* Web services could enable remote diagnostics of consumer electronics
Today’s newsletter is in response to a reader request (you know who you are, Mike!) to discuss some emerging management standards specifications and how they relate to products based on service-oriented architecture or Web services, which we’ve discussed in a previous newsletter.
The specifications are Web Services Distributed Management (WSDM) and its related specification set, Management Using Web Services (MUWS) and Management of Web Services (MOWS). Most of us have heard that WSDM is a vendor- and protocol-independent way for management technologies to access information generated by management agents of multiple shapes and forms. But what does this really mean and why should we be interested?
Management of systems and devices relies on a variety of protocols, including an ever-expanding set of SNMP Management Information Bases (MIB) and open but vendor-based technologies such as Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI. WSDM is an XML-enabled specification designed to run over a service-oriented architecture (SOA) foundation. WSDM, MUWS and MOWS collectively address managed devices such as servers and network equipment, but also open up the management function to devices not traditionally considered as being management-ready.
The WSDM Web site includes an excellent resource called “An Introduction to WSDM”. This resource includes a great example of why WSDM was proposed. Electronics are proliferating in the consumer marketplace, with accompanying support challenges. Although problems with devices such as PDAs are relatively easy to diagnose and fix – just stick the PDA in a box and send it to the manufacturer – problems with bulky devices, such as big-screen TVs, aren’t as easy to resolve. WSDM introduces functionality similar to what we see in mainframe computers to the entire electronics world – when something goes wrong, connected devices can send messages to support teams for remote diagnosis and repair dispatch.
MUWS and MOWS are the specifications that make this possible. From my perspective, the interesting thing about these specs is that they presuppose a SOA foundation. MUWS specifies the mechanism for managing resources using a Web services platform, while MOWS addresses the management of the Web service itself. Together they make up the ideal platform for managing SOAs and their underlying technology base.
So how does this relate to the topic of the previous newsletter cited above? That article talked about vendors that have built their solutions over Web service (Altiris, Microsoft BizTalk) or SOA (AmberPoint, webMethods, BEA AquaLogic, HP SOA Manager). Their respective architecture positions them to manage devices as well as SOA implementations using WSDM standards. Just add MUWS and MOWS and you’re there.
It’s certainly interesting to think about some of the possibilities this opens up. It seems that the limitations are basically connectivity (unless your toaster has a network connection) as well as the fact that TV manufacturers, for example, don’t typically engineer their devices for management – so it may be a while before WSDM becomes a standard in the commercial marketplace. But it sure is interesting to think about.
