ZENworks
System management software
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ZENworks, a suite of software products developed and maintained by OpenText for computer systems management, aims to manage the entire life cycle of servers, of desktop PCs (Windows, Linux or Mac), of laptops, and of handheld devices such as Android and iOS mobile phones and tablets. As of 2011[update] Novell planned to include Full Disk Encryption (FDE) functionality within ZENworks.[2] ZENworks supports multiple server platforms and multiple directory services.[3]
| ZENworks Configuration Management | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | OpenText |
| Stable release | 24.4[1]
/ 4 November 2024 |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Systems management |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
History
The name, "ZENworks", first appeared as "Z.E.N.works" in 1998 with ZENworks 1.0[4] and with ZENworks Starter Pack - a limited version of ZENworks 1.0 that came bundled with NetWare 5.0 (1998). Novell added server-management functionality, and the product grew into a suite consisting of:
- "ZENworks for Desktops" (ZfD)
- "ZENworks for Servers" (ZfS)
- "ZENworks for Handhelds" (ZfH)
Novell has continued to add components to the suite, which it sells under the consolidated name "ZENworks Suite".
The initial ZENworks products had a tight integration with Novell Directory Service (NDS). With the release of ZENworks Configuration Management 10 (2007) the product architecture completely changed, the product became directory agnostic and ZENworks Suite products were integrated into a single management framework.
ZENworks Releases:
| Product | Version | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novell Application Launcher (NAL) | 1 | 1996 | Pre-ZENworks |
| Z.E.N.works | 1.0 | 18 May 1998 | Initial release |
| Z.E.N.works | 1.1 | 16 Nov 1998 | |
| Z.E.N.works Starter Pack | 16 Nov 1998 | ||
| ZENworks | 2 | 28 Jun 1999 | |
| ZENworks for Servers | 1 | 7 Mar 2000 | |
| ZENworks for Desktops | 3 | 22 Aug 2000 | |
| ZENworks for Servers | 2 | 31 Jan 2001 | |
| ZENworks for Desktops | 3.2 | 13 Aug 2001 | |
| ZENworks for Servers | 3 | 3 Apr 2002 | |
| ZENworks for Desktops | 4 | 27 Aug 2002 | |
| ZENworks for Desktops | 4.0.1 | 14 Apr 2002 | |
| ZENworks Suite | 6 | 14 Apr 2003 | Version number jumped to version 6 as the ZENworks Suite merged ZFD 4, ZFS 3 and ZFH 5 |
| ZENworks Suite | 6.5 | 3 Jun 2004 | |
| ZENworks Suite | 7 | 26 Aug 2005 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 10 | 21 Sep 2007 | First release of new architecture, version 10 as ZENworks existed for 10 years |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 10.1 | 28 Jan 2009 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 10.2 | 2 Jan 2010 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 10.3 | 6 Apr 2012 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 11 | 5 Jan 2011 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 11.1 | 8 Nov 2011 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 11.2 | 13 Dec 2012 | Full Disk Encryption |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 11.3 | 9 Jul 2013 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 11.4 | Jul 2015 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2017 | Dec 2016 | Integration of Mobile Device Management |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2017 Update 1 | 11 Jul 2017 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2017 Update 2 | 24 Jan 2018 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2017 Update 3 | 16 Aug 2018 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2017 Update 4 | Jan 2019 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2020 | Sep 2019 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2020 Update 1 | Apr 2020 | Patching and tracking CVEs |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2020 Update 2 | Aug 2021 | Includes Antimalware |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 2020 Update 3 | May 2022 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 23.3 | July 2023 | New Patch Management Architecture |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 23.4 | Nov 2023 | Baseline version, New appliance installer |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 24.2 | Jun 2024 | |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | 24.4 | Nov 2024 |
Elements of the ZENworks Suite
In the latest version of ZENworks known as ZENworks 2017 the ZENworks Suite consists of seven individual products:
| ZENworks Suite / Platform | Product | |
|---|---|---|
| ZENworks Suite | ZENworks 2017 Platform | ZENworks Asset Management |
| ZENworks Configuration Management | ||
| ZENworks Endpoint Security Management | ||
| ZENworks Full Disk Encryption | ||
| ZENworks Mobile Device Management | ||
| ZENworks Patch Management | ||
| ZENworks Application Virtualization | ||
| Micro Focus Service Desk (Incident Management Edition) | ||
Additionally, Novell offers an ITIL version of "Novell Service Desk". This version is ITIL-certified by PinkVERIFY and supports ten ITIL v3 processes, e.g. Change, Incident, Problem and Service Level Management.[5]
In terms of implementation, the ZENworks Agent (also known as the "ZENworks Management Daemon" or "zmd") installs, updates and removes software.[6] The ZENworks Configuration Management (ZCM) addresses patching, endpoint security, asset management and provisioning.[7]