Context translation

1. A method performed by a computer program, the method comprising:

receiving a first message that comprises a rule-specific error message that indicates one or more rules that were violated by a portion of an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document as a result of that portion not complying with a specified schema that is one of: (a) an XML schema and (b) a Document Type Definition (DTD);

wherein the computer program does not receive, with the first message, a second message that comprises a context-specific message that sets forth the meaning of the error message in a particular implementation context;

in response to receiving the first message, determining, based on a first mapping, that the first message is mapped to the second message, wherein the first mapping is not embodied in executable code; and

in response to determining that the first message is mapped to the second message, outputting the second message.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

validating the document relative to a set of rules, wherein the set of rules contains the one or more rules; and

generating the first message in response to a determination that the portion of the document violates the one or more rules.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the schema is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) Schema; and wherein receiving the first message comprises reading the first message from a computer-readable storage medium to which a validator that validated the document against the specified schema wrote the first message.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the schema is a Document Type Definition (DTD).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message does not set forth the meaning of the error message in the particular implementation context.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mapping is indicated in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mapping comprises a first node, wherein the first node is a parent of a second node and a third node, wherein the second node indicates the first message, and wherein the third node indicates the second message.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mapping can be modified without modifying the program.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

consulting a second mapping that maps a third message to the second message, wherein the second mapping differs from the first mapping, wherein the third message differs from the first message, wherein the third message comprises a rule-specific error message that indicates one or more rules that were violated by a portion of a document, and wherein the second mapping is not embodied in executable code; and

outputting the second message in response to a determination that the third message is mapped to the second message.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the particular implementation context is a network configuration context.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message indicates that a particular attribute must be specified for a particular element type, and wherein the second message indicates that a server lacks an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message indicates that the content of a particular element is incomplete, and wherein the second message indicates that a server is not connected to a network.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message indicates that an element with a particular identifier must appear in the document, and wherein the second message indicates that a network lacks a subnet that is identified by the particular identifier.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:

receiving, at a computer program, a first message that comprises a rule-specific error message that indicates one or more rules that were violated by a portion of an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document as a result of that portion not complying with a specified schema that is one of: (a) an XML schema and (b) a Document Type Definition (DTD);

wherein the computer program does not receive, with the first message, a second message that comprises a context-specific message that sets forth the meaning of the error message in a particular implementation context;

in response to receiving the first message, determining, based on a first mapping, that the first message is mapped to the second message, wherein the first mapping is not embodied in executable code; and

in response to determining that the first message is mapped to the second message, outputting the second message.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of:

validating the document relative to a set of rules, wherein the set of rules contains the one or more rules; and

generating the first message in response to a determination that the portion of the document violates the one or more rules.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the schema is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) Schema; and wherein receiving the first message comprises reading the first message from a computer-readable storage medium to which a validator that validated the document against the specified schema wrote the first message.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the schema is a Document Type Definition (DTD).

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first message does not set forth the meaning of the error message in the particular implementation context.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first mapping is indicated in an Extensible Markup Language (XML) document.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first mapping comprises a first node, wherein the first node is a parent of a second node and a third node, wherein the second node indicates the first message, and wherein the third node indicates the second message.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first mapping can be modified without modifying the program.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , further comprising instructions for carrying out the steps of:

consulting a second mapping that maps a third message to the second message, wherein the second mapping differs from the first mapping, wherein the third message differs from the first message, wherein the third message comprises a rule-specific error message that indicates one or more rules that were violated by a portion of a document, and wherein the second mapping is not embodied in executable code; and

outputting the second message in response to a determination that the third message is mapped to the second message.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the particular implementation context is a network configuration context.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first message indicates that a particular attribute must be specified for a particular element type, and wherein the second message indicates that a server lacks an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first message indicates that the content of a particular element is incomplete, and wherein the second message indicates that a server is not connected to a network.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the first message indicates that an element with a particular identifier must appear in the document, and wherein the second message indicates that a network lacks a subnet that is identified by the particular identifier.