RE: [dcml-frame] Meeting info

["Cummins, Fred A" <fred.cummins@eds.com>]

I'm not sure what is expected in response to the first item
in Tim's action list.  I thought my comments in an earlier
message, attached for reference, were pretty clear.

I disagree with Andre's manifesto.  While it may be interesting
and avant guard to develop a data center ontology, this is not
current practice in developing systems or data standards.  Such
an effort can take on a life of its own and still fail to 
provide the necessary foundation for consistent standards.

What is needed is a consistent data model.  Such a model will
be more flexible and consistent with current implementation 
technology if done with classes (i.e., OO model).

XML is not a data modeling language--it's a language for 
specification and expression of records or messages.  There
is no way you can develop and manage a consistent data center
data model in XML.

As a practical matter, develop of a comprehensive data model
will only delay development of standards since there is no
way to get it right or complete the first time.  It's fine
to start a data model with the more obvious things, but after
that let specific standards drive its refinement.

It seems to me that CIM and WSDM have proven an approach.
They both appear to have used UML to develop their shared data
models and XML to specify the data to be exchanged.  Use of
UML would then also make it easier for DCML to be consistent
with these existing standards.

Fred

Fred


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andre Kramer [mailto:andre.kramer@eu.citrix.com]
> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 10:25 AM
> To: Tim Howes; dcml-frame@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: RE: [dcml-frame] Meeting info
> 
> 
> Please see attached for second action.
> 
> Regards,
> Andre
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tim Howes [mailto:howes@opsware.com] 
> Sent: 01 March 2005 17:44
> To: dcml-frame@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: Re: [dcml-frame] Meeting info
> 
> Attendees: Tim Howes, Andre Kramer, Barak Perlman,
>             Josh Sirota
> 
> Actions from today's call:
> 
> - Fred (in absentia) with assistance from Barak to
>    produce concrete UML proposal for DCML.
> 
> - Andre to send to list idea for DCML's relationship
>    to other standards (e.g., CIM, etc.).
> 
> - Tim to investigate face-to-face WG meeting at
>    end of April OASIS meeting or earlier.
> 
> - Ajay (in absentia) to extend ITIL use cases to
>    next level of detail, making clear where DCML
>    comes in.
> 
> Tim Howes wrote:
> > Hi all. We will be having our bi-weekly framework
> > working group call tomorrow. Here's the info:
> > 
> > Time: 9:00am - 10:00am PST
> > Dial-in: +1 888 772-1825
> > Passcode: 4087447509
> > 
> > Agenda:
> > 
> > - Introduction and roll call
> > - Agenda review
> > - Partner recruitment update
> > - Alternate proposal review
> > - ITIL use case review
> > - Any other business
> > 
> > See you all tomorrow.              -- Tim
>

--- Begin Message ---

• From: "Cummins, Fred A" <fred.cummins@eds.com>
• To: howes@opsware.com, dcml-frame@lists.oasis-open.org
• Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 15:00:33 -0600

Here are my thoughts on changing the DCML modeling approach from OWL/RDF to
object-oriented using UML.  I thought it more important to get these ideas
communicated than to put them into a pretty format.

OWL and ontology disciplines are still evolving.  The purpose of this
technology is to model concepts as they exist in the real world.  Such
models may become extremely complex because they are modeling for all
possible uses of the concepts.  The underlying language (OWL) must be able
to express the complexities of relationships and ambiguities that exist in
the real world.  

In the DCML development context, OWL models are likely to be unbounded and
consume much effort without producing practical results to support improved
systems management.  In addition, it would still be necessary to define
abstractions of such models in order to develop applications/tools to use
DCML and to express the appropriate data in the form of XML documents for
exchange.

DCML does not require such sophisticated models. DCML has a defined domain
to address--hardware and software that comprise computer and communications
systems, and associated systems management events.  DCML will be used by
computer systems to communicate systems management data.  

Object-oriented models provide a practical form of representation of the
real world for the purpose of developing modeling, management and analysis
tools and applications.  Object-oriented models support inheritance and
polymorhism (substitution of alternative specializations) to facilitate
on-going development and refinement of the DCML model and associated tools
and applications.  An object oriented model of data relevant to DCML and
systems management will be sufficiently robust to form the basis for
consistent definition of XML docuements to be exchanged between tools and
systems.

CIM and WSDM define a data model and interfaces, respectively, for systems
management of computer systems.  Considerable work has been invested in
these specifications and should be used as a foundation for DCML.  Both of
these specifications are based on object-oriented models, and WSDM uses
these models as the basis for specification of XML documents for exchange of
system management information.  Using UML, these specifications can be
leveraged with minimal investment in interpretation and re-specification.

UML is a widely accepted object-oriented modeling language and notation with
generally available tools.  A large body of developers are familiar with and
comfortable using UML.  UML technology will soon also include specifications
for model transformations.

In the long term, it will be desirable for UML tools to produce
configuration specifications for the applications they specify.  This will
likely involve the transformation of application models to deployment models
for input to specialized tools to enable configuration specialists to
appropriately configure and optimize the performance of the applications in
a particular production environment.  The output from these models should be
DCML deployment/provisioning specifications.

Most of the tools, systems and applications involved in systems management
will be implemented with object-oriented technology.  Some will be modeling
tools based on UML technology (implemented with object-oriented technology).
In the context of communicating information between object oriented
applications for a particular purpose, mapping from the object-oriented
representation to XML is relatively straightforward.  Because in most cases
the data exchange is for a particular purpose, only a segment of the overall
model and a subset of the relationships will be expressed in an XML
document.

Fred

 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: howes@opsware.com [mailto:howes@opsware.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 12:53 PM
> To: dcml-frame@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: [dcml-frame] Groups - New Action Item #0001 Fred to 
> write up a
> proposal for ...
> 
> 
> 
> OASIS DCML Framework TC member,
> 
> Dr Tim Howes has created a new action item.
> 
> Number: #0001
> Description: Fred to write up a proposal for ...
> Owner: Mr Fred Cummins
> Due: 01 Mar 2005
> 
> Comments:
> 
> 
> View Details:
> http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/dcml-frame/member
s/action_item.php?action_item_id=843



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--- End Message ---