DMI is designed to be platform -independent and operating system -independent so that programs can make the same function calls to collect information no matter what system they're running in. This system independence is implemented by collecting information from MIF files, which are plain text files containing information about a software or hardware component.

DMI was designed by the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF), a consortium of hardware manufacturers led by Intel. Version 2.0 allows a central computer not only to gather information about computers connected to a network, but also to configure them. PCs that comply with DMI 2.0 are sometimes called managed PCs.

Desktop Management Task Force
Home page of the DMTF, an industry organization dedicated to lowering TCO by making PCs easier to use and manage.

Introduction to DMI
IBM Information Brief that provides an overview of DMI.