Web Based Monitoring and Management: RE: WBMM> RE: Scope and

RE: WBMM> RE: Scope and Starting Point

From: Harry Lewis (harryl@us.ibm.com)
Date: Sun Feb 23 2003 - 00:56:50 EST

  • Next message: Wagner,William: "RE: WBMM> RE: Scope and Starting Point"

    1.a. - I agree... but I have a feeling I'm reading more into ("etc.") than
    you may. You've listed usage, alerts, diagnostics, configuration,
    downloading resources, downloading executables (presumably diagnostic or
    interrogative in nature) and upgrading (remotely)... there seems to be
    very little remaining that is done via SNMP today... so why not include
    "the rest" ... like taking the device off-line, reading or writing the
    OpPanel, ... "ETC...".?
    1. b. - Yes, I've expressed several times that I believe we should address
    the semantics for device management - just as we've recently done for job
    submission and management and we should specifically try to clean up some
    of the toxic waste we spilled in the status area during the early MIB days
    ("magic decoder ring", "agent orange" ).

    2. I think we should make ourselves aware of existing or emerging
    standards in the area. I don't think we should force alignment or
    compliance unless we can clearly articulate the benefit and honestly feel
    there is a very good chance that alignment will result in adoption. While
    the Printer MIB is probably one of the most useful standards ever in terms
    of heterogeneous printer management, most of the pretzel twists we
    encountered to align with a larger cause never really achieved the hoped
    for result (my opinion).

    I feel we should leverage our own positive model and experience with the
    semantic model. No one questions whether SM is the right thing to do. The
    SM springboards from our most recent job protocol... IPP into the web
    environment and does facilitate firewall scenarios I view WBMM as doing
    the same thing... springboard off Printer, Finisher MIBs onto web
    protocols via a common (device) semantic model.

    3. We need to nail this firewall discussion early. I do agree that we want
    to facilitate solutions that can cross the firewall... similar to the way
    we've done PSI. I hear others reacting to this requirement as if it is an
    inappropriate goal. This will drag on and haunt us later if not put to
    rest.

    ----------------------------------------------
    Harry Lewis
    IBM Printing Systems
    ----------------------------------------------

    "Wagner,William" <WWagner@NetSilicon.com>
    Sent by: owner-wbmm@pwg.org
    02/20/2003 03:03 PM
     
            To: "'Wbmm (E-mail)" <wbmm@pwg.org>
            cc:
            Subject: RE: WBMM> RE: Scope and Starting Point

    Bob Tailor had a very good suggestion. "..try to identify the issues
    before [the conference call]
     so you might ask that everyone post them to WBMM before the meeting. For
    "simple" issues, we may be able to knock them off in email, saving our
    phone time for the more significant/contentious issues."

    I had intended that sort of thing in asking for comments on the write-up
    (or any other comments that were felt to be germane). But an explicit
    request may be more fruitful.

    Please forward your issues to the list!

    Lets start with a few that I see.

    1. Basic purpose: I have defined it as access by an external agent to
    imaging devices on an enterprise network, for the purpose of monitoring
    usage and alerts, perhaps for doing maintenance tests and general
    configuration, and perhaps for downloading files including executables,
    fonts, upgrades, etc.
                     a. Do we have agreement on this?
                     b. Is there a strong feeing that the scope must be
    expanded, and if so, how?

    2. Consideration of the approaches in the documents referenced by Ira, Lee
     and Don (thank you all). Should we embrace, ignore, or possibly extract
    some aspects from which ones?
      My contention is:
                     a. as overall approaches, all seem to lack the concept of
    finessing firewalls
                     b. approaches intended for managing/configuring networks
    miss the problems of an external agent trying to manage devices on the
    network. The MIS people want some inherent restrictions on what the
    external site can do, and in many cases, want to be able to monitor
    messages being sent out to make sure that there is nothing untoward.
                     c. we may however, want to consider some other aspects of
    the other approaches. Perhaps the coding or the notion of XML coded RPCs.

    3. Is there general agreement on the use of HTTP clients operating in a
    Browser-like mode as the mechanism to finesse firewall?

    Please feel free to add issues!

    Many thanks,

    Bill Wagner/NetSilicon

    -----Original Message-----
    From: TAYLOR,BOB (HP-Vancouver,ex1) [mailto:bobt@hp.com]
    Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 3:49 PM
    To: Wagner,William
    Subject: FW: WBMM> RE: Scope and Starting Point

    3/4 4-5 EST works for me. One suggestion: Given that you only are
    allocating one hour, it might be good to try to identify the issues before
    then, so you might ask that everyone post them to WBMM before the meeting.
    For "simple" issues, we may be able to knock them off in email, saving our
    phone time for the more significant/contentious issues.

    bt

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Wagner,William [mailto:WWagner@NetSilicon.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 6:11 PM
    To: wbmm@pwg.org
    Subject: WBMM> RE: Scope and Starting Point

    Greetings:

    I have attached some thoughts on the use cases the WBMM should be
    addressing, and taken a cut at defining a starting point. The document is
    posted to:
    ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/wbmm/white/wbmm_Scope&Start.pdf

    I would appreciate some feedback with the objective of finding common
    ground
    within the working group. Would a conference call on 4 March, 4-5 PM EST
    be
    agreeable?

    Bill Wagner



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