Patent ID: 7587421

Claim:
A method for managing devices, the method comprising: receiving a request implemented via at least one device independent class; traversing a class hierarchy database to determine at least one device specific class that corresponds to the at least one device independent class, wherein the class hierarchy database stores a class hierarchy and associations between classes; modifying the received request, wherein in the modified request the least one device independent class has been translated to the at least one device specific class; generating a device specific request in a device specific language; and sending the device specific request in the device specific language to a managed device, wherein (i) in the class hierarchy database, a first base class at a higher level in the class hierarchy is connected to a second base class and a third base class that are at a lower level in the class hierarchy, wherein the second and third base classes are connected via a base association; (ii) in the class hierarchy database, the second base class is connected to a first specific class that corresponds to the first base class, the third base class is connected to a second specific class that corresponds to the second base class, wherein the first specific class and the second specific class are connected by a specific association; (iii) in response to a request for specific association instances based on providing a source class corresponding to the second base class and a requested class corresponding to the third base class, deriving one class supported by the managed device via the specific association.