CimNavigator

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CimNavigator

• Andy Abendschein
• DuskFire, Inc.

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Outline

• Introduction
• Design assumptions
• Essential features
• Features for students
• Features for system modelers
• Features for provider developers
• Q/A

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• Introduction

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Introduction

• Thanks to Vidiom Systems!
• What is CimNavigator?
• A tool that can be used to graphically explore
  and manipulate CIM object spaces
• Why did I write CimNavigator?
• Interest in OO technologies
• Desire to understand CIM/WBEM
• Belief that CIM/WBEM usage will expand to other
  disciplines
• Desire to demonstrate my understanding of
  CIM/WBEM (possible employment?)

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• Design assumptions

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Design Assumptions

• People typically work with some subset of CIM
  classes
• Specify frequently-used classes
• Node display customization
• Specify properties used for node decoration
• Specify Icon used for class display
• Specify Icon used for instance display in tree
  and in graph
• Association traversal depth specifiable

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Design Assumptions

• UI should be simple, simple to use, and 'fun' to
  use
• Liberal use of right-click context menus
• Drag-n-drop used wherever it makes sense
• UI should function in a consistent manner
• Properties, method arguments, and Indication
  sources are all handled in the same manner
• UI should be useful to both novices and experts

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Design Assumptions

• UI should be able to execute on just about any
  computer system (implies Java)
• UI should provide a rich user experience
  (implies thick client)
• UI should have plenty of on-line documentation

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Design Assumptions (cont.)
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• Essential features

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Essential features

• Specify CIMOM

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Essential features

• CIMOMs found via SLP

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Essential features

• Class inspection
• Parent class
• Qualifiers (including key, required, values/value
  maps, etc.)
• Properties
• Methods (instance and static)

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Essential features

• Class inspection

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Essential features

• Instance inspection
• Properties
• View
• edit non-key properties
• Identify required properties
• Qualifiers (including key, required, values/value
  maps, etc.)

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Essential features

• Instance properties

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Essential features

• Property editor

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Essential features

• Instance creation

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Essential features

• New instance editor

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Essential features

• Delete Instance

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Essential features

• Method invocation

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Essential features

• Argument editor

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Essential features

• Association discovery

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Essential features

• Association layout

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Essential features

• Association creation

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Essential features

• Indication support
• Use indication wizard dialog to create
  subscription

Image stolen from DMTF document DSP0107.
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Essential features

• Create filter

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Essential features

• Create filter

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Essential features

• Create filter

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Essential features

• Create handler

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Essential features

• Create handler

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Essential features

• Create handler

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Essential features
Indications
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Essential features
Indications
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Essential features
Indications
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Essential features
Indications
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Essential features
Indications
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Essential features
Indications
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Essential features

• Manage namespaces

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• Features for students

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Features for students

• 'Non-threatening' way to explore CIM/WBEM
• No need to learn cryptic CIMOM-specific command
  line tools
• Class search
• Class browser provides the ability to browse for
  classes within the CIM class hierarchy
• Complex operations implemented as step-wise
  dialogs (e.g. indication subscription creation,
  associators, references, enumerate instances)
• Most dialogs include succinct instructions to
  help user

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Features for students (cont.)

• Class search
• Specify class
• Search CIMOM?
• Make persistent?

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Features for students (cont.)

• Browse classes
• (new feature)

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• Features for system modelers

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Features for system modelers

• Define classes in CIMOM (properties qualifiers,
  not methods)
• Delete classes
• Import classes/instances via MOF files
• Export classes/instances via MOF files

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Features for system modelers

• Derive new class

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Features for system modelers

• Derive new class

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Features for system modelers

• Derive new class

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Features for system modelers

• Derive new class

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Features for system modelers

• Edit instance of new class

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Features for system modelers

• Save classes instances to a file (either MOF or
  XML)
• Load MOF files too

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• Features for provider developers

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Features for provider developers

• Perform WQL queries
• Associators
• References
• Enumerate instances

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Features for provider developers

• WQL queries

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Features for provider developers

• Associators, References, and Enumerate instance
  operations are handled using a set of wizard
  dialogs

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Features for provider developers

• Select any desired constraints.

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Features for provider developers

• Select any (or all) properties to be included in
  the returned objects.

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Features for provider developers

• Request results

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Questions?

• Available at www.cimnavigator.com
• andy_at_cimnavigator.com