2.3.2 Dependencies on Other Systems

The WM protocols depend on the following entities:

  • The standards that are listed in section 2.1.6.

  • Kerberos Protocol Extensions, as specified in [MS-KILE], and NT LAN Manager (NTLM) Authentication protocol, as specified in [MS-NLMP]. These protocols authenticate identities and group them. The system restricts access to its assets and functionality to specified groups.

  • DCOM Remote Protocol, as specified in [MS-DCOM]. WMI uses DCOM for transmission of data between WM client role and the WM server role, and for authentication of client and server.

  • A network connection between the application and the managed objects. If there is no network connection between the application and the managed objects to be retrieved or modified, the WM protocols cannot function. This network connection has to implement at least one of the three member protocols, as follows:

  • If a particular implementation uses the Windows Management Instrumentation Remote Protocol, the network connection that joins the applications and managed objects has to implement all necessary underlying protocols, including RPC and DCOM.

  • If a particular implementation uses the Web Services Management Protocol Extensions for Windows Server 2003 protocol or the Web Services Management Protocol Extensions for Windows Vista protocol, the network connection that joins the applications and managed objects has to implement all necessary underlying protocols, including HTTP, HTTPS, and SOAP.

For specific details about the necessary underlying protocols and network capabilities for the WM protocols, see the individual specifications.

  • For the protocols to route traffic correctly, the underlying network infrastructure has to contain a Domain Name System (DNS) service that resolves a target host name to an IP address.

  • The WM protocols depend on the underlying security protocols to provide the support for authentication and authorization services. For details about the specific security mechanisms that are used, refer to individual specifications.

  • For the WM protocols to retrieve and manipulate the managed objects, a Common Information Model (CIM) Object Manager (CIMOM) is required to be running on the computer that facilitates this access. The CIMOM has to be correctly configured to carry out the requests that come from the WM clients on behalf of the WM applications on the other end.