Share via

Exploring the CIM Repository

  • Article

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Scripting Guide

Browsing the CIM repository is probably the best way to learn about the available classes and about the methods and properties available through those classes. As you have seen, you can use scripts to explore the CIM repository. However, you are not limited to using scripts to carry out this task; in fact, you can use a number of different tools to browse the WMI classes in the CIM repository that correspond to WMI-managed resources.

WMI Tester

WMI Tester (Wbemtest.exe) is a general-purpose graphical tool you can use to interact with the WMI infrastructure. You can use WMI Tester to browse the CIM schema and examine managed resource class definitions. WMI Tester can also be used to perform the same actions your WMI-based scripts perform, such as retrieving instances of managed resources and running queries. Because WMI Tester is part of the default WMI installation on all WMI-enabled computers, Wbemtest.exe is an excellent and readily available WMI learning and troubleshooting tool.

CIM Studio

CIM Studio, part of the WMI SDK and WMI Administrative Tools, provides a Web-based interface you can use to interact with the WMI infrastructure. As with WMI Tester, you can use CIM Studio to browse the CIM schema, view class definitions, and retrieve instances of managed resources. The superior user interface of CIM Studio makes it easy to view class relationships and associations, and CIM Studio provides a rudimentary search facility - two features not available with the WMI Tester tool. To use CIM Studio, you must download and install the WMI SDK or the WMI Administrative Tools. The WMI Administrative Tools can be obtained from the Microsoft.com Download Center.

Resource Kit scripts

The Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit includes dozens of scripts that leverage the power of WMI. Three of those scripts, EnumClasses.vbs, EnumInstances.vbs, and EnumNamespaces.vbs, are general-purpose scripts that can be used to browse the CIM schema, view class definitions, and retrieve instances of managed resources.