Abstract: A platform development system and method in which configuration information for an information handling resource type, e.g., a network interface card, is obtained by accessing a first instance of the resource type. The configuration information includes one or more fixed elements and a corresponding number of variable elements. Configuration information may include attribute-value pairs in which the attribute field of each pair is the fixed part of the configuration information and the corresponding value field is the variable part. A simulation policy, indicative of the fixed part of the configuration information, may then be defined for the resource type of interest. The simulation policy, in conjunction with user-specified values for the variable part of the configuration information, may define configuration information for a second instance of the resource type. A management server simulator may then simulate the second instance of the resource type based on the applicable configuration information.