Apparatus and method for accessing command line interface information from a device

A device to be implemented in a network, said device to be connected to a terminal through the network and managed through a command line interface at the terminal, said device comprising:

• a memory including a hierarchical structure storing information regarding operation of the device, wherein said hierarchical structure comprises a plurality of layers, wherein the memory is accessible from the command line interface at the terminal for a command line management feature or configuration of the device, wherein search commands from the command line interface include at least one keyword relating to a subject regarding operation of the device to be searched, and wherein the search commands are provided in a first layer of the hierarchical structure and the management feature or configuration of the device is provided in a second layer of the hierarchical structure;
• wherein the memory is to be accessed when the at least one keyword is received from the command line interface;
• and
• wherein the device is to communicate, from the memory, a set of entries which each contain information including the at least one keyword to the terminal.

A network device, said device to be connected to a terminal through a network and to be managed through a command line interface at the terminal, said device comprising:

• a memory storing information regarding operation of the device in a hierarchical structure, wherein said hierarchical structure comprises a plurality of layers;
• means for receiving a search command for a command line management feature or configuration of the device, said means for receiving also being configured to receive a command relating to a management feature name or configuration of the device from the terminal;
• and
• means for searching for the command line management feature or configuration in the memory based upon receipt of the search command and the command relating to the management feature name or configuration, wherein the means for searching is further to search through the hierarchical data structure for the management feature name or configuration, and wherein the search command is provided in a first layer of the hierarchical structure and the management feature name or configuration is provided in a second layer of the hierarchical structure.