X/Open Systems Management Programme

The X/Open Systems Management Programme is defined in terms of a suite of documents that, taken together, will describe all the components needed to achieve the goals stated in Goals and Objectives .

The first of these documents is the X/Open Systems Management Problem Statement (see reference PS). The Problem Statement, published in 1991 as a Snapshot, provides an overview of the problem, and also includes a review of activities current at that time.

The Reference Model builds on the Problem Statement, providing a framework in which the various components of the solution can be identified. The individual components will be defined in subsequent documents.

The current X/Open work program is developing a coherent family of documents that address the various components needed in order to provide an open, portable, interoperable management system. The documents can be divided into a number of groups according to their functionality. These groups are described below.

In the following sections, documents already completed are indicated by an asterisk (*). The descriptions given below are intended for overall guidance only. For more specific information regarding planned time-scales, refer to the Distributed Systems Management section of the X/Open Technical Programme (see reference XTP).

Strategic Documents

The first group of documents provides the framework and strategy that defines the overall approach, and consists of the following documents:

• Systems Management Problem Statement (*): Provides an overview of the problem space and a review of activities in the area of system management.

• Systems Management Reference Model (*): This document.

• Guide to Systems Management: It is envisaged that a tutorial-style document will ultimately be provided which will describe the use of the distributed systems management specifications developed under the systems management work program.

Managed Object Definitions

The second group is concerned with the definition of Managed Objects. It consists of the following:

• Managed Object Guide (XMOG) (*): Provides a guide to the principles, techniques and processes used in defining Managed Objects.

• Guide to Translating GDMO to XOM (*): Provides a set of rules for translating object definitions based on the ISO Guidelines for the Definition of Managed Objects into the XOM form required by XMP.

• Guide to Translating GDMO to IDL: This document will provide guidance for translating Managed Object definitions defined using ISO GDMO into IDL definitions required for use with OMG CORBA-based technology.

• DMI Contents Package(*): This document provides the necessary definitions of management support objects, based on the OSI Definition of Mangement Information, for use with the XMP API.

• Managed Object Definitions: There will be series of documents that provide the object definitions corresponding to the Resources that need to be managed. In most cases this will be achieved by reference to existing definitions.

Management API Specifications

The third group will address APIs to Management Services, including communications services:

• Identification of Management Services (XIMS) (*): Identifies the various services required for implementation of distributed management systems.

• Management Protocols API (XMP) (*): Defines programming interfaces to management communications services provided by CMIP and SNMP.

• Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) (*): This document, developed by the Object Management Group and published as an X/Open specification, is not formally a part of the systems management program. However, it forms an integral part of the systems management APIs and is a key technology in the realisation of many distributed systems management systems.

• Management Services APIs: Interfaces will be defined to provide access to the underlying Management Services provided by the framework.

Interworking Specifications

The fourth group addresses interoperability issues, namely the protocol profiles necessary to achieve interworking between different implementations of conformant systems.

• Management Protocol Profiles (XMPP) (*): Describes the protocol options to be used in an X/Open System Management implementation. This document makes reference to the International Standardised Profiles (ISPs) relevant to CMIP, and the appropriate RFCs for SNMP.

• ISO/CCITT and Internet Management: Coexistence and Interworking Strategy (*): This document addresses the issues arising from the need to accommodate both OSI and Internet management protocols within a common environment.

Management Application Specifications

The fifth group of specifications will address specific functional areas corresponding to real end-user requirements, and will provide the definitions necessary to provide portability and interoperability in the development of solutions to those requirements. Functional areas expected to be covered include the following:

• Networked Backup and Restore: This specification will provide the necessary object definitions and interfaces to provide networked backup and restore capability. It will provide a framework for extending backup and restore beyond file systems, allowing other sub-systems to be backed up, and promoting a plug'n'play approach to the provision of the various components of a backup and restore system.

• Performance Management: Performance management specifications will provide the low-level data gathering functionality that is needed to allow portable high-level interpretation tools to be developed.

• Accounting Management: As with performance management, it is anticipated that work in this area will be concerned with the low-level data gathering functionality, thus providing access to the information needed by Resource accounting packages for billing and other purposes.

• Software Management: It is is anticipated that work in this area will be based on the work currently being undertaken within the POSIX 1003.7 System Administration working group.

• Printer Management: It is is anticipated that work in this area will be based on the work currently being undertaken within the POSIX 1003.7 System Administration working group.