JSR #000048 WBEM Services Specification

JavaTM WBEM Services is a set of APIs and reference implementation for WBEM. WBEM is an initiative from the DMTF that unifies systems management and instrumentation.

Identification   |   Request  |   Contributions

Section 1: Identification Submitting Participant: Sun Microsystems Name of Contact Person: Jim Davis E-Mail Address: james.d.davis@east.sun.com Telephone Number: 781-442-2755 Fax Number: 781-442-1651 Section 2: Request 2.1 Please describe the proposed Specification: Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) is an initiative of the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) providing an open-standards approach to systems management. The intent of this specification request is to create a new Java extension for the API set. Creating a Java standard API will make any Java VM platform an effective environment for developing WBEM platform-independent applications and device instrumentation. 2.2 What is the target Java platform? (i.e., J2EE, J2SE, J2ME) Any platform with a J2SE Java Virtual Machine. 2.3 What need of the Java community will be addressed by the proposed specification? The Java community needs a Java standard API set which addresses the following: a platform-independent reference API set for WBEM development an API set that assists Java developers in creating WBEM applications and providers to supply information and events for managed objects simplified administration in mixed Solaris and MS Windows environments 2.4 Why isn't this need met by existing specifications? Java Management Extensions (JMX) is currently nearing completion, targeting Java management solutions in consumer, enterprise computing, telecommunications and datacommunications markets. As a broad management foundation, it focuses on technologies other than WBEM or the Common Information Model (CIM), the WBEM standard endorsed by the DMTF. JMX will reference the Java APIs for WBEM, but does not intend to pursue a full implementation of WBEM APIs. In addition, JMX does not intend to produce a complete implementation of the Java WBEM Services, which would include the APIs, Java CIM Object Manager and MOF Compiler and associated tools. We anticipate that the JMX JSR will reference the Java WBEM APIs, as will the FMA JSR, and therefore this Java WBEM JSR work is common to both and will be a complete referenceable specification which can be called upon from either group. The intent of this JSR is to focus specifically on WBEM and its API set. 2.5 Please give a short description of the underlying technology or technologies: WBEM Services, along with an associated WBEM SDK, offers developers a set of tools and services for developing management applications that leverage new and emerging technologies such as XML and CIM. WBEM Services provide: CIM Object Manager Managed Object Format (MOF) Compiler: a program that parses MOF statements in an ASCII text file and adds compiled classes and instances to the CIM repository A WBEM SDK provides: Client APIs: Java software client APIs used by applications to request WBEM operations from the CIM Object Manager Provider APIs: Used by provider programs to communicate information about managed objects and the CIM Object Manager CIM Workshop: a Java application using a GUI which enables developers to create, delete and browse CIM classes and instances representing objects on their systems 2.6 Is there a proposed package name for the API Specification? To be determined. 2.7 Does the proposed specification have any dependencies on specific operating systems, CPUs, or I/O devices that you know of? It is O/S and device-independent, and available on any platform with a Java Virtual Machine. 2.8 Are there any security issues that cannot be addressed by the current security model? None 2.9 Are there any internationalization or localization issues? None 2.10 Are there any existing specifications that might be rendered obsolete, deprecated, or in need of revision as a result of this work? While we intend to separate WBEM from the existing JMX specification, we'll ensure that this WBEM implementation includes an interface to use JMX agents as WBEM providers, and we'll continue working within the JMX specification to provide interoperability. Section 3: Contributions 3.1 Please list any existing documents, specifications, or implementations that describe the technology. Please include links to the documents if they are publicly available. General WBEM information is available at: http://www.dmtf.org/wbem/index.html http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/management/default.asp A specific example of an implementation of WBEM Services and the WBEM API set can be found at: http://www.sun.com/solaris/wbem 3.2 Explanation of how these items might be used as a starting point for the work. Sun has developed a set of tools and services which will be available for use: CIM Object Manager MOF Compiler Client API Provider API CIM Workshop We'll contribute these tools and services, in addition to our expertise as needed, to the effort. See Also Details of the Community Process 1.0