Under the present invention, a configurable dictionary is provided. The configurable dictionary includes a set of objects that identify: (1) attribute conditions of the computer system to be checked; (2) associated locations within the computer system for checking the attribute conditions; and (3) actions to be taken based on results of the checks for the computer system. The health of the computer system is checked by processing the set of objects in the configurable dictionary. Specifically, the attribute conditions identified in the configurable dictionary are checked at their associated locations, and any necessary action are implemented.
A method is provided for handling failures in a computer system including a compliance checking system in a computer network. In response to a client computer failing to obtain a compliance check, a determination is made as to a category of an error that at least partially caused the failure in obtaining the compliance check. As a result, the method includes performing an action to at least partially based on the determined category of the error. In some instances, the action can include allowing the client computer to connect to the network. Another method includes receiving a definition of a configurable mitigation rule, where the configurable mitigation rule describes an action to perform at least partially based on the category of an error. Yet another method includes receiving a selection of a security level of operation of the compliance checking system.
