The Common Toolkit for Common Interface Model (CIM) Extrinsic Method Calling was developed by the CIM FVT team from IBM China Systems and Technology Lab. The toolkit provides a common interface and an .exe file for calling extrinsic methods by Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) standard CIM Object Manager (CIMOM).

Extrinsic method calling has long been a headache for CIM clients. It can be very awkward, or nearly impossible, to deal with the command line interface and the parameters of complex data types, since the programming interface always needs several codes to complete a simple calling. Even with a third-party tool, you need to do complex configuration before calling an extrinsic method. This toolkit uses Java reflection technology to get the definition of specified extrinsic method from CIMOM, and assemble the parameters accordingly. CIM output parameters, return codes, and error messages are reserved for later use. The calling is simplified into one line code. No e-configuration is required.

Highlights of the Common Toolkit for CIM Extrinsic Method Calling include:

1. Data type detection is automatic: CIM has so many data types that users have to check documents to input parameters with correct types. With this tool, all parameters are represented as a string, and the tool will detect the expected data type and do the translation.
2. Expressing CIM Object Path (COP) is made easier: Even if all data types are represented in a string, COP is quite complex and is hard to retrieve. The Common Toolkit for CIM Extrinsic Method Calling siplifies this step. A COP is represented as a “key string”, and the tool will get its CIM class and generate COP data by querying CIMOM.
3. Error diagnostics are included: This toolkit provides an interface to diagnose errors by analyzing method qualifiers and calling the error message mapping method, if any, so every time there’s an error, you don’t need to check a manual. The error message has been reserved for you.

How does it work?

The Common Toolkit for CIM Extrinsic Method Calling offers a class file together with a user guide. To call the CIM extrinsic method, simply import the class file, and call the invoke method. There’s no need for initialization, set up connection, or pre-configuration. The toolkit also provides a .class file to run on the command line. Please refer to the user guide for detailed instructions on how to use the toolkit.