IBM SG24-4576-00 manual NetFinity Architecture

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File Transfer

Can send/receive files to the remote system.

Remote Session

Can open a remote console to the managed device.

Screen View

Can take a snapshot of any screen on the remote device.

DMI Browser

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Enables you to view information about DMI compliant hardware and software.

Process Manager

Enables you to start/stop/view processes running on the managed device.

Software Inventory

Can scan remote device for installed software using a software dictionary.

POST Error Detect

Can detect and log errors at Power on System Test (POST) time on managed devices.

∙Event Scheduler

Used to automate the execution of a service on one or multiple systems in a profile.

1.9.3.3 NetFinity Architecture

Each NetFinity service is comprised of two separate executables. One is a unique graphical user interface for the applicable operating system. The second is a native operating system executable, which is known as the base executable. The base executable is the code that performs the client management and monitoring tasks for each unique workstation. Communication between the GUI and the base executable is handled by the NetFinity IPC (inter-process communication) mechanism.

Using this IPC within the LAN, NetFinity was designed to provide a peer-to-peer platform architecture, which does not require a management server or a dedicated management console. From this design, a manager may take control of the NetFinity client system to perform all NetFinity administrative and problem reconciliation tasks as if they were the local user′s tasks. Additionally, IBM has been able to isolate NetFinity from any network, protocol or operating system layer dependencies. In essence, IBM uses the existing transport layers within the installed network to allow NetFinity to communicate between NetFinity Manager and NetFinity Services. Since IPC resides on top of the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, it simply communicates between the installed NetFinity modules and services, utilizing the transport mechanism within the workstation.

If the transport layer between the two NetFinity workstations is dissimilar, then NetFinity utilizes a mapper (within a Manager), which receives data packets from one transport and, using NetFinity manager, is able to re-wrap the packets for transport into the foreign network.

When two NetFinity systems are connected in a networked environment, they communicate via the IPC into the mapper, and then subsequently into a NetFinity

44NetWare Integration Guide