Sun Microsystems, Inc.
spacerspacer
spacer www.sun.com docs.sun.com |
spacer
black dot
 
 
  Previous   Contents   Next 
   
 
Chapter 1

Overview of Solaris Web-Based Enterprise Management

This chapter provides an overview of Solaris Web-Based Enterprise Management, and includes the following topics:


Note - This chapter provides a general overview of Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) and the Common Information Model (CIM). For more in-depth information about WBEM and CIM, refer to the Distributed Management Task Force's (DMTF) website at http://www.dmtf.org.


About Web-Based Enterprise Management

Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) is a set of management and Internet technologies that unify the management of enterprise computing environments. With WBEM, you can deliver an integrated set of standardized management tools that leverage emerging web technologies. By developing management applications according to WBEM principles, you can create compatible products at a low development cost.

The Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF), an industry group that represents corporations in the computer and telecommunications industries, is leading the effort to develop and disseminate standards for the management of desktop environments, enterprise-wide systems, and the Internet. The goal of the DMTF is to develop an integrated approach to managing computers and networks across platforms and protocols, resulting in cost-effective products that interoperate as flawlessly as possible.

About the Common Information Model

The Common Information Model (CIM), developed by the DMTF, is an industry standard used to manage systems and networks. This standard provides a common conceptual framework that classifies and defines the parts of a networked environment and depicts how these various parts interact. The CIM captures notions that are applicable to all areas of management, independent of technology implementation.

CIM consists of the following:

  • CIM Specification - Defines the language and methodology for integration with other management models.

  • CIM Schema - Provides the actual model descriptions for systems, applications, local area networks, and devices. The CIM Schema consists of the following:

    • Core Model - Provides the underlying, general assumptions of the managed environment. This model comprises a small set of classes and associations that provide a basic vocabulary for analyzing and describing managed systems.

    • Common Model - Captures notions that are common to particular management areas, but independent of a particular technology or implementation. Provides a basis for the development of management applications.

  • Extension schema - Represents technology and platform-specific extensions to the Common Model. These schemas are specific to environments, such as operating systems. For example, the Solaris Schema is an extension schema. Vendors extend the model for their products by creating subclasses of objects. Applications can then transverse object instances in the standard model to manage different products in a heterogeneous environment.

About Solaris WBEM Services

Solaris WBEM Services is the Solaris implementation of WBEM and CIM standards. The following components are included with Solaris WBEM Services:

CIM Object Manager

The CIM Object Manager manages CIM objects on a WBEM-enabled system. When a WBEM client application accesses information about a CIM object, the CIM Object Manager contacts either the appropriate provider for that object, or the CIM Object Manager Repository. When a WBEM client application requests data from a managed resource that is not available for the CIM Object Manager Repository, the CIM Object Manager forwards the request to the provider for that managed resource. The provider dynamically retrieves the information.

WBEM client applications contact the CIM Object Manager to establish a connection to perform WBEM operations, such as creating a CIM class or updating a CIM instance. When a WBEM client application connects to the CIM Object Manager, the WBEM client gets a reference to the CIM Object Manager, which it then uses to request services and perform operations.

Managed Object Format Compiler

You use the Managed Object Format (MOF) language to specify CIM schema. You define classes and instances using ASCII text, and place them in a file that you submit to the MOF compiler, mofcomp(1M). The MOF compiler parses the file and adds the classes and instances defined in the file to the CIM Object Manager repository. See Chapter 2, Creating JavaBeans Using the MOF Compiler for information on how to use the MOF compiler to automatically generate JavaBeans from MOF files.

Because you can convert MOF to Java, applications developed in MOF can run on any system or in any environment that supports Java.


Note - For more in-depth information about the MOF language, files, and syntax, see http://www.dmtf.org/education/cimtutorial/extend/spec.php.


Solaris Schema

An extension schema of the Common Model, the Solaris Schema specifically describes managed objects running in the Solaris operating environment.

When you install Solaris WBEM Services, the CIM Schema and the Solaris Schema MOF files populate the /usr/sadm/mof directory. These files are automatically compiled when the CIM Object Manager starts. The CIM Schema files, denoted by the CIM_ prefix, form standard CIM objects. The Solaris Schema extends the standard CIM Schema by describing Solaris objects. The MOF files that make up the Solaris Schema have the Solaris_ prefix.


Note - The CIM and Solaris Schema is installed at file:/usr/sadm/lib/wbem/doc/mofhtml/index.html.


Solaris WBEM SDK

The Solaris WBEM SDK is a set of APIs that contain the components necessary to write management applications that communicate with WBEM-enabled management devices using XML and HTTP communication standards.

Solaris WBEM applications request information or services from the Common Information Model (CIM) Object Manager through the WBEM APIs. These APIs represent CIM objects as Java classes. You use the APIs to describe managed objects and retrieve information about managed objects in a system environment. The advantage of modeling managed resources using CIM is that those objects can be shared across any system that is CIM-compliant.


Note - The Solaris WBEM Application Programming Interface (API) documentation is in Javadoc format and is installed at file:/usr/sadm/lib/wbem/doc/index.html during a Solaris installation.


The Solaris WBEM APIs are described in the following table:

Table 1-1 Solaris WBEM APIs

API

Package Name

Description

CIM

javax.wbem.cim

Includes common classes and methods that represent the basic CIM elements. The CIM APIs create objects on the local system.

Client

See Chapter 3, Writing a Client Program.

java.wbem.client

Applications use the CIMClient class to connect to the CIM Object Manager, and use the other classes and methods to transfer data to and from the CIM Object Manager.

The new Batching APIs, a subset of the Client APIs, enable clients to batch multiple requests in one remote call, reducing the delay introduced by multiple remote message exchanges.

Provider

See Chapter 4, Writing a Provider Program.

java.wbem.provider

The CIM Object Manager uses these APIs to pass application requests for dynamic data to providers.

Query

See Chapter 5, Writing WBEM Queries.

java.wbem.query

Contains classes and methods that you use to formulate and manipulate queries using the WBEM Query Language (WQL).

Using CIM Workshop to Develop WBEM Applications

You can develop WBEM applications using CIM Workshop, a GUI-based development tool included with the Solaris WBEM SDK. You use CIM WorkShop to do the following:

  • View, add, delete, and search for classes

  • View, add, and delete namespaces

  • Add properties, qualifiers, and methods to new classes

  • Create instances

  • Modify instance values

  • Traverse associations

  • Subscribe to events

  • Execute methods


Note - CIM guidelines prevent you from modifying the properties, methods, and qualifiers of CIM Schema and Solaris Schema classes, and from changing the values of inherited properties, methods, and qualifiers.


 
 
 
  Previous   Contents   Next