Administrator's and User's Guide for SFM HP-UX 11i v2 March and June 2008

1 Introduction
This chapter introduces you to the System Fault Management (SFM) software and the tools that
SFM includes.
The chapter discusses the following topics:
• “Overview” (page 13)
• “Features and Benefits” (page 13)
• “Providers” (page 13)
• “User Interfaces” (page 16)
• “Architecture on PA-RISC and Itanium-based Systems” (page 16)
Overview
The SFM software is a collection of tools used to monitor the health of HP servers running HP-UX.
SFM retrieves information about a system’s hardware devices such as CPU, memory, power
supply, and cooling devices. SFM operates within the Web-Based Enterprise Management
(WBEM) environment.
WBEM is an industry-wide standards-based initiative to aid the management of large scale
systems. WBEM has the following components:
• A WBEM infrastructure, such as HP WBEM services. SFM uses the Common Information
Model Object Manager (CIMOM) WBEM service to route query requests and responses
between WBEM providers and clients. Clients must be compliant with the Common
Information Model (CIM) (2.7.2) schema of the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF).
• A WBEM-based network management application, such as the HP Systems Insight Manager
(HP SIM) and HP System Management Homepage (HP SMH), a user interface for controlling
and monitoring resources within a large-scale system. SFM can use HP SIM to display query
information for local and remote systems.
• WBEM providers that obtain information. SFM includes instance and indication providers,
which are one set of WBEM providers among many. SFM providers query and provide
system hardware property and event information.
Features and Benefits
SFM dynamically queries on request property information about a hardware device on a local
or remote system. It offers the following features and benefits:
• Displays information on standards-compliant graphical and command-line system
management applications, such as HP SIM and HP SMH.
• Operates within the WBEM environment.
• Supports the Central Management Server (CMS) running on HP-UX, Linux®, or Windows®.
• Enables you to view and administer WBEM indications.
• Converts WBEM indications, generated by the SFMIndicationProvider, into Event Monitoring
Service (EMS) events to support EMS clients.
• Provides the same features and benefits as those found in the EMS Hardware Monitors.
NOTE: SFM is the future replacement of EMS Hardware Monitors.
Providers
SFM providers can be classified as instance providers or as indication providers. This section
describes these providers.
Overview 13