FOR

Designed to ensure that vital fixes are incorporated into widely used software, this product goes far beyond that, serving as a policy enforcer and software inventory as well.

St Bernard's UpdateEXPERT is a program designed for a simple, direct task: it will consult sites on the Internet to note fixes to software packages on your system, and help you record and administer these updates in all relevant locations. Both 'service packs' and emergency alerts are frequently made available on the Internet so that customers can download the patches and incorporate them individually, but this presents a multitude of problems. For success it relies on a person - or even worse, several people - knowing and remembering to poll these Internet sites frequently. It depends on all versions of the program being updated so that all users in the local network are working to the same standard.

UpdateEXPERT solves this problem in short order. It not only polls the Internet for relevant updates but also deploys and documents the incorporation of the changes to software, wherever it is.

It is important that an administrator has a good picture of the security of the local network, especially in respect to its vulnerability to software errors and loopholes. Most of the responsible software suppliers occasionally make packs available that correct known faults in software, and this is by no means a predictable or periodic matter; new versions of software establish a new plateau of correctness, but stability can never be guaranteed. When a serious vulnerability is found in software, it may be vital to your business that the available patches are incorporated as soon as possible. Worms or computer viruses that exploit vulnerabilities must be countered. Alternatively it is probably wisest that all users on the network are using the same amended software so as to avoid inconsistency of operation. Whereas many patches deal with minor problems (such as features not working as described), some have wider implications that can allow the whole system to crash, or open it to an attack or intrusion by an outsider.

It could well be a full-time job, making yourself aware of all available fixes and their importance, and then managing their deployment on all your network's resources (individual PCs, servers, test systems and backups). UpdateEXPERT cuts this job down to size by taking over much of the task of managing updates. A comprehensive database is formed automatically while the system operates, recording the location of program resources, relevant updates or upgrades available, and a history of their deployment in different locations. This database is sophisticated to the extent that it can build tailored scripts and an update itinerary for each software location.

UpdateEXPERT requires a meager 7Mb disk space on a Pentium class system supporting Windows NT 4 (with Service Pack 4+), Windows 2000 or XP. The product first constructs the database by taking an inventory of the network to which it is exposed - which includes recognition of which operating systems exist on stations, and the state and contents of attached servers. The database is constantly updated to include patches, fixes and changes for many programs, and the administrator has easy-to-understand access to the database via several reports. It also supports queries. The administrator has ultimate control of which updates are to be installed, but in most cases need take no special action: UpdateEXPERT will deploy, test and confirm the chosen fixes at all locations seamlessly via the network.

There is a clever integration of a web site into UpdateEXPERT so that its own expertise (and knowledge of the location of reliable fix resources) is itself kept up to date. The benefits of using this product are many: it organizes and streamlines a job that can be time consuming when performed directly by an administrator, and it avoids errors and omissions. It also keeps the administrator aware of time critical changes, emergencies and vulnerabilities which may have been missed, or require significant research. It presents the status of each station and each server (in terms of updates and vulnerabilities) in a clear format that provides an extra layer of confidence that the administrator can have in the overall network. It notes exceptions, creates relevant scripts, and where possible actually installs fixes through the network, tests and validates them, and records the results in its database (which can be interrogated by the administrator at any time).

It should be noted that you can validate the installation of fixes and updates on any server or station by invoking special tests from the UpdateEXPERT console, resident on a single PC. Fundamentally, this product will simplify the update process, ensure that vital fixes are installed where needed, identify which fixes are installed throughout the system, and provide an excellent inventory of software in terms of what version is employed, and which fixes have been deployed. Although the decision to deploy their installation is still firmly in the hands of the system administrator, the actual work and its validation are performed by UpdateEXPERT - all without error prone human involvement. No longer is the security and stability of the network dependent on the memory of users or on the assumption that the administrator knows all the reliable resources for fixes and is completely up to date in that knowledge.
 

SC On-Line
SC Magazine
www.scmagazine.com