Method and apparatus for maintaining and configuring systems

An article of manufacture comprising:

• a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied configured to cause a computer to maintain and configure systems comprising:
• computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to provide a definition of a system, said definition comprising a plurality of components;
• computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to define a set of relationships, said set of relationships identifying how said plurality of components are interrelated;
• computer readable program code configured to cause said computer to obtain user input, said user input identifying a selected component;
• and
• computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine if activating said set of relationships associated with said selected component results in a valid system configuration.

A method of configuring a system, wherein the system is comprised of a plurality of elements, the method comprising:

• including the element in a configuration of the system as an included element if the element is automatically included in the configuration of the system;
• including the element as an optional element in the configuration of the system if the element is not a necessary component of the system;
• and
• including the element as a required choice in the configuration of the system if the element is a group that contains one or more members from which to choose.

An apparatus for configuring a system, wherein the system is comprised of a plurality of elements, the apparatus comprising:

• means for including the element in a configuration of the system as an included element if the element is automatically included in the configuration of the system;
• means for including the element as an optional element in the configuration of the system if the element is not a necessary component of the system;
• and
• means for including the element as a required choice in the configuration of the system if the element is a group that contains one or more members from which to choose.