AAM 5.0 is the latest release of AAM and it maintains all the automated availability and resource management benefits AAM is known for while adding key enhancements.
The key enhancement is the introduction of a new Java management console for AAM, offering key benefits that include:
The figure shows the new AAM Java console, which customers can use to manage availability across multiple AAM domains, handling virtually unlimited applications and resources.
AAM 5.0 is also the version of AAM integrating the best capabilities and technologies of AAM and Co-StandbyServer for Windows 2000, offered under the name Co-StandbyServer AAdvanced.
Point-and-click GUI
Easy to define, manage and assign properties to any AAM object
More intuitive for new users
More easily understood by administrators not used to enterprise-level availability tools
Simplifies the process of creating and managing an availability environment
Simplifies automated process and policy management creation and management
Context sensitive help
Easier to get help on what you're doing, when you're doing it
Easy navigation between help windows allows you to go as deep into help as you need while maintaining your position within the active AAM screen
Integrated two-node mirroring for Windows 2K
Ensures synchronous protection of data, providing a secondary copy of production data available for immediate and transparent failover in the event the production disk fails or becomes unavailable
Eliminates shared disk requirement in a Windows 2000 configuration
Same patented, core mirroring technology provided as part of Co-StandbyServer 2000
Management of multiple availability domains from the same console
Simplifies and reduces the cost of availability management in a large enterprise environment
Enable the simultaneous troubleshooting, monitoring and management of multiple domains
Enhances the capability AAM has to manage any availability domain whether local or remote
Parallel attachment of data sources in a resource group
Increases the speed of failover or relocation of services, from server to server
Eliminates unnecessary waiting during a failover thus guaranteeing the least amount of downtime
Enhanced resource group monitoring display in the console
Colored object state icons displayed in the tree-view GUI, providing status at-a-glance without requiring the Administrator to "drill down" to see more detail
Active object monitoring and color changing tree display makes it immediately clear what the state is of any resource at any time
Supports fast and intuitive reaction by the Administrator if problem intervention is needed
Enhanced to display modifications to objects, including creation and deletion, that are made using some other means than the Console (such as by using the CLI or programmatically through the API) - this enhances the effectiveness of custom solutions created by partners or customers
Addition of synchronization points within a Resource Group startup and/or shutdown sequence
Allows an Administrator to configure automated handling of multiple data sources smoothly in parallel, to ensure that they are attached appropriately by AAM to the controlling server before the startup or shutdown sequence continues
Used along with parallel attachments, enables many data sources to come online faster because AAM processes them in parallel rather than one at a time in sequence
Check Software command automated before data sources are enabled
Helps to reduce configuration errors with data sources, by preventing an Administrator from configuring a data source for a system upon which the software required for the data source does not exist
Data source logging
AAM now captures logging information for each data source, to assist Administrators in understanding how the data source is being used and in troubleshooting its operation when necessary
Process and Resource Group handling enhancements
AAM can now redirect processes and utility processes for Windows as well as for UNIX, providing better response options
AAM now responds separately to resources entering "No Response" states and "Failure" states, providing more fine-tuned response options
