Abstract: In a distributed system comprising a plurality of nodes, each node is provided with the same set of generic configuration rules which configures the resources for the node according to the application requirements and the hardware configuration of the node. The resource server modules are configurable at run-time by node-based configuration management processes in accordance with information contained in resource definition messages. A resource definition message is derived from a resource template message in accordance with the information contained in the node definition message. Accordingly, adding or modifying resources at a given node can be accomplished at start-up or at run time without affecting the remainder of the system.