Chapter 13. Programming Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)

You view and manage SQL Server services, network settings, and server-alias settings using the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Provider for Configuration Management. The ManagedComputer class in the Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.Wmi namespace represents a WMI installation on a SQL Server instance. It provides access to the WMI Provider for Configuration Management.

The ManagedComputer class is the top class in the SMO WMI hierarchy, just as the Server class is the top class in the SMO instance classes. ManagedComputer objects operate independently of Server objects.

You can use the WMI Provider for Configuration Management in one of three ways:

• Use a Windows Management Instrumentation Query Language (WQL) editor or query tool such as WBEMTest.exe to execute queries.

• Use a scripting language such as VBScript, JScript, or Perl in which you can embed and execute WQL queries.

• Use the ManagedComputer class in the Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.Wmi namespace from a .NET SMO application.

This book deals only with using the ManagedComputer class in a .NET SMO application. For more information about the other alternatives, see Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Books Online.