Users Guide

Introduction

Client Instrumentation refers to software applications that enable remote management of a client system.

The Dell Command | Monitor (Command | Monitor) software application enables remote management

using application programs to access the enterprise client system information, monitor the status, or

change the state of the system such as remotely shutting down the system. Command | Monitor uses key

system parameters through standard interfaces allowing administrators to manage inventory, monitor

system health, and gather information of deployed enterprise client systems. This document provides an

overview of Dell Command | Monitor and its features.

NOTE: Dell Command | Monitor was formerly Dell OpenManage Client Instrumentation (OMCI).

After the OMCI version 8.2.1, OMCI is rebranded as Dell Command | Monitor.

Dell Command | Monitor overview

Command | Monitor manages client systems using the Common Information Model (CIM) standard and

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), which are management protocols. This reduces the total

cost of ownership, improves security, and provides a holistic approach to manage all the devices

including clients, servers, storage, network, and software devices.

Using CIM you can access Command | Monitor through Web Services for Management Standards

(WSMAN).

Command | Monitor contains the underlying driver set that collects client system information from

different sources including the BIOS, CMOS, System Management BIOS (SMBIOS), System Management

Interface (SMI), operating system, Application programming interface (APIs), Dynamic-link library (DLLs),

and registry settings. Command | Monitor fetches this information through the CIM Object Manager

(CIMOM) interface, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) stack or SNMP agent.

Command | Monitor enables IT administrators to remotely collect asset information, modify CMOS

settings, receive proactive notifications about potential fault conditions, and get alerts for potential

security breaches. These alerts are available as events in event log, CIM Indication or received as SNMP

traps after importing the Management Information Base (MIB) file and monitoring it.

Command | Monitor is used to gather asset inventory from the system including BIOS settings, through

CIM implementation or SNMP agent. It can be integrated into a console such as Microsoft System Center

Configuration Manager by directly accessing the CIM information, or through other console vendors who

have implemented the Command | Monitor integration. Additionally, you can create custom scripts to

target key areas of interest. You can use these scripts to monitor inventory, BIOS settings, and system

health.

NOTE: Default installation does not enable SNMP support. For more information on enabling SNMP

support, see Dell Command | Monitor Installation Guide at dell.com/clientsystemsmanagement.