Use > Inventory Tools > SAI Editor Overview > Application Teaching Overview > Using Rules to Teach Applications

Using Rules to Teach Applications

Overview

Rules are used to teach applications in order to improve application recognition.

After a discovery job, the XML Enricher attempts to match data that is contained in a scan file to rules. Rules are contained in SAI files and are created by Micro Focus and by users.

Universal Discovery offers two main ways to teach applications:

  • Application Rules. Choose the Package Rules or Version Data Rules option.
  • File Rules. Specify files to use to recognize applications.

Ensure that the application or the release or version of the application is not already taught by Micro Focus. All rules taught by Micro Focus are contained in the Master SAI files in the Software Library. To see if your app or version is contained in the SAI library, see the release notes for the latest Content Pack.

Tip  

  • As an alternative to teaching applications yourself, you can contact Micro Focus Support and submit a request for Micro Focus to add rules for your application to the next release of the Content Pack. For more information, contact Micro Focus Support.
  • For the fastest and most convenient method, especially when teaching applications that are packaged in a standard format, choose Application Rules > Package Rules option.

For both ways, you identify files that Universal Discovery uses to recognize applications or release or versions of applications. While each are similar, there are differences in the number of supported platforms, and the effort levels required to configure the rules.

The SAI Editor and Viewer is used when configuring rules for both methods. To install these tools, see Inventory Tools.

Note Micro Focus provides some package rules and version data rules out-of-box, and actively maintains them in the Content Pack updates.

In general terms for each way, teach an application as follows:

  1. Install the application
  2. Run the scanner (additional configuration options required for Package Rules) and analyze the scan file using Inventory Tools
  3. Configure the rule by entering the package name (Package Rule) or by specifying individual files (File Rule)
  4. Teach different releases and versions for the same application by typing a regular expression (Package Rule), or by specifying additional individual files for that release or version (File Rule)
  5. (Optional) Use Viewer to view the rule to ensure the rule information was saved.

Application Rules

Package Rules

(Most platforms/Operating Systems)

This method leverages package information, specifically the name of the package, to recognize applications.

Not all applications are packaged using standard formats. If the application is not using standard or support packages, for example, an .exe file, consider using File based rules.

Using this method is best for simple scenarios. The effort required to configure a rule is comparatively low because you create one simple rule for all releases and versions of an application and then UD automatically recognizes all releases and versions.

For more information on supported package types, see Supported Package Types.

Version Data

(Windows only)

Essentially, this option operates the same as Package Rules, but the regular expressions that are used to recognize releases and version information use the information contained in the executable files of the file system. This option is recommended when consistent publisher and version information is reported in the version data inside its executable files.

File

(Most platforms/Operating Systems)

To use this method effectively, you must be knowledgeable about the file contents of each package that you want to teach.

If there are many versions of an application, you must install each version of the application. Additionally, you must identify files that help UD recognize each version of the application. Alternatively, consider using the Package Rules method.

You teach individual files for different releases and versions of the same application. Then, you assign categories to each of those files that helps Universal Discovery identify the relationship of the file to the application.

Rules Matrix

The following table summarizes basic attributes of the ways to teach applications:

Type/Attribute Platform Effort Level Target Use
Package Many Low Standard Packaged Apps
Version Windows Low Windows Executables
File All High Executables

How to Use Rules to Teach Applications

 

Application Rules

Package Rules

For an example, see Example of a Recognition Rule Using Installed Package Information.

Version Data Rules

See Version Data Based Recognition Rules.

For an example, see Example of a Recognition Rule Using Version Data.

 

File

See Teaching Applications to the User SAI.

Note The Inventory Tools section of the UCMDB Help is installed together with the installation of the Inventory Tools.

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