DMI Structure

The DMI is a local interface for single-system use, regardless of being a standalone desktop system or part of a network. The interface consists of the following parts:

• Service Layer (SL): A local program that collects and manages product information in the MIF database. The Service Layer distributes requested information to management applications through the Management Interface (MI) and to manageable products through the Component Interface (CI).

• MIF database: The database containing the installed or attached manageable product information. MIF files contain the information, and the Service Layer manages the information.

• Management applications: Remote or local programs used to interrogate, track, control, and list the elements of a desktop system. A management application can be any of the following:

  • a graphical user interface program
    
  • a network management agent
    
  • an installer program
    
  • a diagnostics program
    
  • a remote procedure call.
  
  Manageable products: Components that are connected to or part of a desktop computer system or network server. Components can be part of the system code, or you can add them later. Each product has a MIF file in the MIF database that contains pertinent product management information.

  The following figure shows the DMI structure: DMIFunctionalDiagram
  

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