Konica Minolta BIZHUB C30P - Manual (Page 22)

Installing MetaConsole
page 8
Planning MetaConsole Deployment
MetaConsole was designed to be deployed in various and diverse environments. Meta-
Console runs well for the small workgroup and can be scaled up, with several MetaConsole
servers being deployed in a large enterprise to handle very large networks. Because of this
scalable design, it is important that you consider how you would like to deploy MetaConsole
to ensure that the choices you make are appropriate to your environment.
Mixing MetaConsole Versions
Ideally, you should use the latest versions of all MetaConsole server and client software.
Version 2.x clients are not compatible with earlier versions of the MetaConsole server
and service providers (including PageScope EMS Plug-Ins). Servers configured using 2.x will
only communicate with 2.x clients.
Clients older than version 2.x are not compatible with version 2.x of the MetaConsole server
and service providers including PageScope EMS Plug-Ins.
Using Multiple MetaConsole Servers
You may install the MetaConsole server on as many computers as you would like. A Meta-
Console server can service multiple clients. These clients can be of different types (browsers,
Tivoli NetView, HP OpenView, MMC or CA Unicenter).
You may install the MetaConsole client on as many computers as you would like. Each client
must be able to communicate with at least one MetaConsole server. The client and server can
be on the same computer. Each client must be able to communicate with at least one Meta-
Console server as the preferred server.
A MetaConsole client can communicate with multiple MetaConsole servers, each with its own
set of service providers and devices. You should consider using multiple MetaConsole servers
within a network when:
• Performance is an issue. To improve performance within a large network, multiple Meta-
Console servers can be deployed such that each server has a reasonable set of devices
to manage. Clients communicate with different servers depending on the devices that they
will be managing.
• Logical groups of devices need to be created. This can be achieved as follows:
• P rovide each MetaConsole server with a different set of service providers to load so
that each grouping reflects the different functions one might seek to segregate (such
as printer management and server management).
• Provide each MetaConsole server with a different set of sub-net ranges over which
they perform discovery. For example, devices on the first floor and devices on the sec-
ond floor can be managed through different servers.
• Network traffic needs to be reduced. Dividing a network into logical components and as-
signing each component a MetaConsole server to manage it, cuts down on network traffic.
Consider the following questions and use your answers to help you decide if multiple Meta-
Console servers are appropriate for your environment.