Network Installation Manager

Network Installation Manager (NIM) is an object-oriented system management framework on the IBM AIX operating system that installs and manages systems over a network.^[1][2][3] NIM is analogous to Kickstart in the Linux world.^[4] NIM is a client-server system^[5] in which a NIM server provides a boot image to client systems via the BOOTP and TFTP protocols.^[6] In addition to boot images, NIM can manage software updates and third-party applications.^[7] The SUMA command can be integrated with NIM to automate system updates from a central server and subsequent distribution to clients.^[8]

NIM data is organized into object classes and object types.^[9] Classes include machines, networks and resources while types refer to the kind of object within a class, e.g., script or image resources.