Patent ID: 8201189

Claim:
A method for starting or stopping a component, comprising: using one or more processors to perform operations of: defining filters in at least one abstraction level of an abstract configuration model that includes a plurality of levels with configuration values that are inherited from higher levels to lower levels to define a plurality of components in a system including references for dependencies between the components of the system, the filters defining sets of rules for starting or stopping a component in the system while maintaining operations of the other components of the system, and each rule being associated with a start list for starting components in the system or a stop list for stopping components in the system; creating a listing of the filters defined across the levels; and evaluating the listing with respect to the components of the system by evaluating filter values so that lower-level values are followed over higher-level values for stopping or starting the component, the rules being evaluated to initiate starting or stopping the component by applying each rule to the components along paths of dependency according to the references for dependencies between the components of the system.