NEWS BRIEFS
Palo Alto, CA — Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced the formation of the Java Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) Services Expert Group under the Java Community Process program. WBEM is an initiative based on a set of management and Internet standard technologies developed to unify the management of enterprise computing environments. The Expert Group’s mission is to develop a standardized Java Application Program Interface (API) for development of WBEM applications. WBEM applications provide the ability for the industry to deliver a well-integrated set of standard-based management tools leveraging the emerging technologies such as CIM and XML.
Java WBEM Services will provide a standard Java technology API for developing platform-independent management applications to help customers extend capabilities as their networks grow. The WBEM initiative from the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF), the industry organization leading the development, adoption and interoperability of management standards, represents an opportunity to unify the management of heterogeneous computing environments across the Internet and respond to market demand for greater interoperability of management over previous and current proprietary solutions. The API set increases the functionality of the WBEM initiative by making its access pervasive across multiple platforms via the Java environment and the Internet.
“As the number of network servers and devices increase, it is essential to standardize management of emerging Internet technologies and not be locked behind proprietary APIs,” said Andy Ingram, Sun’s vice president of marketing for Solaris Software. “Sun and the high-profile companies in the Java WBEM Services Expert Group look to standardize data management by supporting the Java WBEM API that provides a cross-platform environment for increased interoperability.”
Developers benefit from WBEM support in their products because it allows them to write and test management applications once, thus minimizing porting time to other platforms and cross testing. With Java WBEM services, developers benefit additionally from platform-neutral application development and deployment. With WBEM-enabled products, IT professionals can leverage management information efficiently and browse management data that could not be accessed previously across the network without proprietary applications.
Companies supporting the Java WBEM Services Expert Group include Avaya (formerly Lucent Enterprise Networks Group), Caldera Systems, Cisco Systems, Compaq, Computer Associates, Evidian and IBM. The endorsement of these industry leaders demonstrates support for this extension to Java technology that standardizes systems management and creates a mechanism for common access to systems information.
This initiative illustrates the substantial industry desire for a cross-platform standard API for WBEM and continued industry support for the collaborative, peer development process of the JCP Program. The JCP is an open, community-based process for developing Java technology specifications and their associated reference implementations and compatibility test suites.
WBEM allows customers to add incremental management features customized for their environments by giving them better access to management data and the ability to extend and create new functionality independent of the originating applications. The typical environment in which the product will be used is in systems management, device management and systems instrumentation. WBEM simplifies system management with a unified suite of applications that can share a common console, GUI and database. For more supporting information on the Java Community Process Program, please go to http://java.sun.com/JCP .
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