OSF DCE Administration Guide--Core Components

Chapter 1. DCE Control Program Introduction
DCE is an integrated set of services that supports the development and execution of
distributed applications between heterogeneous networked computers. Each DCE
environment (called a cell) maintains at least the following core DCE services:
• DCE Threads
• DCE Host Services
• DCE Cell Directory Service
• DCE Time Service
• DCE Security Service
With the exception of DCE Threads, all of the core services require administration in one
way or another. Some services, such as CDS and the DCE Security Service, usually need
more managing than, say, the DCE Time Service, which after you have set it up needs
practically no intervention. If your DCE cell consists of just a few computers and their
users, you could probably manage the naming, time, and security needs of users,
programs, and host systems by logging into individual hosts to perform any necessary
administration tasks. But most cells will consist of many, perhaps hundreds or even
thousands, of computers and their users.
Consequently, the core services in such large cells will likely be extensive and complex,
with some services being replicated or even partitioned across multiple heterogeneous
systems. Some services, such as the DCE host services, will exist on every computer in
the cell. Such large-scale operations demand an administrative interface that provides
consistent and uniform access to DCE administration functions, wherever they reside,
from any and every point in the cell. This means that administrative operations must
work consistently and predictably regardless of the platform on which they execute.
The DCE control program (dcecp) available with DCE Version 1.1 fills this need,
providing consistent, portable, extensible, and secure access to nearly all DCE
administration functions from any point in a DCE cell. The DCE control program
implements most of the operations previously performed by using various component
control programs.
The DCE control program further streamlines administration by providing a number of
task objects for performing complex DCE operations. For example, adding a host to a
cell requires adding a host principal to the registry, adding the principal to various
security groups and organizations, creating an account, placing host information in CDS
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