Radmind

Radmind is a suite of Unix command-line tools and an application server designed to remotely administer the file systems of multiple client machines.

For Mac OS X, there is a graphical user interface called Radmind Assistant, as well as a GUI for the Radmind server called Radmind Server Manager.

Radmind was the 2003 Apple Design Awards runner-up for Best Mac OS X Server Solution.

Radmind is developed by the Research Systems Unix Group at the University of Michigan.

How Radmind Works
Radmind operates as a tripwire, detecting changes in a client's filesystem (and, in the case of Microsoft Windows, the registry) and reversing the changes. Radmind stores filesystem specifications in text files called transcripts, signified with a .T extension. Transcripts are referenced from command files, signified with a .K extension, which specify which transcripts (and with what precedence) should be applied to a client machine's filesystem.

Suite of tools
The radmind suite of tools comprises


 * ktcheck, which updates the locally stored command files and transcripts to match those on the server.
 * fsdiff, which checks the client filesystem against the transcripts on the local system without using network bandwidth.
 * lapply, which updates the client filesystem to match the transcripts, downloading files as needed.
 * lcreate, which uploads new transcripts to the server.
 * lcksum, which verifies uploaded transcripts.
 * lfdiff, which compares local files with copies on Radmind server.
 * lmerge, which combines transcripts on the server.
 * ra.sh , which automates the update process using ktcheck, fsdiff, and lapply.
 * twhich, which returns which transcript(s) a file is referenced in.
 * applefile, which allows Radmind to work with AppleSingle files.