Patent ID: 7272836

Claim:
A method on a server in a distributed data processing system for maintaining a logical composite repository of Object Identifier (OID) tree structures, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, in an OID abstraction layer, an OID tree structure from a repository; wherein the OID abstraction layer is capable of receiving queries for objects in two or more different protocols and supports the two or more different protocols by mapping queries from multiple protocol interfaces to application program interface (API) requests that the repository understands; registering the OID tree structure with a registry associated with the OID abstraction layer; and adding the OID tree structure to a repository associated with the OID abstraction layer, wherein the repository is configured such that the repository recognizes requests from an application program interface (API) associated with the OID abstraction layer and sends reply messages to the API containing information retrieved from the repository, and wherein the OID abstraction layer receives the information retrieved from the repository through the API and encapsulates the information in a reply message to a target protocol interface, wherein the reply message is formatted for an appropriate protocol for the target protocol interface, and wherein the appropriate protocol is one of the two or more different protocols.