Imperium - Ideas & help?

[stratisphere]

Hi all,

 

Okay, maybe a little background first. My name is Adrian Lewis; I’m the network manager in a rural high school. My first professional passion is the school network (a lot of personal time has gone into it as has most of yours I imagine), my second is Imperium.

 

Imperium is my attempt at a network management suite of tools. Simply put, over the years working here, I have coded hundreds of scripts/programs/sites to help my job be more... easier (or efficient if you’re my boss reading this).

 

So after a lot of swearing after losing the source for a bunch of programs I wrote, I decided to create a suite. A place for everything to come together.

 

Imperium was born. Imperium is heavily based on plugins. So the core client has some built in features (the main stuff like printer/drive mapping, core logging, acc management & other admin tasks), but you can add other features by coding a plugin (easy in c#), then installing it onto the server which in turn distributes it to the clients when needed.

 

So far (it's in the internal alpha stage) it's going along pretty nicely!

 

So, my reason why I’m posting here is for 2 things;

1) I'm a little unsure of how to release it. There are a number of options:

- Core program freeware & more advanced plugins (i.e. classroom management) on a license basis.

- Whole thing freeware

- Whole thing licensed

 

Now I’m a fellow believer in open-source... half the servers we use here survive on the idea of that. But I don’t really want to expose the world too my butt ugly commenting... the SDK is bad enough! But I’m happy with putting some/all of it as freeware. Although I have put a lot of my own time into this and it would be nice to see something back. But then again there are lots of things out there that already do all this!!!

 

2) Possible feature requests. I'm in the process of putting up a detailed feature list which I’ll give the URL to once I’m finished over the next day or two, but so far a quick list is as follows:

• Complete Login Management
  
• Multiple Login Management
  
• Printer Mapping
  
• Drive Mapping
  
• Fairly advanced permissions system (based on AD groups and expanded by built in levels)
  
• Ban Management (links with various other servers to uphold email/internet/account bans)
  
• File Monitoring (watches defined paths for file changes/types and alerts as required)
  
• Screenshot system (allows any plugin to take a screenshot and submit to the DB. And notify admin/teacher if required)
  
• USB Device Tracking (tracks USB storage devices used on workstations. Gives times, serial numbers, models etc. Can also lock a device to a user so will stop other users using it)
  
• Process Monitoring (Watches the user's process list for blacklisted processes or unknown processes. Also allows users to kill of processes under their credentials (don’t worry, you can specify which processes to hide!))
  
• Basic print monitoring (to be expanded. So far just provides a basic print history)
  
• A whole load of administrative features as well. Basically everything AD Users and Computers offers with additions of linking to an MIS)
  
• Swear Word monitor (This doesn’t actually filter it and stop them typing it, but will alert an admin and take a screenshot when it detects someone typing a word from a predefined (customizable) list of words)
  

 

Please, don’t see this as an attempt for me to try and flog this. As I have said above. I really don’t know what the best way to go with this is. Any advice/hints/tips would be very much appreciated.

 

At the moment I'm afraid I can’t give a copy to anyone to demo. It's in an internal alpha phase and I don’t want it to break anyone's network! But pending how this discussion goes, once it's stable, I may put a copy up for people to try out if it’s wanted.

 

Here's some pictures (don’t knock the office 2k7 look... the colors are changeable (possibly based on permissions?) and the ribbon bar is an excellent way to organize the huge mass of functions). This is as logged in as an admin. I’ve included some raw screenshots of the data logged for a few little plugins as I haven’t coded a front end for them yet.

[kmount]

VERY interesting.

 

Licensing is completely up to you, and depends on whether you want to take it commercial and make some pennies ... Difficulty here is whether you legally own the product if it was made during 'company time' at work.

 

I think the best idea is to open it up to a team of beta/alpha testers, get their opinions and from there perhaps consider looking at the options.

 

Based on the featureset you've listed, it sounds very extensive, and would and could be worth a bleeding fortune.

[stratisphere]

Thanks,

legally speaking (and long story short) yes i own it. I have spent some development time (and alot of testing time) in school hours, however we (the school and I) have a contract drawn up which states I am the owner of the software and i lease it to the school for free in exchange for allowing me to use their network to test/develop it.

 

I'm lucky to have a very very nice SLT

 

I like the idea about having a alpha/beta team, when it's at that phase, prehaps i'll open it up and get people to sign up if their intrested (after signing something to the effect of i'll help you as much as possible if something goes wrong, but not legally responsible etc).

 

As for the commercial side of it, the large feature set is the primary reason i thought it might do well on the market. And although i have a limited company registered in case i decide to go down that route, my business skills arnt very good, so i'm not too confident on that.

 

But still, I love the idea of opening it up for a semi-open alpha/beta testing phase. I'll have a website up by the weekend with some more details if that helps?

 

P.s. I welcome as much input as possible, good or bad (constructive only please!).

[kmount]

Looking forward to it.

[binky]

I would be interested in writing a management interface for my BITS-based package deployment tool for this.

[powdarrmonkey]

BITS-based? That sounds an interesting idea

[binky]

Its how CC4 will do it, it delivers the software in spare bandwidth, and if the pc reboots it will continue where it left off. This means that the packages will be deployed in the background and not throttle the users experience by consuming needed bandwidth, or locking out the pc to perform package installation (like Group Policy does). If that works, look out for many for cc4 style features from me e.g. (Network Recycle Bin, etc.) Edited March 27, 2008 by binky

[FN-GM]

That looks very interesting, i would certainly give it a test drive if it was available.

[stratisphere]

BITS is how the server downloads updates from the central repository and likewise for updates to the clients from the local server. I could expose the management class i've written to help with other updates.

 

BTW, network recycle bin? Cool

[powdarrmonkey]

I've used BITS on WSUS, so I'm familiar with it, just never had the brainwave of deploying software with it. Beats waiting 20 mins for Office to deploy over wireless at startup...

[binky]

stratisphere, i have already written a BITS based software distribution client, and I am willing to help you integrate it with Imperium if you would like (as well as other features like the NWB).

[Guest monkeyx]

If you are going to go down the open source route, then the sooner you release the code and setup a shared repository to the code the better.The project may well benefit from sharing the code at an early stage in development, rather than an almost complete stage.

 

There are already several commercial/freeware products out there that do a lot of what you are proposing. Yours could possibly be the first open source?

 

If I still worked for a large American Outsourcing firm I would be asking how much it has cost you and your employer to develop an in house solution, as opposed to buying a solution that is already in the market place. If yours is to be commercial will it be faster, cheaper, more productive?

 

I guess the point I am tyring to get at, is that there is not really a half way house position to take

 

In relations to BITS I have found this article helpful Using Windows XP Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) with Visual Studio .NET, but is vb.net, rather than c#.

 

If you would like any help beta testing the client and server let me know.

[binky]

In relations to BITS I have found this article helpful Using Windows XP Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) with Visual Studio .NET, but is vb.net, rather than c#.

 

If you would like any help beta testing the client and server let me know.

 

Yes, I have seen this article, and I already have produced a client that can manipulate BITS

[budgester]

Get it up into some sort of version control repository e.g. svn,cvs,bzr.

 

Any one who can manage to download the source using version control should know that it is generally development code.

 

However before putting stuff up I would decide on the license, what restrictions if any do you want to put on it.

 

If your going down the open source route pick a fairly well known license, see the OSI website, however most people think GPL when they hear open source.

 

Then wait for RM/Viglen/AN Other company to pick up you software and employ you as a consultant on megabucks :-)

[webman]

If you decide to release it under one of the more popular open source licences (GPL, BSD, Apache, Mozilla) you can host your project for free with Google Code which includes Subversion, Wiki, Issue tracker and Downloads. I'm now using it for Classroombookings.

[stratisphere]

Hey,

 

I'm not keen on the open-source route. Although i rely on it for many of the systems we use, I have put alot of personal time in to this. Not to mention my tacky commenting

 

The core client and server will never be open-source. However when i release the SDK, i may release some of the plugins as open-source to give an example of what can be achieved.

 

P.s. i'm aware of subversion... been using it for over 3 years for many many things

 

As my dedicated server currently consists of a rubbish 1.1ghz celeron under my desk at my home... I will most likely host the downloads etc on sourceforge or some other distribution site. (Or just fork out for a dedicated server).

 

Anyway, I'm off to south wales this weekend, and then tenby Mon-Wed which is when i'll be doing the documentation. So expect to see alot of information Thursday (Friday at latest).

 

There seems to be alot of interest to test it. So what i've decided i'll do is setup a system where you can sign up to be part of the beta team with access to a bug tracker and private forums etc etc and give you a copy.

 

My main concern with going commercially is the fact that there are already some well established products out there. Some prehaps dont offer what Imperium offers at the core (community expansion via plugins). Prehaps that should be some work I do to decide which route to go.

 

In short, I want to make money from this somehow some way. But understanding that I dont have the resources nor the man power to compete against companies like RM or the people behind Ranger... it's a difficult choice to decide how.

 

(Joke Alert: Prehaps put google adwords on the clients? )

 

(By the way, IF Imperium does go commercial at any point, prehaps edugeek members (certainly beta testers) get discounts/benifits etc!)

[powdarrmonkey]

stratisphere: PMd you.

[binky]

Any news?

[binky]

Anyway, I'm off to south wales this weekend, and then tenby Mon-Wed which is when i'll be doing the documentation. So expect to see alot of information Thursday (Friday at latest).

 

Well its friday!

[stratisphere]

Well bugger me, i'm sure i posted a little update friday night.

 

... i'm only 21 and i'm already losing my memory!

 

Anyway, i've got a site up at Home which will hold the information about Imperium (and the other plugins i develop).

 

Please note: It's not 100% done! If you dont see much... try later

I'll be putting up descriptions of what it can do at the moment, plus what it will be able todo.

 

Also, at GibsonSystems Dev Forge: Welcome I've setup gforge with all of my projects on. Feel free to register on there and join any projects you would like to beta for.

 

During today, i'll be adding news/info etc on to both sites.

 

P.s. had an idea over night... Some processes (such as end of year tasks) differ from school to school. So for that (and for many other custom per-school tasks), i've come up with implimenting LUA scripting into Imperium (via a plugin). More info on that soon!

 

Sorry for the delay guys, GF decided to make the holiday longer (and i was getting tonns of answer messages from the school from stupid teachers... so i wasnt going to argue with having more holiday!)

 

Promise i wont keep you in the dark for as long next time

[Ric_]

I've joined this thread late but there's definitely some interesting possibilities for this. Releasing an SDK of sorts and allowing users to write their own plugins is a good idea too.

 

You have obviously spent a great deal of time developing the software and I suggest you license it in such a way that will generate you some income while keeping the program's capabilities open. Perhaps use a model that allows people to write GPL plugins that can interface with a 'paid-for' core application?

 

Anyway... a PM has been sent!

[stratisphere]

Thanks

 

Yeh everything i'm thinking of at the moment will basically lead to what you've suggested.

 

Imperium Client & Server = Licensed

All other plugins (developed by me (or "Gibson Systems") = GPL

 

... Infact, yes, thats what i'll do! It's Final!

 

(P.s. I shall reply to your PM this moment (after a sip of coffee))

[Guest monkeyx]

Hmm not sure you are understanding GPL,or I am not

 

See Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU Licenses - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation (FSF)

 

Here are the sections I am pointing too, if you would like to read up on them.

 

I'd like to incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do this?

 

I'd like to incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do this by putting a “wrapper” module, under a GPL-compatible lax permissive license (such as the X11 license) in between the GPL-covered part and the proprietary part?

 

I have worked on projects where arguments over the interpretation of the above has seen the project fold!

 

As it happens I am working on a similar project to you, but it is will not be GPL and will not specifically aimed at the education sector. I attempted to try the public spirited approach about 12 months ago and got virtually no feedback or input. To me the only unique element of the education IT sector is the average age of the customers

[stratisphere]

lol, thanks for the FAQ to that... i'l read up on it. By me saying i was going todo that, i was actually saying "hey, that sounds good, i'll look it up and refine the details".

 

I suspected straight from the start that GPL couldnt be implimented in it's normal format into what im doing.

 

As for marketting it etc. While Imperium (i guess?) could be used for "normal" networks (i.e. businesses) it was designed to meet my needs at the school I work at. So alot of it hints to education. I've had quite a bit of interest from the LEA aswell about it. So there is interest in this, but what i've found (and i experience aswell!) is that once a school has a working solution... why change it?!

 

Anyway, this is just my attempt at re-inventing the wheel (but a different model). To be honest, I dont see this being used in more than a handful of schools (if any) for the very reason above.

 

Maybe i'll be wrong tho?

Edited April 8, 2008 by stratisphere
I'm a dope who cant type

[stratisphere]

Morning Guys,

 

Sorry for the lack of updates, been working hard on Imperium (along with getting a new very cute hamster!).

 

Anyway, i'm afraid there are still no releases yet. I really want to get it out there to you guys, but I dont want to send out a release which may cause trouble. But getting a beta release out is my top task at the moment.

 

So, to keep you intrested, i've put together a quick wiki listing most of it's features, it's available over at Imperium Features - Gibson Systems Wiki (Sorry about the speed of the site... it's hosted at home. I will get it moved over by the time I release).