System and method for auditing a network

摘要

A network is audited by running task programs and evaluating the results of the task programs. Task programs are tools that are configured to retrieve information about a particular network device. A service is arranged to coordinate the scheduling, execution, and data collection and aggregation of each task program over disparate networks such as multiple domains. Each task program executes at a scheduled time and provides results to a parser. The parser formats the results and provides the formatted data to the service. The service stores the collected data in a database. A client can schedule and/or review the results of audits by communicating with the service. The collected data can be compared and filtered according to rule-based templates that define acceptable network device configurations. Reports can be generated based on the templates such that a client can evaluate results from task programs executed over the entire network.