Copyright (c) 1999, 2000 Silicon Graphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Rhino Features
Security
- Secure connections
- Encrypted communication is supported (pending export compliance
approval)
- Security plugins such as SSH (secure shell) are supported
- User login and authentication
- User must have an account on the server
- GUI and server processes run as the user who logged in, not
necessarily as root
- Per-user privileges on tasks - administrator can grant
individual users permission to execute specific tasks
- A single log file records all system changes made by Rhino
applications
- Consistent security mechanism - the same security practices
are applicable to all Rhino applications
For more detail on the security model, see the Rhino Architecture document.
User Interfaces
- Both GUI and non-GUI administration - in addition to the
GUI interface, the command-line interface allows administrators to write
scripts
- Glossary definitions can be linked (like hypertext) to arbitrary
text and label UI components
- Supports access to end-user help
- As an application on IRIX, launches SGI Help
- As an applet in browser, loads web page
- Operates in a heterogeneous environment
- The Java clients run on IRIX, Linux, Windows, and under any browser that
supports Java
- The C++ server runs on IRIX and Linux, is being ported to UNICOS, and
could be ported to Windows
- Consistent GUI implementation
- All Rhino system administration tools look and behave similarly, which
simplifies administration by reducing the learning curve
and supporting consistent usage patterns
- Implements proven user model and UI components which shipped in IRIX
6.3, 6.4, and 6.5, and were awarded the 1998 "Interaction Design Award"
For descriptions and screen shots of the high-level GUI components provided by Rhino, see the
GUI Components document.
Monitoring
Rhino is good for applications which dynamically display the state of a system;
these applications need to know when there has been a change originating
outside of the application itself. Rhino automatically notifies the GUI when
the state of the system changes, regardless of whether that change was caused
by:
- A user running the GUI on another system
- Another user executing command-line programs
- An administrator editing configuration files
- The system changing state by itself
Development features
- Generates optional debug information
- Both client and server can produce debug messages
- Infrastructure can print debug messages to help you fix implementation
problems
- Rhino provides API for putting debug messages in your code
- Debug level can be set at runtime
- Enables developers to focus on their problem domain and reduces
development time by providing the authentication, communication, and
high-level GUI components which are common to administration applications
- All clients benefit from future infrastructure enhancements
- Simplifies internationalization by storing all GUI text in property
files
- Provides modular components. Components from one Rhino application
can be used in other Rhino applications. For example, a Disk Manager,
Volume Manager, and Filesystem Manager could share components.