This product is to be used by system administrators of networked systems. It is a security tool which the administrators of networks will use to enhance their network's security. They will use this product in conjunction with a group of data gathering tools to monitor system activity. HummingBird will run on many computer systems and will be used in all types of environments. It could be used in educational, industrial, and military environments with networks of all sizes. The system will eventually be ported to many platforms, as well (in fact, a HummingBird system is now being developed to run under the Windows NT operating system).
HummingBird is designed to run on a network as a single system, collecting data about the network on which it resides with no input from any external source. The system currently uses a web-based interface to allow for most of its interaction. The HummingBird system will now be able to gather data from other systems residing anywhere on the internet, and it will maintain this web interface. This will be done in a list-serve fashion and will be configurable by a "peer manager" who is responsible for maintaining a hierarchy of peers, or group managers, across the internet. The peers will have a limited set of peer group management configuration options available through the web, as well.
In addition, the new HummingBird will undergo new configuration system changes, in which managers (network hosts) will have the ability to configure their hierarchy. This means that managers will have the ability to set things like trust level, integrity, etc. for all of their subordinate Hummers residing below them in the Hummer tree hierarchy.
The visualization system and user interface will be upgraded as well. Ease of use will be of main concern, and the web pages will be made more user-friendly, taking into consideration things like graphical detail, simple yet powerful interfaces, and removal of complicated or hard to understand material.
The HummingBird User Manual defines its users as:
1. HummingBird Development Team
member of or contributor
to the HummingBird project. Has complete knowledge of HummingBird. Skills
list as follows:
Perl
HTML
Advanced UNIX
C++
2. System Administrators
Knowledgeable user with
experience in networks, programming, system tools, and use all the features
of HummingBird, as well as develop new extensions to Hummingbird.
Skills list as follows:
HummingBird
Intermediate UNIX
Web Browser
3. Site Security Officers
HummingBird End-User only need is administrative
data on security status. Skills list as follows:
Web Browser
Little UNIX