Open, Standards-based Approach

The HiCommand Management Framework and Hitachi Resource Manager System Management Software

based on a combination of Hitachi products and best-of-breed storage hardware and software. Likewise, Device Manager software is customizable to integrate easily with existing infrastructures and accommodate future growth plans.

The Device Manager module simplifies management functions and enables integrated administration of multi-vendor storage environments. Furthermore, standard storage management operations come pre-loaded in the policy-based automation module. Device Manager also provides definition tools and an easy-to-use GUI interface for automating more complicated storage management processes, resulting in lowered TCO.

At the foundation of HiCommand Management Framework is a message bus (as shown in Figure 26) that allows individual functional components to "plug and play." Functional components are incorporated into the overall solution based on a usage of the Common Information Model (CIM), and the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) provides a standard envelope for a messaging bus that enables simple plug-in of functional modules. This model provides a clear set of information content for management and monitoring of the entire storage and system environment. Using this object-model-based approach, solutions can readily communicate with all network-attached devices and perform a variety of configuration, administration, and other functions, allowing for a complete, integrated hardware and software management environment. Adopting this model is the key to overall interoperability in the storage and systems management environments. If a solution component adheres to this model, then its management or incorporation will be relatively straightforward.

Another industry standard, eXtensible Markup Language (XML), is fast becoming the norm for data communication within an integrated environment. Using XML to express the messages within the CIM model enables not only a common understanding of the required content, but also a clear and universal understanding of the message format and flexible application integration. Hitachi is creating an open and extensible architecture using these two foundational standards.

Hitachi is creating an open and extensible architecture using these three foundational standards. A more thorough discussion of the HiCommand Management Framework initiative and the open industry standards can be found at http://www.hds.com/pdf/PERI116-00_WhtPpr.pdf

CIM Benefits to Customers

CIM answers customers’ demands for interoperability, creating more functional management applications and enabling customers and integrators to construct multi-vendor solutions more easily. Vendor adoption of CIM becomes a critical success factor for a product’s inclusion in a heterogeneous storage management environment. Without CIM, vendors would need to swap and maintain an increasing tangle of APIs. CIM provides a

HiCommand Device Manager enables an enterprise to manage Hitachi Freedom Storage products and software solutions.

XML is fast becoming the norm for data communication within an integrated environment.