Patent ID: 8271769

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a virtual configuration that includes an abstract ent resolvable to a specific element, the receiving being from a first system and performed by a second system, the virtual configuration being generated by the first system based on an abstract configuration accessed by the first system, on a customization specific to multiple systems that include the second system, and on a use case applicable to the second system, the abstract configuration including a set of abstract elements that includes the abstract element resolvable to the specific element, the customization being a version of the abstract configuration, the use case being a version of the customization, the specific element corresponding to the second system and being derivable based on the abstract element and on a system context of the second system; resolving the abstract element to the specific element by deriving the specific element based on the abstract element and on the system context of the second system, the resolving being performed by a configuration resolver that is included in a configuration machine embodied in the second system; and storing the virtual configuration in a memory of the second system.