HP Insight Management WBEM Providers - Manual (Page 5)

Introduction 5
Introduction
Overview
This document applies to the HP Insight Management WBEM Providers for Windows Server® 2003 and
Windows Server® 2008 on ProLiant servers, version 2.5.0 (Insight Providers).
This release of the Insight Providers supports ProLiant servers running Windows Server® 2003 and
Windows Server® 2008. For details regarding supported servers, options, and operating system
versions, see "Support information (on page
33 )".
Many management products have been built on SNMP, a common network management technology.
However, SNMP-based management solutions have a simple structure and weak security protocol relative
to alternatives. These limitations prevent comprehensive, industry-standard, and secure system
management.
In place of SNMP, SMASH and SMI-S are secure, robust standards endorsed by the DMTF and SNIA,
respectively. These standards provide the foundation for future server management infrastructures.
The Insight Providers are based on SMASH and SMI-S. The Insight Providers employ the set of base-level
instrumentation provided by system management controllers and drivers, I/O controllers and drivers, and
system firmware interfaces. These components deliver in-depth hardware management, including
hardware inventory data, system state, and event notifications.
The data model implemented in the Insight Providers provides industry standard compliance by
conforming to SMASH and SMI-S profiles.
Windows Management Instrumentation
WMI is the Microsoft® implementation of WBEM, a set of industry-standard technologies for accessing
system information in a distributed management environment. WBEM and WMI use the CIM standard to
represent systems, networks, applications, devices, and other managed components in an object-oriented
manner. The WMI Providers extend CIM to make ProLiant-specific management data and events available
to system administrators, enabling administrative tasks to be automated.
For more information on WBEM and WMI, see the following websites:
• CIM ( http://www.dmtf.org/standards/cim )
• WBEM ( http://www.dmtf.org/standards/wbem/ )
• WMI ( http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa394582.aspx )
• About WMI ( http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa384642(VS.85).aspx )