Introduction to the desktop management interface

Introduction to the desktop management interface

The Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) is a cooperative, industry-wide organization, formed in 1992 to develop and deliver specifications for building easy-to-manage PC systems. Catalyzed by customer demand, the DMTF charter is to define a common management framework for PCs, and to support vendors in bringing management, ease of use, and control to networked and standalone PCs.

In response to the rapid growth and diversity of desktop systems and local area networks, DMTF member companies worked together to develop technology that would:

Simplify the complexity of managing the desktop environment
Offer a standard way to manage desktop systems
Enable vendors to easily add manageability to their products
Lower the total cost of ownership

The goal was to provide manageability for desktop systems through an interface that is:

Independent of a specific computer or operating system
Independent of a specific management protocol
Independent of any specific processor or hardware platform
Usable locally -- no network required
Easy for vendors to adopt
Easily mapped to existing management protocols such as SNMP