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CIM Schema Core Model

Core Model | Common Models

The core model establishes a basic classification of the elements and associations of the managed environment. The class hierarchy begins with the abstract Managed Element class which is in turn subclassed to Managed System Element, the Product related classes, Setting and Configuration, Collection and the Statistical Data classes, among others. From the classes in the Core Model, the model expands in many directions, addressing many problem domains and relationships between managed entities.

The Core Model is Broken Down into the Following Sections:

  • Qualifiers - The meta and standard qualifier type definitions.
  • Core Elements - The concepts for the base CIM classes (e.g. ManagedElement, ManagedSystemElement, LogicalElement, System, Service, ...) and base association classes (e.g. Dependency, Component, LogicalIdentity, ...)
  • PhysicalElements & Location
  • SoftwareIdentity
  • Devices - The "logical" function,configuration and state of hardware
  • StorageExtents (subclass of LogicalDevice)
  • Collections
  • Redundancy Information (a subclass of LogicalDevice generalizing the management of storage with more specific classes and services in the Device Model)
  • Collections
  • Redundancy Information - Both sparing and load balancing
  • Product and FRUs
  • Statistics
  • Capabilities - The superclass to describe the various capabilities of specific ManagedElements.
  • Settings and Profiles
  • Method Parameters
  • Power Management

Significant Classes and Associations of the Core Model:

The Managed Element class roots the CIM object hierarchy and acts as a reference for associations that apply to all entities in the hierarchy.

Managed System Elements represent Systems, components of Systems, any kinds of services (functionality), software and networks. The definition of "System" in the CIM context is quite broad, ranging from computer systems and dedicated devices, to application systems and network domains.

Both Logical and Physical Elements are subclasses of Managed System Element. Further definition and specification of these subclasses are provided in the Core and Common Models. For example, System and Logical Device objects are subclasses of Logical Element, defined in the Core Model.

Products represent contracts between vendors and consumers, and capture information about how the Product was acquired, how it is supported, and where it is installed.

Settings define specific, pre-configured parameter data to be "applied" (loosely transitionally) to one or more Managed System Elements. Their definition is very
much tied to the properties of existing objects through the Element Setting association. Configurations aggregate Settings and Dependencies, representing a certain behavior or desired functional state for Managed System Elements.

The Statistical Information class is the abstract super class for any kind of statistical data for a Managed Element. The Element to which the Statistical Information applies is indicated via the Statistics association.

Collections represent arbitrary "bags" that group Managed Elements together. Membership can be described by the class definition and/or indicated by explicit instantiation of the Member Of Collection association.

Component associations establish 'part of' relationships between Managed Elements.

Dependency associations describe functional dependencies (one object cannot function without the other) or existence dependencies (the object cannot exist without the other) between Managed Elements.