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Application Instrumentation and Control (AIC) API, Version 1.0
Copyright © 1999 The Open Group
Futures
Language Bindings
The current revision of the specification is based upon C, as the most
widely used programming lanaugage. The languages Java and C++ are
acknowledged as firm requirements. However at this stage it is expected
an enhancement of the specification in the form of a new revision will
contain proper Java and C++ language bindings, in a form consistent
with expectations from such a language (properly object orientated).
WBEM Integration
It is acknowledged that Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM)
integration is key to the future of AIC.
This integration will require integration with the CIM data model, an
XML query mechanism and a http transport. This section details
potential integration options with the CIM data model. It is expected
the next revision of this specification will provide details of WBEM
integration.
The Management Object property "semantics" has been added to this
specification as a placeholder for future CIM integration. It could be
used, for example, to hold a CIM class name, delimiter, then instance
name - all as one string.
There are three possible CIM integration alternatives considered
to-date. To attempt to explain these further a table is presented
below. In general it is expected that the use of AIC can map to two CIM
schema:
-
The existing Application schema (what application
functional components are out there)
-
Some new CIM schema for
representation of run time data within an application.
The former information, mapping what application components exist into
CIM could be performed automatically by an implementer of the AIC
product without the programmer/user of the specification needing to be
involved. The latter - mapping run time data into new CIM schema -
is presented below.
As part of the incorporation of WBEM/CIM, the development of a common
transport protocol or at least common transport semantics will be
considered.
| Option Description
| AIC objects
| CIM objects
| Mapping mechanism
|
|---|
| (1) AIC object with associated AIC leaf objects in the tree1
| 5
| 1
| The parent AIC object maps to a single CIM object.
The child AIC objects map to properties of the CIM object.
|
| (2) AIC object maps to CIM objects
| 5
| 5
| A single AIC object maps to a single CIM object.
|
| (3) AIC objects map to CIM objects
| 5
| 5
| Data held in the AIC Host services is used to map AIC
object references to CIM schema. Sophisticated mapping tool could be
provided to generate this mapping data.
|
For options (1) and (2), some additional data is required to be added
against an object. For this capability (described as forward
compatability in the object properties section) a single string data
field is available. This could hold class name and potential instance
name in some encoding scheme to be defined later. If more than a single
value is required a delimiter could be assigned.
The semantics property field of an object can be used to do the
mappings (1) and (2).
Relationship Service
In a future version of this standard, a relationship service is expected.
In such a service, relationships such as "Parentof", "Childof", "BelongsTo",
etc. can be defined.
Operations Support
In the next release of this standard, further extensions are expected
to augment the capability to execute operations through the AIC
interfaces. This includes defining those operations within AIC so that
they can be easily recognized and understood through the CL interface
and the management interface.
Footnotes
- 1.
- Within the AIC specification there is no formal semantic of
parent/child relationship between objects. An application
programmer can simulate this relationship by creating appropriately
named objects. A mapping scheme could make use of such a parent/child
simulation. For example, creation of an object named
/a/b/c/d/object1
does not imply a parent
/a/b/c/d
exists. Creation of
/a
and
/a/b
simulates
/a/b
is a child of
/a.
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