Patent ID: 8086627
Filing Date: 2011-12-27
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method, in a data processing system, for efficiently performing a complete inventory of a shared file system, the method comprising: sending a list of a set of shared file systems from a configuration management agent to a central server, wherein the list indicates which shared file systems are mounted by a computing device associated with the configuration management agent; determining whether a notification has been received from the central server, wherein the notification indicates a software inventory scan that is to be performed by the configuration management agent of one or more shared file systems in the set of shared file systems to which the computing device is mounted; responsive to failing to receive the notification from the central server, querying the central server to determine whether any results of the software inventory scan exists for the one or more shared file systems to which the computing device mounts are available; responsive to results of the software inventory scan being available, processing one or more reduced file system images associated with the results of the software inventory scan to determine whether one or more of the one or more reduced file system images matches a path of the computing system minus a mounting point associated with each reduced file image; responsive to a match to one or more of the reduced file images, changing the path of each matching reduced file system image to match a mounting point of the computing system; evaluating a set of signatures in the reduced file system image by performing a full match of signatures; generating a set of discovered software products based on the full match of signatures; and uploading the set of discovered software products to the central server as a final inventory.