Patent ID: 7047274

Claim:
A method of generating a virtual modular relay device for a computerized power management control system having an actual modular relay device, the method comprising: selecting a virtual modular relay device template; initiating a utility for configuring a virtual modular relay device; selecting a communication protocol type indicative of a communication protocol used on a network between said virtual modular relay device and an inter-process communications server and entering network identification data for an actual modular relay device, thereby allowing said virtual modular relay device to be configured for installation on a server computer, a local client computer, and a remote client computer; selecting a first function to be provided by said virtual modular relay device representative of one of a plurality of functions provided by said actual modular relay device; and providing a first number of tags required by said first function mapped to a first number of registers in said actual modular relay device; wherein said selecting a first function allows said virtual modular relay device to be configurable and said actual modular relay device to be generic.