DataMiner System layout

A DataMiner System (DMS) is a cluster of one or more TCP/IP interconnected DataMiner Agents (DMAs).

As to software, all DataMiner Agents in a DMS are identical. Each DMA is also a fully functional DataMiner System by itself, offering all the features and capabilities of DataMiner. This means that the smallest and most simple version of a DataMiner System is a single DMA. Typically, multiple DMAs are deployed to create a DMS, with the number of DMAs depending on the required overall processing capacity and potentially also on certain architectural considerations or preferences.

In a DMS, there is no central server and there are no dedicated client terminals. When DataMiner users log on to any of the DMAs in the cluster, they will perceive the DMS as a single entity.

DataMiner Agents

A DataMiner Agent (DMA) is a physical or virtual compute instance running the DataMiner Agent software on top of a Microsoft Windows operating system (see DataMiner Compute Requirements). A DMA is often also referred to as a DataMiner Node.

The DataMiner Agent software is essentially a collection of services of which most names start with “SL” (e.g. SLNet, SLProtocol, SLLog, etc.).

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DataMiner clients

DataMiner client applications only need to connect to one DMA in the DMS, and this can be any of the DMAs. All DMAs in the DMS have an equivalent status. Through this "single point of contact", users have access to all information in the entire DMS. The only constraints a user can potentially experience in terms of accessing certain information are defined by the DataMiner security configuration.

In other words, a DataMiner client can access the DataMiner System by connecting to any DMA, and it will get a consolidated view of the entire managed operation and all its managed objects across all DMAs in the DMS.

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DataMiner database

For storage of data, DataMiner comes fully integrated with industry-standard data storage solutions.

The general database is the mandatory storage solution required for a fully operational DataMiner System. The DataMiner System uses the general database to store and retrieve data. To do so as efficiently as possible, it relies on references and IDs. This makes the database less readable for a third-party software application without intimate knowledge of the data structures used by DataMiner. The general database is therefore considered to be exclusively used by the DataMiner System. The DataMiner System also includes all the logic required to maintain the good health and optimal performance of the general database, as this database is intended to be zero-maintenance and require no Database Admin. Prior to DataMiner 9.0, the general database is by default a MySQL database. From DataMiner 9.0 onwards, a Cassandra database is used by default. Note that in older DataMiner versions, the general database was known as the "local database".

The offload database is an optional second data storage solution that can be added to a DataMiner System for the purpose of exporting the data and making it available for third-party software applications. When the DataMiner System is configured to also offload its data to the offload database, it will translate the data to more human-readable data (e.g. element ID references are replaced with element names), so that it is easier for third-party applications to digest. A DataMiner System will only write data to the offload database but will not read from it. The DataMiner System will also not perform maintenance of the offload database.

DataMiner Probes

A DataMiner Probe (DMP) provides standalone intelligent network management functionality, and typically reports to a central system. It has limited capabilities compared to a full DataMiner Agent, and typically, but not necessarily, runs on a small-form-factor compute instance in remote and unmanned locations where communication channels often have capacity constraints and/or intermittent availability.

DMPs can support a multitude of applications and are typically installed in e.g. remote VSAT terminals, satellite hubs, terrestrial transmitter sites, small network nodes, cellular network base centers, etc.

DMA peripherals

In some network setups, special third-party interfacing hardware called "DMA peripherals" is used to connect a DMA to third-party devices. Typically, the intelligence is embedded in the DMA, while the peripherals are used for medium interfacing and conversion.

Frequently used peripherals include:

Serial Gateway (RS232 and/or RS485 ports)
IO Gateway (analog and digital IOs)
HMS Gateway (RF ports, HMS compliant)
GPIB Gateway (IEEE-488 ports)
...

Note

When interfacing with IO gateways through DataMiner Protocols, the following guidelines should be taken into account.

All analog and digital IOs must be listed in a normalized way so that they reflect the actual voltage/status.
Create a virtual protocol that contains the parameters to be included in the virtual element.
Specify the necessary multiplication and offset factors in order to deal with parameter units (e.g. 0.1 V/oC)
Virtual protocol design is independent of the IO Gateway being used.