MANAGEMENT OF A MULTI-PROCESS SYSTEM

A system comprising a network of network elements and a data store associated with a data store manager. The data store contains data representing the actual state of the system and data representing a planned state of the system. The data store manager causes the network elements, or processes supported thereby, to conform with the planned system state. In addition, at least some of the processes communicate to the data store manager data representing their respective state. The data store manager, upon receipt of said data, updates the actual state data in accordance with the received data. The data store provides an actual model and a planned model of the system by which the state of the system can readily be managed.