Introduction to Host Integration Server Administration with WMI
This section of the Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000 Developer's Guide provides information required to develop applications using the Microsoft® Windows® Management Instrumentation (WMI) to configure, manage, monitor status, and collect performance information about Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000.
The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) technology is an implementation of the Desktop Management Task Force's (DMTF) Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) initiative for Microsoft Windows platforms that extends the Common Information Model (CIM) to represent management objects in Windows management environments. The Common Information Model, also a DMTF standard, is an extensible data model for logically organizing management objects in a consistent, unified manner in a managed environment.
Based on the Common Information Model, WBEM is a DMTF initiative and technology that provides a standardized way to access management information in an enterprise environment. With WBEM, developers can create tools and technologies that reduce the complexity and costs of enterprise management. By providing such standards, WBEM contributes to the industry-wide efforts to lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). TCO refers to the administrative costs associated with computer hardware and software purchases, deployment and configuration, hardware and software updates, training, maintenance, and technical support.
WBEM provides a point of integration through which data from management sources can be accessed, and it complements and extends existing management protocols and instrumentation such as Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Desktop Management Interface (DMI), and Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP).
The WBEM initiative results from the cooperative efforts of BMC Software Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp., as well as many other companies active in the DMTF.
The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) technology, Microsoft's implementation of WBEM, is a management infrastructure that supports the syntax of CIM, the Managed Object Format (MOF), and a common programming interface. The Managed Object Format is used to define the structure and contents of the CIM schema in human and machine-readable form. Windows Management Instrumentation offers a powerful set of services, including query-based information retrieval and event notification. These services and the management data are accessed through a Component Object Model (COM) programming interface. The WMI scripting interface also provides scripting support.
The WMI technology when used with Host Integration Server 2000 provides:
- Access to monitor, command, and control Host Integration Server 2000 through a common, unifying set of interfaces, regardless of the underlying instrumentation mechanism. WMI is an access mechanism.
- A consistent model of Host Integration Server 2000 operation, configuration, and status.
- A COM Application Programming Interface (API) that supplies a single point of access for all management information.
- Interoperability with other Windows 2000 management services. This approach can simplify the process of creating integrated, well-designed management solutions.
- A flexible, extensible architecture. Developers can extend the information model to cover new devices and applications by writing code modules called WMI providers.
- Extensions to the Windows Driver Model (WDM) to capture instrumentation data and events from Host Integration Server 2000 device drivers and kernel side components.
- A powerful event architecture. This allows management information changes to be identified, aggregated, compared, and associated with other management information. These changes can also be forwarded to local or remote management applications.
- A rich query language that enables detailed queries of the information model.
- A scriptable API which developers can use to create management applications. The scripting API supports several languages, including Microsoft® Visual Basic®; Visual Basic for Applications; Visual Basic, Scripting Edition (VBScript); Microsoft® JScript® development software. Additionally, you can use the Windows Script Host or Microsoft Internet Explorer to write scripts utilizing this interface. Windows Script Host, like Internet Explorer, serves as a controller engine of ActiveX Scripting engines. Windows Script Host supports scripts written in VBScript, and JScript.
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is the name given to Microsoft's implementation of WBEM. On Microsoft Windows 2000, WMI is the standard way to expose management functions to application programmers.
Administration and management applications used in a Host Integration Server 2000 environment can be developed using several different development tools and application programming interfaces including:
- C or C++ applications that use WMI COM APIs.
- C or C++ applications that use ODBC to access WMI.
- Microsoft Visual Basic® applications that use ActiveX® Data Objects (ADO) to access WMI.
- Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications to access WMI.
In addition, administration and management applications can be developed using several different scripting tools and application programming interfaces including:
- Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript).
- Microsoft JScript®.
- VBScript or JScript written as Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) running in conjunction with Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and web-based clients.
- WMI Query Language (WQL) applications.
- Windows Host Script (WSH) scripts that access WMI.
Additionally, you can also use any scripting language implementation that supports Microsoft's ActiveScripting technologies with this API such as a Perl scripting engine.
The WMI Query Language is a subset of standard SQL designed specifically to access management information using WMI.
To use this guide effectively, you should be familiar with:
- Microsoft Host Integration Server 2000
- SNA concepts
- Microsoft Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
- One of the following operating environments:
- Microsoft Windows 2000
- Microsoft Windows NT®
- Microsoft Windows XP
- Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
- Microsoft Windows 98
- Microsoft Windows 98
- Microsoft Windows 95
Depending on the application programming interface and development tools used, you should be familiar with:
- WMI COM/DCOM APIs
- WMI Query Language
- WMI schema and MOF file syntax
- Microsoft Windows Script Host
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications
- Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition
- Microsoft JScript
- Microsoft ODBC
- Microsoft ADO
- Microsoft Active Server Pages
For more information about WMI, see Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) in the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN®) Platform Software Development Kit.