What is a duty?
A duty can be any command or series of commands or scripts
that could be entered at the command prompt. System
managers first define which operational tasks need to be
performed and when, then set up the appropriate tasks as
duties within COSduty. Duties and tasks may be:
Scheduled - the operator
is prompted to perform the task
Automatic - the duty is
performed automatically at the scheduled time
At-request - the operator must explicitly initiate
the task
Can superuser and administrator functions be
delegated securely? Yes. Even tasks requiring superuser capability can be
delegated
securely
without giving root access - systems can be managed
effectively and securely, without the need for anyone to
have root access.
What can COSduty
do for me?
For network and system
managers: COSduty’s interactive duties ensure
reliable operations by presenting prioritized lists of
tasks in a consistent, easy-to-use format. It allows
better allocation of resources through scheduling and powerful
delegation of tasks.
For administrators: COSduty
frees experienced staff to concentrate on
high-value activities. It allows repetitive or complex
tasks to be delegated to less-experienced staff
through an
easy-to-use interface.
For operations staff: COSduty
provides a dynamic checklist that shows the status
of tasks in progress and reminds operators when tasks
are due for execution. Overdue tasks are flagged, and
color-coding
of tasks allows at-a-glance monitoring.
The systems and operations team is distributed
nationwide; can all the duties they perform be managed
centrally? Yes, tasks may be run locally or on another host,
allowing the complete duty schedule for a network to be
centralized.
What will my help-desk or operators see when they
log in? Users of COSduty will begin a session by
seeing their predefined duty view. In
effect a list of scheduled, prioritized duties to perform.
The user can then be confined to this environment with
each duty being presented for completion. In this way, all
duties that need to be carried out can be enforced.
How can I keep control of so many operations staff
and their respective duties? Apart from using a duty view to view
all outstanding duties, all duties are fully audited. The audit-record
can be queried at any time with SQL-like commands to
answer such questions as "which duties did not complete
successfully?" and "which duties have not been
performed?"
How does COSduty
help me manage my team of system administrators and
operators? Interactive duties ensure reliable operations by
presenting prioritized lists of tasks in a consistent,
easy-to-use format. It allows better allocation of
resources through scheduling and delegation of tasks.
Can COSduty
really free up my people? Yes. COSduty frees experienced staff to
concentrate on high-value activities. It allows routine
and repetitive tasks to be delegated to less-experienced
staff by hiding the complexity of operating systems.
Do I have to use COSduty
with other OSM COSMOS products? No. Installation of other products from the COSMOS
operations management suite is not a prerequisite for
installing COSduty. However, when combined with
other COSMOS products, its functionality is augmented and
enhanced to new levels of control and automation.
How do I best implement COSduty? Knowledge of your organization’s operational business
policies and procedures is key. Armed with this
information, you can set about automating tasks,
delegating duties through encapsulating commands and
procedures.
I already have batch job scheduling software, why do
I need COSduty? COSduty is a management tool for scheduling
tasks and duties over a network of UNIX systems. Whereas a
job scheduler, such as OSM’s
COSbatch,
automates background jobs and tasks, COSduty
concentrates on the foreground, people-based tasks.
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