Patent ID: 7155503

Claim:
A data server for managing state data indicating, in real time, a state of a data processing system/apparatus to be monitored, and returning the state data to a remote display system upon receiving a data retrieval request from the remote display system, said data server comprising: a plurality of objects holding the state data as their attribute data; attribute data input/output means for retrieving or setting arbitrary attribute data of an arbitrary object selected from among said plurality of objects; object structure management means for managing an object structure and searching for an object based on an entered object identifier; input/output control means for, (a) when the state data has been changed, determining an object identifier and an attribute name associated with the change, causing said object structure management means to search for an object, based on the object identifier determined, and causing said attribute data input/output means to update attribute data of the object by use of the state data that has been changed, and (b) upon receiving an attribute data retrieval request from the remote display system, causing said object structure management means to search for an object based on an object identifier included in the attribute data retrieval request, and causing said attribute data input/output means to retrieve attribute data of the object and to return the attribute data to the remote display system; and object structure retrieval means, wherein said object structure management means manages a physical object structure and a plurality of logical object structures, and, when said input/output control means has received a structural data retrieval request from the remote display system, said object structure retrieval means, receives an object identifier included in the structural data retrieval request through said object structure management means, searches for an object while tracing the physical object structure, obtains a list of attribute names of the object, and returns the list obtained to the remote display system through said input/output control means, and said object structure retrieval means, upon receiving an object identifier, searches the physical object structure for an object, and upon receiving a logical object identifier, searches the logical object structures for an object.