Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
News
Coverity Adds Java Support to OSS Scan Service
11/27/2007
San Francisco-based Coverity Inc. has expanded its static source-code analysis scanning solution. The solution now supports Java-based open source software (OSS) projects. Developers can check their OSS Java applications for free using Coverity's hosted solution. The solution scans applications and points out security and quality problems in the code without actually running the tested application.
Coverity's scanning site already checks open source applications based on C and C++ code. The site has scanned more than 250 C/C++ solutions, entailing "55 million lines of code," according to an announcement issued by the company. The announcement adds that because of the scans, "more than 7,500 security and quality defects" have been fixed by project administrators.
The new Java code-scanning capability of the site is being enabled, in part, through Coverity's contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. David Maxwell, Coverity's open source strategist, said that Coverity has three-year contract with the government agency. The Coverity solution is tested by Symantec, which also has a contract with the agency, he added.
The Department of Homeland Security issued the contract as part of its security initiatives, Maxwell explained.
"Under their Cybersecurity initiative, [the Department of Homeland Security has] a section which is securing the Internet infrastructure," he said. "A large portion of the Internet is built based on open source software--when you think of the most popular Web server, it's Apache, and obviously Linux is a very popular operating system for servers. Many of the components of the Internet are open source."
Static source-code analysis is a way of checking code before compiling it. Maxwell said that the technology has been around for a while but that Coverity has enhanced a solution that was originally developed at Stanford University. Static source-code analysis complements unit testing and quality assurance efforts because you check the code before running it.
The standard method of dynamically testing code by compiling it can be cumbersome, especially for large projects. Maxwell said that some standard dynamic testing tools can run for weeks and not exhaust finding possible errors in programs.
The Coverity Prevent SQS engine, which underlies Coverity's scanning site, "analyzes software dependencies, key third-party libraries and projects spread across multiple development groups," according to Coverity's announcement.
Coverity's open source scanning solution is available for free -- although with no support -- to OSS developers as a hosted application. The company also offers licenses to commercial software developers, where companies can purchase training and use the solution with as many developers as wanted, Maxwell said. For the commercial environment, Coverity's solution is installed, not hosted, he added.
Developers can access Coverity's OSS code analysis site here.
Kurt Mackie is Web editor of RCPmag.com and ADTmag.com. He can be reached at kmackie@1105media.com.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
Recommended Reading
- Sun, Stanford Working To Archive History
In May in San Francisco, experts from leading universities, libraries, and research institutions around the world met as part of an ongoing effort to address a pressing issue: archiving the world's history, right up to today.
- The Quilt Coalition Rolls Out XO Communications for High-Capacity Network Services
The Quilt, a coalition of 28 regional network organizations, has added XO Communications Services to its authorized vendor list. The Quilt represents 200 universities and thousands of other educational institutions across the United States. With this new relationship, Quilt members can purchase XO's high-speed IP transit and network transport services at competitive rates.
- Wimba Classroom 5.2 Expands Classroom Capture Support, Adds MP3 Downloads
At the NECC 2008 conference in Texas this week, Wimba launched a new version of Wimba Classroom, the virtual classroom component of the company's Collaboration Suite. The new 5.2 release expands options for classroom capture and adds a variety of other functional and ease of use features.
- Automation Chimera: Education Is Not Management
The lure of automating workflow online so human intervention is minimized is continually reinforced in the minds of higher education administrators by examples of automated campus systems such as financials, student information systems, and other enterprise systems. But what's good for management is not always good for learning.
- Cognos Releases BI Software for Linux-based IBM System z Mainframe
Cognos, which IBM acquired in January, has released an update to its business intelligence software that will run on the Linux operating system on IBM System z mainframes. IBM Cognos 8 BI was being developed by the two companies prior to the acquisition, but assimilation of Cognos into IBM accelerated development.
- Facebook and Collegiality: A Serendipitous Social Niche
Facebook is a way to greet a colleague as if she or he is on your own campus: a wave at a distance, a hello at the corner burrito place, a honk as you both leave the campus parking lot. Informal collegiality has been extended over the miles.
