Also, even if you don't run the agent to collect data about what programs are being run, you can get reports about your inventory to identify what software exists and where it is located. You might be surprised to find old versions long-forgotten or in libraries with unexpected names or even copies that users have made in their own personal libraries.
One issue is that in the database of known software sometimes the names given to software is not what you might expect and in other cases software may be mis-identified. Also, when the agent does run, there can be a lot of data collected. Just as with management of SMF data, you might need to set up procedures for management of that data (when to offload it, where to put it, how long to keep it, etc.). - Don Imbriale On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 9:48 AM, Don Imbriale <don.imbri...@gmail.com>wrote: > After IBM bought Isogon, they renamed SoftAudit to Tivoli License > Compliance Manager (TLCM). > > The basic process, which has not really changed since the IBM acquisition, > is to scan all your DASD so TLCM can locate load libraries and gather data > about them. Run that through another program which ties the modules to a > database of known software products. Once that is done you activate the > agent to collect data about what programs are being run on the system. All > of that data can then be fed into a report program with numerous keywords to > help identify what is actually being run and who is running it. > > The reports are only as good as the data that is collected. If you install > new software or move things around, you need to re-run the initial scan. > Periodically the database of known software is updated (via PTF I believe). > > - Don Imbriale > > > On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 9:29 AM, Arthur Gutowski <aguto...@ford.com>wrote: > >> On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:54:46 -0500, Scott Barry <sba...@sbbworks.com> >> wrote: >> >> >IBM / Tivoli acquired SoftAudit which had some years back started moving >> >away from "systems" to more "enterprise application" asset discovery, >> with >> >various OPEN hooks and an SMF data-capture type agent running on z/OS. >> >Most any called, linked program is revealed in the generated data, with >> job, >> >task, transaction, application-environment identification data. For many >> >years, SoftAudit kept updated "systems" software identification inventory >> >data and kept their clients aware of the mainframe software side -- >> asking >> >an enterprise to take the time to inventory, document, estimate corporate >> >value and/or business relevance, and determining age or whether source >> code >> >exists, can be quite an undertaking. >> >> We tried SoftAudit long before IBM bought it. Millions of dollars and >> hundreds >> upon hundreds of man-hours trying to get accurate inventory out of it >> proved >> futile in the end. Unless IBM completely rewrote it (more likely all >> they've >> done is repackage it), I wouldn't even consider giving it another go. >> >> One of my colleagues pegged the source of our woes: "Sure, it will tell >> you >> what software you're running... but, first, you have to tell it what >> software >> you're running." >> >> IMHO, you could do just as well with an MS Access database and something >> like Event Action to audit usage. If your installation teams follow >> established >> naming conventions (and ours still don't - sigh), spending $,$$$,$$$ on a >> tool >> doesn't seem justifiable. >> >> Regards, >> Art Gutowski >> Ford Motor Company >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, >> send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO >> Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html >> > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
