Technical Information 1-19
Manageable Components
Manageable components are hardware, software, and peripherals installed or attached to a
desktop computer or network server. These include hard disks, word processors, CD-
ROMs, printers, operating systems, graphics boards, modems, etc. Manageable
components can come with the system or be added later. Each component supplies
information to the MIF database that contains the product’s pertinent management
information.
Each product may or may not include an instrumentation module in order to provide real-
time support.
CI Module
The Component Interface (CI) module is a Windows program that provides access to your
system and its components. It runs minimized in Windows and should only be canceled if
you are uninstalling DMI.
CI module is comprised of programs written by the component manufacturer to provide
real-time attribute values to the network Service Layer as requested.
DMI Browser
The NEC DMI Browser is a Windows application provided by NEC Technologies, Inc.
The Browser uses the Management Interface (MI) to provide access to MIF attributes and
their respective values. The Browser has the ability to set attributes and manage DMI
components.
The NEC Browser can only access the local MIF database. The Browser lets you access
MIF attributes according to the structure defined by the DMTF. It is not intended to be a
general PC management application. If a more comprehensive management application is
desired, use a product such as Intel’s LANDesk Manager™.
The NEC DMI Browser has two sections: an Overview and a Detailed View. The
Overview displays pertinent information on the system. In addition, you can click on each
of eight buttons provided to obtain more information on each subject. The organization of
the data in the Overview presents a comprehensive view of the system.
To display the Detailed View, select either the Detail tab or the Detail option on the View
menu. This initiates a hierarchical view of the MIF database and allows the user to make
some changes. For example, if a system is transferred to another department or user, the
primary user name, telephone number and system location can be updated.
In the Browser, components and groups are expanded or collapsed by selecting the desired
object and double clicking. You can also use the toolbar to access information in the MIF
file.
The Browser provides seven buttons (Windows for Workgroups, only) in the toolbar which
are defined as follows:
