DFM creates a causality mapping between the fault conditions and the symptoms. After the fault conditions and their symptoms are identified, this information is coded in the analysis model. Because the event information necessary to diagnose fault conditions is present in the analysis model, DFM monitors only the events necessary to diagnose the condition. DFM can operate as an independent management system or can integrate with existing management applications to add fault management to the functionality already in place. The consoles and adapters are examples of DFM clients.
Adapters provide a means of communication between domain managers and the networked system.
DFM consoles are graphical interfaces for interacting with domain managers. The Monitoring Console is used to view the results of a domain manager's analysis and the Administration Console, which also launches the Polling and Thresholds Console, is used to manage a DFM system. The DFM broker facilitates communication between domain managers and clients. It contains the Cisco analysis model , an in-memory repository of managed objects, and several adapters that interact with the managed domain. The analysis model describes the types of elements managed by DFM, the fault conditions that can occur in those elements, and the symptoms that are caused by these conditions.