Generic Information Model Clause Samples

Generic Information Model. Separating the information model from the communication model is not enough. perfSONAR should also define a completely generic information model for MA and MP that contains a self-documenting template system which allows user interfaces to display all types of metrics without any code changes. When querying an MA or MP, the template system should specify if the metrics retrieved are bytes, bits per second, IP address, etc. This would allow the user interface to know how to display the metrics appropriately. In the current perfSONAR different types of MA and MP (like RRD MA, SQL MA, SNMP MP, SSH MP) have different XML schemas. Clients using the services must implement support for each MA and MP that they support. This imposes a lot of restrictions on how the perfSONAR infrastructure can be used. An example of an application that could benefit from a generic information model for MA and MP is the Advanced Traceroute application (see Advanced Traceroute Functionality in the perfSONAR System on page 47). This application does a traceroute to an IP address and checks with an LS for each hop to see if an SNMP MP exists that can provide some performance metrics for the link. Since there is no generic information model for MPs and MAs, the application can only use the SNMP MP, and only a hard coded set of SNMP objects can be retrieved. If another type of MP is available (like a passive monitoring probe) more detailed information about the link can be provided. However, the Advanced Traceroute application is not able to take advantage of this without code being manually added. If a generic self-documenting information model for MPs and MAs existed, the application would be able to display all available statistics for a given link, regardless of the source.