UMS 2008 feature spotlight: Collections

Most UMS users are familiar with groups in UMS – groups are individually created and any number of computers can be added as members. Traditional group membership is either handled manually or via task scripts. Collections initially look similar to groups (and groups remain unchanged) but collections in fact provide a much more powerful way in which to present data to users.

The smart thing about collections is that membership is dynamically maintained depending on each computers option values. Membership is never set manually (groups are still used for that), it’s all based on the “set” or “filter” criteria.  Want virtual collections based on each computers hardware model? A single “Set” based collection automatically creates every hardware virtual group and membership. A Collection “Filter” creates a single group with which membership is determined by the filter criteria. These collections allow complex filters to be defined which are then maintained by UMS. Once defined, collections are shown in the UMS management console in the same way as groups are shown; via the View drop down list.

Collections are defined directly within DirectEngine setup, so administrators can ensure console users only see the benefits of collections, without having to worry about its implementation.

Given the complex ways in which users wish to view data, Collections provide an innovative means to view devices which match given criteria. Check out Collections in UMS 2008 today.

Author: Richard Clayton