Method and apparatus for providing topology based enterprise management services

Claim 2

A computer based method for managing topological associations among objects, comprising: a) storing a number of objects in an information base, each of the number of objects possessing a number of resource names; and b) determining one or more resource name closure sets encompassing the number of objects stored in the information base, each of the one or more resource name closure sets comprising a largest subset of the number of objects stored in the information base such that each object of the largest subset shares a resource name with at least one other object of the largest subset, wherein the objects of each resource name closure set define a resource, and the resource names of said objects uniquely identify said resource.

Claim 3

A computer based method as in claim 1, further comprising: a) receiving a request to manage a new object, the new object possessing a number of resource names; and b) determining whether the new object possesses one or more resource names which uniquely identify one or more known resources; and i) if not, defining a new resource by a resource name closure set comprising the new object, said new resource being uniquely identified by the number of resource names possessed by the new object; ii) if so, and only one known resource is identified, adding the new object to the resource name closure set of the one known resource, said known resource now being uniquely identified by the number of resource names possessed by the new object and each of the objects in the resource name closure set of the identified known resource; and iii) if so, and more than one known resource is identified, A) defining a new resource by a resource name closure set comprising the new object and each of the objects in the resource name closure sets of the identified known resources, said new resource being uniquely identified by the number of resource names possessed by the new object and each of the objects in the resource name closure sets of the identified known resources; and B) deleting the resource name closure sets of the identified known resources.

Claim 4

A computer based method as in claim 1, further comprising: a) receiving a request to unmanage one of the number of objects stored in the information base; and b) determining whether the existing resource name closure set to which the object to be unmanaged belongs comprises additional objects; and i) if not, granting the request to unmanage, and deleting the existing resource name closure set; ii) if so, and each of the additional objects shares a resource name with at least one other of the additional objects, granting the request to unmanage; and iii) if so, and one or more of the additional objects does not share a resource name with at least one other of the additional objects, A) granting the request to unmanage; B) determining a plurality of new resource name closure sets encompassing the additional objects; and C) deleting the existing resource name closure set.

Claim 5

A computer based method as in claim 1, further comprising: a) receiving a request to add a resource name to a given one of the number of objects stored in the information base; b) adding the resource name to the given object; and c) determining whether the added resource name identifies one or more resources in addition to a first resource defined by the resource name closure set to which the given object belongs, and if so, i) defining a new resource by a resource name closure set comprising each of the objects in the resource name closure sets of each of the first and additional one or more resource name closure sets; and ii) deleting the resource name closure sets of each of the first and additional one or more resource name closure sets.

Claim 6

A computer based method as in claim 1, further comprising: a) receiving a request to remove a resource name from a given one of the number of objects stored in the information base; b) removing the resource name from the given object; c) determining one or more new resource name closure sets encompassing the number of objects in the existing resource name closure set to which the given object belongs; and d) deleting the existing resource name closure set.

Claim 7

A computer based method as in claim 1, further comprising: a) receiving a request to explicitly combine at least two resources; b) generating a unique resource name; c) adding the unique resource name to an object in the resource name closure sets of each of the at least two resources; d) defining a new resource by a resource name closure set comprising each of the objects in the resource name closure sets of the at least two resources, said new resource being uniquely identified by the number of resource names possessed by each of the objects in the resource name closure sets of the at least two resources; and e) deleting the resource name closure sets of the at least two resources.

Claim 8

A computer based method as in claim 1, further comprising storing a number of resource aspect types in a resource aspect type store, wherein: a) a resource aspect type comprises a number of rules defining permitted associations for object instances of the resource aspect type; and b) each of the number of objects stored in the information base is an instance of one of the resource aspect types.

Claim 9

A computer based method as in claim 7, wherein the number of resource aspect types are hierarchical in nature, and a given resource aspect type which is a specialization of at least one other resource aspect type inherits the number of rules of the at least one other resource aspect type, in addition to the number of rules of the given resource aspect type.

Claim 10

A computer based method as in claim 8, further comprising: a) configuring a number of enforcer objects, each of which comprises at least one trigger condition associated with at least one constraint, and each of which is related to a resource aspect type; and b) when a request to change the information base is received, and the request meets a trigger condition of any enforcer object, ensuring that the change to the information base complies with the constraints of the met trigger conditions; wherein the trigger conditions of an enforcer object related to a given resource aspect type are inherited by resource aspect types which are specializations of the given resource aspect type.

Claim 11

A computer based method as in claim 8, further comprising: a) configuring a number of notification receiver objects, each of which comprises at least one trigger condition, and each of which is related to a resource aspect type; and b) when a request to change the information base is received, and the request meets a trigger condition of any notification receiver object, logging the change to the information base with the notification receiver object comprising the met trigger condition; wherein the trigger conditions of a notification receiver object related to a given resource aspect type are inherited by resource aspect types which are specializations of the given resource aspect type.

Claim 12

A computer based method as in claim 8, further comprising: a) configuring a number of notification receiver objects, each of which comprises at least one trigger condition, and each of which is related to an object stored in the information base; and b) when a request to change the information base is received, and the request meets a trigger condition of any notification receiver object, logging the change to the information base with the notification receiver object comprising the met trigger condition; wherein the trigger conditions of a notification receiver object related to a given resource aspect type are inherited by resource aspect types which are specializations of the given resource aspect type.

Claim 13

A computer based method as in claim 7, wherein the number of rules for a given resource aspect type comprise a number of configurable rules, each configurable rule comprising: a) a role; b) a minimum and a maximum number of associations in which an object instance of the given resource aspect type must participate; and c) a resource aspect type indicating a type of object with which an association pursuant to the configurable rule must be performed.

Claim 14

A computer based method as in claim 7, further comprising: a) configuring a number of enforcer objects, each of which is related to a resource aspect type; and b) when a request to change the information base is received, and the request meets a trigger condition of any enforcer object, ensuring that the change to the information base complies with the constraints of the met trigger conditions.

Claim 15

A computer based method as in claim 7, further comprising: a) configuring a number of notification receiver objects, each of which comprises at least one trigger condition, and each of which is related to a resource aspect type; and b) when a request to change the information base is received, and the request meets a trigger condition of any notification receiver object, logging the change to the information base with the notification receiver object comprising the met trigger condition.

Claim 16

A computer based method as in claim 7, further comprising: a) configuring a number of notification receiver objects, each of which comprises at least one trigger condition, and each of which is related to an object stored in the information base; and b) when a request to change the information base is received, and the request meets a trigger condition of any notification receiver object, logging the change to the information base with the notification receiver object comprising the met trigger condition.

Claim 17

A computer based method as in claim 7, wherein: a) the number of rules for a given resource aspect type comprise rules comprising: i) a role; ii) a minimum and a maximum number of associations in which an object instance of the given resource aspect type must participate; and iii) a resource aspect type indicating a type of object with which an association pursuant to the configurable rule must be performed; and b) the resource aspect types and rules comprise those in the following __________________________________________________________________________ Rules Resource Aspect Type Role Min. Max. Associated Resource Aspect Type __________________________________________________________________________ logical.sub.-- network network 0 1 logical.sub.-- network.sub.-- containment network 0 1 logical.sub.-- segment.sub.-- containment logical.sub.-- network.sub.-- containment container 0 1 logical.sub.-- network container 0 N logical.sub.-- segment logical.sub.-- segment.sub.-- containment container 0 1 logical.sub.-- segment container 0 N logical.sub.-- network logical.sub.-- node logical.sub.-- device 0 1 logical.sub.-- node.sub.-- containment logical.sub.-- node.sub.-- containment container 0 1 logical.sub.-- node container 0 N logical.sub.-- if logical.sub.-- if interface 0 1 logical.sub.-- node.sub.-- containment interface 0 1 logical.sub.-- interface.sub.-- connection logical.sub.-- interface.sub.-- connection connector 0 1 logical.sub.-- if connector 0 1 logical.sub.-- segment logical.sub.-- segment segment 0 N logical.sub.-- interface.sub.-- connection segment 0 1 logical.sub.-- boundary segment 0 1 logical.sub.-- network.sub.-- containment segment 0 1 logical.sub.-- segment.sub.-- containment logical.sub.-- boundary bounds 0 N logical.sub.-- segment bounds 0 N logical.sub.-- connector (inherited) logical.sub.-- connector connection device 0 1 logical.sub.-- boundary __________________________________________________________________________

Claim 18

A computer based method as in claim 16, wherein the resource aspect type logical -- segment further comprises the rule in the following table: ______________________________________ Rules Associated Resource Resource Aspect Type Role Min. Max. Aspect Type ______________________________________ logical.sub.-- segment segment 0 1 physical.sub.-- network ______________________________________

Claim 19

A computer based method as in claim 17, wherein the resource aspect types and rules further comprise those in the following table: __________________________________________________________________________ Rules Resource Aspect Type Role Min. Max. Associated Resource Aspect Type __________________________________________________________________________ physical.sub.-- network phy.sub.-- network 0 1 logical.sub.-- segment phy.sub.-- network 0 1 physical.sub.-- segment.sub.-- containment physical.sub.-- segment.sub.-- containment container 0 1 physical.sub.-- network container 0 N physical.sub.-- segment physical.sub.-- node chasis 0 1 physical.sub.-- node.sub.-- containment physical.sub.-- node.sub.-- containment container 0 N physical.sub.-- if container 0 1 physical.sub.-- node physical.sub.-- if interface 0 1 physical.sub.-- node.sub.-- containment interface 0 1 physical.sub.-- interface.sub.-- connection physical.sub.-- interface.sub.-- connection connector 0 1 physical.sub.-- if connector 0 1 physical.sub.-- segment physical.sub.-- segment segment 0 N physical.sub.-- interface.sub.-- connection segment 0 1 physical.sub.-- boundary segment 0 1 physical.sub.-- segment.sub.-- containment physical.sub.-- boundary bounds 0 N physical.sub.-- segment bounds 0 N physical.sub.-- connector (inherited) physical.sub.-- connector bounds 0 1 physical.sub.-- boundary __________________________________________________________________________

Claim 20

A computer based method as in claim 18, wherein the resource aspect type logical -- segment further comprises the rule in the following table: ______________________________________ Rules Associated Resource Resource Aspect Type Role Min. Max. Aspect Type ______________________________________ physical.sub.-- segment segment 0 1 media.sub.-- containment ______________________________________

Claim 21

A computer based method as in claim 19, wherein the resource aspect types and rules further comprise those in the following table: __________________________________________________________________________ Rules Resource Aspect Type Role Min. Max. Associated Resource Aspect Type __________________________________________________________________________ media.sub.-- containment attachment 0 1 physical.sub.-- segment container 0 1 media.sub.-- network media.sub.-- network media.sub.-- network 0 1 media.sub.-- containment media.sub.-- container 0 N media.sub.-- cable media.sub.-- terminator termination 0 1 media.sub.-- cable media.sub.-- cable physical.sub.-- wire 0 1 media.sub.-- terminator physical.sub.-- wire 0 1 media.sub.-- fitting physical.sub.-- wire 0 2 media.sub.-- connector physical.sub.-- wire 0 1 media.sub.-- network media.sub.-- fitting cable.sub.-- ink 0 1 media.sub.-- cable media.sub.-- connector connector 0 1 media.sub.-- cable __________________________________________________________________________