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IBM announced its SystemView framework in September 1990 in an effort to offer a single network and systems management architecture for application vendors and users.
In theory, SystemView is supposed to provide a common way for users to access and control disparate applications running on a range of computing platforms. In practice, however, it has yet to live up to its promise.
SystemView has three major components. The first, the End Use Dimension, defines a common look and feel for applications and is based on IBM's Common User Access style guide. It requires that personal computer applications use OS/2 and Presentation Manager, and optional application deelopment tools--such as IRM's ScreenView, which manipulates windows--are also included.
The second component, the Data Dimension, defines a common set of data structures and the application program interfaces (API) used to access them. This enables one application to use data prepared by another.
The Data Dimension comprises the data model, which contains data definitions; the enterprise information base, which contains administration data; and control information bases, which contain coordination data (such as measurements against a threshold) and control data (such as rules for starting and stopping a printer).
The third component, the Application Dimension, divides system and network management...