| Title: | DECmcc user notes file. Does not replace IPMT. |
| Notice: | Use IPMT for problems. Newsletter location in note 6187 |
| Moderator: | TAEC::BEROUD |
| Created: | Mon Aug 21 1989 |
| Last Modified: | Wed Jun 04 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 6497 |
| Total number of notes: | 27359 |
Hi:
Have read through the set of DECmcc documentation , I have
a couple of questions outstanding which I'd like some help with.
( I am very much a DECmcc beginner so these are pretty basic
quesions. )
Context , I am designing a distributed application which
will run over VMS. The distributed application being made of a number
of manageable components (Entities) which in turn fall into a number
of distinct classes. Each instance of one of these Entities can be
located on a seperate DECnet node.
Questions:
o In using DECmcc to manage such a distributed
application I understand from the DECmcc System
reference manual that once I have produced the
management specifications for the management modules
which are to managing my application Entities I need
to implement the specified PM, FM, and AM ..modules.
However when looking at 'DECmcc Management Module
Programming' it only talks about Access Modules...
are there examples of how to implement my own PM's
and FM's in some other doc ? Or should it be self
evident from the spercification of the DECmcc_call
services ?
Presumably if I only write the AM, its enrollment
generates enough tables to drive the default DEC
mcc PM's....giving me free DECmcc style CLI and Iconic
UI ?
The DECmcc Entity Management User Interface is
one component of the overall User Interface
presented to the users of my application. Does
writing my own PM give me the ability to integerate
the Entity Management UI into the rest of Application
UI, thus giving a single integrated UI for the
application. ? If I want to be able to present such
a UI to users (client server fashion) platforms such
as MSWindows does DECmcc enable that ?
o Once enrolled in DECmcc are my management modules
available to other parts of my application. i.e.
are the service interfaces of such modules available
as callable API's to other programmes ?
Does DECmcc support a general API that can be
linked as a shareable image into some asrbitary
application ?
Example of what I am trying to get at here is the
Configuration information held in DNS. As I understand
it instance data relating to a given configuration
of my distributed application is held in DECdns,
this being accessed by the Management modules through
mcc_call_dns_xxx calls. Now in my distributed
application information objects need to flow between
the various components, the control of such flow
clearly requires acces to the configuration database.
In other words other parts of my application (not
just the Entity Management Modules) will want access
to the 'configuration' data held in DNS. Should/can
such componemts go directly through the DNS clerk..
or through mcc_call_dns_xxX calls ?
o When designing my AM , to what extent do I need
to define my own management protocol. I 'think'
DECmcc 'provides' a management protocol 'NICE'..
is NICE just a set of formats for directives and
responses encoded in ASN.1 ? Such that the AM
I design is responsible for establishing and managing
the communications with the target Entity...i.e.
DECmcc provides routines to encode/decode the
directives,responses I've specfied into ASN.1 / nice
standard formats, my module does all the rest....
..i.e. establish connection maintain state etc etc.
Is this in fact the case ?
o Can a single management module itself by
multi-threaded ? Is DECmcc Muti-threaded environment
CMA.THREADS (POSIX) ?
o If I design and write my DECmcc Management modules
(using standard portability guidlines) for DECmcc
on VMS will they run on DECmcc ULTRIX ? i.e. is the
mcc_call_xxx interface and thread envirnoment uniform
across DECmcc VMS and DECmcc ULTRIX ?
Thanks in advance for any help cleraring up these questions.
Charles Fox ( EDI Engineering Group )
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 976.1 | Maybe you don't need to write anything in DECmcc at all. | CAPN::SYLOR | Architect = Buzzword Generator | Fri May 03 1991 12:44 | 8 |
Charles, since you are writing a product *to be managed*, you should probably start with the EMA folklore and entity model documents. If you follow those guidelines, and use support tools like the common agent, you should not have to write an AM. You *generally* should not have to write a PM or FM either, unless you plan on writing some sort of "added value" management application tailored specifically to managing EDI. Mark | |||||
| 976.2 | re:.0 | BARREL::LEMMON | Tue May 07 1991 13:41 | 41 | |
However when looking at 'DECmcc Management Module Programming' it only talks about Access Modules... are there examples of how to implement my own PM's and FM's in some other doc ? Or should it be self evident from the spercification of the DECmcc_call services ? JLL> JLL> There isn't any documentation on writing a PM because it isn't offically JLL> supported. JLL> Presumably if I only write the AM, its enrollment generates enough tables to drive the default DEC mcc PM's....giving me free DECmcc style CLI and Iconic UI ? JLL> JLL> Yes, if you provide the "enrollment" information, you will be able to JLL> execute your MMs command through the FCL and Iconic Map. JLL> o Can a single management module itself by multi-threaded ? Is DECmcc Muti-threaded environment CMA.THREADS (POSIX) ? JLL> JLL> DECmcc is multi-threaded. JLL> o If I design and write my DECmcc Management modules (using standard portability guidlines) for DECmcc on VMS will they run on DECmcc ULTRIX ? i.e. is the mcc_call_xxx interface and thread envirnoment uniform across DECmcc VMS and DECmcc ULTRIX ? JLL> JLL> Yes to both questions. There are some differeces between the patforms, JLL> though, that may affect your design. On the VAX/VMS platform, all JLL> management modules are shareable libraries and are mapped into the same JLL> process space. On ULTRIX, each management module runs as a seperate JLL> process. JLL> | |||||
| 976.3 | EMMA / MCC | SIEVAX::FOX | Mon May 20 1991 08:03 | 29 | |
<<< NOTED::DISK$NOTES4:[NOTES$LIBRARY_4OF5]MCC.NOTE;1 >>>
-< DECmcc Product Family; Introductions 6; Kits 3 & 40 >-
================================================================================
Note 976.3 Some general questions 3 of 3
SIEVAX::FOX 22 lines 20-MAY-1991 06:18
-< EMAA /mcc >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for the answers in .1 and .2.
It looks like my simplest option is to define my Entities as sub
Entities of Phase V node and simply use the existing MCC Phase V
access method. As I undertand it this will imply my Entities will
be limited to nodes with wave 1 of DECnet Phase V.
I am not clear where the 'common agent' fits in with Mcc. Presumably
this is 'EMMA the common agent for VMS Entities' ? Is it simply another
mcc access agent...but one that extends the management to any VMS
Entity wether on a DECnet Phase IV or Phase V node ? Presumably it
would mean defining my Entities as sub Entities of VMS node ? Since
I want my distributed application to be portable..I think that means
I should stick with being sub-entity of Phase V node and take the hit
of wave 1 Phase V as a prerequisite...does that seem reasonable ?
Last dumb question, is the full MCC director needed on the node of a
remotely managed Entity or just some sub set i.e. CMIP listner CML ?
Charles
| |||||
| 976.4 | from an agent implementer | NAC::ENGLAND | Mon May 20 1991 12:36 | 8 | |
Re: .-1, last question: You only need CML & CMIP (and ability to send
events via CMIP to remote director. Talk to router implementations
for more details.
There is a common agent notes file in decwet::common-agent.notes,
which contains a pointer to kits, specs, etc.
| |||||
| 976.5 | Talk to Dave Rusling | MARVIN::COBB | Graham R. Cobb (Wide Area Comms.), REO2-G/H9, 830-3917 | Tue May 21 1991 07:32 | 7 |
Charles, I would recommend that you wander round to REO2-G/H9 and talk to Dave Rusling. He can explain a lot of these issues and provide some suggestions. But don't tell him I sent you :-) Graham | |||||
| 976.6 | Common Agent notesfile | CCIIS1::ROGGEBAND | _ �hili��e _ | Mon May 27 1991 04:07 | 8 |
Re : .4 :
I get a "file not found" when I try to access the DECWET::COMMON-AGENT
notefiles. is there another pointer ? Spelling mistake ?
Thanks for your help,
Philippe.
| |||||
| 976.7 | I think its them that made the spelling mistake :-) | FORTY2::MELLING | Chris Melling @REO. 830-4528 | Tue May 28 1991 07:17 | 4 |
I had this problem. The reason is that the file extension is .NOTES and not the default which is .NOTE. Use DECWET::COMMON-AGENT.NOTES and you should be OK. Chris. | |||||