Trend Micro Control Manager provides a means to control Trend Micro products and services from a central location. This application simplifies the administration of a corporate virus/malware and content security policy. The following table provides a list of components Control Manager uses.

Control Manager Components

Component
Description
Control Manager server
Acts as a repository for all data collected from the agents. It can be a Standard or Advanced Edition server. A Control Manager server includes the following features:
  • An SQL database that stores managed product configurations and logs
    Control Manager uses the Microsoft SQL Server database (db_ControlManager.mdf) to store data included in logs, Communicator schedule, managed product and child server information, user account, network environment, and notification settings.
  • A web server that hosts the Control Manager web console
  • A mail server that delivers event notifications through email messages
    Control Manager can send notifications to individuals or groups of recipients about events that occur on the Control Manager network. Configure Event Center to send notifications through email messages, Windows event log, MSN Messenger, SNMP, Syslog, pager, or any in-house/industry standard application used by your organization to send notification.
  • A report server, present only in the Advanced Edition, that generates antivirus and content security product reports
    A Control Manager report is an online collection of figures about security threat and content security events that occur on the Control Manager network.
Trend Micro Management Communication Protocol
MCP handles the Control Manager server interaction with managed products that support the next generation agent.
MCP is the new backbone for the Control Manager system.
MCP agents install with managed products and use one/two way communication to communicate with Control Manager. MCP agents poll Control Manager for instructions and updates.
Trend Micro Management Infrastructure
Handles the Control Manager server interaction with older managed products.
The Communicator, or the Message Routing Framework, is the communication backbone of the older Control Manager system. It is a component of the Trend Micro Management Infrastructure (TMI). Communicators handle all communication between the Control Manager server and older managed products. They interact with Control Manager 2.x agents to communicate with older managed products.
Control Manager 2.x Agents
Receives commands from the Control Manager server and sends status information and logs to the Control Manager server
The Control Manager agent is an application installed on a managed product server that allows Control Manager to manage the product. Agents interact with the managed product and Communicator. An agent serves as the bridge between managed product and communicator. Therefore, install agents on the same computer as managed products.
Web-based management console
Allows an administrator to manage Control Manager from a computer with an Internet connection and Microsoft Internet Explorer
The Control Manager management console is a web-based console published on the Internet through the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) and hosted by the Control Manager server. It lets you administer the Control Manager network from any computer using a compatible web browser.
Widget Framework
Allows an administrator to create a customized dashboard to monitor the Control Manager network.