Common Information Model

The Common Information Model (CIM) is an approach to managing systems and networks. CIM provides a common conceptual framework to classify and define the parts of a networked environment and depict how they integrate. The model captures notions that are applicable to all areas of management, independent of technology implementation.

CIM Terminology

The Common Information Model uses a set of terminology specific to the model and the principles of object-oriented programming. For information about CIM terminology and descriptions of what the terms represent, see Appendix A, Common Information Model (CIM) Terms and Concepts. See the Glossary for an expanded list of terms that have a specialized meaning in CIM.

CIM Structure

The Common Information Model categorizes information from general to specific. Specific information, such as a representation of the Solaris environment, extends the model. CIM consists of the following three layers of information:

• Core Model – A subset of CIM not specific to any platform.

• Common Model – Information model that visually depicts concepts, functionality, and representations of entities related to specific areas of network management, such as systems, devices, and applications.

• Extensions – Information models that support the CIM Schema and represent a very specific platform, protocol, or corporate brand.

Collectively, the Core Model and the Common Model are referred to as the CIM Schema.

The Core Model

The Core Model provides the underlying, general assumptions of the managed environment—for example, that specific, requested data must be contained in a location and distributed to requesting applications or users. These assumptions are conveyed as a set of classes and associations that conceptually form the basis of the managed environment. The Core Model is meant to introduce uniformity across schemas intended to represent specific aspects of the managed environment.

For applications developers, the Core Model provides a set of classes, associations, and properties that can be used as a starting point to describe managed systems and determine how to extend the Common Model. The Core Model establishes a conceptual framework for modeling the rest of the managed environment.

The Core Model provides classes and associations to extend specific information about systems, applications, networks, devices, and other network features through the Common Model and extensions. For information about the system aspects of the Core Model and related classes and associations, see Appendix A, Common Information Model (CIM) Terms and Concepts.

The Common Model

Areas of network management depicted in the Common Model are independent of a specific technology or implementation but provide the basis for the development of management applications. This model provides a set of base classes for extension into the area of five designated technology-specific schemas: Systems, Devices, Applications, Networks, and Physical.

CIM Extensions

Extension schemas are built into CIM to connect specific technologies into the model. By extending CIM, a specific operating environment such as Solaris can be made available to a greater number of users and administrators. Extension schemas provide classes for software developers to build applications that manage and administer the extended technology.