This information describes the basic terminology and functions of the Common Information
Model (CIM) agent object models.
The CIM agent specifications use the following concepts and terminology to describe the object
models:
- Association
- A class with two references that define a relationship between two referenced objects.
- Class
- The definition of an object within a specific hierarchy. An object class can have properties and
methods and serve as the target of an association.
- Indication
- An object representation of an event.
- Instance
- An individual object that is the member of a class. In object-oriented programming, an object
that is created by instantiating a class.
- Managed Object Format (MOF)
- A language for defining Common Information Model (CIM) schemas.
- Method
- A way to implement a function on a class.
- Namespace
- The scope within which a CIM schema applies.
- Object path
- An object that consists of a namespace path and a model path. The namespace path provides access
to the CIM implementation that the CIM agent manages, and the model path provides navigation within
the implementation.
- Property
- An attribute that is used to characterize instances of a class.
- Qualifier
- A value that provides additional information about a class, association, indication, method,
method parameter, instance, property, or reference.
- Reference
- A pointer to another instance that defines the role and scope of an object in an association.
- Schema
- A group of object classes that are defined for and applicable to a single namespace. Within the
CIM agent, the supported schemas are the ones that are loaded through the Managed Object Format
(MOF) compiler.