Solstice Enterprise Manager 4.1 Managing Your Network

Chapter 1

Introduction to Solstice Enterprise Manager

This chapter provides introductory information designed to help you get going with Solstice Enterprise Manager software (Solstice EM) and your day-to-day network management tasks.

This chapter comprises the following topics:

• Section 1.1 What is Solstice EM?
• Section 1.2 Solstice EM Features
• Section 1.3 Solstice EM Components
• Section 1.4 Basic Enterprise Manager Concepts
• Section 1.5 Solstice EM Application APIs
• Section 1.6 Related Reading
• Section 1.7 Solstice EM Tools--Complete Listings

1.1 What is Solstice EM?

Solstice EM software is a distributed, standards-based, hierarchical, object-oriented suite of enterprise-grade network management tools, and a rich set of application programming interfaces (APIs) for developing custom network management applications. What this means is that Solstice EM is a highly flexible, totally customizable network management solution that can be scaled and configured to fit your needs. You can use any or all of the Solstice EM tools "as is," or you can combine them with your own custom applications written to the Solstice EM API.

1.1.1 What You Can Manage With Solstice EM

Solstice EM provides tools for monitoring, evaluating, and refining your network. The management functions you can perform with Solstice EM include:

• Discovering components on your network

  Automated tools let you keep track of components as they are added or removed from your network. Support for Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP), Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), and Remote Procedure Call (RPC) agents allow you to gather information about a wide variety of network components. Component details are stored in industry-standard relational databases on one or more management information servers.

• Visualizing your network

  A powerful Network Views tool serves as the graphical command center of Solstice EM, from which you can organize and manage your network components as groups of icons in logical, hierarchical, and geographical views. You can create as many different views of your network components as you want, using whatever view is most appropriate for the task at hand. For example, you can view your network components on a cartographically accurate geographical map background--a map of the world, perhaps, or a blueprint of one of your buildings--which lets you see at a glance not only what component is reporting a fault but where that component is physically located. You can then initiate actions to correct the fault directly from the Network Views tool.

• Configuring network components

  Solstice EM object properties editors in combination with CMIP, SNMP, and RPC agents let you configure all aspects of your network components, from general network properties to detailed component data, such as individual router interfaces. Schema- and MIB-to-GDMO compilers let you customize specific object attributes.

• Detecting, tracking, and correcting network problems

  A sophisticated alarm manager and request template designer, in combination with data viewers, and logging, reporting, and graphing tools, let you gather detailed information about your network, configure and respond to alarms, and design dynamic request templates to automatically gather and respond to network and component conditions.

• Managing user access to objects and applications

  The Solstice EM Security tool lets you control user access to individual Solstice EM and custom tools, as well as to specific sets of network components.

• Customizing the Solstice EM interface

  You can tailor Solstice EM tools in a wide number of ways, from pull-down and pop-up menus, to tool palettes, to default parameters and automatic monitoring methods. You can run almost every Solstice EM component from the UNIX command line, if you want, to create script-based maintenance routines. You can even modify Management Information Base (MIB), Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1), and Guidelines for the Definition of Managed Objects (GDMO) to customize settings for the types of objects you can work with in Solstice EM.

• Developing custom network management applications

  Solstice EM is a standards-based, object-oriented environment that supports the Portable Management Interface (PMI) API over SNMP, CMIP, and SunNet Manager RPC, as well as full conformance with Telecommunications Management Networks (TMN) standards.

1.1.2 Who Uses Solstice EM?

Large companies--for example, in the telecommunications industry--use Solstice EM to manage hundreds of thousands of network nodes, with network components ranging from mainframes, subnetworks, gateways, servers, routers, and hubs, to workstations, personal computers, and agent-enabled mobile devices. Such companies use the standard suite of Solstice EM tools alongside their own custom tools developed with the Solstice EM APIs and toolkit.

Smaller companies use Solstice EM "out of the box" to manage all their network components, knowing that Solstice EM can be scaled to meet whatever needs they have as their company grows.

Any company interested in secure, high-performance management of distributed network resources--from portable handheld devices to deskbound graphical workstations--can use Solstice EM's distributed agent-oriented technology to manage virtually any type of network component.

1.2 Solstice EM Features

Solstice EM provides the following network management features:

• Comprehensive suite of network management tools--from objects to enterprises, infrastructure to interfaces.
• Management of virtually any network-aware component, from UNIX workstations to Windows-based PCs, printers to routers, subnetworks to network interfaces.
• Graphical "point and click" CDE (Common Desktop Environment) tools and UNIX command-line interfaces allow real-time ease-of-use and script-based automation.
• Multiple concurrent user access--run anywhere, anytime with UNIX-based security and scalability.
• Distributed, hierarchical, ASN.1 object-oriented architecture utilizing an industry-standard SQL-compatible relational database (Informix^TM by default).
• Customizable interfaces and support for custom third-party applications by means of the PMI API over SNMP, CMIP, RPC, and TMN protocols.
• Development support tools--a set of API modules, object development tools, compilers, and debuggers--for developing your own custom network management applications.
• Backward-compatibility with SunNet^TM Manager and Solstice Site/Domain Manager data and applications.

1.3 Solstice EM Components

Solstice EM components can be divided into two categories:

• Architecture - The structural components underlying the Solstice EM environment.
• Network Management Tools - The means by which you access and manipulate the Solstice EM environment and the components on your network.

These components are described in the following sections.

1.3.1 Solstice EM Architecture

Network management in the Solstice EM environment is based on the exchange of information between managers and agents. It is client/server-based, hierarchical and object-oriented environment comprising:

• Motif Applications - The manager applications run on the Motif enviroment. The applications can either be custom applications or Solstice EM Tools.
• JMA Server - The Java Management Adapter (JMA) provides the framework for the thin client/fat server model. JMA is not exposed to end users or developers. It is a transparent component lying between services such as the JMI and the MIS. JMA provides the infrastructure for services such as JMI API, Topology API, and Alarm API to communicate seamlessly with the MIS. It is responsible for the scheduling and synchronization of all PMI calls made by each Java API. It provides an event handling mechanism, this allows clients to register their own events and servers to forward the events to the clients.
• SEM CORBA Gateway - SEM CORBA Gateway translates CORBA manager requests in Interface Description Language (IDL) to Solstice EM Portable Management Interface (PMI) or equivalent requests, it also translates Solstice EM PMI responses to IDL or Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP) responses, and PMI events to CORBA events. The SEM CORBA Gateway is designed to work with standard management reference models (such as SNMP/IP and CMIP/OSI). The interfaces defined and implemented by the SEM CORBA Gateway define the interaction with applications.
  Refer to the CORBA Gateway Administration Guide for detailed information.
• Managed objects - Solstice EM is centered around the concept of managed objects. A managed object is a set of programmatic services and attributes that describes a type of managed resource. In practical terms, it means that each physical component on your network is represented by one or more objects in an MIS database (see below). When you perform an action in Solstice EM on a network component for example, setting a configuration parameter or retrieving status information, you are actually performing that action on the managed object representing the network component.
• Agent software - Provides object-level communication methods between your network components and the rest of Solstice EM--that is, the means by which you can use Solstice EM to get and set properties on managed objects. Solstice EM supports SNMP, CMIP, and RPC agents, and includes a set of CMIP- and RPC-based Solstice^TM Enterprise Agents (SEA) that support a wide variety of managed objects, including legacy objects created in SunNet Manager and Solstice Site/Domain Manager. See Section 1.4.2 Agents and Stations for more information.
• Management Information Server (MIS) - A machine that hosts an SQL database containing a Metadata Repository (MDR) and a Management Information Tree (MIT), which are used by Solstice EM to maintain information about the properties and relationships, respectively, of all managed objects on your network. An MIS daemon and a set of ancillary MIS service daemons provide MIS services on the MIS host. For data security or organizational convenience, you can use multiple MIS hosts, with one MIS database on each host. Multiple MISs can be linked so that all appear as one MIS to a given user. See Section 1.4.3 Management Information Servers for more information.
• Application programming interfaces - Support communication and protocol translation between one or more MISs and Solstice EM and/or custom network management tools. See Section 1.5 Solstice EM Application APIs for more information.
• Solstice EM and/or custom network management tools - The tools you use to access and manipulate the Solstice EM environment and managed objects. These tools are described in Section1.3.2 Solstice EM Network Management Tools.

The relationships between Solstice EM architectural components are illustrated in Figure 1-1, "Solstice EM Architecture Overview," on page 7. Explanations of basic Solstice EM network management concepts are provided in Section 1.4 Basic Enterprise Manager Concepts.

Figure 1-1 provides an overview of Solstice EM architecture.

FIGURE 1-1   Solstice EM Architecture Overview

1.3.2 Solstice EM Network Management Tools

Solstice EM network management tools can be divided into three general categories:

• General management - Tools for day-to-day network management tasks--these are the tools you will use most often.
• MIS - Tools and services for running and managing MIS servers and databases--once MIS services have been started on one or more MIS hosts, you will use these tools for occasional MIS database maintenance chores.
• Application customization and development - Tools for customizing the Solstice EM environment and creating custom management applications.

The following table briefly describes the common Solstice EM tools you are likely to use often. The tools in the table are divided into two categories: general network management tools you will use on a day-to-day basis and administration tools. A quick-reference table describing all of the Solstice EM tools is provided at the end of this chapter, in Section 1.7 Solstice EM Tools--Complete Listings.

TABLE 1-1   Common Solstice EM Tools 

Tool	Description	More Information
General Management Tools
Alarms	Configure, view, and respond to alarms posted against managed objects.	Managing Your Network
Data Collections	Create data requests to collect performance data about selected managed objects.	Managing Your Network
Grapher	Graph data from several Solstice EM tools.	Managing Your Network
Event Logs	View and manage logs and log objects.	Managing Your Network
Network Discovery	Automatically detect components on your network and populate the MIS with managed objects representing those components; a monitor function dynamically updates the MIS as components are added and removed from your network.	Managing Your Network
Network Tools	Customizable window providing access to Solstice EM and other tools; you can add and remove Solstice EM tools, third-party tools, or your own tools to this window; provides a handy starting point for Solstice EM.	Managing Your Network
Network Views	Graphical tool for visualizing, organizing, and managing your network; most other Solstice EM tools can be run directly from Network Views; provides a convenient, customizable, point-and-click way to view and respond to alarms, and configure object properties. Views of your network can be superimposed over cartographically accurate map backgrounds, making it easy to determine the physical location of network components and faults.	Managing Your Network
Object Properties	View, create, and modify managed objects and object properties; commonly invoked from Network Views.	Managing Your Network
RPC/CMIP Data	Get, set, view, and modify properties for CMIP- and RPC-managed objects.	Managing Your Network
Administration Tools
Administration	Customizable window providing access to Solstice EM administration tools.	Customizing Guide
Advanced Requests	Create Nerve Center request templates; used by Solstice EM to poll for object properties or receive notifications from managed object agents, and then generate responses based on the data received.	Customizing Guide
Automatic Management	Configure the MIS to launch and stop event requests automatically.	Managing Your Network
DB Backup/Restore	Back up and restore MIS databases.	Customizing Guide
MIS Manager	Configure MIS communications and parameters.	Customizing Guide
Object Editor	View, create, and delete managed object attributes directly in the MIS.	Customizing Guide
Security	Manage user access to network management tools and managed objects.	Managing Your Network
SNMP MIB Browser	View attributes and modify SNMP attribute values for SNMP MIBs.	Managing Your Network
Topology Import/Export	Import or export an ASCII version of all or part of a MIS database; useful for recreating or transferring an MIS topology on another host.	Customizing Guide

1.4 Basic Enterprise Manager Concepts

Before you start using Solstice EM to manage the components on your network, it is useful to review some basic network management concepts as they relate to Solstice EM.

This section comprises the following topics:

• Network Management Software
• Agents and Stations
• Management Information Servers
• Network Management Protocols

1.4.1 Network Management Software

In the context of Solstice EM, network management software refers to one or more software tools, like the Solstice EM suite, that:

• Provide user interfaces through which network management tasks can be performed.
• Issue requests to network devices--that is, ask a given device to take some action, typically to provide some specific information to the manager.
• Receive responses to requests.
• Receive unsolicited information--called notifications--from network components concerning component status, such as problems, abnormalities, and changes in the managed environment.

The Solstice EM tools function as network management software for various network management functions. For example, the Solstice EM Alarms tool lets you create and manage alarms for monitoring component status.

1.4.2 Agents and Stations

Rather than communicating directly with network components, Solstice EM communicates through software agents--"middlemen"--that are specifically configured to understand the particular kinds of information and settings a given network component can receive or provide.

In network management jargon, a station is a network management software component that communicates with one or more agents. In the case of Solstice EM, the station component is the MIS. For example, as illustrated in Figure 1-1, a Solstice EM tool sends a request to an agent via the MIS and a Management Protocol Adapter (MPA). The agent, in turn, passes that request to the network component. On the return trip, the component's response is passed first to the agent, then to the MIS by means of the MPA, and then finally back to the Solstice EM tool. Solstice EM handles the translation between various agent protocols transparently--for most management tasks, users do not need to know what type of agent is associated with a given network component.

FIGURE 1-2   Agent Communications Overview

Every network component managed by Solstice EM has an associated software agent. In some cases, the agent software is embedded in the component--for example, burned into a component's ROM. In most cases, however, the agent software resides on a host machine to which the component is connected, and provides services for a related set of components.

Solstice EM is based on the ISO-standard agent/station network management model. The strength of this model is that your network management software does not need to maintain configuration information for every network component available on the market. As new types of components are added or upgraded on your network, the agent software that travels with a given component is able to communicate the new configuration information to the management software.

Solstice EM supports the following common agent protocols:

• CMIP - Common Management Information Protocol
• SNMP - Simple Network Management Protocol
• SNMPv2c - Simple Network Management Protocol, version 2
• RPC - SunNet Manager Remote Procedure Call

Solstice EM also provides full conformance with Telecommunications Management Networks (TMN) standards. See Section 1.4.4 Network Management Protocols for more information about network protocols supported by Solstice EM.

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Note – Solstice EM installation includes by default a set of Solstice Enterprise Agents (SEA), which allow you to communicate with components configured for legacy SunNet/Site/Domain Manager environments. Other agents may be installed as well, depending on your package options. See the Installation Guide for complete information.

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1.4.3 Management Information Servers

In the Solstice EM environment, a Management Information Server (MIS) is a machine hosting an object-oriented SQL database containing information about every component on your network that is managed by Solstice EM. In this model, physical network components are represented as managed objects in an MIS database.

In general terms, the MIS provides the following services:

• Access control
• Requests
• Connections
• Events and alarms
• Logging
• Object management

Functionally, the resources on an MIS can be divided into four general categories:

• An MIS database containing information about the components on your network.
• An MIS Nerve Center that provides the logic and methods to actually do something with the information in the MIS--that is, the Nerve Center is the source of requests and responses based on network conditions.
• Portable Management Interface (PMI) APIs and Management Protocol Adapters (MPAs).
• A set of ancillary MIS services that make the information in the MIS database available to network management applications and software agents.

For data security or logical convenience, you can use multiple MIS databases, with one MIS database on each host. Multiple MIS databases can be linked so that all appear as one database to a given user. See the Customizing Guide for more information about linking multiple MIS databases.

The figure Figure 1-3 depicts the layers of management information servers.

FIGURE 1-3   Overview of Management Information Servers

1.4.3.1 More About MIS Databases

A Solstice EM MIS database comprises two primary components:

• Metadata Repository (MDR) - Maintains information about managed object attributes and properties--that is, the specific configuration settings used by network components. This data encompasses everything from the syntax required to refer to an attribute to the composition of an object package. The language used to describe network components is Guidelines for the Definition of Managed Objects (GDMO), outlined in the ITU X.722 ISO/IEC 10165-4 standard. The MIS allows for dynamic updates to the MDR.
• Management Information Tree (MIT) - A tree-like, hierarchical representation of the relationships between network components. For example, a network might have subnetwork branches, from which routers, switches, and hubs are parents to gateways, workstations, and printers. The MIS supports dynamic creation, maintenance, and deletion of objects in the MIT.

1.4.3.2 More About the MIS Nerve Center

The MIS Nerve Center provides the logic and methods to interrogate agent software for information about network components, receive notifications from agents, and initiate actions based on network conditions.

Nerve Center activities are based upon user-defined request templates, which are rules-based configuration files that tell Solstice EM how to interrogate for network component information, and how to respond to the information received. In this context, the term request should not be confused with the common object-oriented use of the term as it relates to GET and SET methods--that is, a Nerve Center request is a set of programmatic rules, whereas an object-oriented request refers to a specific set of methods for manipulating object properties.

The Solstice EM Advanced Requests tool lets you view, create, and manage Nerve Center Request templates. See the Customizing Guide for information about creating automated Nerve Center requests using customized templates.

1.4.3.3 More About PMI and MPAs

Although there are potentially many interfaces to Solstice EM, only one is required by the Solstice EM architecture. This primary interface is the high-level Portable Management Interface (PMI). The PMI defines the management protocol, services, and transport mechanisms for all Solstice EM components. Specifically, the PMI provides the following features:

• Protocol-independent management applications - Management applications can communicate with managed objects via the PMI regardless of the protocol used by the managed object.
• Distributed, multi-user access - Multiple users can access and modify objects and object definitions in the MIS.
• Proxy agent support - Proxy agents can use the Management Protocol Adapter (MPA) library to access managed objects over protocols other than CMIP or SNMP.

MPAs translate information between managed objects and the MIS. For example, if you have a network component that uses SNMP, then the SNMP MPA receives data from an SNMP agent, translates the data into the PMI, and sends the data to the MIS.

Solstice EM includes the following MPAs:

• CMIP - Common Management Information Protocol
• SNMP - Simple Network Management Protocol
• SNMPv2c - Simple Network Management Protocol, version 2
• RPC - SunNet/Site/Domain Manager Remote Procedure Call

Solstice EM also supports other MPAs; see the Developing C++ Applications for information about adding MPAs to your Solstice EM environment.

1.4.3.4 Ancillary MIS Services

In addition to the MIS database and Nerve Center, an MIS provides ancillary services that make information about managed objects available and modifiable by network management applications and agent software. These services are invoked at MIS startup with the em_services command.

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Note – Solstice EM MIS services are usually run on one or more of the network's workstations. It is not necessary to dedicate a machine to running MIS services, although Solstice EM requires at least one MIS to be running somewhere on the network. As mentioned previously, you can run multiple MISs on a network.

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The Solstice EM MIS provides the following ancillary services:

• Protocol and location transparency - A network management tool provides a managed object name, and the Solstice EM services determine what protocol to use to access the object, and what address to use within that protocol. This means that management clients do not need to know where an object is physically located or what protocol to use to communicate with it.
• Coordinate requests from multiple tools - Solstice EM supports concurrent access to MIS data from multiple network management clients.
• Persistent storage - Data in the MIS database is not lost when an MIS host is shut down.
• SNMP traps and events - Event handling for SNMP traps and events, and a registry mechanism that allows applications and objects to register interest in an event.
• Log management services - Keep track of what is happening where on the network. Solstice EM provides detailed logging services, which are maintainable through Solstice EM's Event Logs tool.

1.4.3.5 More About MIS Data Access

One of the primary functions of an MIS is to make managed object data available to network management tools and agent software. A related function is to make this data transparently available across multiple MIS machines on multiple subnetworks.

In Solstice EM, all managed objects are accessed through the MIT. There is one global tree, with a single naming scheme for all data. The MIT is constructed according to the rules provided by OMNIPoint^TM, and has a single root branch. The shape of the tree descended from this root branch is arbitrary, and may vary widely from one MIS to another. The tree's structure is hierarchical and based on parent/child containment relationships--that is, below any given object are one or more related subordinate objects.

A Solstice EM MIS makes MIT data accessible both through the naming conventions that come from the managed resources it describes, and from a resource-independent naming convention, in which identifiers are specified using Fully Distinguished Names (FDNs). FDNs enable an Solstice EM MIS to provide transparent access to managed objects.

Managed objects in the Solstice EM environment may be stored locally, in an MIS database. However, Solstice EM also supports access to remote objects that are stored outside a given MIS. When representing a remote object, a Solstice EM MIS stores information about that object's physical location, along with a description of the address and protocol required to access that object. When getting or setting properties for a given object, Solstice EM handles the address and protocol resolution transparently--that is, without user intervention--whether the object is local or remote to the MIS.

1.4.3.6 More About Object Orientation

As mentioned previously, Solstice EM MIS services are based on an ISO-standard ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One) object-oriented architecture. Specifically, Solstice EM:

• Describes managed objects in terms of OMNIPoint and ISO terminology
• Uses C++ objects for internal storage and manipulation of network data

Some object-oriented terms as they relate to Solstice EM are:

• Class - C++ classes, as described in the Annotated C++ Reference Manual (Margaret Ellis and Bjarne Stroustrop; Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Reading, MA; copyright 1990 by AT&T Bell Laboratories).
• Instance - Memory that is allocated for a C++ class according to its definition. A variable name is usually associated with a particular instance of a class.
• Managed resource - An actual physical device or entity that exists in a network or system. This is consistent with the OSI/Network Management Forum (NMF) definition of the term.
• Managed Object (MO) - A set of services and attributes that describes a type of managed resource. This is also consistent with the OSI/NMF definition of the term.
• Managed Object Class (MOC) - In the Solstice EM development environment, this term refers to the internal representation of a managed object, as described by the OSI/NMF. An MOC is based on the GDMO description, which could itself be a translation of an SNMP MIB or SunNet Manager schema description--that is, the MOC represents the attributes and behaviors for particular types of manageable objects. The MOC defines the type of data stored and the behaviors that can be taken, but does not represent the actual data for any managed object. The MOC is the internal representation used by the Solstice EM MIS.
• Managed Object Instance (MOI) - Relates to a managed object class in the same way as an instance relates to a class--that is, where the MOC determines the type of attributes and behaviors available to operate on an object of this type, and MOI refers to actual data that represents an object being managed by the MIS. An MOI is also an internal representation used by the Solstice EM MIS.

1.4.4 Network Management Protocols

In order to be able to pass management data from component to agent to MIS to management tool and back again, all components in the environment must agree on and understand how and what data is being exchanged. The rules that define such exchanges are called protocols.

As mentioned previously, Solstice EM is based on the ISO-standard agent/station network management model, and supports the following common protocols:

• CMIP - Common Management Information Protocol
• SNMPv1 - Simple Network Management Protocol
• SNMPv2c - Simple Network Management Protocol version 2
• RPC - SunNet/Site/Domain Manager Remote Procedure Call

SNMPv2c support enables the Solstice EM architecture to manage SNMPv2c agents and view SNMPv2c configured devices in the SNMP browser.

Solstice EM also provides full conformance with Telecommunications Management Networks (TMN) standards.

SNMP and RPC are network management protocols used to manage resources in a TCP/IP network environment. CMIP is the protocol used in ISO networks. Both protocols specify ASN.1 as the language used to encode and decode object request and response messages.

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Note – When you install Solstice EM, you are asked if you want support for IP management, CMIP management, or both. The choice you make depends on the types of devices on your network, and the network management protocols they support. See Chapter 8 Gathering Attribute Data" for more information about network management protocols.

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1.4.4.1 More About RPC

Solstice EM includes a suite of agents developed for the SunNet/Site/Domain Manager (SNM) platform. These agents communicate with Solstice EM using RPC protocols, and are included primarily to provide a migration path from SNM installations to Solstice EM.

In addition to migrating to Solstice EM, however, SNM agents communicating over RPC can be a useful part of your network management strategy. Specifically, SNM agents can act as proxies for communicating via older protocols. See the Customizing Guide for more information about working with RPC and SNM.

1.4.4.2 More About MIBs

Part of the SNMP protocol includes attribute definition files called Management Information Base (MIBs). MIBs define:

• Attributes or types of data that can be supplied by an agent to a manager
• Actions performed by an agent that can be requested by a manager
• Behavior exhibited by the agent
• Notifications--unsolicited information--the agent can send to a manager

The ISO standards organization defines a MIB in ISO/IEC 7948-4 as follows:
"The conceptual repository of management information within an open system." A network management package normally contains management information describing each type of agent the manager is capable of managing. This information typically includes Internet MIB definitions and ISO GDMP definitions for managed objects and agents. An agent typically presents or contains management information for one type of device, although this information can include descriptions and data for several types of devices. See Appendix and Chapter 8" for more information about MIBs.

1.5 Solstice EM Application APIs

In addition to the network management tools shipped with Solstice EM, you can define your own tools and applications to work with Solstice EM through the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) included with Solstice EM.

If an application developer also provides access to a managed object type not previously known to the MIS, the MIS must be informed of the Managed Object Class through the use of GDMO ASN.1 documents.

The Solstice EM APIs provide a rich set of functions for the application programmer. The libraries, written in C++, contain the objects and methods necessary to communicate with the MIS and obtain information about the managed resources it controls. The APIs provide the following services:

• Initialization, including establishment of a distributed message passing interface to the MIS
• Event subscription
• Remote caching and cache control
• Local object cache management for applications
• Encoding and decoding of parameters into ASN.1
• Encoding and encapsulation of data into a format (message class) passed to the MIS

1.5.1 API Modules

The Solstice EM APIs consist of several different groupings or modules, as summarized in the following table. See the Solstice EM Developing C++ Applications Guide for detailed information about developing applications that interact with Solstice EM.

TABLE 1-2   Solstice EM API Modules

API Module	Description
High-level PMI (Programming Management Interface)	For most applications, all interaction with the MIS can be handled through the high-level protocol-independent functions of the PMI. These functions hide the encoding/decoding of ASN.1 values, and provide CMIS-like messages used in communication with the MIS and managed objects (through the MIS). It also provides for initialization and for event subscription and propagation.
Low-level PMI	Used to exchange messages between the Solstice EM MIS and client services using CMIS-like messages (M-GET, M-SET, M-CREATE, M-DELETE, M-EVENT-REPORT, M-CANCEL-GET, and M-ACTION).
Application-to-Application API	Allows applications to send messages to other Solstice EM applications through an emApplicationInstance object.
Grapher API	Allows developers to create graphical representations of data.
Nerve Center Interface (NCI) Library	A programmatic interface for controlling Nerve Center operation. The NCI library enables applications to create, edit, and launch Nerve Center requests.
Object Services API	Allows developers to access services provided by the Solstice EM MIS to implement intra-object behaviors or specialized behaviors.
Topology API	Allows developers to create applications for the Solstice EM environment without learning the details of the MIT topology naming tree.
Viewer API	Allows applications to communicate with the Solstice EM Network Views tool to control specific Network Views features. This allows developers to leverage Network Views functionality and integrate their applications with Network Views.

1.5.2 Application Development Support Tools

In addition to the API classes and methods described in the preceding table, Solstice EM includes the following application development support tools:

• Object Development Tools (ODT) - Provide a simple and automated framework developers can use to add and write behaviors for managed objects that reside in the MIS. See the Solstice EM Developing C++ Applications for detailed information.
• Compilers - Required by developers and, in some cases, system administrators. The compilers provide a means by which you add new managed object definitions to the MIS. Solstice EM includes the following compilers:
  
  
  • ASN.1 (em_asn1) - Compile descriptions of managed objects into the MDR. These descriptions are provided as ASN.1 documents.
    
  • GDMO (em_gdmo) - Compile new GDMO object descriptions and then add them to the MDR.
    
  • Concise MIB (em_cmib2gdmo) - Convert object descriptions written in Concise MIB format to GDMO for use in Solstice EM.
    
  • Schema (em_snm2gdmo) - Convert object descriptions written in SunNet Manager schema format to GDMO for use in Solstice EM.
• em_debug - Solstice EM includes a dynamic debugging function that helps you track information going in to and out of the MIS.

1.6 Related Reading

Depending on what you want to do in Solstice EM, one or more of the following Solstice EM manuals may interest you:

• Installation Guide - Complete instructions on installing all Solstice EM components and utilities, including agent software.
• Customizing Guide - Detailed information about advanced Solstice EM configuration and customization.
• Management Information Server (MIS) Guide - Advanced information about MIS servers.
• Developing C++ Applications - Information for developers writing custom applications that can be integrated with Solstice EM.
• CORBA Gateway Administration Guide - Information on installing, configuring and using the SEM CORBA ToolKit to build and package the SEM CORBA Gateways.
• Troubleshooting Guide - Solutions to problems you may have with Solstice EM and explanations of error messages you may encounter while using Solstice EM
• Glossary - A glossary of network management terms as they relate to Solstice EM

1.7 Solstice EM Tools--Complete Listings

The remainder of this chapter is a quick-reference table that briefly describes all of the Solstice EM network management tools, along with pointers to the books in which you can find more detailed information.

Refer to the preceding sections in this chapter for information about general Solstice EM network management concepts, and explanations of how the major Solstice EM tools work together.

The following table lists the Solstice EM tools, sorted by binary name. All tools listed here are located by default in /opt/SUNWconn/em/bin ($EMHOME/bin) directory.

TABLE 1-3   Solstice EM Tools - Complete List, Sorted by Binary Name 

Binary Name	Tool Name	Description	More Information
build_oid	Build Object IDs	SunNet Manager (SNM) SNMP utility; creates an Object ID Database (/var/usr/SUNWconn/snm/oid.dbase.	Customizing Guide
build_tt	Build Textual Convention Types	Builds the textual convention types database; used by the mib2schema utility to look for new IMPORT definitions local to a MIB.	Developing C++ Applications
create_admin	Create EM Administrator	Internal utility to create an EM administrator accounts. EM administrators are accounts other than root that can run em_services to start and stop EM MIS services.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
db_services	Initialize Database Services	Initializes MIS database services; usually run as part of the em_services command.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em	Network Tools	Primary EM tools window; EM and custom network tools can be started, added, and removed from this window.	This Guide
em_accesscmd	Access Control - command line interface	Command-line Access Control tool; lets you manage user access to EM tools and objects.	This Guide
em_accessmgr	Access Control - graphical interface	Graphical Access Control tool.	This Guide
em_add_db_server	Add Database Server	Lets you specify an MIS database server to use instead of or in addition to the default.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_admintool	Administration	Access advanced administration functions; for example, MIS connections and parameters, database backup and restore, request template designer, etc.	Customizing Guide
em_alarmmgr	Alarms	View and manage object alarms.	This Guide
em_asn1	ASN.1 Compiler	ASN.1 object compiler.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_autod	Automatic Management Daemon	Automatic management daemon; monitors creation and deletion of MIS objects; starts and stops requests when objects are added and deleted.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_autoexd	Database Table Extender	MIS daemon that automatically extends database tables when they get full.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_automgr	Request Controllers	Automatic management configuration tool; used in conjunction with em_autod.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_auxdb	MIS External Database Access daemon	Internal daemon acting as a co-processor for the em_mis process to set up database access control permissions on user exposed tables.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_clear_alarms	Clear Alarms - command line interface	Command-line utility for clearing alarms against a specified range of toponodes.	This Guide
em_cmib2gdmo	Concise MIB Compiler	Converts MIB files in Concise MIB format to GDMO and ASN.1 formats.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_cmip	CMIP Management Protocol Adapter	Implements CMIP MPA functions; starts during product installation.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_cmipautoreg	CMIP Autoregistration	Automatically registers CMIP agents in the MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_compose_all	Compose/Load GDMO Bindings	Compose and load all name bindings from a GDMO file.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_compose_oc	Instantiate Volatile Class	Instantiates a new MIS object class with volatile data storage.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_compose_poc	Instantiate Persistent Class	Instantiate a new MIS object class with persistent data storage.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_datacollector	Data Collections	Create and manage data collection entry objects, and display data gathered from requests.	This Guide
em_datad	Data Collection Daemon	Daemon used in conjunction with em_datacollector.	This Guide
em_dataviewer	RPC/CMIP Data	View and manage RPC, CMIP, and SNM managed objects.
em_db_abort	Abort Database	Script to abort an Informix database on the specified MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_db_create	Create Database	Script to create a new Informix database on the specified MIS	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_db_drop	Drop Database Tables	Script to drop log or non-log tables from an Informix database on the specified MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_db_start	Start Database Server	Script to start a database server on the specified MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_db_stop	Stop Database Server	Script to stop the database server on the specified MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_dbarchive	Database Backup/Restore	Graphical administration tool for backing up and restoring MIS databases.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_dbbackup	Database Backup - command-line interface	Command-line interface for MIS database backup.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_dbrestore	Database Restore - command-line interface	Command-line interface for MIS database restore.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_debug	EM Debugging Tool	Command-line debugging tool that supports the EM remote dynamic debugging feature.	Cooperative Consoles Administration Guide
em_discover	Network Discovery	Discover components on your network and update the MIS database.	This Guide
em_eds	Event Distribution System	Distributes events from event sources to event listeners.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_gdmo	GDMO Compiler	GDMO compiler; lets you extend EM capabilities with new GDMO object class descriptions.	Customizing Guide
em_grapher	Grapher	Create graphs from alarm and agent data.	This Guide
em_help	Help	EM help system.	Online Help
em_imex	Log File Import/Export	Import and export log objects from and to ASCII files.	This Guide
em_java2gdmo	Java GDMO Compiler	Compile Java classes in GDMO format.	Customizing Guide
em_jdmk_config	Configure Java Agents	Configure EM to work with Java-based agents.	Customizing Guide
em_jdmkfwd	Forward Java Events	Forwards Java events to the EM MIS for processing.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_layout	Network Views Layout	Define how object views are laid out in Network Views; commonly invoked from Network Views.	This Guide
em_load_name_bindings	Load Name Bindings	Loads object name bindings; allows the MIS to resolve MIT object names.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_load_nc_templates	Load Nerve Center Templates	Script that invokes the em_ncimport -file command; loads EM Nerve Center templates.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_loaddefs	Load Object Definitions	Load MIB, GDMO, and SunNet Manager schema files into the MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_log	Initialize Log Server	Initializes log server MPA functions.	Customizing Guide
em_log2hist	Save Log Entries	Saves logs in history files.	This Guide
em_log2rdb.ifmx	Transfer Log Histories Daemon - Informix	Daemon that reads and transfers log histories to an Informix database.	This Guide
em_log2rdb.orcl	Transfer Log Histories Daemon - Oracle	Daemon that reads and transfers log histories to an Oracle database.	This Guide
em_log2rdb.sybs	Transfer Log Histories Daemon - Sybase	Daemon that reads and transfers log histories to an Sybase database.	This Guide
em_login	Login Daemon	Listens for EM connection requests for password authentication.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_logmgr	Event Logs	Create, modify, and delete log objects.	This Guide
em_logview	View Logs	View logs and log objects.	This Guide
em_mis	MIS Services Core	Primary EM services; commonly invoked from the em_services command.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_mismgr	MIS Manager	Manage MIS parameters and connections.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_mpa_jdmk	Initialize JDMK MPA functions.	Initializes JDMK MPA functions on the MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_mpa_rpc	Initialize RPC MPA functions.	Initializes RPC MPA functions on the MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_mpa_snmp	Initialize SNMP MPA functions.	Initializes SNMP MPA functions on the MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_ncam	Nerve Center Daemon	Daemon that handles nerve center actions, such as sending email or executing UNIX commands.	Customizing Guide
em_ncexport	Nerve Center Export	Export Nerve Center templates to an ASCII file.	Customizing Guide
em_ncimport	Nerve Center Import	Import Nerve Center templates that have been previously exported with em_ncexport.	Customizing Guide
em_nnadd	Global Nickname Service Addition	Enable a global nickname server on the MIS; generally started with em_services.	Developing C++ Applications
em_nnconfig	Global Nickname Configuration	Populate the global nickname translation server.	Developing C++ Applications
em_nnmpa	Global Nickname Service Daemon	Starts the global nickname translation server.	Developing C++ Applications
em_ns_server	Debug Nickname Services	Debug global nickname translation services.	Developing C++ Applications
em_obcodegen	Object Code Generator	Used to generate object behavior code from GDMO and ASN.1 definitions.	Developing C++ Applications
em_obed	Object Editor	View and edit objects in the MIT; see also em_oct.	Customizing Guide
em_objop	Object Operations Utility	Command-line utility for sending CREATE, SET, DERIVE, and DELETE requests; primarily used by init_platform to create and modify MIS objects at MIS startup.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_oct	Network Views Object Configuration Tool	View, modify, and create managed objects; commonly run from a Network Views window; see also em_obed.	This Guide
em_panel	Network Tools	Starting point for EM general network management applications; usually invoked with the em command or em -host hostname	This Guide
em_purged	Alarm Deletion Daemon	Periodically deletes alarms based on severity, stat, time, etc.	This Guide
em_purgemgr	Alarm Deletion Controller	Sets up conditions for em_purged to delete alarms.	This Guide
em_reqedit	Request Template Designer	View, modify, create, and delete Nerve Center request templates.	Customizing Guide
em_restart	Restart MIS Services	Restart MIS services.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_services	Initiate MIS Services	Initiate MIS services; starts the MIS server and several related daemons.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_simplerequests	Network Views Basic Requests	View, modify, and create simple MIS request templates; generally invoked from Network Views.	This Guide
em_snm2gdmo	SNM Schema to GDMO Compiler	Convert SNM schema files to GDMO descriptions.	Customizing Guide
em_snm_type_import	Import SNM Object Types	Import SNM object types into the EM environment.	Customizing Guide
em_snmdb_import	Import SNM Topology	Imports SNM topology databases into an EM MIS.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_snmfwd	Forward SNM Events	Forwards SNM events to the EM MIS for processing.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_snmp-trap	Listen for SNMP Traps Daemon	Daemon that listens on port 162 for SNMP traps.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_snmpbrowser	SNMP Data	Get, set, view, and modify SNMP agent attributes.	This Guide
em_sql	Log In to SQL Database	Login process for SQL databases.	Customizing Guide
em_srm	Simple Request System daemon	Internal Simple Request system daemon; dispatches simple requests on behalf of the user.	Customizing Guide
em_startup	Start MIS Server	Start the MIS server; usually invoked as part the em_services command.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_topo_args	Modify Toponodes	Command-line interface for modifying topoNode objects.	Customizing Guide
em_topoimex	Topology Import/Export	Import or export MIT topology information.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
em_topoimex_BC	Convert Legacy Topology Information	Converts topology information from prior versions of EM.	Customizing Guide
em_trapd	Initialize Topology Services	Initializes topology services on the MIS; commonly invoked as part of em_services.	Customizing Guide
em_viewer	Network Views	View, organize, modify, and create managed objects.	This Guide
emenv.csh	Environment Configuration - C Shell	Source this file to configure EM environment variables, such as $EMHOME, license server, etc.; C Shell environment only.	This Guide
emenv.sh	Environment Configuration - Korn/Bourne Shell	Source this file to configure EM environment variables, such as $EMHOME, license server, etc.; Korn or Bourne shell.	This Guide
get_local_host	Find Local MIS Host	Display the name of the current local MIS host.	Customizing Guide
hyperhelp	Help Viewer	Bristol HyperHelpTM Viewer; EM online help is in HyperHelp format.	This Guide
jme_jre	JME Services helper script	Helper script for jme_services; do not invoke directly.	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
jme_services	JME Services	Start and stop EM Java daemons	Management Information Server (MIS) Guide
mib2schema	SNMP MIB to SNM Schema compiler	Convert SNMP MIB files to SNM scheme format.	Customizing Guide
snm_br	Results Browser	List RPC, CMIP, or SNMP data collected with the Data Collections tool.	Customizing Guide
snm_cmd	Manage SNM Agents - command-line interface	Command- line manager for Site/SunNet/Domain Manager agents.	Customizing Guide
snm_cmdtool	Run Command from SNM Session	Run an UNIX command from an SNM session.	Customizing Guide
snm_exec	Execute command via EVAL from SNM	Uses the Bourne shell's eval to execute an UNIX command from an SNM session.	Customizing Guide
snm_gr	Grapher	Display and graph SNM data.	Customizing Guide
snm_kill	Stop SNM Agent Requests	Stop one or more SNM agent requests.	Customizing Guide
snm_version	SNM Version Information	Displays information about the current version of SunNet Site/Domain Manager software.
v2mib2schema	SNMP2 MIB to Schema Compiler	Convert SNMP2 MIBs to SNM schema format.	Customizing Guide
var-install	Install EM Packages on Remote	Install EM packages on another machine.	Installation Guide
var-obj-install	Install EM object Definitions	Install EM object definitions.	Customizing Guide