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Alterpoint Lights Spark on Open Source Network Configuration ManagementBy Pedro HernandezNovember 15, 2006
Alterpoint wants to take the bite out of managing multi-vendor networks by following a collaborative open-source model. And the company has bigger designs than simple network discovery and inventory. So this week the software provider launched ZipTie.org, a resource and community site designed to rally developers and IT workers behind the concept of open-source network configuration management. Fueling this effort is the company's own experience in the space. Considering its own product, which and "goes all the way down to the device infrastructure level and manages across multiple vendors from a single management platform," says Patrick Ancipink, Director of Product Marketing for Alterpoint, the company stood poised to lead such an endeavor. Essentially, ZipTie.org exists as a community platform for the "free and open exchange of tools and information," says Ancipink. To that end, the site offers forums, technical documentation and downloads. Technically, the site offers one software download as of this writing, though others are sure to follow as add-on and module development ramp up. The sole download is the component on which the community's identity hinges. ZipTie, the software, is a set of tools that can detect changes in a network's configuration as well as provide network discovery functions. As a show of confidence, the company acknowledges that its own commercial software offerings are layered on a ZipTie foundation, which stems from the Alterpoint's own development efforts. Key to the software's feature set is the ability to backup, restore and distribute device configurations. So far, version 1.0 is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. Source code is available under Mozilla Public License v1.1. Alterpoint's goal is to lay the groundwork for an ecosystem that allows IT workers to manage network changes simply, regardless of the logo on device's nameplate. It also strives to become the de-facto open framework for manufacturers and OEMs looking to woo organizations that are increasingly resistant to vendor lock-in. Ancipink sums it up, saying that the project was born out of the frustrations of IT workers in charge of large, mixed networks. If all goes according to plan, it may be enough to topple "device matrix tyranny." ZipTie 1.0, a free download, is available now.
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