Semantic management: application of ontologies for the integration of management information models

The multiplicity of network management models (SNMP, CMIP, DMI, WBEM, etc.) has raised the need of defining multiple mechanisms to allow the interoperability among all involved management domains. One basic component of such interoperability is the mapping between the information models that each domain specifies. These mappings, usually carried out with syntactical translations, can reach the semantic level by using ontologies. This article shows the advantages of using formal ontology techniques to improve the integration of current network management models.