Desktop Management Interface
Desktop Management Interface
(standard, operating system)DMI provides a common path for technical support, IT managers,and individual users to access information about all aspectsof a computer - including processor type, installation date,attached printers and other peripherals, power sources,and maintenance history. It provides a common format fordescribing products to aid vendors, systems integrators, andend users in enterprise desktop management.
DMI is not tied to any specific hardware, operating system, ormanagement protocols. It is easy for vendors to adopt,mappable to existing management protocols such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and can be used onnon-network computers.
DMI's four components are:
Management Information Format (MIF) - a text file containinginformation about the hardware and software on a computer.Manufacturers can create their own MIFs specific to acomponent.
Service layer - an OS add-on that connects the managementinterface and the component interface and allows managementand component software to access MIF files. The service layeralso includes a common interface called the local agent, whichis used to manage individual components.
Component interface (CI) - an application program interface(API) that sends status information to the appropriate MIFfile via the service layer. Commands include Get, Set, andEvent.
Management interface (MI) - the management software'sinterface to the service layer. Commands are Get, Set, andList.
CI, MI, and service layer drivers are available on theInternet. Intel's LANDesk Client Manager (LDCM) is basedon DMI.
Version: 2.0s (as of 2000-01-19).
http://dmtf.org/spec/dmis.html.
Sun overview.