1. A method for constructing a configuration database which uses an object-oriented, hierarchical model for an Open Systems Interconnects (OSI) communications subsystem comprising the following steps: defining a plurality of object classes, each of said object classes corresponding to at least one function of a plurality of functions defined for a layered computer network communications subsystem, each of said defined functions being associated with at least one layer of said layered computer network communications subsystem; defining a plurality of objects for each of said object classes, the objects in each object class being associated with said corresponding function, each of said objects being defined by a set of unique attributes associated with said object; defining a hierarchical relationship between said plurality of object classes, said hierarchical relationship corresponding to a functional relationship between said plurality of functions, said functional relationship defining the relationship of each said function associated with a layer to at least one other of said functions associated with layers above or below said layer in said layered communications subsystem; defining a set of rules for creating and maintaining a configuration database for providing configuration data to said layered computer network communications subsystem, said set of rules determining a hierarchical relationship among data entered in said configuration database corresponding to said hierarchical relationship between said object classes; defining a set of operations to be performed on said data entered in said configuration database, each of said operations defined for each of said object classes; and defining a set of object support programs, each of said object support programs associated with at least one operation of said set of operations, each said object support program for performing configuration database tasks defined by said associated operation wherein all the definitions stated above builds the configuration database.