| Global Entities:
- SNMP, NODE4, OperationContext (TeMIP), and Domain are examples of
global entity classes.
True.
- Each global entity class has an icon represented at the highest
level in the toolbox.
True.
- Each global entity class defines what directives can be
performed on instances of that class. Can directives be defined
at a child entity level?
True. The directives defined for the global class apply only to the
global class level. Each child class would have the apprpriate
directives defined for it.
- Each global entity class has a definition in the dictionary
which applies to all entities of that class.
True. Child classes also have definitions in the dictionary that apply
to all instances of the class.
- The icons beneath the highest level in the toolbox are merely
alternative symbolic representations of the same global entity
class.
True.
- Each global entity class is either:
- an integral part of the platform (e.g. domain,
operation context)
or
- supported by an access module (e.g. SNMP, circuit)
True for the most part. The domain class, for example has an FM that
has specific knowledge of the management of the domain class. So, even
though domains are an integral part of how the platform provides its
services, they are represented and managed just like all other classes.
Things I don't understand, and would like explained:
When a user selects an entity and selects a directive to
invoke for that entity, how does this work its way through
the system, and how does the platform know which management
module is responsible for handling the directive?
There is a part of the platform called the `dispatcher'. The dispatcher
is responsible for routing the management requests to the correct
service provider (management module). This is done by way of a `dispatch
key' consisting of the selected entity, directive, and attribute
partition, if any.
What support does the platform provide and what do the
management modules provide? For example, when one selects the
Set directive, a window pops up which allows the user to enter
the various fields. I assume that the platform is providing
this capability, and that it is common for all global entity
classes. Is this a general mechanism that can be provided for
any directive, and if so, how is it specified? What other such
mechanisms are available, and where are the APIs for these
mechanisms found?
The User Interfaces are part of the platform. So, all of the
user-visible constructs are common to all of DECmcc. The content - the
actual attribute values and the indication of which directives are
appropriate for which classes - is provided by the management modules.
A management module provides:
the description of the class in the dictionary
the code that has specific knowledge of the class
The description of the class in the dictionary includes child classes,
directives, attributes, attribute partitions.
The specific knowledge of the class includes implementation of the
protocol used to communicate with the entity instances, mapping between
what the entity presents and what MCC presents, etc. So, if you wanted
to manage a class that MCC does not currently manage, you would
1. create a description of the class in our Management
Specification Language
2. load that description into the dictionary
3. write a management module that conforms to the interfaces
decribed in the POLYCENTER Framework System Reference Manual
4. enroll that management module into the platform
There is a product called the POLYCenter Framework Developer's Toolkit
(used to be the DECmcc Developer's Toolkit). It contains the SRM, the
Management Module Programmer's Guide, the Toolkit Reference Manual, and
sample management module code.
...kjn
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