Re: Management Targets, Topics and XML Generation of Management I nfo

[Peter Royal <pr...@apache.org>]

On Tuesday 30 July 2002 09:44 pm, Huw Roberts wrote:
> 1) The implementation provides more structure than does JMX alone, in the
> sense that there is a hierarchy of management as defined by the
> SubContexts. Something along the lines of
> - Phoenix
> 	- Components
> 		- Embeddor
> 		- Deployer
> 	- Applications
> 		- FTP-Server
> 			- Blocks
> 				- Block 1
> 				- Block 2
> 		- Demo
> 			- Blocks
> 				- Block 1
> 				- Block 2
> where Components, Applications, Blocks are the subcontexts.  (Blocks could
> define subcontexts beneath themselves as well).  I foresaw this is the way
> to build the ubiquitous 'Tree' in the left hand pane of the gui.

The GUI is going in a different direction than display a tree, but the flow 
behind it does map to a tree structure.

Read this thread about the UI from last year, 
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=avalon-dev&m=100666024311393&w=2

A Context/Container in Phyre gives you a view one, maybe two tree branches 
down from where you are. The app starts and you are in the root container, 
which would map to 'Phoenix' in your tree. The only sub-container implemented 
thus far is one for Applications, which would shift the root to be on one of 
the blocks, such as 'FTP-Server'. We will be doing work over here soon to 
allow another layer down, on an individual block.

> 2) Each 'Target' (which is a block or an application or something else) can
> have multiple Topics, where each topic relates to a particular facet of
> management.  A good example is that an Application might have two Topics,
> one being the 'Application' topic where it can be stopped and started and
> given a name, and the other be the 'Log' topic that sets the logging level
> desired.  In a gui a thought these would be tabs.  Note that the 'Log'
> topic would get repeated in muliple places and would look the same for
> each. Currently each topic is exported as its own MBean.

I'm with you all the way (except for the UI layout.. but that's easily 
remedied). One thing I would like to see is the ability for a block to expose 
a dynamic number of sub-topics at runtime :)

> Along with the ability to provide user-friendly descriptions for Targets,
> Topics, Operations and Attributes (via the XML), I hope this provides a
> rich enough structure to build a good looking gui, while still being
> open-ended enough for expansion, and without tying the code base
> (especially the block authors) directly to JMX.

I would like to maybe use the Description as a caption for a label or button, 
but as it appears currently it is just pulling the javadoc info. Were you 
thinking of having the description be more of a caption-style info or a 
longer tooltip-style?

> How closely do these mesh?  

We're getting there :)
-pete

-- 
peter royal -> proyal@apache.org

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