Understanding Smi-S, Cim, And Mof; Managing Sans With Smi-S - Dell PowerVault ML6000 Reference Manual

Understanding SMI-S, CIM, and MOF

The ML6000 library supports the industry standard SMI-S application programming interface (API)
described in the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S) version 1.2.
SMI-S is a standard management interface that facilitates the management of multi-vendor devices in a
storage area networks (SANs) environment. SMI-S uses an object-oriented model based on the Common
Information Model (CIM) and Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) standards to define a set of
objects and services that can manage the various elements of a SAN. By using a standardized architecture,
SMI-S helps management application developers create common and extensible applications that work
across multiple SAN vendor products.
The SMI-S server provides a hosting environment for plug-in instrumentation of host-based resources and
management proxies for resources with remote management protocols. The general purpose of the SMI-S
server is as follows:
• Implements Service Location Protocol (SLP) service agent functionality
• Implements CIM-server functionality as specified by the CIM-XML standard
• Supports the simple authentication scheme
• Supports Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) CIM schema version 2.10

Managing SANs With SMI-S

SANs are becoming more and more common in multi-vendor network environments. SANs integrate host
applications, fabric elements (such as switches and directors), and data storage devices from different
vendors to create an interoperable storage network. Managing these elements from different vendors can
be very challenging to network administrators, because each element has its own management interface,
which may be proprietary. Network administrators must work with these disparate management APIs to
build a cohesive management application that controls and monitors the SAN.
SMI-S addresses this management problem by creating a suite of flexible, open management API
standards based on the vendor- and technology-independent CIM. Using the SMI-S APIs collected in
profiles of common management classes, network administrators can create an interoperable management
application, or CIM client, to control and monitor the disparate SAN elements that support SMI-S and CIM.
With CIM servers either embedded within the SAN elements or supported by a proxy CIM server, these
elements are accessible to the network administrator's CIM client application.
SMI-S uses SLP version 2 (RFC 2608) to discover CIM servers. After the CIM servers are identified, the
CIM client uses a standard Server profile to determine which element-specific profiles are supported by the
CIM servers. All SMI-S based CIM servers must have a Server profile.
Dell PowerVault ML6000 SMI-S Reference Guide 3