Tracking changes made by installation of software

[MallarJ@aol.com]

A few days ago I asked about packages that tracked installations of software.
What I was looking for is something that will keep a record of all files
added, deleted, or changed during software installation, and show you what was
changed via a report.  Several of you responded with ideas, I thought I'd get
back to you with my opinions of those packages.

tripwire

	Tripwire looks like a great package for security admins, but for my use, I
don't think it's quite up to par.  The software monitors your system and
informs you if any file has been added, changed, or deleted.  If such a case
arises, it allows you to copy archived versions of the changed files.  This
software would be of great use to those needing to know when a user changes a
file on a system - and allows admins to prevent users from making incorrect
modifications where they shouldn't be.

	The reason I can't use this package is that it doesn't show you what was
changed in a given file, just that it was changed.  In order to be able to
back out installations (if I need to), I need to know what changes were made
to my config files.


instmon

	This is a great script, and almost accomplishes what I need, except for one
thing - it doesn't track files added or deleted.  The author says that that
functionality would require additional scans of the disk, and would slow the
process down.  Unfortunately, that's exactly what I need.



So, unless anyone else has any ideas, I'm off to start writing my first Linux
program.  I've written something similar to this for my Win/Dos machine, but
am starting fresh on coding for a Linux system.  I'll get back to you when I
have a working version.

-Jay