Apparatus and method for representing a class inheritance hierarchy

摘要

A computer-implemented method and apparatus represents system management information for components of the system as instances of object classes within a defined inheritance hierarchy. The class inheritance hierarchy includes multiple levels below a root object class including at least a first level below the root object class and a second level below the first level. At least one first level object class at the first level forms an instance of the root class and at least one second level object class at the second level forms an instance at the first level object class. Each instance of an object class has at least one attribute with a value representing a characteristic of that instance of the object class. The method and apparatus involve populating a plurality of tables. The tables are allocated to respective object classes at the multiple levels. The tables are populated with instance entries for instances of the object classes to which the tables are allocated. The instance entries in the tables are populated with attribute entries for an attribute of the object classes. The allocation of attributes to the attribute entries is effected so as to mirror the class inheritance hierarchy. Attributes common to multiple instances of a predetermined object class are held in the table for that object class. This approach is applied throughout the object hierarchy. The root class is represented in a Management Information Base (MIB) table with the classes at lower levels in the hierarchy being represented by respective extension tables. The extension tables are sparsely populated enabling the representation of the hierarchy with MIB extension tables spread across an appropriate number of MIBs to accommodate the classes required.