SMS and Desktop Management Interface

The Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF is a standards body withmembers from many leading computer companies, such as Compaq, Dell, Digital, HP,IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, Novell, Santa Cruz Operation, Sun Microsystems, andSymantec. The DMTF produced the Desktop Management Interface (DMI)specification, which provides a standard framework for managing and gatheringinformation from PC systems and component products.

The DMI architecture uses a Service Layer, a local program that collectsinformation from products, manages that information in the ManagementInformation Format (MIF) database, and passes the information to managementapplications as requested. The Service Layer uses the Management Interface (MI)to control communications between itself and management applications and usesthe Component Interface (CI) between itself and manageable products.

SMS does not now support the DMI Service Layer directly. However, the SMSinventory agents and Inventory Processor support DMI-compliant MIF files forinventory collection. SMS supports MIF syntax as defined in the April 1994 DMIdraft specification 4.5. DMTF updated and released this draft as DMIversion 1.0 and released DMI version 2.0 on March 27, 1996. SMS does not supportthe new MIF syntax in version 2.0.

For more information about DMI, visit the DMTF Web site at www.dmtf.
org. The Microsoft SMS product CD-ROM and Microsoft BackOffice SoftwareDeveloper's Kit (SDK) CD-ROM include a copy of the SMS-supported version of theDMI specification. In the SMS SDK's online Help, you can find additionalinformation on MIF files and how to use them to update SMS inventory.