Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!romp!auschs!awdprime!heyman.austin.ibm.com!jerry
From: jerry@heyman.austin.ibm.com (Jerry Heyman)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.aix
Subject: objectrepository and odme (was Re: 3002 update breaks uucico
Summary: logic behind odm
Keywords: odm, odme, objrepos
Message-ID: <4704@awdprime.UUCP>
Date: 9 Jan 91 15:39:16 GMT
References: <1001@pan.UUCP> <27@softpro.stgt.sub.org>
Sender: news@awdprime.UUCP
Organization: IBM Austin, TX
Lines: 44

In article <27@softpro.stgt.sub.org> cmo@softpro.stgt.sub.org (Christian Motz) writes:

[... discussion on IBM's support ...]

>
>Since I am posting anyway: Hey you guys at Austin, was the $%&@?*#
>"objectrepository" really necessary? Couldn't you have put the 
>information in plain ascii files? And, while we're at it, why are
>commands like the "odme" so poorly documented? Inquiring minds
>want to know ;-)
>

There was (and at times, still is) a running debate about the ODM and stanza
files here in Austin.  The ODM was initially conceived as being the place where
all the configuration information would reside and using SMIT would allow the
user a single command to update the various ODM 'databases' (I use the term
databases losely here).  This was seen as a better solution than stanza files
where the information is distributed about in several that would have to be
updated.  The ODM decision was driven by the fact that part of IBM's market
for the RISC System/6000 was first time Unix(tm) users.

Rather than having to document all the various places that stanza files would
have to be changed, we provided the user with a single interface that would
update the databases.  Granted stanza files were kept around for compatibility
(among other reasons) and most of the commands can still be run using them as
opposed to ODM (tcpip comes to mind - inet in particular).

As for odme, well that particular odm application is extremely powerful (it can
change any and all values within a specified odm database) and should have been
better documented.  We erred in the assumption that having all the various
odmxxx commands would alleviate the need for people to use odme - therefore the
associated documentation is weak.  Hopefully that will be fixed...

>-- 
>SOFTPRO doesn't speak for me, and I do not speak for SOFTPRO. So what?
>
>                              Christian Motz, cmo@softpro.stgt.sub.org

jerry
-- 
Jerry Heyman                     IBM T-R: jerry@heyman.austin.ibm.com
AWD Tools Development            VNET   : HEYMAN at AUSVMQ
AWD Austin                       T/L    : 793-3962
*** All opinions expressed are exactly that - my opinions and NOT IBM's