Patent ID: 7725473

Claim:
A computer implemented method for responding to an inquiry, comprising the following operations: receiving a first single inquiry from a Common Information Model (CIM) client application including a unique ID of a top level storage entity, wherein the top level storage entity identified by the unique ID includes components associated as a component of the top level storage entity and a subcomponent of at least one component; using CIM client Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) in response to the first single inquiry to obtain information from a CIM Object Manager (CIMOM) using the unique ID of the top level storage entity to obtain information on components and subcomponents of the top level storage entity from multiple CIM objects on the top level storage entity and components and subcomponents of the top level storage entity in the CIMOM; creating a plurality of storage objects in a computer readable storage medium including information on the top level storage entity and components and subcomponents, and parent-child relationships among the top level storage entity and the components and subcomponents of the top level storage entity; populating the created storage objects with information received from the CIMOM including identifying the entities in the top level storage entity and the parent child relationships of the top level storage entity, components and subcomponents, and wherein properties of each storage object map directly to properties of at least one CIM class used to represent the top level storage entity and components and subcomponents of the top level storage entity in the CIMOM; returning information on the storage objects to the CIM client application that sent the first single inquiry; and receiving a second single inquiry including the unique ID of a component storage entity, wherein the receiving, obtaining, creating, populating, and sending operations are repeated to obtain information concerning the component storage entity and the component storage entity's relationship to other components.