Using content-derived names for configuration management

Configuration management of compiled software artifacts (programs, libraries, icons, etc.) is a g rowing p roblem as s oftware reuse becomes more prevalent. For an app lication composed from reused libraries and modules to function correctly, all of the required files must be available and be the correct version. In this paper, we present a simple scheme to add ress this problem: content-derived names (CDNs). Computing an object’s name automatically using d igital signatures greatly e ases the problem of disambiguating multiple ve rsions of an ob ject. By using content-derived na mes, developers can ensure that only those software components that have been tested together are permitted to run together.