Patent ID: 8260897

Claim:
A system for automatically managing IT-resources in a multi-level hierarchy of management domains, wherein each management domain contains a set of resources managed by an assigned management solution, wherein each resource of said management domains is characterized by a resource name, a current operational state, and a desired operational state, wherein at least a subset of resources of a management domain of a lower level of said hierarchy is exposed to a management domain of a higher level of said hierarchy, wherein said system is implemented by a computer and comprises: an adapter for providing mapping of commands from the management solution of said management domain of said higher level of said hierarchy to the management solution of said management domain of said lower level of said hierarchy, said adapter ensuring that said commands issued from said higher level of said hierarchy reach one or more target components in said lower level of said hierarchy by the resource name of the resource executed by the one or more target components, even if said one or more target components changes its name; a linkage between different management domains using a resource reference object model, wherein each resource (referenced resource) of said subset of said resources of said management domain of said lower level of said hierarchy being exposed to said management domain of said higher level of said hierarchy is modeled as a resource reference object in said management domain of said higher level of said hierarchy, wherein said resource reference object additionally provides at least a priority of said management domain, and information for addressing said resource reference object as an IT-resource by said management domain of said higher level of said hierarchy and/or a management domain of a next higher level of said hierarchy; displaying means for displaying said resource reference object as an IT-resource in a graphical user interface; and a cluster manager in communication with the adapter for providing a conflict resolution for requests received from said different management domains, the conflict resolution comparing the priority of said different management domains.