A heterogeneous physical layer management system comprising: first devices (104-A), each of the first devices comprising first physical layer information acquisition technology (106-A) to automatically obtain physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective first device, wherein the first physical layer information acquisition technology (106-A) of each of the first devices (104-A) comprises a controller that is configured to communicate the physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective first device to a first proprietary management application using a first proprietary protocol; second devices (104-B), each of the second devices comprising second physical layer information acquisition technology (106-B) to automatically obtain physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective second device, wherein the second physical layer information acquisition technology (106-B) of each of the second devices (104-B) comprises a controller that is configured to communicate the physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective second device to a second management application that differs from the first proprietary management application using a second protocol that differs from the first propriety protocol; and a common management application communicatively coupled to the first devices and the second devices, wherein the common management application is configured to aggregate physical layer information obtained by the first physical layer information acquisition technology from the respective controller of the respective first devices using the first proprietary protocol, wherein the first proprietary management application differs from the common management application, wherein the first proprietary protocol differs from a protocol natively used by the common management application, wherein the common management application is configured to appear to be the first proprietary management application to the first devices (104-A); and wherein the common management application is configured to aggregate physical layer information obtained by the second physical layer information acquisition technology from the respective controller of the respective second devices using the second protocol. first devices (104-A), each of the first devices comprising first physical layer information acquisition technology (106-A) to automatically obtain physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective first device, wherein the first physical layer information acquisition technology (106-A) of each of the first devices (104-A) comprises a controller that is configured to communicate the physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective first device to a first proprietary management application using a first proprietary protocol; second devices (104-B), each of the second devices comprising second physical layer information acquisition technology (106-B) to automatically obtain physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective second device, wherein the second physical layer information acquisition technology (106-B) of each of the second devices (104-B) comprises a controller that is configured to communicate the physical layer information about cabling attached to the respective second device to a second management application that differs from the first proprietary management application using a second protocol that differs from the first propriety protocol; and a common management application communicatively coupled to the first devices and the second devices, wherein the common management application is configured to aggregate physical layer information obtained by the first physical layer information acquisition technology from the respective controller of the respective first devices using the first proprietary protocol, wherein the first proprietary management application differs from the common management application, wherein the first proprietary protocol differs from a protocol natively used by the common management application, wherein the common management application is configured to appear to be the first proprietary management application to the first devices (104-A); and wherein the common management application is configured to aggregate physical layer information obtained by the second physical layer information acquisition technology from the respective controller of the respective second devices using the second protocol.