Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that establishes a list of security scanner attributes for a computing node within a hierarchy of computing nodes. The list of security scanner attributes is associated with a security scanner action to be performed by a security scanner program. The system establishes a hierarchy of lists of attributes, with each attribute being comprised of an attribute identifier and an attribute value. The attribute value may be either a list of attributes or a controlling value used by the security scanner program to control the operation of the security scanner program. The list of attributes also has a grouping attribute which indicates: that an element of the list may be updated without also updating other elements in the list; that updating an element requires all other elements of the list to be updated; or that updating the element requires the element, all other elements, and all subordinate elements of the list of attributes to be updated.

Abstract: A system and method using inheritance for the configuration, management, and/or monitoring of computer applications and devices via a computer network are disclosed. The method generally comprises calculating control settings to be enforced by an end node corresponding to a device of the network of devices, the control settings being calculated by the corresponding device. The control settings to be enforced by the end node are applicable to the device and the resources of the device. The calculation is performed by the end node or device by accessing data stored in a network directory defining a hierarchical tree structure containing nodes corresponding to the network of devices and defining control settings corresponding to and to be enforced upon the resources available to the devices. The control settings corresponding to the resources of each device are selectively inherited down the hierarchical tree structure of the network directory.