Java Dynamic Management Kit

Java Dynamic Management Kit is now Open Source!.
See the Project OpenDMK page on java.net!

Dynamically Extensible Management Solutions
for Today's Service Driven Network

• Introduction
• Why Use Java Dynamic Management Technology?
• Benefits for Developers
• Domains of Application
• The Java Dynamic Management Discussion List

Introduction

Java Dynamic Management Kit (Java DMK) is a Java technology based toolkit that allows developers to rapidly create smart agents based on the Java Management Extensions (JMX) specification. The power of the JMX framework is that it supports multiple protocol access to management information residing in the agent.

The latest release of Java DMK, conforms to JMX v.1.2 and JMX Remote API 1.0. The JMX specification defines a three-level management architecture:

• The instrumentation level makes resources manageable as Java objects
• The agent level exposes these objects for management
• The distributed services level allow remote access and security

Click here to see the list of features added in Java DMK 5.1.

Why Use Java Dynamic Management Technology?

A Java dynamic management agent exposes its resources through a standard interface and provides management services directly at the resource level. Consequently:

• Device vendors and application developers can use any technology they want: as long as management applications communicate through a Java dynamic management agent, they can access any resource

• Management services deployed in agents can interchange resources dynamically, allowing new services to be downloaded and plugged into smart agents as and when they become available

These services provide the intelligence that enables agent applications to perform management tasks autonomously. This frees the management application from routine tasks such as polling and thus reduces the network load as well.

The Java DMK provides a distributed model that is protocol independent. Management applications rely on the API, not on any one protocol.

The Java DMK brings new solutions to the management domain through:

• Compliance to the JMX specification, for managing Java objects through Java applications, as developed through the Java Community Process.

• Secure and interoperable remote access compatible with the new JMX Remote API 1.0 Specification, including support for both the RMI-based and JMXMP-based standard connectors.

• A single suite of components that provides uniform instrumentation for managing systems, applications, and networks, and that provides universal access to these resources.

• A flexible architecture that distributes the management load and that can be upgraded in real time for the service-driven network.

Benefits for Developers

• Rapid integration: Java DMK pure Java components help developers integrate Java dynamic management capabilities quickly into their existing systems, applications, and network devices.

• Code reuse: Java DMK components are supplied as MBeans, which facilitates code reuse.

• Universal: Java DMK is a generic smart agent toolkit for network, system, or application management. It offers the framework and core management services required by any management application. Software developers can therefore use it at any level of their solution development.

• Dynamically scalable: Small footprint and flexible configuration enable Java DMK agents to be deployed in any device that can run a Java Virtual Machine* (from a mobile phone to a high-end server). Since these agents are dynamic, their size can change as services are added or deleted according to necessity.

• Development tools: Java DMK provides MBean development and debugging tools, including an SNMP MIB compiler

Domains of Application

You can use the Java DMK to:

• Manage devices, systems and remote applications
• Develop Java technology-based agents to perform management tasks without human intervention
• Develop and deploy agent services dynamically via a push distribution mechanism
• Create your own management applications in the Java programming language in order to access Java DMK agents and manage them remotely
• Develop Java applications that will interact with existing SNMP agents and managers

The Java Dynamic Management Discussion List

Subscribe to the jdmk-forum by sending the following command in the body of an email message to listserv@java.sun.com:

	SUBSCRIBE JDMK-FORUM YourFirstName YourLastName

For a complete listing of products see our Products and APIs page.