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Trigence AE: Product DetailsTrigence AE changes the way IT deals with applications by allowing the creation of Application Capsules. An Application Capsule decouples the application from the operating system and its underlying infrastructure, creating a discrete object that defines and contains an application, its configuration files, and anything it needs from the underlying OS to run. The application and its desired state - including configuration information and other data required to provide correct service delivery - can then be managed in a unified fashion that is isolated from and independent of changes in the infrastructure. Trigence AE is available now for Linux and Solaris. What is an Application Capsule?An Application Capsule includes all of the elements of the application and its dependencies that are required for application execution. These elements include the original binaries and executables shipped and installed with the product; code and scripts created by development teams to extend the capabilities of the software; configuration files created by IT staff during installation, setup, and ongoing use of the application; and system files and libraries used by the application during execution. An Application Capsule contains all the application's dependencies and Capsule properties in a single compressed and encrypted file. Application Capsules can be copied from system to system via the network, may be stored on shared disk space, or anywhere else an organization chooses to store files. The Capsule, as a single file, can be quickly and easily put into service on any system on which the Capsule Controller has been installed. Capsule CreationTo start taking advantage of Trigence AE, you need to encapsulate your applications. Trigence AE provides a component called the Capsule Creator to accomplish this task. The Capsule Creator is an interactive utility that packages the desired applications and other critical files into Capsules. The Capsule Creator has a graphical interface with a wizard that steps the user through the encapsulation process. Using this process, the user defines which files should be included in the Capsule File Set. In addition, the Creator guides the user through choosing the properties the Capsule should have. Capsules can have network identities including hostnames, IP addresses and MAC addresses. They can also have machine properties such as a system ID. These properties are defined during Capsule creation, and can be modified later if required. Learn ModeIf the application to be encapsulated is already installed, configured and running on a machine, Trigence provides an intelligent application discovery tool to assist in the file-selection process. This tool is known as "Learn Mode". During Learn Mode, the user executes the application to be encapsulated and the Creator monitors actual access sequences and patterns to identify files to be placed in the Application Capsule. All file accesses are tracked and can be displayed during and after Learn Mode execution. The intelligent discovery output can be used to define the Application Capsule's file set and it also serves as an excellent monitoring aid to users' understanding of what files are required by the application. Baseline CapsulesFor applications that aren't yet installed, the user can create a "baseline" Application Capsule with the Capsule Creator. Baseline Capsules describe the set of Application Capsule properties and an empty file set, or a baseline set of files. A baseline file set, for example, could be all of the common files to be included with a class of Application Capsules - such as including all files in How are Application Capsules used?The Capsule Controller is a lightweight component that is installed on each system where you want to run Application Capsules, providing runtime support and management interfaces. Once an Application Capsule has been created, you can deploy it to any similar system with the Capsule Controller installed. Deployment is done by copying the Capsule file to the desired system or by making it available through a network share. Acting as an intermediary between the Application Capsules and the operating system, the Controller ensures that the application runs smoothly, just as it would if it were normally installed. The Capsule File SetThe Capsule File Set provides per-file control over how processes running within a Capsule access both encapsulated and host-based files. The user creates CFS rules during creation of the Capsule by selecting files and directories from a list of all files available on the host system. For each selected file or directory, the user can determine whether or not this element should be included in the Capsule. Furthermore, the user can "hide" files so that Capsule won't see them, even if they are in the underlying host where a Capsule is running. The CFS also allows the user to control where new files will be created by applications running in a Capsule - either within the Capsule or on the host system. The user has control of the search order (between the host and the Capsule) that applications running in a Capsule will use when looking for a file or directory. Consider the example of an IT admin who wishes to encapsulate a web browser for deployment to all users in an organization. She may choose not to include the browser's configuration/options file in the Capsule file set, so that the defined browser behaviours are not included in the Capsule. She may elect to have new files created by the browser created in the host system so that the Application Capsule doesn't get modified with temporary cache files or other such files related to a specific user or session. For security reasons, she may elect to always have the browser ignore any certificates that are installed in the host by "hiding" that host directory from the Capsule - so that even if files are there, the browser is unable to see or access them. Low overheadThe simplicity of the patent-pending Trigence AE solution means that the overhead cost of the Capsule Controller is extremely low. No overhead is introduced to non-encapsulated applications, and there is only minimal overhead (less than 3%) for applications running from within Capsules. This means that for applications that are encapsulated on an older system (such as a machine running Solaris 2.6) and moved to a new system (such as new hardware running Solaris 9 or 10), the application will reap the benefits of the faster hardware and outperform it's non-encapsulated parent. It also means that you can rest assured that your applications are not being slowed down by being encapsulated, nor is the rest of the machine slowed down due to your use of capsules. Capsule ManagementTrigence AE Capsules can be managed via the console-based trictrl utility, or through any interface that is compatible with industry standard XML and SOAP calls. The trictrl utility can be used in an interactive shell mode or in a scriptable command-line mode that provide the exact same configuration options as the SOAP interface. These interfaces can provide hooks into existing management tools. So regardless of what Application Configuration Management tools your company has invested in, you can continue to use those tools to manage your applications in Capsules. ConclusionTrigence AE Application Capsules allow you to isolate an application from its infrastructure. From server-side applications that drive your business to desktop productivity suites, all applications can be encapsulated. By bringing isolation to your applications, you will be able to run your applications when you want, where you want, and how you want. You will reap the rewards of having an application that is easy to deploy, manage, audit, and that will run exactly how you want it to.
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