Tracking Hardware Configurations in a Heterogeneous Network with syslogd

Keeping track of the RAM, disk drives, and various SCSI, network, and display adaptors currently installed in dozens (or even hundreds) of workstations can be a nearly impossible task, particularly in environments where hardware is frequently ``borrowed'' from one workstation and moved to another, or where machines frequently come and go. This paper describes a novel method of using syslog(3) to allow the workstations themselves to log their current hardware configuration with a central host every time they boot. The application reuses existing tools wherever possible, and thus provides a good degree of platform independence. The programs work with nearly any UNIX system, and should be extendable to other non-UNIX (but TCP/IP enabled) systems with only modest effort.