Products

SEM Architecture

1. Design Goals:

• Multi-Platform: Windows, UNIX/Linux, OpenVMS
• Easy Install
• Minimal maintenance effort
• Quick and easy customizable to your own needs
• Secure
• Delegation

2. Solution:

• We developed the Sysgem Enterprise Manager (SEM)
• SEM is made up of: Sysgem Enterprise Framework and layered application modules,such as Account Management SAcM, System Management SSyM, File Synchronization SFiS, and others which exchange data with the Sysgem Framework
• Tasks which all application modules have in common are handled by the SEM Framework
The SEM Framework has a Client-Server architecture

3. SEM Framework

The SEM Framework consists of:

• Client (GUI) running on users’ Windows workstations
• Authorization Server running on a Windows server
• Agents running on target servers

This software framework performs common tasks required by the layered application modules. For example, scripts which need to be executed on target systems are assembled by the application modules and handed to the framework. The framework transfers the scripts to SEM software agents running on the target servers, executes them on the servers and transfers the resultant data back to the application modules for display in the GUI.

The SEM framework also provides a programmable interface to the layered applications for other functions such as filtering, alarming, reporting, accessing databases, caching data, etc.

3.1 Client (GUI)

The SEM Client provides the user interface. It is manually invoked by the user to interact with the other system components to manage target servers. It first connects with the Authorization Server to validate the user’s login credentials. Depending on the user’s level of authority a set of menu options and a list of servers are then made available.

3.2 Authorization Server

The SEM Authorization Server is the focal point of the product. It is responsible for:

• Validation of SEM user login credentials
• Storage of user profiles granting permission levels of access
• Permanent storage of scripts that are destined to be used on target servers
• Using SSL/TLS for ‘Signing’ of messages transmitted to Agents on target servers
• Managing the audit trail and other SEM databases

3.3 Agent

The SEM Agent is installed with sufficient privileges on target servers to conduct the required system management tasks. It is, basically, a script processing engine. Scripts are transmitted to the agent for execution. Results of running the scripts are returned to the GUI and the scripts are discarded as soon as they have been run.

The Agent software is very simple since it has no intelligence regarding the application scripts (it simply runs authenticated scripts and returns the results). It therefore has few software upgrades compared to the applications stored at the central Authorization Server. This is a bonus for customers since there are usually many installations of the Agent on a network, but only one installation of the Authorization Server.

4. Data Flow

The following diagram outlines the interactions between the main components of SEM. Users log into the SEM Client and have their credentials verified by the Authorization Server. Menu options are displayed on the users’ workstations and command scripts are transmitted to the Agents on the target servers. When SSL/TLS is being used as the communication protocol, the messages that are transmitted to the Agents are first signed by the Authorization Server and verified by the Agents. After the scripts have run on the target servers, the results are transmitted back to the SEM Client for display.

 

5. Automated Submission of tasks

Using a secure access mechanism, the ‘SEM Web Access Request’ system provides for the automated submission of scripts to run on target systems without the involvement of an interactive user. This is an easy way of developing routines to process requests submitted through a customer’s Intranet website.

6. Summary

Our multi-platform system management solution provides:

• A secure means of delegating system management
• Network-wide application taking advantage of a centralized GUI
• Quick and effortless product installation
• Minimal on-going maintenance
• Easily customized

For further details please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.