XML-Based Desktop Management Standards Advance

The Distributed Management Task Force provided details this week on new Web Services-based specifications that could standardize and simplify mobile and desktop management.

In a white paper published Thursday, the DMTF outlined the objectives of the Desktop and Mobile Architecture for System Hardware (DASH) Initiative. The goal of DASH is to produce specifications that describe architectural semantics, standard protocols and profiles that vendors can use to create standard desktop and mobile management application interfaces. Such DASH-based interfaces would be independent of the machine state, operating system or manufacturer, so the same set of interfaces could be used by any vendor to create management tools.

The specifications, which are themselves based on the Web Services for Management (WS-Management) specification, promise to standardize client system management by giving multiple vendors access to the same common protocols.Designed to work with devices that run the gamut from conventional desktops and laptops to thin clients and bladed PCs, the DASH specifications work in partnership with the DMTF's Common Information Model (CIM) to ease integration with existing management applications. DASH also supports standard network and transport layer encryption, authentication and authorization mechanisms that help secure the administration of mobile and desktop computers.

The DASH Initiative counts 180 members from 35 vendors in its ranks.

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