Patent ID: 7706290

Claim:
A system for operating and maintaining resources in a distributed network, the system comprising: (a) a computer comprising a memory and in communication with a network comprising a plurality of network-attached components operating in an operation and maintenance (OAM) system; (b) an object-based representation of the network stored in the memory, wherein the object-based representation comprises objects linked together in the memory to form a hierarchy, wherein each of the objects represent the network or the network-attached components, wherein the object-based representation includes a signaling protocol object that contains and groups together attributes of a signaling protocol used in the network, wherein each of the objects stores attribute information about the network or the network-attached components with regard to the OAM system; and (c) an application for interpreting and utilizing the object-based representation of the network for operating and maintaining the network and network-attached components in the OAM system, wherein the application uses the objects in the object-based representation to provide OAM services to the network and the network-attached components, wherein the object-based representation comprises first and second objects, wherein the first object comprises first predefined attributes, wherein the second object inherits the first predefined attributes of the first object, and the second object comprises second predefined attributes different from the first predefined attributes.