Desktop management of host applications

• US 5,680,615 A
• Filed: 11/04/1994
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stuart, Anthony Franke, Knudson, Raymond Lowell, Hughes, Edward Thomas III, Marlin, James Warden, Ruehle, Thomas Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US08/334,584
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/650, 395/700, 395/800, 364/200, 364/900
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements

Abstract

A communication medium and method enabling the identification of manageable data produced on mainframe equipment, so that the data can be established in a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) database. In that manner, management applications residing on desktop equipment connected to the DMI nodes can manage a complex process which includes mainframe equipment. The medium is a "tag" comprising a structured field which is sent from the mainframe to a desktop machine containing a server agent for generating DMI commands from the tag to address the database. In one embodiment, an exit agent is provided to split tags out of a mainframe generated datastream and send them to the server agent. The technique is extended to include desktop nodes so that tags can be produced and sent to the server agent for the generation of DMI commands.

Claims

1. A method of managing host applications by a management application wherein said host applications reside at a first node on a network and said management application resides at a second node, comprising:

providing a DMI node on said network with an object oriented database accessed through a Desktop Management Interface (DMI);

establishing a format comprising a tag structured field;

utilizing said tag structured field to indicate manageable records in the host data stream generated by said host application;

providing an exit agent at said host to split said tag structured field from said host data stream;

sending said tag structured field from said exit agent to said DMI node; and

providing a tag server at said DMI node to parse said tag structured field and prepare DMI commands to address said data base, wherein said manageable records sent with said tag structured field are stored into said database for access by said management application.

2. A method enabling the communication of data from a first data processing node on a network to a second data processing node on said network for storing communicated data in a database of manageable data at said second node, said method utilizing a format for data to be communicated comprising a Tag Logical Element (TLE or tag) record, and wherein said second data processing node is provided with a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) and with said database, said database organized according to DMI format with component and attribute data and accessed through said DMI with DMI commands, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a procedure at said first data processing node for establishing component and attribute data in said TLE record and sending said TLE record over said network to said second data processing node; and

providing a server procedure at said second data processing node for receiving said TLE record, parsing said record and developing DMI command data blocks from the TLE record in order to address said database through said DMI.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said procedure at said first data processing node includes the steps of:

locating a TLE record in a datastream generated at said first data processing node; and

splitting said TLE record out of said datastream generated at said first data processing node at the exit of said datastream from said first data processing node in order to send said TLE record to said second data processing node.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the procedure at said first data processing node includes the steps of:

determining whether the TLE record is a new dataset, if it is, setting attribute value fields before sending said TLE record to said server procedure.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said procedure at said first data processing node includes a utility procedure with the capability of receiving a control file prepared in human language, said method including the steps of:

receiving a user prepared control file;

parsing said control file; and

building a TLE record.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said procedure at said first data processing node is an application program interface (API) with the capability of performing the following steps:

receiving an application program designated parameters for said database;

parsing the parameters received from said application program; and

building a TLE record.

7. A system enabling the communication of data from a first data processing node on a network to a second data processing node on said network for storing communicated data in a database of manageable data at said second node, said system utilizing a format for data to be communicated comprising a Tag Logical Element (TLE or tag) record, and wherein said second data processing node is provided with a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) and with said database, said database organized according to DMI format with component and attribute data and accessed through said DMI with DMI commands, said system comprising:

at said first data processing node, TLE means for establishing component and attribute data in said TLE record and means for sending said TLE record over said network to said second data processing node; and

at said second data processing node, means for receiving said TLE record, parsing said record and developing DMI command data blocks from the TLE record in order to address said database through said DMI.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said means for establishing further includes:

means for locating a TLE record in a datastream generated at said first data processing node; and

means for splitting said TLE record out of said datastream generated at said first data processing node at the exit of said datastream from said first data processing node in order to send said TLE record to said second data processing node.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said means for establishing further includes:

means for determining whether the TLE record is a new dataset, if it is, means for setting attribute value fields before sending said TLE record to said means for receiving said TLE record.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said means for establishing includes utility means with the capability of receiving a control file prepared in human language, said utility means including:

means for receiving a user prepared control file;

means for parsing said control file; and

means for building a TLE record.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said means for establishing includes an application program interface (API) which includes:

means for receiving an application program designated parameters for said database;

means for parsing the parameters received from said application program; and

means for building a TLE record.

12. A system for managing host (mainframe) applications by a management application where the host application resides at a first node on a network, the management application resides at any other node in the network including a node with desktop computing equipment and wherein a second node (DMI node) on the network is provided with a Desktop Management Interface (DMI) with an object-oriented database which is accessed through said DMI for storing data in the DMI format with components and attributes, and wherein a Tag Logical Element (TLE) record is placed in the datastream of said host and is utilized for communicating data from said host application to said DMI, said system comprising:

means for splitting said TLE from said datastream;

means for sending said TLE to said DMI node;

at said DMI node, means for parsing said TLE to prepare DMI commands to address said database; and

means for passing said DMI, wherein data sent with said TLE is stored into said database for access by said management application commands to said DMI.