Patent ID: 7558835

Claim:
A method comprising: storing current configuration data that defines a physical configuration of components of a network device in a first data source; maintaining a second data source on the network device that stores a copy of the configuration data of the first data source; receiving from each of a first plurality of clients a respective command to configure the network device in a first configuration mode; allowing, in the first configuration mode, the first plurality of clients to concurrently edit the configuration data of the second data source; receiving from each of a second plurality of clients a respective command to configure the network device in a second configuration mode; creating, for each of the second plurality of clients, a respective private data source on the network device that stores a copy of the configuration data of the first data source in response to the commands to configure the network device in the second configuration mode allowing, in the second configuration mode, the second plurality of clients to edit the respective private data sources such that each of the private data sources is edited by only one of the second plurality of clients; accessing a configuration patch that defines differences between the first data source and one of the second data source and one of the private data sources; and applying the configuration patch to the first data source to reconcile the configuration data of the first data source with the configuration data of the one of the second data source and one of the private data sources.