Intel plans better network PC control

Six new Intel motherboard designs - three desktop, three server - shown by the chip giant at a New York press conference have a common chip that is dedicated to monitoring the status of PC components. The boards can all be managed by Desktop Management Interface (DMI) software.

At the same time, Intel announced LANDesk Support Centre, a new module in its LANDesk network management suite.

Intel CEO Andrew Grove said PCs currently cost too much to look after. ``We need to... achieve a reduction... without reducing the flexibility of the PC,'' he said. Grove also pointed to the support of software management firms like Computer Associates and Tivoli to illustrate the way that DMI is coming of age. Both firms recently joined the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) which steers DMI.

NC supporters have argued that such devices will be much cheaper and easier to manage than PCs.