| Free app discovers, analyzes open source software |
Jul. 16, 2007
OpenLogic on July 11 announced a free tool said to enable the tracking and analysis of thousands of versions of open source software across more than 800 application packages. The tool enables administrators to set and maintain effective software policies in mixed Linux, Windows, and Solaris desktop environments, according to the company.
Open source packages are being installed at an ever-faster rate. Keeping track of them has been a growing problem in high machine count settings, says OpenLogic. "Discovery" is the company's response.
The company says the Discovery applet surveys more than 5,000 versions of the top 900 open source packages installed across networked computers by using "fingerprints." A file's fingerprint is based on such factors as file name, file size, checksum, and relative path.
The company says Discovery is aware of the composition of over 800 open source packages today. For each file on the target system, Discovery looks for a matching file in its fingerprint database. When matches are found, the tool determines which open source package the file is from.
OpenLogic reportedly can find open source files even if the name or location has changed. Because Discovery looks for each open source file, it can also identify open source packages that are partially installed or that have some files missing, the company explains.
A free companion tool can reportedly produce an open source inventory analysis called Jump Start Inventory for up to 500 machines. This tool works in tandem with the Discovery applet to generate a graphical inventory analysis (sample image below). Packages installed and number of installations are tabulated, as is a list of packages that pass a 42-point certification process created by OpenLogic. The tool creates an XML file that OpenLogic says it will analyze for free.
Sample graphical inventory analysis
OpenLogic CEO Steve Grandchamp stated, "OpenLogic is responding to requests from Fortune 500 customers who need a way to identify what open source packages have already been installed on their machines. Most large organizations have begun, or soon plan to begin, developing open source policies, but the natural first step in this process is to know exactly what packages are already installed."
Availability
Both tools are well documented and are supported by a comprehensive FAQ on the company's website. The applets run in Java 1.4.2 or 1.5 runtime engines on Linux, Windows, and Solaris machines. They require a machine with at least a 1.0 GHz processor and 250MB RAM, according to OpenLogic.
Download Discovery here (requires free registration).
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