The Common Information Model (CIM) is an industry-standard way of describing data about applications and devices so that administrators and software management programs can control applications and devices on different platforms in the same way, ensuring interoperability across a network such as the Internet. The CIM model specification for such devices is presently under development through the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF).

The CIM Object Manager (CIMOM) allows management of CIM objects on a Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM)-enabled system. A CIM object is a representation, or model, of a managed resource, such as a printer, disk drive, or CPU. In order for hardware devices to be managed using CIM, a management console application must communicate with a CIMOM server.

IBM® Mining Tool for CIM Test Simulation enables set-up of a local CIMOM server that simulates the exact class schema and data as if it were dealing with a remote CIMOM. This mining tool learns what is available by capturing this information through a mining method. Thus any CIM-based device management application could be simulated for purposes of data query testing and doing so locally at very high speeds. As a result of mining beforehand, a software stack is created that is composed of the class schema definition, a localized simulation of a CIMOM server, and a locally-created repository for hardware configuration information.

The mining tool features the following attributes:

• Interoperability: The mining tool can set up a local server, which can return data to management application when there is any request.
• Intuitiveness: The local CIMOM, after mining and set-up, acts as a real CIMOM (CIM Object Manager). For example, the central component of the CIM server is then responsible for the communication between the CIM server components and a real device by giving responses to CIM client's requests according to the standard CIM-over-HTTP protocol, creating a repository for storing all the CIM class hierarchy and concrete CIM class instances, supporting create/delete/modify CIM instances, enumerating CIM instances, setting or getting instances properties and CIM class information, and reporting CIM exceptions.
• Flexibility: One can configure the tool to mine any existing CIMOM server for any device or server.

The package also includes a CIMOM server and a mining tool. It can run on any Java™-compatible system and has been tested on the Windows® platform.

How does it work?

This mining tool provides support for setting up a local test simulation server containing all classes and instance data copied from an actual CIMOM that is connected to real hardware devices. The following steps must be observed:

1. Use the mining tool to connect to the real CIMOM, which is connecting to real hardware, and mine all the class schema. These class schema will be converted and saved as Managed Object Format (MOF) files.
2. Start up a local CIMOM server (Pegasus is recommended for the CIMOM server).
3. Use the mining tool to compile all MOF files into the repository of the local CIMOM server.
4. Restart the local CIMOM server.
5. Use the mining tool to connect to the remote CIMOM, which is connecting to real hardware and as well as to the local CIMOM Server.
6. Mine all the instance data from the remote CIMOM and copy into the local CIMOM server.
7. Restart the local CIMOM server and connect applications to the local server in order to do any data query tests.

This tool was developed by a member of IBM Storage Configuration Manager (SCM) Shanghai team: Zhang Jun Wei, a software engineer who joined IBM STG in March 2005.