Tools
Tool Types
There are three types of tools supported in the SCM environment:
Web tools X WindowTM tools, and command line tools.
Web tools |
Web tools
must reside on a Web server. The Web server can be running on the CMS or
on a managed node. SCM launches the URL from a command line or from the graphical
user interface. When a Web tool is launched from the command line, SCM opens
a browser to display the tool. When a Web tool is launched from the SCM graphical
user interface, it is opened in the workspace or in a separate browser window. |
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X Window tools |
X Window tools
require that an X server is running. These tools can reside on the
CMS or on a managed node. When accessing SCM from a network client, you must
have X server software running on the network client to execute an X Window
tool. From the command line or the graphical user interface, SCM invokes
the X Window application using the command line and passes the location of
the X server by requesting the device for display from the user. |
Command line tools |
Command line
tools include applications, commands, and scripts. They can reside on the
CMS or on another managed node. They can be launched directly from the command
line or from the graphical user interface. |
Management Protocols and Applications
The basic supported management protocols
and applications are Distributed Task Facility
(DTF),
WBEM, and SNMP. Tools are not
limited to these protocols or applications, and they can even provide a custom
management protocol or application. If a particular tool requires the DTF
management application to be running, then the tool won't be able to run
on a system where the DTF agent software isn't installed.
Distributed Task Facility
The distributed task facility (DTF) improves
operator efficiency by replicating operations across the nodes or node groups
within the management domain using a single command. This reduces the load
on administrators in multi-system environments. X Window tools and command
line tools use the DTF to execute. The DTF supports:
The DTF connects the CMS to agent software running on each node in the cluster. This is shown in Distributed Task Facility
Figure DistributedTask Facility |
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The DTF communicates to the agent daemon what tasks need to be performed on the node. The agent then performs the tasks and returns the results to the DTF. The DTF consolidates the feedback it receives from all the agents.