Application Usage Tracking via File System Change Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software asset management tools inaccurately monitor application usage due to reliance on process names, which often lack uniqueness and fail to distinguish between software versions, and cannot accurately determine if web applications are being used.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that track changes in specific files associated with an application in a file system between inventory scans, adjusting a usage metric to indicate application usage, thereby increasing accuracy in identifying usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If process names are used to monitor application usage, then monitoring can be implemented, but accuracy in identifying application usage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces file system information as an intermediary to monitor application usage. Instead of directly relying on process names, the system monitors changes in files associated with applications (such as configuration files, data files, or executable files) to indirectly detect application usage, thereby improving accuracy while maintaining ease of monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of monitoring process names with a file-based monitoring system. By substituting process name analysis with file change detection, the system achieves more accurate application usage identification without the limitations of process name uniqueness
2Loss of information
If process information is relied upon to determine application usage, then usage data can be collected, but accuracy deteriorates due to process names not being unique
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses file system changes as an intermediary indicator of application usage. By monitoring whether files associated with an application have changed between inventory scans, the system can determine usage without relying on non-unique process information, thus collecting usage data with higher precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the monitoring parameter from process names to file system state. By detecting changes in files (such as modification times, sizes, or presence/absence) associated with applications, the system transforms the usage detection mechanism to achieve more accurate measurement
3Device complexity
If current monitoring methods are used, then implementation is simple, but accuracy in identifying web application usage deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
For web applications specifically, the system uses file changes in the web application directory as an intermediary to detect usage. This approach maintains relative simplicity while accurately identifying when web applications are accessed or modified, overcoming the limitation of process-based monitoring
Data Source
AI summary
A method for monitoring software usage for an application installed in a computer system. The computer system determines whether a change has occurred in a set of files stored in a set of directories for the application in a file system between inventory scans of the file system. The set of the files is associated with the application and the set of the files changes when the application is used. A usage metric for the application is adjusted by the computer system to indicate a use of the application when the change has occurred in the set of the files, increasing accuracy, by the computer system, in identifying application usage.