ADSM-L

Re: Web Admin Interface - grrr

2002-08-13 13:08:33
Subject: Re: Web Admin Interface - grrr
From: Tab Trepagnier <Tab.Trepagnier AT LAITRAM DOT COM>
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 12:07:53 -0500
Wanda,

"(Especially to someone who isn't comfortable with EXCEL.)"

But isn't that a circular argument?

A significant portion of this thread was that people "weren't comfortable" 
using the web client; and in some cases, they weren't comfortable using 
the command line (which can be a bit overwhelming when the syntax diagram 
shows seven or eight lines of parameters).  That was why so many people 
said they still use the old GUI.

In my opinion, the root of the problem with the web client is that HTML 
pages are just a poor fit with a complicated system like TSM.  There are 
numerous hierarchies in the TSM architecture and that is difficult to 
represent using HTML's flat layout.  So no matter what you're trying to do 
in the web client you have to drill down through page after page after 
page.  You also lose the ability to post-process the information displayed 
in the page.  And finally, when you press "finish" you get brought to a 
page that represents the top of the current hierarchy and lose your 
history.  You have to page back through the browser to recover that 
history; and that's important if you are making changes to multiple 
objects of the same type.  Bad fit.

But in the absence of the OS-specific GUI, we have to get "comfortable" 
with whatever tools allow us to manage the TSM system effectively, even if 
that means _learning_ to use those tools.  On my desktop right now I have 
the TSM console, TSM admin command line, my Excel spreadsheet, an MSIE 
window running the TSM admin web client, and a Telnet session to the TSM 
server.  Depending on what I want to do, I select the appropriate tool and 
I do it.

Please don't misunderstand me here.  I think the inclusion of a good admin 
GUI would be terrific.  But complaints of "discomfort", in of themselves, 
are inadequate.  We're administrators.  That's why we get the big bucks 
<vbg>.

Tab






"Prather, Wanda" <Wanda.Prather AT JHUAPL DOT EDU>
Sent by: "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager" <ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU>
08/13/2002 11:01 AM
Please respond to "ADSM: Dist Stor Manager"

 
        To:     ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
        cc: 
        Subject:        Re: Web Admin Interface - grrr


Yes, I have ODBC set up and do use that from time to time.
It works fine for me when I need it.
But, it isn't fast, and it's just too overwhelming for people when you try
to teach this stuff.
(Especially to someone who isn't comfortable with EXCEL.)

-----Original Message-----
From: Tab Trepagnier [mailto:Tab.Trepagnier AT LAITRAM DOT COM]
Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 8:49 PM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Re: Web Admin Interface - grrr


Wanda,

Yeah, the Web Admin client is pretty lame.

That's why I use Excel and an ODBC link to the database.  It's read only,
but I have full filtering, searching, sorting, etc. of Excel to work with
what comes back from the queries.

I have a spreadsheet called GUI_ODBC and it includes the embedded 
Microsoft
Query queries.  I just select the page of info I'm interested in (like
"volumes") and click the Refresh icon.  In about three seconds I have a 
new
list of volumes with all fields displayed.

If I have to do something with a particular volume, I usually resort to 
the
command line.

Tab Trepagnier
TSM Administrator
Laitram Corporation




 

                    "Prather, Wanda"

                    <Wanda.Prather@J       To:     ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU

                    HUAPL.EDU>             cc:

                    Sent by: "ADSM:        Subject:     Re: Web Admin
Interface - grrr 
                    Dist Stor

                    Manager"

                    <[email protected]

                    T.EDU>

 

 

                    08/12/2002 11:53

                    AM

                    Please respond

                    to "ADSM: Dist

                    Stor Manager"

 

 





I STILL run the old 3.1 GUI.
The bigger your TSM gets (We are at 550 clients on the largest server),
the more impossible it becomes to use the web admin
because of the lack of filtering and sorting capability.
************************************************************************
Wanda Prather
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
443-778-8769
wanda_prather AT jhuapl DOT edu

"Intelligence has much less practical application than you'd think" -
Scott Adams/Dilbert
************************************************************************





-----Original Message-----
From: Rupp Thomas (Illwerke) [mailto:thomas.rupp AT ILLWERKE DOT AT]
Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 12:45 PM
To: ADSM-L AT VM.MARIST DOT EDU
Subject: Web Admin Interface - grrr


Hi TSM-ers,

Our Network Storage Manager (NSM - 3466) was just upgraded from 4.2.1 to
4.2.2.8.
Now the format of the QUERY SESSION from the lefthand tree OBJECT VIEW /
SERVER /
SESSION has changed from FORMAT=STANDARD to FORMAT=DETAILED.

Instead of one line per session I get now 12 lines. That makes it
impossible
to see what's
going on (§$%&?)

How can we convince Tivoli to create a useful administration interface (be
it GUI or a Java Applet).
Am I the only one who has problems with the admin interface and still
running the old
3.1 Windows GUI?

Kind regards
Thomas Rupp
Vorarlberger Illwerke AG
MAIL:   thomas.rupp AT illwerke DOT at
TEL:    ++43/5574/4991-251
FAX:    ++43/5574/4991-820-8251



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