Back-end decoupled management model and management system utilizing same

• US 6,871,346 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2000
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Quentin S., Kumbalimutt, Vishwajith, Pfenning, Jorg-Thomas, Guittet, Michel, Paul, Todd L.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Syed J
• Application Number:
  US09/502,689
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 717106-109, 717114-116, 717/120, 717/121, 718/100, 718/104, 707/3, 707/9, 707/10, 707/100, 707/102, 704/100, 704/104
• US Class Current: 718/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

Presented is a web-based enterprise management compliant management framework whose back end components are decoupled from the various user interfaces available for accessing the management system. In the Windows environment, the management system of the instant invention is also compliant with the Windows management instrumentation (WMI) requirements. This management system includes WMI providers which implement standard interfaces which decouple all semantic and syntactic checks from the user interface and which provide common error strings, help, etc. to a user regardless of the user interface being used. The providers of the management system of the instant invention store and access data in the active directory. As such, these providers present a customizable user interface which may be based on a user'"'"'s expertise level and which may be dynamically localized to the user'"'"'s preferred language. Transaction support is also provided which prevents multiple users from changing the same attributes at the same time through different user interfaces.

Claims

1. A management model for managing at least resources and tasks in a computerized enterprise system, comprising:

a user interface;

a common information model object manager (CIMOM) exposing a first plurality of standard interfaces, said CIMOM in communication with said user interface through one of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

at least one provider decoupled from said user interface and communicating with said CIMOM via another of said first plurality of standard interfaces, said provider exposing a second standard interface to allow management of the enterprise system resources and tasks at the provider level;

wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider includes command methods for getting and setting attribute values; and

wherein said at least one provider performs syntax and semantic checks on inputs received from a user via said user interface and passed via said CIMOM.

2. The model of claim 1, wherein said user interface performs essentially no syntax and semantic checks of said inputs.

3. The model of claim 1, wherein said command methods for getting and setting attribute values are exposed for only particular attributes of said system resources and tasks based on privileges contained in a user profile.

4. The model of claim 1, wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider includes a command method for getting help strings.

5. The model of claim 1, further comprising an active directory (AD) containing system resource information.

6. The model of claim 5, wherein system resource information includes at least one user profile.

7. The model of claim 1, wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider includes command methods for saving and restoring configuration data.

8. The model of claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a command line interface (CLI).

9. The model of claim 1, wherein said user inter face comprises a Web browser.

10. The model of claim 1, wherein said first plurality of standard interfaces exposed by said CIMOM are COM interfaces.

11. A management model for managing at least resources and tasks in a computerized enterprise system, comprising:

a user interface;

a common information model object manager (CIMOM) exposing a first plurality of standard interfaces, said CIMOM in communication with said user interface through one of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

at least one provider decoupled from said user interface and communicating with said CIMOM via another of said first plurality of standard interfaces, said provider exposing a second standard interface to allow management of the enterprise system resources and tasks at the provider level;

an active directory (AD) containing system resource information, wherein system resource information includes at least one user profile;

wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider includes a command method for getting help strings; and

wherein said command method for getting help strings are exposed based on an expertise level contained in a user profile.

12. A management model for managing at least resources and tasks in a computerized enterprise system, comprising:

a user interface comprising a Web browser;

a common information model object manager (CIMOM) exposing a first plurality of standard interfaces, said CIMOM in communication with said user interface through one of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

at least one provider decoupled from said user interface and communicating with said CIMOM via another of said first plurality of standard interfaces, said provider exposing a second standard interface to allow management of the enterprise system resources and tasks at the provider level;

wherein said provider dynamically localizes a language of said user interface based on a sensed language preference of said Web browser.

13. The model of claim 12, wherein said provider dynamically localizes a language of said user interface based on settings in a user profile.

14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a user interface component for providing information to and receiving data and commands from a user;

a common information model object manager (CIMOM) component for exposing a first plurality of standard interfaces, said CIMOM component communicating with said user interface through one of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

at least one provider component for exposing a second standard interface to allow management of enterprise system resources and tasks at the provider level, said provider component communicating with said CIMOM via another of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider component includes command methods for getting and setting attribute values; and

wherein said at least one provider component performs syntax and semantic checks on inputs received from said user interface component via said CIMOM component.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising a database component for storing at least a user profile, and wherein command methods for getting and setting attribute values are exposed for only particular attributes of said system resources and tasks based on privileges contained in said user profile.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider includes a command method for getting help strings.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising a directory component for storing system resource information.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider component includes command methods for saving and restoring configuration data.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein said first plurality of standard interfaces exposed by said CIMOM are COM interfaces.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a user interface component for providing information to and receiving data and commands from a user;

a common information model object manager (CIMOM) component for exposing a first plurality of standard interfaces, said CIMOM component communicating with said user interface through one of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

at least one provider component for exposing a second standard interface to allow management of enterprise system resources and tasks at the provider level, said provider component communicating with said CIMOM via another of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

a database component for storing at least a user profile;

a directory component for storing system resource information, wherein system resource information includes at least one user profile;

wherein said second standard interface exposed by said provider includes a command method for getting help strings; and

wherein said command method for getting help strings are exposed based on an expertise level contained in said user profile.

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, comprising:

a user interface component for providing information to and receiving data and commands from a user, wherein said user interface component comprises a Web browser component;

a common information model object manager (CIMOM) component for exposing a first plurality of standard interfaces, said CIMOM component communicating with said user interface through one of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

at least one provider component for exposing a second standard interface to allow management of enterprise system resources and tasks at the provider level, said provider component communicating with said CIMOM via another of said first plurality of standard interfaces;

wherein said provider component dynamically localizes a language of said user interface component based on a sensed language preference of said Web browser.

22. A computer-readable medium having a computer-executable management system provider component including computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

exposing a standard interface;

receiving information via the standard interface relating to management of at least one of an enterprise resource and a task;

performing syntax and semantic checks on the information;

wherein said computer-executable management system provider component further includes computer-executable instructions for performing the step of getting help strings;

wherein said computer-executable management system provider component further includes computer-executable instructions for performing the step of extracting user language preference information from an external component; and

wherein said step of getting help strings includes the step of dynamically localizing the help strings based on the user language preference information.

23. A computer-readable medium having a computer-executable management system provider component including computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

exposing a standard interface;

receiving information via the standard interface relating to management of at least one of an enterprise resource and a task;

performing syntax and semantic checks on the information;

wherein said computer-executable management system provider component further includes computer-executable instructions for performing the step of getting help strings;

wherein said computer-executable management system provider component further includes computer-executable instructions for performing the step of extracting user profile information from an external database; and

wherein said step of getting help strings is exposed based on the user profile.

24. A method of exposing an element of an enterprise system to be managed, comprising the steps of:

defining at least one user interface component to expose and allow access to the element on a user interface;

implementing at least one provider for the element, said provider providing a class definition and generating instances of the class to which the element belongs, said provider further providing a standard interface to allow management of the element via the at least one user interface;

wherein said user interface component is a Web user interface, and wherein the step of defining at least one user interface component to expose and allow access to the element on a user interface comprises the steps of;

defining Web elements that add links to the managed elements in a Web UI framework; and

implementing ASP scripts that implement the at least one provider; and

wherein the step of implementing ASP scripts comprises the step of localizing a language of the ASP scripts based on a sensed language preference of said Web user interface.