The computational object approach for network
and systems management
Akram Mokdad, Wilfried Probst
*
Universite du Quebec a Montreal, PO Box 8888, Station Centre±Ville, Montreal, Que., Canada H3C 3P8
Abstract
In the past 20years, Network and Systems Management (N&SM) has thrived on mostly
centralized or weakly distributed paradigms. Advances in technologies and software engi-
neering suggested new ways of doing N&SM. The computational object approach is one of the
main management technologies that have recently appeared. Based on this approach, the
architecture proposed in this paper uses programming concepts instead of protocol concepts
and conceals protocol complexity by easily manipulated components. Concerning the infor-
mation model, the Common Information Model (CIM) is used which is designed in an object-
oriented manner that is the key behind scalable N&SM.The implementation is done in the
Windows environment and using the C++ programming language. Ó 2001 Elsevier Science
Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Network and Systems Management; Computational objects; Common information model;
Web-Based Enterprise Management; Object-oriented methodology; Distributed objects
1. Introduction
Operating today's fast growing multi-protocol networks is a challenging task.
Besides the increase in size and complexity, networks have become a critical factor
for the success of many organizations. Soon after the advent of open systems,
proprietary solutions for Network and Systems Management (N&SM), used on
centralized or weakly distributed systems for many years, gradually gave way in the
early 1990s to two open protocols: the Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP) (Case et al., 1990) and the Common Management Information Protocol
www.elsevier.com/locate/tele
Telematics and Informatics 18 (2001) 211±247
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-514-987-3000; fax: +1-514-987-8477.
0736-5853/01/$ - see front matter Ó 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 07 36-585 3 ( 00) 0002 9 - 0