Intel's Active Management Technology (AMT) promises to make asset tracking easier within large organisations and will bring new management capabilities to help IT staff fix equipment remotely.

AMT builds on the Wired For Management (WFM) standard to let administrators manage computers even when they are turned off or the operating system will not start. The first silicon with AMT support is expected to appear this spring. However, AMT will not replace management suites from vendors such as Altiris, and should be seen as an enabling technology that will allow updated versions of such tools to work more effectively, Intel said.

Unlike current management clients, AMT will reside in the system hardware and Bios firmware. All that is required is that the system is connected both to the mains supply and the network, so it can be remotely powered up if necessary. "We're taking advantage of Ethernet as the doorway into each system," said Howard Cooper, Intel's technical marketing manager for platform application engineering.

Under AMT, the Ethernet adapter will act as a "second computer" inside each PC, but one capable of functioning without having to boot from the hard disk or load driver software. "So long as there is an Ethernet connection and power, AMT will be able to reach in, report on the system, and boot the system up," Cooper added.

If an operating system will not start, the administrator will be able to force the system to boot from a remote hard disk or CD-ROM through a process called IDE redirection.

This could allow Windows to be restored to a downed PC, without any IT support staff having to physically attend the system.

Asset management is another tricky process that is best automated, Cooper said, but some systems can be missed if they are not running at the time a network audit is performed. "Surveys indicate that about 85 percent of kit can be accounted for [in large businesses], but this isn't really good enough if you are trying to collect information for financial reporting purposes," Cooper said.

Under AMT, each system will have a non-volatile memory area to store asset information. This area will be filled out by software while the PC is running, and can be collected at any time using remote management tools.

In addition, Ethernet devices with AMT will be able to act as tiny web servers, Cooper said. "With the right authentication, you can go in [with a browser] and use simple AMT screens to perform one-off management activities," he said.

Firms will be able to re-use their existing management tools with enhancements after the launch of AMT, Intel said. However, it is likely that companies will have to invest in updated hardware to get the full benefit of AMT's capabilities. Further details will be disclosed at Intel's developer conference in San Francisco later this week.