Querying and Configuring An Identity Management Framework

A processor-executed access manager with an identity management framework receives a first query from a user of a client device connected to a network for a system. The query seeks information as to identity types supported by the system. The access manager responds to the first query with a list of supported identity types. The supported identity types include at least a hardware device, a role, and a user. The list is retrieved from a global configuration data structure in a global data store. The access manager receives a second query from the user for identities of the hardware devices associated with one of the supported identity types. And the access manager responds to the second query with the identity of a specific hardware device, if the user is permitted to access the specific hardware device according to permissions obtained through the global configuration data structure.