1=3cm1=.11431 2=3cm2=.4192 3=3cm3=.08573 0=3cm0=.0180 4=14 by-0 1=

width0 height4 depth0pt4 by2 8=

width0 height4 depth0pt4 by-24 by-0 4=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by14 by3 6=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by34 by0 9=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by1 7=

width4 height0 depth0pt4=3 5=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by-0 2=

width4 height0 depth0pt4=24 by0 3=

width0 height4 depth0pt 0=92325 237-2 2122343 2536325343 253480

INSTITUT FÜR INFORMATIK
DER TECHNISCHEN UNIVERSITÄT MÜNCHEN

Diplomarbeit

An Examination of


Requirements for Metapolicies


in Policy-Based Management





$\parbox{1cm}{ \begin{large} \begin{tabbing} Bearbeiter: \hspace{1cm}... ...uschke\\ \>Stephen Heilbronner\\ \>Helmut Reiser\\ \end{tabbing}\end{large}}$

2.4cm 0.55555

1=3cm1=.11431 2=3cm2=.4192 3=3cm3=.08573 0=3cm0=.0180 4=14 by-0 1=

width0 height4 depth0pt4 by2 8=

width0 height4 depth0pt4 by-24 by-0 4=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by14 by3 6=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by34 by0 9=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by1 7=

width4 height0 depth0pt4=3 5=

width4 height0 depth0pt4 by-0 2=

width4 height0 depth0pt4=24 by0 3=

width0 height4 depth0pt 0=92325 237-2 2122343 2536325343 253480



INSTITUT FÜR INFORMATIK
DER TECHNISCHEN UNIVERSITÄT MÜNCHEN

Diplomarbeit

An Examination of


Requirements for Metapolicies


in Policy-Based Management





$\parbox{1cm}{ \begin{large} \begin{tabbing} Bearbeiter: \hspace{1cm}... ... Reiser\\ [5mm] Abgabetermin: \> 15.~November 1998\\ \end{tabbing}\end{large}}$


2.4cm 0.55555

Hiermit versichere ich, daß ich die vorliegende Diplomarbeit selbständig verfaßt und keine anderen als die angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel verwendet habe.

München, 15. November 1998

(Unterschrift des Kandidaten)

Abstract

Policy-based management is seen as an advantageous concept for narrowing down the distance of high-level management objectives to enforceable management actions. The application of policy-based management entails a demand for managing the associated activities in their entirety. Metapolicies have been suggested for this purpose. It needs to be investigated to what degree they can play a useful part in this process.

This thesis presents an overview of how a management policy for an information system goes through different stages of a life cycle. Through the presentation of a developed enhanced policy life cycle, the complexity of the necessary processes for policy-based management is exposed, leading to the need for using metapolicies to assist policy management. In addition to the normal understanding that metapolicies are ``policies about policies'', the concept that metapolicies are also ``policies governing the policy life cycle'' is introduced. The management aspects for areas affected by the policy life cycle are described and classified, enabling a clearer understanding of the significance of metapolicies. This approach differs from previous related work in that it highlights how the developed concept is driven by system management, and how metapolicy can eventually become an underpinning concept of a complete management system.

In addition to this conceptual work, a design to integrate metapolicies into an existing policy-based management system is given focusing on reusing existing infrastructure. Suggestions to put the metapolicy concept more completely into action are presented.