About Management Plug-ins

A Management Plug-in is a group of files that defines a new Enterprise Manager target type.  Having files that all support a single target type alone does not make them a MP.  The files must be associated together by adding them to a Management Plug-in Archive (MPA) file through the EM Command Line Interface (CLI).  The only place that an official MP can exist is in the MPA file or in the repository.  The only way that an MP can make it into the repository is by importing it from a MPA.

The combination of the MP name (usually the target type) and version make for a unique identifier of a MP.  If any files have changed or any new files added, the MP version must also change to make the new edition of the MP unique against the old one.  The files that constitute the MP may have versions of their own.  Most noticeably, the target type metadata file has a metadata version, but the versions specified in the files are independent of the MP version.  The MP version serves as a version for the combination of all of the files in the MP and has no relation to the version any of those files may carry for their subsystem.

The MP can contain a variety of different files that achieve varying purposes at different tiers in the EM system.  The target type metadata file is an integral part of defining a new target type and new MP.  It is required by the CLI, in addition to a default collection file, to create a new MP in the MPA file.  These two files are the only ones that are required to create a new MP, but there are additional file types supported that can fill out the MP:

Type of File
Required?
Purpose
Target Type Metadata
Yes
Supplies the new target type definition.
Default Collection
Yes

Establishes a schedule for which the information described in the target type metadata file is collected.

Monitoring Script or Binary
No
An OS script used to support the target type metadata file in the collection of data.
Report Definition
No
A PL/SQL file that uses the Reporting Framework APIs to create custom reports for this new target type.  Can also register any custom reports for display in the target type homepage.
Policy Definition
No
A PL/SQL file that uses the Policy Framework APIs to create custom policies for this new target type.


Related Topics

About Management Plug-in Archives

Creating a Management Plug-in Archive

Importing Management Plug-ins

Viewing Management Plug-in Details

Exporting a Management Plug-in

Deploying a Management Plug-in

Undeploying a Management Plug-in

Deleting a Management Plug-in

Enterprise Manager Information Roadmap