Samsara/docs/IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md

Architecture and implementation plan

Samsara is a Windows Server and enterprise Linux retirement assessment tool. Desktop OS and assessed OS are independent.

Project structure

• samsara/ui: Qt interface and background collection worker.
• samsara/core: hostname validation, OS detection and profile matching.
• samsara/collectors: offline fixtures, schema-validated JSON intake and local Linux collector.
• samsara/analyzers: evidence classification and transparent heuristic scoring.
• samsara/reporting: local HTML/JSON export.
• samsara/models: reserved for typed collection models.
• samsara/assets: labeled synthetic fixtures.
• schemas: versioned collection JSON contract.
• powershell: Windows collection requirements; scripts pending.
• tests: core, parsing, detection, worker, UI and export tests.

Implemented

The simplified UI starts on Analyze with This computer and Auto-detect selected. History, Reports and Settings are secondary pages. No fabricated assessment is inserted at startup. Local collection detects the OS and uses the Linux backend where available. Version mismatches and unsupported Windows collection fail explicitly. Saved inventories and synthetic samples have separate source choices. A dedicated Summary destination opens after collection, with retirement risk, OS/version, important software and scheduled work; comprehensive Networking, Software, Tasks, Dependencies and other tabs expose evidence. Reports can be saved immediately after an assessment; session history reopens previous results.

Linux collection provides read-only OS, service, timer calendar, system cron, TCP, package and mount observations. Missing evidence is represented by check status, never by synthetic substitution. Commands have cancellation, time/output limits and cleanup. See README for exact omissions.

Remaining phases

1. Independent Windows inventory scripts for system/roles, services, TCP/processes, tasks, registry software, storage/shares and public certificate metadata. Do not use Win32_Product. Optional AD enrichment must not become a prerequisite.
2. Authorized Windows execution-host remoting and Linux SSH transport, explicit targets/authentication, host verification, bounded output, timeouts and cancellation. No infrastructure configuration.
3. Expand Linux inventory for user schedulers and remaining cron/anacron coverage, identities, share exports, disk usage and application-specific public certificates with least-privilege access.
4. Validate OS-specific application/critical infrastructure rules, observed versus inferred relationships and historical/manual verification workflows. No automatic retirement approval.
5. Production schemas, redaction, Windows/RHEL platform testing, packaging and signed releases.

The original empty repository had no existing application or project instructions. All current collection is local or offline; no enterprise targets are contacted in development.