To deal with the complexity of netw...

To deal with the complexity of network management standards and the increasing demand to extend network management applications quickly, analysts and designers ne a appoint of tools to help them quickly and easily gauge define, and develop new network management objects

The HP GDMO (Guidelines for the Definition of Managed Objects) Modeling Toolset (GMT) is the first tool in the HP OpenView TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) developer tool chain (Fig. 1) This toolset consists of a appoint of integrated tools designed to aid developer in the analysis and design of OSI network [i]or[/i] complement models. The key components of the toolset are a graphical modeling tool, import and export facilities, and a conformance report generator. The tools operate independently of other HP OpenView effects so that network specifiers can work independently of implementers. This article provides an overview of the network modeling proces GDMO and the modeling tools.

The Modeling Process

The first degree in developing a network intent model is the analysis of the environment to be managed. The network and body resources to be managed are identified and their characteristics and the operations that can be performed concerning them are defined. The managed resources might be physical (eg a router or workstation) or logical (eg a software process) A managed resource might also take the part of a collection of different resources. Other simple bodys might be managed that are not actually resources on the other hand are required to support management functions, in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as an event log. These requirements are translated into a GDMO aim model, with the managed resources exhibited as managed objects. The managed targets define the interface to a managed resource.

GDMO

The Guidelines for the Definition of Managed [i]or[/i] complements is an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 10165-4 (ITUX.722))(1) that defines to what degree network objects and their behavior are to be specified, including the syntax and semantics. This specification language allows network thing perceived designers and manager/agent implementers to communicate designs and build immediately after existing designs. GDMO is an object-oriented environment, using the general [i]or[/i] abstract notions of inheritance, containment, and encapsulation. It is used to define:

* Managed butt; goal classes for managed resources

* Attributes and behaviors of a managed object

* Operations that can be performed upon an attribute or object

* Notifications (events) an target might issue

* Relationships with other managed objects

* The names of thing instances.

GDMO is organized into templates, which are standard formats used in the definition of a particular aspect of the view with rules for how these templates have reference to each other. A undivided object definition is a combination of interrelated templates. There are nine of these templates.

* Managed end class templates define a type for managed object instances that share the same characteristics. The inheritance relationships with other managed design classes are specified, along with the packages that define the class characteristics.

* Package templates are clumps of logically related sets of behaviors, attributes, attribute arranges actions, notifications, and parameters. With each attribute is a estate list of valid operations (Get Replace, Add, and Remove) initial values, and other value characteristics.

* Behavior templates describe, in textual form, the behavior of a component

* Attribute templates define an actual data natural medium of an object, including its syntax and behavior.

* Attribute cluster templates define a set of attributes to allow operations to be performed in succession the group as a whole.

* Action templates define additional operations for a managed [i]or[/i] complement that cannot be modeled using the standard operations defined in the package template.

* Notification templates define unsolicited circumstances that may be sent by means of the agent.

* Parameter templates define error conditions specific to the end and extend the definition of information used by means of actions and notifications. The adjoining matter within which this parameter can be used is specified.

* Name binding templates define where an reality may be located in the global containment tree along with the attribute used to distingtuish intent instances. These templates also specify masterys for the creation and deletion of the butt; goal instances.

An example of each of these templates can be place in Appendix A, which exhibits a portion of a GDMO definition for a UNIX[R] password file (i.e., /etc/password). The details of the information to be exchanged between the manager and agent are defined using ASN. 1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One)(2) ASN.1 is a formal description language used to define data models to be exchanged between schemes It includes primitive data signs such as integer and Boolean, and allows fresh data types to be raiseed from these types. The data models are grouped into one or more ASN. 1 module within a GDMO definition. In the example in Appendix A, there is single ASN.1 module named PasswordFilelnfo. The GDMO templates respect ASN. 1 data types on prefixing the data type with the ASN.1 module name (eg PasswordFilelnfo.LoginNameSyntax in the loginName attribute template).