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Conference azur::mcc

Title:DECmcc user notes file. Does not replace IPMT.
Notice:Use IPMT for problems. Newsletter location in note 6187
Moderator:TAEC::BEROUD
Created:Mon Aug 21 1989
Last Modified:Wed Jun 04 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:6497
Total number of notes:27359

976.0. "Some general questions " by SIEVAX::FOX () Wed May 01 1991 14:42


	Hi: 
		Have read through the set of DECmcc documentation , I have
	a couple of questions outstanding which I'd like some help with.
	( I am very much a DECmcc beginner so these are pretty basic
	  quesions. )

		Context , I am designing a distributed application which
	will run over VMS. The distributed application being made of a number
	of manageable components (Entities) which in turn fall into a number
	of distinct classes. Each instance of one of these Entities can be
	located on a seperate DECnet node.

	Questions:
			o In using DECmcc to manage such a distributed
			  application I understand from the DECmcc System
			  reference manual that once I have produced the
			  management specifications for the management modules
			  which are to managing my application Entities I need
			  to implement the specified PM, FM, and AM ..modules.

			  However when looking at 'DECmcc Management Module
			  Programming' it only talks about Access Modules...
			  are there examples of how to implement my own PM's 
			  and FM's in some other doc ? Or should it be self 
			  evident from the spercification of the DECmcc_call
			  services ?

			  Presumably if I only write the AM, its enrollment
		 	  generates enough tables to drive the default DEC
			  mcc PM's....giving me free DECmcc style CLI and Iconic
			  UI ?

			  The DECmcc Entity Management User Interface is
			  one component of the overall User Interface 
			  presented to the users of my application. Does
			  writing my own PM give me the ability to integerate
			  the Entity Management UI into the rest of Application
			  UI, thus giving a single integrated UI for the
			  application. ? If I want to be able to present such 
			  a UI to users (client server fashion) platforms such
			  as  MSWindows does DECmcc enable that ? 

			o Once enrolled in DECmcc are my management modules
			  available to other parts of my application. i.e.
			  are the service interfaces of such modules available
			  as callable API's to other programmes ?
			  Does DECmcc support a general API that can be
			  linked as a shareable image into some asrbitary
			  application ?

			  Example of what I am trying to get at here is the
			  Configuration information held in DNS. As I understand
			  it instance data relating to a given configuration
			  of my distributed application is held in DECdns,
			  this being accessed by the Management modules through 
			  mcc_call_dns_xxx calls. Now in my distributed
		 	  application information objects need to flow between
			  the various components, the control of such flow
			  clearly requires acces to the configuration database.
			  In other words other parts of my application (not
			  just the Entity Management Modules) will want access
			  to the 'configuration' data held in DNS. Should/can
			  such componemts go directly through the DNS clerk..
			  or through mcc_call_dns_xxX calls ?  

			o When designing my AM , to what extent do I need
			  to define my own management protocol. I 'think'
			  DECmcc 'provides' a management protocol 'NICE'..
			  is NICE just a set of formats for directives and
			  responses encoded in ASN.1 ? Such that the AM
			  I design is responsible for establishing and managing
			  the communications with the target Entity...i.e.
			  DECmcc provides routines to encode/decode the 
			  directives,responses I've specfied into ASN.1 / nice
			  standard formats, my module does all the rest....
			  ..i.e. establish connection maintain state etc etc.
			  Is this in fact the case ?

			o Can a single management module itself by 
			  multi-threaded ? Is DECmcc Muti-threaded environment
			  CMA.THREADS (POSIX) ?

			o If I design and write my DECmcc Management modules
			  (using standard  portability guidlines) for DECmcc
			  on VMS will they run on DECmcc ULTRIX ? i.e. is the
			  mcc_call_xxx interface and thread envirnoment uniform
			  across DECmcc VMS and DECmcc ULTRIX ?

Thanks in advance for any help cleraring up these questions.
    
    Charles Fox ( EDI Engineering Group )
    			
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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976.1Maybe you don't need to write anything in DECmcc at all.CAPN::SYLORArchitect = Buzzword GeneratorFri May 03 1991 15:448
Charles, since you are writing a product *to be managed*, you should
probably start with the EMA folklore and entity model documents. If you
follow those guidelines, and use support tools like the common agent, you
should not have to write an AM. You *generally* should not have to
write a PM or FM either, unless you plan on writing some sort of "added value"
management application tailored specifically to managing EDI.

Mark
976.2re:.0BARREL::LEMMONTue May 07 1991 16:4141
			  However when looking at 'DECmcc Management Module
			  Programming' it only talks about Access Modules...
			  are there examples of how to implement my own PM's 
			  and FM's in some other doc ? Or should it be self 
			  evident from the spercification of the DECmcc_call
			  services ?

JLL>
JLL> There isn't any documentation on writing a PM because it isn't offically
JLL> supported.   
JLL>
			  Presumably if I only write the AM, its enrollment
		 	  generates enough tables to drive the default DEC
			  mcc PM's....giving me free DECmcc style CLI and Iconic
			  UI ?
JLL>
JLL> Yes, if you provide the "enrollment" information, you will be able to 
JLL> execute your MMs command through the FCL and Iconic Map.
JLL>


			o Can a single management module itself by 
			  multi-threaded ? Is DECmcc Muti-threaded environment
			  CMA.THREADS (POSIX) ?
JLL> 
JLL> DECmcc is multi-threaded.
JLL> 

			o If I design and write my DECmcc Management modules
			  (using standard  portability guidlines) for DECmcc
			  on VMS will they run on DECmcc ULTRIX ? i.e. is the
			  mcc_call_xxx interface and thread envirnoment uniform
			  across DECmcc VMS and DECmcc ULTRIX ?
JLL>
JLL> Yes to both questions.  There are some differeces between the patforms,
JLL> though, that may affect your design.  On the VAX/VMS platform, all 
JLL> management modules are shareable libraries and are mapped into the same 
JLL> process space.  On ULTRIX, each  management module runs as a seperate
JLL> process.
JLL>
976.3EMMA / MCCSIEVAX::FOXMon May 20 1991 11:0329
            <<< NOTED::DISK$NOTES4:[NOTES$LIBRARY_4OF5]MCC.NOTE;1 >>>
            -< DECmcc Product Family; Introductions 6; Kits 3 & 40 >-
================================================================================
Note 976.3                   Some general questions                       3 of 3
SIEVAX::FOX                                          22 lines  20-MAY-1991 06:18
                                 -< EMAA /mcc >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Thanks for the answers in .1 and .2.
    
    It looks like my simplest option is to define my Entities as sub
    Entities of Phase V node and simply use the existing MCC Phase V
    access method. As I undertand it this will imply my Entities will
    be limited to nodes with wave 1 of DECnet Phase V.
    
    I am not clear where the 'common agent' fits in with Mcc. Presumably
    this is 'EMMA the common agent for VMS Entities' ? Is it simply another
    mcc access agent...but one that extends the management to any VMS
    Entity wether on a DECnet Phase IV or Phase V node ?  Presumably it
    would mean defining my Entities as sub Entities of  VMS  node ? Since
    I want my distributed application to be portable..I think that means
    I should stick with being sub-entity of Phase V node and take the hit
    of wave 1 Phase V as a prerequisite...does that seem reasonable ?
    
    Last dumb question, is the full MCC director needed on the node of a
    remotely managed Entity or just some sub set i.e. CMIP listner CML ?
    
    Charles
    
976.4from an agent implementerNAC::ENGLANDMon May 20 1991 15:368
    Re: .-1, last question:  You only need CML & CMIP (and ability to send
    events via CMIP to remote director.  Talk to router implementations
    for more details.
    
    There is a common agent notes file in decwet::common-agent.notes,
    which contains a pointer to kits, specs, etc.
    
    
976.5Talk to Dave RuslingMARVIN::COBBGraham R. Cobb (Wide Area Comms.), REO2-G/H9, 830-3917Tue May 21 1991 10:327
Charles,

I would  recommend  that  you  wander  round  to  REO2-G/H9 and talk to Dave
Rusling.  He can explain a lot of these issues and provide some suggestions.
But don't tell him I sent you :-)

Graham
976.6Common Agent notesfileCCIIS1::ROGGEBANDMon May 27 1991 07:078
    Re : .4 :
    
    I get a "file not found" when I try to access the DECWET::COMMON-AGENT
    notefiles. is there another pointer ? Spelling mistake ? 
    
    Thanks for your help,
    
    Philippe.
976.7I think its them that made the spelling mistake :-)FORTY2::MELLINGChris Melling @REO. 830-4528Tue May 28 1991 10:174
I had this problem.  The reason is that the file extension is .NOTES and not the
default which is .NOTE.  Use DECWET::COMMON-AGENT.NOTES and you should be OK.

Chris.