terreActive Know-How


The development department of our company is staffed by a core team of experienced engineers. Their main task is to develop and maintain software tools that can be used to assist in the integration and support of complex customer projects.

Thanks to our development department, we are able to precisely and quickly respond to the individual needs of our customers. This flexibility is only possible, however, if the customer, project manager and developer work closely together.

Tools and Know-How
Open source projects are an important pillar of the terreActive development team's work with UNIX. These software packages are often used as solution components and as a basis for further development and for customisation to specific requirements.

Particularly interesting is the fact that not only have applications come from open source projects, but also several important development tools, such as compilers and interpreters for different languages, debuggers for trouble-shooting, Java runtime environments, and many more.

Development Projects
The development of a secure GNU/Linux distribution for the integration of our solutions in the area of network security has been a continuous thread running through terreActive AG's history. Termed PAB, the second version of this distribution is used both in application servers and firewalls and even in embedded systems (Bluebox). Over time, various applications focused on the PAB project have sprung up, dealing either directly or indirectly with the integration, control, monitoring and administration of security solutions.

Below is a representative list of development projects:

  • Secure GNU/Linux distribution (PAB2)
  • Package and configuration management
  • GNU/Linux firewall configuration tools (TFX)
  • Monitoring system for environments with multi-level security (tacMON)
  • Multi-level, filtered, correlated, centralised log data management (tacLOG)
  • Configuration (change) management for computer centres
  • RAS access control systems with central authentication server
  • Reverse proxy extensions: geographic IP localisation, single sign-on
  • Trouble ticket systems
  • Automated and lean backup solutions for managed security services
  • Protocol conversion systems and visualisation of logistics systems
  • Administrative management software for in-house use

Core Competencies
We excel at developing lean, optimised solutions in very little time. Our position in the market is independent, which is why we are not afraid to mix commercial and open source components. This allows us to bring out the advantages in each case and to get around the weaknesses of individual software systems by choosing the right combination.

In all our development activities, we clearly focus on UNIX-related environments like GNU/Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X and FreeBSD. Only in exceptional cases will we develop software under Windows. There are many paradigms for software development, and each paradigm has spawned a host of textbooks. All these procedures, schemata and notations show strengths and weaknesses depending on each application. Our approach is to freely choose the method according to the selected solution approach and the know-how and expertise of the developers involved.

The development team does not live in a vacuum. It is common, therefore, that developers have an active part in the integration of their software. Employees from the other teams, in particular from managed security services, are welcome to actively participate in the development of new software as well. This ensures a competent and creative transfer of hands-on experience among the teams involved – in project integration and solution implementation alike.