Abstract: This invention consists of a method for providing security for distributing management operations among components of a computer network using a network of mutually trusting, mutually authenticating management services to dispatch operations to selected host systems. Mutual authentication and trust are established on every transmission link from a point of submission to a designated management server which invokes a service provider to perform management operations on a selected host.

Abstract: The following is a method and apparatus for administering an operation specified for performance on a set of independently managed hosts. The operation is received initially by one of a plurality of management servers in a managed host system. The operation, specifying a group object, is transferred to the management server designated by the system to administer the operation specified on the group object. The designated management server thereafter decomposes the group object into constituent objects which may be host objects or additional group objects. Next, the locally administered objects are scheduled for execution on the hosts administered by the designated management server. The non-locally administered objects are transferred to the management servers identified in a database for administering the objects. After executing the operation on the host objects, the host objects and group objects return status information back to the designated management server.