbox is not checked, as shown in the figure below.
In fact, after AdminWorks is initially started, we recommend that you select Preferences... from
the Console Menu, and customize the settings available in all four of the tabs to your
preference, as explained later in this Manual.
NOTE: Unlike the Console program, the Agent program never needs to be
specifically invoked. After installation on a system, the Agent program automatically
runs (transparently to the user) whenever that system is started. There is no need to
separately start the Agent program every time the system is booted up.

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
Components of the Main Console Window 13
Components of the Main Console Window
The main components/areas of the AdminWorks Console window are identified below and are
explained on the following pages.
Title Bar
Menu Ba
r
Tool Bar
(contains four buttons)
Status Bar ¯
Temporarily displays information
about operations currently in
progress.
Status
Frame
Information Frame ¯
You can choose to display Summary,
Hardware, Software, or Health
information related to the selected system.
Topology
Frame Workgroup
Frame

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
14 Components of the Main Console Window
Topology Frame
As shown in the illustration on the previous page, the Topology frame is the leftmost frame of
the AdminWorks Console window. This frame can be re-sized by placing the mouse pointer on
the right border of the frame, then pressing the left mouse button and dragging left or right.
Likewise, the bottom border can be moved up or down (but this also affects the bottom border
of the Workgroup frame).
The Topology frame can be hidden temporarily or re-displayed using the View Menu >
Windows > Topology command, or drag the right border of the frame all the way to the left to
hide it. To hide the Topology frame as the “permanent”default behavior, use the Console
Menu > Preferences... > View tab.
There are two types of topology structures provided in AdminWorks, each serving different
purposes: Organization and Task Groups. To switch between the two, click the Organization
button or Task Groups button directly above the Topology frame.
Organization
This is a one-to-one topology, meaning that one system can only belong to one group
(organization) under this topology. This topology is intended to be used in asset and
management report generating. As the Console administrator, you can create new groups, and
sub-groups within the groups.
The first time you invoke AdminWorks Console, it will search for (“discover”) all systems on the
network on which the AdminWorks Agent program has been installed, and will list them under
UnManaged Systems in the Organization topology. You can then select which systems you
want to move into Managed Systems.
By default, the root level group is named “Organization Tree.”This root level cannot be
deleted, but you can rename it using the Console Menu > Preferences... > General tab. The
text entered into the Company Name field will be used as the name of the root level in the
Organization topology.
As explained later in this User’s Manual, you can use the New Group command on the Group
Menu to create new groups under Managed Systems. Then use the Add to Group command
on the Client Menu to move the systems you want to manage into the desired groups. You can
also manage the managed systems by dragging-and-dropping them from one group into
another group.
The Remove command is available on the Client Menu only when the Organization topology is
active. You must use this command if you want to un-manage a system (you cannot drag-and-
drop to UnManaged Systems).

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
Components of the Main Console Window 15
Task Groups
For task-oriented purposes, Task Groups is more flexible for managing systems. Task Groups
is a one-to-many topology, meaning that one system can simultaneously belong to multiple
groups. You can drag-and-drop a system from Managed Systems to any or all of the groups
you have created under Task Groups, or from within a group to another group, where it will then
co-exist in both.
Also unlike the Organization topology, this is a single-layer topology, meaning that sub-groups
cannot be added within groups.
When Task Groups is active, you cannot view UnManaged Systems. Click the Organization
button at the top of the Topology frame if you want to work with the UnManaged Systems.
Using the pop-up menu
After you have created new groups under Organization and/or Task Groups, you can right-click
on a group name to open the pop-up menu shown in the example below. Or, select the group
in the tree that you want to operate on, and then click anywhere within an empty area of the
Topology frame.
New Group
When you are in the Organization topology, as shown in the example above, you can right-click
on any group name, then select New Group to create a sub-group under that group. Type the
desired name for the group, then press the <Enter> key on your keyboard.
In the Task Groups topology, all groups are on the same level. You cannot add sub-groups.
Therefore, if you right-click on a group name in Task Groups, the New Group command will not
create a sub-group under the selected group. Instead, New Group will add a new group of the
same level.

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
16 Components of the Main Console Window
Rename Group
Allows you to change the name of the selected group in either the Organization topology or the
Task Groups topology.
Delete Group
Allows you to delete any group with one exception: the “Organization Tree”group in the
Organization topology cannot be deleted.
Whenever an add/delete/rename operation has completed successfully, a message will indicate
such in the Status frame of the main AdminWorks Console window.
NOTE: You can also add, delete, and rename groups using the commands on the Group
Menu.
Workgroup Frame
The Workgroup frame is the central frame of the AdminWorks Console window. It displays the
discovered/un-managed or managed systems, and the results of searches for specific systems.
For example, in the Topology frame, you can select Managed Systems, UnManaged Systems,
and/or a particular group. The related systems will then be shown in the Workgroup frame.
The icons at the top of the Workgroup frame provide convenient shortcuts for you to switch the
view and filter the view. Hover the mouse pointer over an icon to view the ToolTip for that icon.
These functions are also available on the View Menu, and are explained later in this User’s
Manual in the View Menu section.
You can filter the view to display only the:
Online Systems
All Systems
Absent Systems ¯Over 3 Days
Absent Systems ¯Over 1 Week
Absent Systems ¯Over 1 Month
Absent Systems ¯Over 3 Months
An “absent system”is a system that has previously been discovered, but has not been detected
during the Discovery process for a period of time (at least four days) since the most recent
discovery.

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
Components of the Main Console Window 17
You can switch the view so that the systems are displayed as:
Large Icons
Small Icons
Detail List
Also in the View Menu sub-section entitled Detail List, you will find information about
adding/removing columns, re-arranging column sequence, sorting information by column, and
moving column dividers within the Workgroup frame. Detail List view is illustrated below.
When you use the above icons to change the view, the change is temporary; that is, it is not
saved when you exit. Each time AdminWorks is invoked, it will revert back to the default view
that you have specified in the Console Menu > Preferences... > View tab > Workgroup Frame
field.
The name of the currently selected group will be shown at the top of the Workgroup frame. In
the example below, no specific group has been selected. All Managed Systems are being
displayed in this example. You can drag-and-drop a system to a group in the Topology frame,
or use menu commands to add systems to groups as explained later in the Client Menu
section.
This frame cannot be hidden, but it can be re-sized by dragging the left, right, and/or bottom
border of the frame to the desired position.
The illustration of the Workgroup frame below shows the pop-up menu that appears when you
right-click on a system, and also shows Detail List view as being the active view.

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
18 Components of the Main Console Window
In addition, the pop-up menu shown below appears when you right-click anywhere within an
empty area of the Workgroup frame.
The commands on these menus are all available from the Menu Bar also, and are explained in
detail later in this User’s Manual in their respective sections.
Illustrations of all possible System Status icons that might appear in the Workgroup frame are
shown on the next page.

Avocent AdminWorks 1.2 User’s Manual ¯July 2005
Components of the Main Console Window 19
Illustrations of System Status Icons
Three types of computers can be discovered and managed by the AdminWorks Console:
Desktop computers, NoteBook computers, and Servers. In AdminWorks, these are referred
to as individual “systems.”(The AdminWorks Agent must be installed on a system in order for
the Console to be able to discover it.)
During your usage of AdminWorks, you will see the systems represented with various icons
which provide a visual clue as to the type of system, and current status. These will display in
the Workgroup frame.
DESKTOPS NOTEBOOKS SERVERS THE ICON INDICATES THAT THE
SYSTEM IS IN THIS STATUS.....
On-line
Off-line
Being Managed ¯The system
is already being managed by
another Console administrator.
Pending ¯When AdminWorks
is currently performing a process,
such as a “manage request,”the
system is temporarily shown as in
a “pending”state.
In addition, the System Name will be shown under each icon. For example:

The Power of Being There™¯www.avocent.com
20 Components of the Main Console Window
Information Frame
The Information frame is the rightmost frame of the AdminWorks Console window. This frame
is comprised of two sections, System Display and Information Display, as shown below.
System Display
section (explained
on next page).
You can drag this
border up or down.
Information
Display section.
In this example,
Summary
information is
displayed for the
system currently
selected in the
Workgroup
frame.
You can drag this
border left or right.
Click on the desired
“tab button”
(Summary,
Hardware,
Software, and
Health) to display
the related
information. In this
example, the
Summary button is
selected.