Patent ID: 7792045

Claim:
A computer implemented method for operating on a system containing a plurality of components communicating using at least one communication protocol, the method comprising the steps of: representing selected ones of the plurality of components, in one or more computers, the relationship among the components and the associated communication protocols; wherein the protocols are selected from the group consisting of: ISIS and EIGRP; wherein the step of representing the at least one communication protocol is based on the selection of the protocol and comprises selecting a representation creation process from the group consisting of a first creation process and a second creation process, wherein the first creation process comprises creating at least one non-specific representation of communication protocols selected from the group consisting of ISIS Area, ISISService, ISISProtocolEndPoint; ISISInterface; ISISNetwork, and ISISAdjacaceny; and wherein the second creation process comprises creating at least one non-specific representation of communication protocols selected from the group consisting of: ISISArea, ISISService, ISISProtocolEndPoint; ISISInterface; ISISNetwork, and ISISAdjacaceny; and creating at least one non-specification representation of relations along which the events propagate amongst the communication protocols, wherein the representations of relations are selected from the group consisting of: ConnectedSystem, ConsistsOf, MemberOf, ConnectedTo, ConnectedVia, Accesses, AccessedVia, HostedBy, HostsServices, ComposedOf, part of, Underlying and LayeredOver; determining a mapping between a plurality of events and a plurality of observable events occurring among the components and among the communication protocols, wherein the mapping is represented as a value associating each event with each observable event, and performing the operation in conjunction with the events and observable events, wherein the events associated with the communication protocols are distinguished from events associated with the components.