Bull System Manager contributes to Bull's Bio Data Center initiative by helping manage heterogeneous server environments from one single control point. It strengthens data centre infrastructures, by ensuring that SLAs are fully met, using structured and highly automated processes.

Bull defines the Bio Data Center as a new approach tor the Data Centre, focusing on key objectives such as:

• The implementation of high-quality operational processes,
• The adoption of an efficient topology through the right balance of virtualization and consolidation,
• The deployment of power-efficient technologies, using the latest advances in server and storage design.

The key attributes of Bull System Manager (BSM) are a seamless integration based on Open Source Software components, automated administration tasks, a centralized control point, a virtualization-ready solution, a powerful and scalable management solution, support of Bull expertise centres instrumental in BSM design and an optimized total cost of ownership.

Bull System Manager simplifies the management of Bull Escala, NovaScale or Blade Series Servers as well as Bull StoreWay storage systems, and enhances the systems availability.

It is based on a 3-tier architecture and uses Open Source Software components such as Nagios, enhanced, tested and supported by Bull.

Bull System Manager can be easily integrated in enterprise large management platforms such as: Bull Open Master, HP OpenView, CA Unicenter and IBM Tivoli through Common Information Model (CIM) and Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

Bull System Manager comes with the value notion of roles. Administrators can specify parameters, organize and manage computers in arbitrary groups, creating views either depending on organizational or technical parameters. Operators will quickly be notified when alerts occur and they may then walk through the different views to gather further details, to rapidly diagnose and solve problems.

Bull System Manager provides secured access to remote systems and controls the use and performance of critical elements such as processors, disks and memory regardless of the operating system. Bull System Manager cuts down operational costs and maximizes uptime, independently of the fact that these applications are installed on the same platform.

It offers to operators in one tool and in the same hierarchical tree a synthetic view of virtual machine statuses independently of the technology used to create them.

Bull System Manager automatically discovers virtual machines and attaches them to the physical server they belong to.

The monitoring functions of Bull System Manager provide an interface that gives a synthetic view of the hardware condition. They detect anomalies and notify them to the concerned entities.

Bull System Manager receives automatically all events generated by operating systems and hardware management systems. The administration functions are used to configure target hosts and execute actions on these hosts. With Bull System Manager, the administrator is able to view and track the hardware configuration, even at every partition level.

Bull's centres of expertise are pivotal to this launch, given their active role in this software development.

Bull's customers will be able to draw on the full range of expertise available in these centres to define, deploy, implement and monitor their complex infrastructures. The centres' service offerings range from architecture definition and scoping of application environments through to Proofs of Concept (POC) and energy audits.

Due to its openness combined with an easy integration and deployment flexibility, Bull System Manager can manage a larger number of servers in homogeneous or heterogeneous environments while lowering the cost per managed system.

Moreover, Bull System Manager can be used to manage any type of hardware platform running AIX, Linux or Windows to further drive down system management costs and protect the existing enterprise investments. Its architecture enables remote management thus improving the management flexibility.

Bull System Manager provides a uniform management platform from a single entry point, allowing administrators to quickly and easily see alerts and take appropriate actions

In addition, through Bull Tele-Services (BTS), Bull System Manager provides advanced remote management and 24/24 7/7 service.