Working with computers that are not running on Windows Server

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This topic covers some of the design considerations regarding working with computers that are not running Windows Server.

There are some subtle differences between CIM Object Manager (CIMOM) servers that impact the user experience. A developer who is using CDXML to create cmdlets that manage a server running on server software other than Windows Server should be aware of the server configuration and capabilities.

  • Query capability - If the server does not support server filtering using WQL, then EnumerateInstance operations can be used instead of QueryInstances. In this case, the filtering happens on the client.
  • SchemaRetrievalSupport - Windows implements class schema retrieval (EnumerateClasses and GetClass) operations that provide a rich client experience. Not all end-points support this functionality.
  • Handling ShouldProcess (WhatIf or Confirm) - This should be implemented on the client instead of relying on a provider to do it. This is also applicable to WMI providers that have not implemented MI_ShouldProcess (such as all legacy WMI providers in the root/cimv2 namespace).
  • Changing the namespace at runtime.

The following CDXML elements are used to describe the information outlined above.

<CmdletAdapterPrivateData>