The Device Management (DM) Session
A DM session consists of a series of commands exchanged between a DM server and a client device. The server sends commands indicating operations that must be performed on the client device's management tree. The client responds by sending commands, containing the results and any requested status information. An example of a short DM session would be the following:
A server sends a
Getcommand to a client device to retrieve the contents of one of the nodes of the management tree. The device performs the operation and responds with aResultcommand which contains the requested contents.
A DM session can be divided into two phases:
- Set-up phase: In response to a trigger event, a client device sends an initiating message to a DM server. The device and server exchange needed authentication and device information.
- Management phase: The DM server is in control. It sends management commands to the device and the device responds. Phase two ends when the DM server stops sending commands and terminates the session.
The following table shows the sequence of events during a typical DM session beginning with the initial session trigger sent, as an alert message, by the DM Server.
| Step | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | The DM Server sends an "Alert" to the client device. | The DM Server sends a short message, over Short Message Service (SMS), which tells the client device to initiate a session with the Server. Included in the message is the server ID. The client device will use this to verify that the Server is authorized to communicate with it. |
| 1 | The device sends a message, over an IP connection, to initiate the session. | This message includes device information and credentials. |
| 2 | The DM Server responds, over an IP connection (HTTPS over SSL). | The Server sends its credentials and initial device management commands, if any. |
| 3 | The device responds to server management commands. | This message includes the results of performing the specified device management operations. |
| 4 | The DM Server terminates the session or sends another command. | The DM Session ends or repeat step 3. |
See Also
OMA Device Management Provisioning | Best Practices in Managing Devices
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