One of these is called the "Devices Profile for Web Services." The other is the "Web Services for Management eXtension," or WMX. In a broad sense, both WMX and the Device Profile are aimed at improving device management, company officials said. "This is about taking Web services to the next level," said Peter McKiernan, lead program manager with Microsoft's platform strategy and partner group."It's the third phase of the Web services evolution: Building new solutions on top of existing Web services."

Both the devices profile and WMX are collections of pre-existing Web services, rather than brand-new ones.

"There are probably enough Web services specs already out there," said Michael Emmanuel, director of product management with Microsoft's Windows and enterprise management group."Both of these (the devices profile and WMX) show how the existing Web services specs can be used."

Another commonality between WMX and the Device Profile is the interoperability they foster across Windows and non-Windows platforms, Microsoft officials stressed. Emmanuel noted that WMX can be used to manage "anything that talks any existing SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) Web services."

The Devices Profile, which was co-authored by Intel, Lexmark and Ricoh, is prescriptive guidance focused on how to use existing Web services specifications to simplify network installation and communication across all kinds of devices — printers, cell phones, computer mice, etc. Microsoft and its partners are seeking input on the profile and are hoping to submit it by the end of this year for standardization consideration to the Universal Plug and Play Forum.

Microsoft has published a copy of the proposed profile to its Microsoft Developer Network Web site.

WMX is a protocol designed to streamline server management. Microsoft officials describe it as a "proof of concept" of its Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI), its overarching management scheme. Microsoft is working with the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) members on how best to move forward on making WMX a standard, said Emmanuel. Microsoft has distributed a white paper describing WMX to members of the DMTF's systems management working group, and is holding a design preview on WMX at the end of this week.

This article was first published on microsoft-watch.com.