Well I finally did it. Last summer I set out to build and run CLAWS in my own environment. I was able to get parts of it running, but there were a few problems I was stuck on. I haven’t had much time to work on it since then, but over spring break I managed to get everything built and installed.

My goal was to get CLAWS running the way RIT uses it, and then write patches to the main codebase. If certain people in high places liked the changes I made, they could take the patches and apply them upstream. Even if that doesn’t happen, I could always fork the project and continue development on my own. For political reasons, I’d have to wait to do this until after I graduate.

The OpenCLAWS Project is aimed at taking what is now a very RIT-centric software system and transforming it into something the general public can use. Much to the chagrin of some un-named information security officials, CLAWS is open source and so I can (at very least) develop from the r2977 snapshot.

In the coming few months I plan to have my documentation finished for building and installing CLAWS. I should have a lighter schedule this summer, so I’m hoping to get most of my development work done then.