In 2000, I along with a small group of software professionals set out to create a universal device/system-agnostic communication and control system that would allow any system or device to reconfigure and retool itself to adopt to changes in the environment. We also wanted to define a meta-language that would allow each device to be self-describing and self-configuring. We embedded the engine in Cisco IOS kernel but aside from creating the most versatile remote control system, we also managed to blow a huge hole in the network infrastructure security, effectively killing the effort.

1. AutonomIQ™ Technology Overview
June 2005
By Dr. George Vanecek, Jr.

2. UXComm Objectives
 Create a service management middleware,
based on
 A generalized and extensible protocol
mediation and translation and API
abstraction mechanism, to
 Configure, control, monitor, and provision
networked service assets, and
 Address heterogeneity, interoperability, and
change in the service assets.

3. UXComm Solution
 Create an engine that
 Is very small by providing minimal built-in
functionality
 Is O.S. independent
 Is powerful by extending its support
capabilities on demand
 Offers a self-describing service views of
native services
 Can support an agent architecture

4. Service Request/Response
CLIENT
or
AGENT AGENT
Service Request
with Reference to a
Service Specification
XML/HTML
Response
Download
Server
Service Specification,
Adaptors,
and
Required Libraries4
1
2
3
Service Request
Execution
HTTP/S
Holds for requests over other protocols such as SNMP or CLI over Telnet.

5. IA2 Engine
Applications as Collection of Services
Workflow
Manager
CLI (Telnet) Web (HTTP)
Persistent
Store
Event
Manager
SNMP
Manager
WMI
Client
HPI
Client
SNMP
Agent
Example Application Service
 IA2 Engine
executes services
and facilitates
communication
between services
via
service requests

6. IA2 Engine
(Java)
Service Specification
(XDS written in XDL)
Service Request
(XSR)
Service Execution Environment
Service Request
Service Definition
(Interface)
Service Implementation
Shared Libraries
External APIs, Protocols, O.S.s, Applications
Adaptor Actions

7. XDL: eXtensible Design Language
Is a meta-language for authoring the service
specifications (XDS’s)
Decomposes a complex service into a
hierarchy or groups of logical sub-services
Offers a natural encoding of pre/post actions
associated with each sub-service
Is compiled by the engine (not interpreted)
Allows imports of engine extensions by
loading adaptors and share libraries/stacks

8. Example Specification and Request
Cisco IOS
Specification
Request to
Install a tar file

9. XDS Example (as XML)
<xds id=“…” …>
<node name=“demo”
xmlns:io=“/adapter/IOAdapter.jar”>
<args> …Arguments… </args>
<subnodes>
<node name=“createHelloWorld” …>
<args>…Arguments… </args>
<do>
<io:open file=“path”/>
<io:write string=“hello world”/> …
<io:close/>
</do>
</node>
…Other Commands…
</subnodes>
</node>
</xds>
demo
createHelloWorld …

10. Script Programs
 All command are
supplied by adaptors
 Commands are simple
or structured
 Use typed arguments
 Support exchange of
POJO’s

11. Engine Adaptor
 Collection of related commands
 Written in Java (Bundled as JAR files)
 Designed to extend the engine’s run-time
support
 Optionally provide access to reusable libraries
and stacks
 Loaded when some XDS requires them
 Support drag & drop visual editing of XDS
scripts in IDE
 Adaptor commands are engine co-agents:
 Self-parsing from XDS XML file
 Self-printing to the XDS XML file

12. Example Script
Note:
IOS XDS
implemented as
CLI over Telnet
with
 IO
 Expect
 FCLang
 Exception
adaptors.

13. Using AIQ Adaptors
XDS
<node name … xmlns:an=“URL”>
<do>
…
<an:some-action arg1=“…” arg2=“…”/>
…
</do>
Adaptor
Loader/Cache
Load
Adaptor
class SomeAction
extends XDSAction
{
String arg1;
String arg2;
exec(…) { }
printXML(…){ }
parse(…) { }
}
Instantiate
Action
Execute

14. Name
XDS Structure
Arguments
(name,type,default)
Pre
Actions
Post
Actions
Exception Handlers
Program
based on actions
from imported
adaptors
Adaptor/Library Imports
 An XDS node represents a sub-service

15. XDS, XWS
Specifications
IA2 Engine
AutonomIQ Engine Architecture
O.S. + Hardware
JVM
XDL Compiler
XSR Interpreter
XDS Cache
Adaptor Cache
SNMP
IPMI
HPIJDBC
Telnet
WakeOnLAN
HTTP/S SBLIM
WMI
SOAP
CIM
XML
Applications
Adaptor/Lib Repository
<xsr ref=“http://xds.uxcomm.com/dsp/workflows/provisionBlade.xws”>
<provisionBlade tmip=“10.10.10.4” tmport=“6964” …/>
</xsr>
Service
Requests
…
XML Repository
HTTP
HTTP
HTTP

16. Engine Execution Layers
Stack
Component
Specialization
Adaptor
Interface
Java
Component
Specification
Workflows
Application
XDS
XWS
Projects
Application
Specification
Java Threads
Task Thread
Management
Workflow Interface
Workflow Scheduler
Discovery
Fail-over Provisioning
On-Demand Asset Tracking (OAT)
SNMP Agent
SNMP Interface
SNMP
Manager/Handler
SNMP Stack
OAT Master/Agents
Request
Driven
Loading
Examples
Only
Adaptor

17. AIQ IDE:
The Integrated Development
and Execution Environment

18. Building Application Services
1. Using IDE, author services
 Create low-level service specifications
(to control legacy components)
 SNMP, IPMI, WMI, Cisco IOS, …
 Create application component service specifications
(to add new components)
 Workflow Manager, Persistence Store, Event Handler,
Event Monitor, …
 Create application service specifications
(using low-level/application components)
 Internet Gateway, Download Server, ATCA NMS…
1. Optionally Build UI
2. Deploy Agent (Engine with Front-End such as HTTP or
CLI)
 With access to service specifications and support files.

19. IDE: Key Components
Manage
Projects
Service
Requests
Editor
Service Requests
Execute/Trace/Debug
Manage
Adaptors
XDS Editor
Script
Editor

20. IDE: Support Dialogs
Manage
IDE Add-ons
Monitor Threads
Edit IDE
Properties
Profiler
Heap Monitor

21. IDE: XDS Editor Support
Adaptor
Chooser
Expression
Editor

22. IDE: Workflow Editing
Workflow
Editor
Task
Wizard
Graphical
Viewer

23. IDE: HTML/Request Wizard
HTML Wizard
Wizard Interface
HTML Text
Editor
Web Browser
Preview and
Execution

24. IDE: Documentation Support
Integrated
Web
Browser
Component
Pane
Help
XDSDoc
Viewer

25. IDE: Request Support
XSR Debugger
Breakpoints
And
Single Step
Execution

26. Example AIQ Adaptors:
SNMP, CLI

27. SNMP Adaptor and Service
 Versions v1, v2c, v3
 Manager
 Agent
 SNMPv2 USM and VACM
 Trap/Inform Handler
 Proxy Forwarder
 MIB
 Table Support
 MIB Parser for SMIv1 and
SMIv2
 Programmable MIB
queries

28. CLI Adaptor and Service
 Telnet/SSH protocols
 User-based Access Control
 Command history
 Command-line editing (e.g., Emacs)
 Built-in commands
(e.g., help, up)
 XDS programmable
 Input Syntax
 XML or Text Output
Syntax (via XSLT)
 Multiple-session capable
 XSR interoperable

29. AIQ SDK:
The Service Development Kit

30. AIQ SDK: Service Development Kit
 Engine and agent run-time support.
 Set of adaptors and required libraries
 IDE for
 Authoring service specifications
 Authoring simple HTML UIs
 Authoring and execution service requests
 Support for
 Authoring new AIQ Adaptors (given JAPI)
 Documentation
 Sample Adaptor source code
 Sample Projects with support files

31. SDK: Included Adaptors
 Admin Agent administration
 Array Array data structure
 CLID CLI Server
 Exception Exception handling
 Expect I/O pattern filter
 FCLang Flow control and variable support
 IO File I/O, sockets, and process support
 Log Logging
 RegExp Regular Expressions
 System Thread, timers, and synchronization
 Table Hash table data structure
 HTTPD Web server
 JDBC SQL
 SNMP SNMP v1, v2c and v3 agent, manager, mib
 XML XML parser and DOM
 Workflow Workflow execution and management

32. AIQ Agent Run-time Requirements
 JVM
 Supports J2ME CDC 1.1 with base adaptor set
(J2SE 1.3).
 J2SE 1.4 with full adaptor set
 Disk Requirements
 AIQ engine 256K
 Support libraries <2M (e.g. XML parser, JSSE)
 Base adaptor set <1M
 Memory Requirements
 Minimum 16Mb

33. Summary: What this all means is that
 The IA2 engine supports a
reconfigurable agent architecture for
creating new domain specific parsers
and execution environments (XDS’s)
for various classes of service requests
(XSR’s).

34. Summary
 Universal eXtensible Communicator
 Ergo, UXComm