Patent ID: 8122149

Claim:
One or more computer storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for model-based data center management, the method comprising: receiving a request to perform a management operation on a device in a data center; determining one or more available paths to the device based on an artifact storing a topology of the data center; determining a current favored path that is one of the one or more available paths based on a policy; and binding the device for performance of the management operation using the current favored path, wherein binding the device for performance of the management operation comprises: requesting a device manager to bind the device; and receiving from the device manager a set of instructions for communicating with the device, wherein the device manager builds a device driver stack and wherein each instance in the device driver stack includes a set of communications protocols for communicating with one or more hop devices in the current favored path, and wherein the device driver stack is built by indexing, classifying, and loading device drivers for the one or more hop devices in the device driver stack.