In today's IT environment, there is an increasing need to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of networked systems. Reducing the cost of supporting and maintaining systems is a primary strategy in minimizing the long-term costs of the network in general and client systems in particular.

Through AlertIT, AMD enables system administrators to monitor the state of a networked system and if an issue arises, the administrator can remotely manage and resolve the issue. For example, in the event that a networked system starts to overheat, AlertIT will send a message to the system administrator, who can then remotely increase the speed of the system's cooling fan, or in extreme cases shut the system down altogether. In this way, system issues are resolved quickly while minimizing support costs, which in turn helps to reduce the total cost of owning a network.

AMD's AlertIT technology is a comprehensive solution that automatically alerts system administrators of potential system problems before they occur. AMD's AlertIT technology is built on industry standard technologies -- such as the CIM (Common Information Model), System Management Bus (SMBus) and the Desktop Management Interface (DMI) -- to offer new levels of management capabilities that help network administrators minimize network downtime.

AMD's AlertIT technology operates in conjunction with system management hardware, firmware, and software to provide remote monitoring and alerting of system configuration, component status, operating parameters, error conditions and other critical events and information. The specific components and information to be monitored depends on the implementation of the AlertIT solution. This typically involves three general areas: system configuration, operating parameters, and critical events. Event monitoring and reporting ensure that administrators have continual access to vital information for all of the PCs in the enterprise. By monitoring these system conditions and automatically alerting the network administrator of existing or potential problems, AMD's AlertIT solution provides several benefits such as enhanced security, faster problem resolution, and increased system availability and longevity that ultimately result in lower total cost of ownership.

A robust implementation of AMD's AlertIT technology uses the Am79C975 PCnet™-Fast III 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Controller and a dedicated system management microcontroller to provide autonomous monitoring and alerting.

The AlertIT technology provides notification of unauthorized tampering of the system. This feature alerts the system administrator when the cover is removed from a PC, which helps protect against the loss of vital system components such as the processor, memory, or hard drive. Depending on the particular implementation, the AlertIT technology also has the capability to monitor these components directly and provide alert notification of system configuration changes. This alert enables system administrators to be notified of potential problems before they affect network or system performance.

In addition to monitoring system configuration changes, AMD's AlertIT technology can also generate alerts for power-on and operating system errors and failures, enabling IT support staff to respond quickly, without having to wait for the issue to be reported by the user. AlertIT technology also monitors critical system parameters such as temperatures, voltages and fan speed and will generate alerts if any value exceeds pre-defined thresholds so that system administrators can prevent potential problems from occurring. This helps increase system uptime and user productivity, and can significantly extend the life of the system.

These advanced alerting capabilities can be provided even if the operating system is not loaded or responding, and when the system is unattended. AlertIT technology is a flexible solution that can meet various enterprise management needs by allowing configuration of parameters and events to be monitored. Alert notifications can be customized for specific trouble events, so that network administrators can respond as necessary to resolve the issue. Because the AlertIT technology is based on industry-standard management protocols, it is also easily supported by leading network and systems management applications.

The AlertIT solution is based on the latest DMTF standards, which include DMI instrumentation and CIM, a part of Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM). The AlertIT software operates as an independent management solution providing both client and server components.

Further, the AlertIT solution is designed and developed using a modular architecture which allows for quick integration and deployment with popular systems management solutions such as Computer Associates Unicenter® TNG™, Unicenter TNG Desktop Edition (DE) and MicrosoftÕs System Management Server (SMS) as well as other platforms. The communication between the clients and the server management console can be easily customized to meet specific management application requirements. AMD's AlertIT technology enables the extension of remote management and monitoring features that ease network management and help lower the TCO of connected PCs.

AMD's AlertIT technology serves as the foundation for an integrated approach to enterprise management that provides system administrators with continual access to the vital information and status of every PC on the network.