| ## Overview - DCE Control Program Introduction DCE is an integrated set of services that supports the development and execution of distributed applications between heterogeneous networked computers. Each DCE environment (called a cell) maintains at least the following core DCE services: · DCE Threads · DCE Host Services · DCE Cell Directory Service · DCE Time Service · DCE Security Service With the exception of DCE Threads, all of the core services require administration in one way or another. Some services like CDS and the DCE Security Service usually need more managing than say, the DCE Time Service which, after you have set it up, needs practically no intervention. If your DCE cell consists of just a few computers and their users, you could probably manage the naming, time, and security needs of users, programs, and host systems by logging onto individual hosts to perform any necessary administration tasks. But most cells will consist of many, perhaps hundreds or even thousands of computers and their users. Consequently, the core services in these cells will likely be large and complex with some services being replicated or even partitioned across multiple heterogeneous systems. Some services, such as the DCE host services, will exist on every computer in the cell. Such large scale operations demand an administrative interface that provides consistent and uniform access to DCE administration functions, wherever they reside, from any and every point in the cell. This means that administrative operations must work consistently and predictably regardless of the platform on which they execute. The DCE Control Program (dcecp) fills this need, providing consistent, portable, extensible, and secure access to nearly all DCE administration functions from any point in a DCE cell. The dcecp program implements most of the operations previously performed by using various component control programs. The dcecp program further streamlines administration by providing a number of task objects for performing complex DCE operations. For example, adding a host to a cell requires adding a host principal to the registry, adding the principal to various security groups and organizations, creating an account, placing host information in CDS and probably setting some ACLs on CDS directories. All of these operations can be accomplished using a single task object. ##