ALTIRIS INVENTORY SOLUTION 6.1 FOR WINDOWS REFERENCE

Transcription

1 ALTIRIS INVENTORY SOLUTION 6.1 FOR WINDOWS REFERENCE

2 Notice Copyright Altiris Inc. All rights reserved. Product Version: 6.1 Document Date: February 25, 2005 Bootworks U.S. Patent No. 5,764,593. RapiDeploy U.S. Patent No. 6,144,992. Recovery Solution U.S. Patent No. 5,778,395, 5,907,672, , , , , , , , GB , B , Other patents pending. Due to the inherently complex nature of computer software, Altiris does not warrant that the Altiris software is error-free, will operate without interruption, is compatible with all equipment and software configurations, or will otherwise meet your needs. The content of this documentation is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Altiris. Altiris, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this documentation. For the latest documentation, visit our Web site at Altiris, the Altiris logo, BootWorks, Inventory Solution, LabExpert, PC Transplant, RapiDeploy, and RapidInstall are registered trademarks of Altiris, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. Carbon Copy is a registered trademark licensed to Altiris, Inc. in the United States and a trademark of Altiris, Inc. in other countries. Altiris express, Altiris Protect, Application Management Solution, Application Metering Solution, Asset Control Solution, Asset Management Suite, Client Management Suite, Compliance Toolkit, Connector Solution, Conflict Analysis Solution, Contract Management Solution, Deployment Server, Deployment Solution, Energy Saver Toolkit, Education Management Suite, Helpdesk Solution Software, Lab Management Suite, Migration Toolkit, Mobile Client for SMS, Monitor Solution, Notification Server, Patch Management Solution, Problem Management Suite, Recovery Solution, Server Management Suite, Site Monitor Solution, Software Delivery Solution, TCO Management Solution, UNIX Client for SMS, Web Administrator for SMS, Web Reports, and other product names are trademarks of Altiris, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. HP and Compaq are registered trademarks of the Hewlett-Packard Corporation. Dell is a registered trademark of Dell Inc. Macintosh is a registered trademark of the Apple Computer Corporation. Palm OS is a registered trademark of Palm Computing, Inc. BlackBerry is a service mark and a trademark of Research In Motion Limited Corporation. RIM is a service mark and trademark of Research In Motion (RIM). All other brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 2

3 Contents Altiris Inventory ReferenceSolution 6.1 for Windows Notice Getting Started Chapter 1: Introduction to Inventory Solution Overview Ease of Use and Deployment Inventory Scan Agents SMS Integration Chapter 2: Installation Installing Notification Server Installing Inventory Solution Installing the Altiris Agent Uninstalling Inventory Solution Registration Chapter 3: Quick Start Tasks Running Inventory Solution with Altiris Agents Manually Scanning Inventory using AeXInvSoln.exe Running Inventory Solution using HTTP (without the Altiris Agent Installed) Running Inventory Solution using a Network File Share (without the Altiris Agent Installed) Performing a Software Scan Performing a Hardware Scan Editing the AuditPls.ini file Viewing Inventory Scan Results Using Inventory Solution Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent Running AeXInvSoln.exe using a Logon Script Setting Up a Web Page or to Run Inventory Solution Disabling the File Compare Feature Alternate Directory for NSI File Creation Input and Output Command Line Arguments Controlling Data Output Format Security Context Considerations Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 3

4 Contents Real Time View Inventory Results Deploying and Collecting Inventory Solution Data Customizing Data Reported by Inventory Solution Customizing How Data is Reported to a Notification Server Inventory Collector Reports Managing Patches Running Inventory Solution using HTTP, Deployment, or a File Server Web Inventory Package Package Editor Network File Access Running Inventory Solution Using Floppy Disks Logon Script Agent Deployment Frequency of Scan Necessary Files Using SMS to Deploy and Collect Inventory Solution Data Create a Source Directory with Required Files Remove Agent Data From an SMS 2.0 Database Configuration File Windows Schedules Chapter 5: Troubleshooting How to Use Inventory Solution with a Port Other Than How to Post Inventory Solution Data Using HTTP with Web and Attachments Timeouts Posting Data from Remote Computers Log Files Inventory Solution Data Flow DLL Requirements when using Windows Agents Software Audit Agent Software Audit Agent Overview Features and Benefits of the Software Audit Agent Input for the Software Audit Agent Customizing Audit Configuration audit.rul File Usage Files Needed to Run the Software Audit Agent Running the Software Audit Agent Using Logon Scripts How the Software Audit Agent Works Software Audit Agent Configuration Modifying the Software Audit Agent Configuration File Scanning for a Single File or Files of a Given Extension Using the Software Audit Agent Configuration Editor Advanced Tab Directories Tab Disk Usage Tab Include Unknown Tab Exclusion Filters Tab Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 4

5 Contents File Masks Tab Known As Tab Manufacturer Known As Tab Overrides Tab Special Groups Tab Software Audit Agent Troubleshooting How to Scan For Data (XLS, DOC, PPT, QWB, etc.) Files How to Use the Software Audit Agent Through a Logon Script for Windows 95/ How to Find Just One File With the Software Audit Agent How to Handle Win32 Files when the Software Audit Agent does not Currently Read the Version Resource Information Custom Inventory Agent Custom Inventory Agent Administration Custom Inventory Agent Command Line Arguments XML File Syntax and Examples Exchange Agent How the Exchange Agent Works Exchange Agent Configuration Customizing the Data Reported Exchange Agent Administration Exchange Agent Troubleshooting Serial Number Agent Serial Number Agent Administration Serial Number Agent Troubleshooting Machine Inventory Agent Reference Appendix A: Exchange Directory Values Appendix B: Program Command Line Arguments AeXAuditpls Executable AeXCustInv Executable AeXExchPls Executable AeXInvSoln Executable AeXMachInv Executable AeXNSInvCollector Executable AeXRunControl Executable AeXSNPlus Executable Appendix C: Inventory Solution Data Reference Index Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 5

6 Getting Started Welcome to the Altiris Inventory Solution for Windows, a complete reference manual and administration guide for Inventory Solution. Quick Links Introduction to Inventory Solution on page 7 Installation on page 11 Quick Start Tasks on page 13 Provides an introduction to Inventory Solution. Install Inventory Solution on your Notification Server. Provides common tasks to familiarize you with Inventory Solution. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 6

7 Chapter 1: Introduction to Inventory Solution Altiris Inventory Solution is designed to meet the demands of today's diverse network environments. It gathers comprehensive software and hardware data from virtually any computer running a Windows 32-bit Operating System. A variety of deployment and data collection options ensure that Inventory Solution works in any environment (including native integration for Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS)). To help maximize your investment, Inventory Solution goes beyond simple data gathering. By providing a Web-based management console, policies to alert you of critical information, and professional quality Web reports, Inventory Solution includes the tools you need to transform your inventory data into useful information. Inventory Solution provides comprehensive inventory for Windows computers including serial number, hardware inventory, software audit inventory, and user/contact information (with Exchange profile). Inventory Solution also: Supports zero-footprint configuration. Operates in always connected, sometimes connected and standalone (through floppy) computing environments. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 7

8 Chapter 1: Introduction to Inventory Solution Overview Can be installed to run on a recurring basis in conjunction with the Altiris Agent. The information that is gathered from the computers is the same regardless of whether or not you use the zero footprint option. Note: Altiris provides Inventory Solution to use with UNIX, Palm, Pocket PC, and Apple Macintosh. For more information, see the Altiris Web site. Quick Link Overview on page 8 Inventory Solution lets you take inventory of any Windows computer. Inventory Solution runs with zero footprint - nothing has to be installed on the computer, or it can be run through your Altiris Agent. It can be run from the network, and it even fits on two floppy disks so you can inventory computers that are not on the network. Features and Benefits Inventory Solution provides these features and benefits. Works with computers with no IP connectivity A floppy disk method has been designed for these non-networked Windows workstations. See Running Inventory Solution Using Floppy Disks on page 34. Provides full access to all the data from any browser Data can be accessed through Reports on Notification Server. Includes integrated Reports Inventory Solution comes with numerous built-in reports that help you analyze and make proactive management decisions based upon Inventory Solution data. This allows quick and easy access to inventory information without having to create custom SQL scripts. Custom reports may also be added and scheduled to run automatically. Posts data through files and HTTP Inventory Solution data can be sent to Notification Server through a file placed in the nscap\evtinbox folder or through an HTTP post to Altiris/NS/ postevent.asp. Deploys through , URL, login scripts Inventory Solution can be deployed through e- mail, a URL, login scripts, or any other method you have in place to run a program on the target computers. Inventory Solution data includes PC Serial Number and BIOS details Comprehensive software auditing Disk, operating system, and system configuration settings Registry settings Full end user information (with Microsoft Exchange profiles) WMI objects Inventory Solution data can be posted to Notification Server by creating a file on a network share, by posting the data directly using HTTP, or it can submit the data to the Altiris Agent and let the Altiris Agent post the data to the Notification Server. Quick Links Ease of Use and Deployment on page 9 Inventory Scan Agents on page 9 SMS Integration on page 9 Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 8

9 Chapter 1: Introduction to Inventory Solution Ease of Use and Deployment A special emphasis has been placed on ease of deployment, small agent size, and non-intrusive operation (by using unused CPU and network resources). Inventory Solution can be deployed to a target computer in multiple ways. The method you should use depends upon your particular needs. The deployment methods are: Logon Script (as a link or attachment) Web link Floppy disk Manual (through shared or mapped drive) Altiris Agent Inventory Scan Agents Inventory Solution includes several inventory scan agents that determine what data will be collected in the inventory scan. The inventory scan agents can be found in the AeXInvSoln.ini file. The default AeXInvSoln.ini file is shown below: aexauditpls.exe /hidden /output xml aexmachinv.exe aexcustinv.exe /in.\aexcustinvstd.cit /out AeXCustInvStd.nsi aexexchpls.exe /hidden /output xml aexsnplus.exe /output xml aexnsinvcollector.exe /hidden /o..\..\..\evtinbox Software Scan (aexauditpls.exe) Runs a detailed scan of the software installed on the computer. It uses the auditpls.ini file to control how applications are reported. There are several powerful and flexible configuration options available in setting up your auditpls.ini file. For more information, see Software Audit Agent on page 49. Hardware Scan (aexmachinv.exe) This is the hardware scanning agent for Inventory Solution. It reports hardware data such as the operating system, the logged on user, the set of local and network disks, the amount of physical memory, the TCP/IP configuration, CPU, and PCMCIA devices. For more information, see Machine Inventory Agent on page 86. Custom Scan (aexcustinv.exe) This agent gathers data from the registry, WMI, or INI files using scripts to let you customize the set of data reported. For more information, see Custom Inventory Agent on page 69. Exchange User Data Scan (aexexchpls.exe) Reports data about the logged on user as found in the Microsoft Exchange Directory Service. For more information, see Exchange Agent on page 82. Serial Number Scan (aexsnpls.exe) Gathers serial number, computer make and model, BIOS, and memory module information. For more information, see Serial Number Agent on page 85. Inventory Collector (aexnsinvcollector.exe) Collects and consolidates all the data that each scan agent found during the scan. The scan data is consolidated and sent to Notification Server. For more information, see Customizing How Data is Reported to a Notification Server on page 28. SMS Integration Inventory Solution is fully compatible with SMS Inventory Solution is tightly integrated with Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS). Inventory Solution comes with Package Definition Files that make it a very simple process to deploy the Inventory Solution package as an SMS package. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 9

10 Chapter 1: Introduction to Inventory Solution Inventory agents report data to SMS using the industry standard MIF file format. SMS maintains history information on changes that are reported by the Inventory agent. This lets you see what has changed over time on your computers. Inventory Solution lets you track in the SMS database computers that are not SMS clients. The Serial Number, Software Audit, and Exchange Agents can create a MIF on the SMS client s NOIDMIF directory or XML data can be passed to the Notification Server and SMS data forwarding can create a native SMS MIF. See Using SMS to Deploy and Collect Inventory Solution Data on page 36. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 10

11 Chapter 2: Installation Inventory Solution 6.1 is designed to work with Notification Server 6.0 or later. It is recommended that you install the latest version of Notification Server. Notification Server must be installed before installing Inventory Solution. The following Windows computers are supported by Inventory Solution Windows 32-bit computers: Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows Me Windows NT 4 Windows 2000 Windows XP Windows 2003 Inventory Solution Prerequisite Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or later - This installs DLL files needed by Inventory Solution. (If you are running Inventory Solution on a Windows 95 computer, see DLL Requirements when using Windows 95 on page 47.) Quick Links Installing Notification Server on page 11 Installing Inventory Solution on page 11 Installing the Altiris Agent on page 12 Uninstalling Inventory Solution on page 12 Registration on page 12 Installing Notification Server Before you can install Inventory Solution, you must have an operational Notification Server running. For information on installing Notification Server, see Installation in the Altiris Notification Server Help. Installing Inventory Solution To install Inventory Solution to a previously installed Notification Server (with or without licenses) 1 Click Start > Programs > Altiris > Notification Server > Altiris Console to start the Altiris Console. 2 Click the Configuration tab. 3 In the treeview pane, click on Upgrade/Install Additional Solutions. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 11

12 Chapter 2: Installation 4 Click the Available Solutions tab. 5 Click the Solutions button. 6 Select Altiris Inventory Solution for Windows. 7 Click Start. This installs Inventory Solution to the Notification Server. Installing the Altiris Agent If you want to run Inventory Solution with Altiris Agents, you must first deploy the Altiris Agent to your computers. For information on installing the Altiris Agent, see Altiris Agent Installation in the Altiris Notification Server Help. Uninstalling Inventory Solution Registration To uninstall Inventory Solution 1 Click Start > Programs > Altiris > Notification Server > Altiris Management Console to start the Altiris Console. 2 Click the Configuration tab. 3 Click on Upgrade/Install Additional Solutions. 4 Click the Currently Installed tab. 5 Click the Remove button next to Inventory Solution. 6 Click Start. Each Altiris product comes with a 7-day trial license that is installed by default. You can register and obtain a 30-day evaluation license through our Web site at or purchase a full product license. To view your current license, open the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab, and select Licensing. For more information, see Licensing Altiris Software in the Altiris Getting Started Guide on the product CD or on our Web site at Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 12

13 Chapter 3: Quick Start Tasks This section contains instructions for the tasks used most often in Inventory Solution. Quick Start Tasks assume that the needed software is installed, configured, and set up (see Installation on page 11). Quick Links Running Inventory Solution with Altiris Agents on page 13 Manually Scanning Inventory using AeXInvSoln.exe on page 13 Running Inventory Solution using HTTP (without the Altiris Agent Installed) on page 14 Running Inventory Solution using a Network File Share (without the Altiris Agent Installed) on page 14 Performing a Software Scan on page 14 Performing a Hardware Scan on page 15 Editing the AuditPls.ini file on page 15 Viewing Inventory Scan Results on page 17 Running Inventory Solution with Altiris Agents Inventory Solution provides Inventory Tasks that let you run inventory on Altiris-enabled computers. When one or more of these tasks are enabled, an Inventory Solution package containing the necessary files to run Inventory Solution automatically gets sent to all Altiris Agents that the Notification Server communicates with. These Inventory Tasks are disabled by default. When you enable these tasks, they will be sent to all computers in the All Windows Computers collection (by default). To view the Inventory Tasks 1 From the Altiris Console, select the Tasks tab. 2 In the treeview pane, navigate to Tasks > Assets and Inventory > Inventory > Windows > Inventory Tasks. For information on these tasks, see Deploying and Collecting Inventory Solution Data on page 26. Manually Scanning Inventory using AeXInvSoln.exe 1 On the target computer, run AeXInvSoln.exe from the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder on the Notification Server computer. An inventory scan is initiated based on the default AeXInvSoln.ini file. The Inventory Scan program closes automatically when the scan has completed. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 13

14 Chapter 3: Quick Start Tasks To View Inventory Scan Results View the results of your inventory scan in the Altiris Console using the Resource Manager. 1 In the Altiris Console, click the Resources tab. 2 In the treeview pane, navigate to Resource Management > Collections > Computer Collections > All Computers. 3 Double-click the name of the computer on which you ran the manual scan. This opens a Resource Manager window in a separate browser. 4 In the Resource Manager, click the Summaries and Inventory tabs to view data from your scan. Running Inventory Solution using HTTP (without the Altiris Agent Installed) 1 the following URL to the target set of computers and instruct the users to either download the file and then install it on their local computers or select Open this file from its current location to install the file without downloading it: where NSName is the name of your Notification Server. For more information on the Web Inventory Package (AeXWebInvPkg.exe), see Web Inventory Package on page 30. Running Inventory Solution using a Network File Share (without the Altiris Agent Installed) You have two choices for running Inventory Solution using a Network File Share. 1 Use the Notification Server computer nscap share. a Make sure that the users of your target computers have access to the following nscap share on the Notification Server: install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap b Have the users of the target computers run the self extracting NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\Inventory Solution\AeXWebInvPkg.exe file from the Notification Server computer. 2 Use another file server. a Copy the self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to another file server (another Windows NT server in another LAN or domain, NetWare, UNIX, and so forth) that the target computers can connect to and have the users of the target computers run the self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file from this server. Note: The self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file is found in the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 directory. For more information on the Web Inventory Package (AeXWebInvPkg.exe), see Web Inventory Package on page 30. Performing a Software Scan To perform a complete inventory scan, including a hardware and software scan 1 On the target computer, run AeXInvSoln.exe from the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder on the Notification Server computer. An inventory scan is initiated based on the default AeXInvSoln.ini file. The Inventory Scan program closes automatically when the scan has completed. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 14

15 Chapter 3: Quick Start Tasks To perform only a software scan 1 On the target computer, run AeXAuditPls.exe from the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder on the Notification Server computer. To perform a hidden software scan with XML output 1 Run the following from the Command Prompt. aexauditpls.exe /hidden /output xml To edit the auditpls.ini file 1 Run AeXAPedit.exe from the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder on the Notification Server computer. 2 Click File > Open. 3 Select the auditpls.ini file, then click Open. See Also Software Audit Agent on page 49 AeXAuditpls Executable on page 95 Editing the AuditPls.ini file on page 15 Performing a Hardware Scan To perform a complete inventory scan, including a hardware and software scan 1 On the target computer, run AeXInvSoln.exe from the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder on the Notification Server computer. An inventory scan is initiated based on the default AeXInvSoln.ini file. The Inventory Scan program closes automatically when the scan has completed. To perform only a hardware scan 1 On the target computer, run AeXMachInv.exe from the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder on the Notification Server computer. See Also Machine Inventory Agent on page 86 AeXMachInv Executable on page 99 Editing the AuditPls.ini file This section show you how to use the Audit Plus Configuration Editor to modify the AuditPls.ini file. It gives you an example of how to add specific programs that can be included in the software scan. You can then use this example to edit your AuditPls.ini the way you want. Note: The following should be completed from the Notification Server computer (install path\program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86). 1 In the X86 folder, make a backup copy of the AuditPls.ini file and place it on your desktop for safekeeping. 2 In the X86 folder, double-click on the AeXAPedit.exe file. The Audit Plus Configuration Editor opens. 3 In the Audit Plus Configuration Editor, select File > Open and open the AuditPls.ini file (from the X86 folder). 4 Under the File Masks tab, enter *.dll in the File Mask field and click Add. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 15

16 Chapter 3: Quick Start Tasks 5 Under the Disk Usage tab, enter zip in the Extensions field and click Add. 6 Under the Special Groups tab, click Add. 7 Enter a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) for this Special Group. Generate a new GUID using a utility like guidgen.exe and copy the same GUID for the GUID value. 8 In the New Special Group dialog, enter AeX SW ACME in the Name field. 9 Enter ACME Engineering 1.0 in the Class field. 10 Make sure Filename is selected in the Attribute field and add the following three attribute values: a b c Enter sol.exe and click Add. Enter freecell.exe and click Add. Enter winmine.exe and click Add. 11 In the Attribute field, select Internal Name and add the following three attribute values: a b c 12 Click OK. Enter sol.exe and click Add. Enter freecell and click Add. Enter winmine and click Add. 13 Under the Known As tab, enter sol.exe in the Internal name field and Solitaire in the Known as field, and click Add. 14 Repeat step 13 for winmine (Minesweeper) and freecell (Freecell). 15 Under the Overrides tab, click Add to open the Override Properties dialog box. 16 Under the A file with this property... column, enter sol.exe in the Filename field. 17 Under the...is to be overridden with this property column, enter Solitaire in the Product name field. 18 Click OK. 19 Repeat step 15 through step 18 for Freecell and Minesweeper. 20 In the Audit Plus Configuration Editor click File > Save to save changes to the AuditPls.ini file. 21 Close the Audit Plus Configuration Editor. 22 Test the new auditpls.ini file by manually running the AexInvSoln.exe in the X86 directory to be sure that it picks up the file you want and reports it into inventory. You can tell it works because the inventory under this server explorer drill-down will have that change in it. 23 Copy the new auditpls.ini file in the X86 directory to the distribution directory. The auditpls.ini file that gets distributed with the inventory policies is located in install path\program Files\Altiris\Notification Server\nscap\bin\win32\X86\Inventory Solution. 24 Update the distribution point. To do this, open the Altiris Console, click the Resources tab, and navigate in the treeview pane to Resource Management > Resources > Defaults > Package. In the content pane, double-click on the package (Inventory Agent Package). When the package window appears, click the Update Distribution Points button. This will force Notification Server to verify the contents of the Inventory Agent package. 25 In the X86 directory on the Notification Server computer, double-click the AeXInvSoln.exe file to run a new inventory scan. When your Altiris Agent requests a new configuration, it will know that something in the package has changed and download your new auditpls.ini file and run with that. See Also Viewing Inventory Scan Results on page 17 Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 16

17 Chapter 3: Quick Start Tasks Viewing Inventory Scan Results This section tells you how to view modified inventory results that are generated by changes to the AuditPls.ini configuration file. Note: The changes listed here were discussed in Editing the AuditPls.ini file on page 15 (adding Freecell, Solitaire, and Minesweeper programs and EXE, DLL, and ZIP extensions to get inventory for). 1 In the Altiris Console, click the Resources tab. 2 In the treeview pane, navigate to Resource Management > Collections > Computer Collections > All Computers. 3 In the All Computers collection, double-click the name of the computer on which you ran the scan. This opens a (or refreshes a currently open) Resource Manager window in a separate browser. 4 In the Resource Manager, click the Inventory tab. 5 In the treeview pane, navigate to Data Classes > Inventory > Software and then click AeX SW ACME and verify that Freecell, Solitaire, and Minesweeper are listed. Note: If the computer on which the scan was run does not have the Freecell, Solitaire, or Minesweeper game installed, the AeX SW ACME table will not appear. 6 Click AeX SW Audit Software and verify that the list contains both EXE and DLL files. (You will need to scroll all the way to the right to view extensions in the list.) 7 Click AeX SW Disk Usage and verify that ZIP files are included in the list. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 17

18 Using Inventory Solution This section provides information about using Inventory Solution. Quick Links Running Inventory Solution on page 19 Troubleshooting on page 44 Provides a comprehensive guide for running Inventory Solution. Provides troubleshooting information. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 18

19 Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Inventory Solution consists of a number of programs that can be run on Windows 9x/Me/NT/2000/ XP/2003 computers. There are a number of ways to run Inventory Solution Run Inventory Solution on an Altiris-enabled computer. The computers that run Inventory Solution through the Altiris Agent will report back inventory results independent of any user action. Run Inventory Solution in a zero footprint mode (without the Altiris Agent being installed) through a mechanism like a logon script, a Web URL, or using floppy disks. This provides an easy way to gather full detailed inventory without having to install an agent that is continually running on your target computers. Use another software distribution system like Altiris Deployment Server or Microsoft SMS to run the program. distribution and collection (as a link or an attachment) SMS package Manually (through a shared or mapped drive) Each of the programs that are run as part of Inventory Solution have various command line parameters that control various features of the product. The following programs are part of Inventory Solution AeXInvSoln - Controls the serialized execution of all the other programs based upon a configuration file. It also generates a GUID, which is stored in the registry. AeXNSInvCollector - The Inventory Collector consolidates the data from the various NSI files and posts the data to Notification Server using an NSE file or through an HTTP post. It includes a GUID in the header of the NSE file. AeXSNPlus, AeXAuditpls, AeXExchpls, AeXMachInv, AeXCustInv - Generate XML formatted NSI files that contain the data about the computer that was scanned. (See Agents on page 48.) Various utilities and files aid in running logon scripts, attachments, SMS advertisements, and customizing the inventory reported. Each of the executable files can be run with a /? command line argument to see the full details on the command line options. The Inventory Collector program that comes with Inventory Solution does a comparison of the current inventory scan with the last scan. Only those NSI files that have changes since data was last reported to the Notification Server are sent to the Notification Server. This feature works independent of how you deploy Inventory Solution. You get delta history file management (which results in less traffic being sent to your Notification Server) when running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent, with logon scripts, or with Web or . (See Inventory Collector on page 28.) The deployment reports that come with Inventory Solution help you track new computers that have been discovered as well as computers that are no longer updating inventory within a given amount of time. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 19

20 Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent Quick Links Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent on page 20 Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent on page 21 Disabling the File Compare Feature on page 24 Alternate Directory for NSI File Creation on page 24 Input and Output Command Line Arguments on page 25 Controlling Data Output Format on page 25 Security Context Considerations on page 25 Real Time View on page 26 Inventory Results on page 26 Deploying and Collecting Inventory Solution Data on page 26 Customizing Data Reported by Inventory Solution on page 27 Customizing How Data is Reported to a Notification Server on page 28 Reports on page 29 Managing Patches on page 29 Running Inventory Solution using HTTP, Deployment, or a File Server on page 29 Web Inventory Package on page 30 Network File Access on page 34 Running Inventory Solution Using Floppy Disks on page 34 Logon Script Agent Deployment on page 35 Using SMS to Deploy and Collect Inventory Solution Data on page 36 Configuration File on page 42 Windows Schedules on page 43 Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent When you install Inventory Solution, it automatically creates a package and five policies that will cause the inventory agents to run on all Windows computers that have the Altiris Agent installed. After the policies are enabled, the Inventory Solution software will then be downloaded and installed on all Altiris Agents that are attached to your Notification Server. The five policies are set up so that Software audit, serial number, and machine inventory is run on a monthly schedule. End-user and exchange inventory is run on a monthly schedule. Software is scanned once a week. Hardware is scanned once a day. User details are scanned once a day. You can change the schedule of the policies for your own environment. You can also change the collection that each policy applies to. For example, you can make distinct inventory policies for servers and other policies for workstations by changing which collection the policies apply to. The data that is collected from the computer when Inventory Solution is run from the context of the Altiris Agent is the same data that is collected when Inventory Solution is run in a standalone mode. Note: Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent allows you to see which user is the primary user on the target computer. Login events are only generated by the basic inventory sent by the Altiris Agent. For more information on how to get primary user information from the Altiris Agent, see Primary User Inventory Class in the Altiris Notification Server Help. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 20

21 Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent Nobody has to be logged onto the computer for the updated inventory data to be collected and posted to Notification Server. See the Altiris Software Delivery Solution Help for details on how the Inventory Solution software is installed as a package onto a computer with the Altiris Agent installed. The files that are installed onto the target computers are in the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\Inventory Solution folder. This folder is automatically set up as the package distribution point for Windows computers to which you want the Inventory Solution agent installed. Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent Inventory Solution can also be run independent of the Altiris Agent. The files that are in the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder are designed to be run directly off the nscap share on the server by any Windows computer. (The difference in the files between the X86 and the Inventory Solution directories is the settings in the configuration files. The executable files are the same). Inventory Solution can be run by any Windows computer from the Notification Server computer. No additional software needs to be preinstalled to capture the inventory data. To run the Inventory Solution agents on a target Windows computer 1 On the target computer, run AeXInvSoln.exe from the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder on the Notification Server computer. For a listing of AeXInvSoln.exe command line arguments, see AeXInvSoln Executable on page 98. The inventory scan is performed on the target computer and the data is posted to the Notification Server. Note: AeXInvSoln.exe can be set to run through hyperlink in an . Quick Links Running AeXInvSoln.exe using a Logon Script on page 21 Setting Up a Web Page or to Run Inventory Solution on page 23 Running AeXInvSoln.exe using a Logon Script The Inventory Solution agents can be set to run using a logon script. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 21

22 Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent You can schedule Inventory Solution to run through a logon script so that it doesn't execute every time there is a logon. This can be done using a supplied program called AeXRunControl in one of two ways - run on a set schedule or run on a random schedule. Look for AeXRunControl.exe in the install path\altiris\notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 folder. It is installed as part of Inventory Solution. (For argument information, see AeXRunControl Executable on page 101.) Run on a Set Schedule Run as: AeXRunControl.exe Inventory Solution 48 install path\altiris\notification server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\aexinvsoln.exe /usehkcu Details: The first parameter (in this case the first parameter is Inventory Solution ) identifies the control check. This is used as the identifying registry value for when this command was last run. This is stored under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Notification Server\RunControl (example: Inventory Solution : 1/18/00 20:30:13). The second parameter (in this case, the second parameter is 48) is the number of hours between running (example: 48 = 2 days). Example: If AeXRunControl is called again within 48 hours with the same command line, it will not execute. The third parameter (example install path\altiris\notification server \nscap\bin\win32\x86\aexinvsoln.exe ) is the command to execute if it passes the timing check, such as it hasn't run within 48 hours. So AeXRunControl.exe Inventory Solution 48 install path\altiris\notification server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\aexinvsoln.exe would check to see if you've tried to run a command identified as Inventory Solution within the last 48 hours. If not, then it would execute the command install path\altiris\notification server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\aexinvsoln.exe. Of course install path\altiris\notification server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\aexinvsoln.exe needs to be replaced with the actual command to be executed (which would usually have / hidden as one of the parameters). The point is that if you need to pass parameters, then the whole command needs to be included within quotes ( ). The fourth parameter, /usehkcu, is for environments where the user does not have permissions to write to HKLM but they can write to the current user registry. Run on a Random Schedule Run as: AeXRunControl.exe /rndschedule Inventory Solution install path\altiris \notification server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\aexinvsoln.exe WEEKLY 1 5 / usehkcu /now Details: The first parameter, /rndschedule, signifies the use of the format that supports the randomized schedule. The second parameter (in this case the second parameter is Inventory Solution ) identifies the control check. This is used as the identifying registry value for when this command was last run. This is stored under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Altiris\Notification Server\RunControl (example: Inventory Solution : 1/18/00 20:30:13). Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 22

23 Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent The third parameter (example install path\altiris\notification server\nscap\bin\win32\x86\aexinvsoln.exe ) is the command to execute. The fourth parameter is the string WEEKLY, which denotes the time period of the schedule. The fifth and sixth parameters (1 and 5) are the lower and upper bounds for the randomly generated day of the week (restricted to 1-7). Weekdays are: 1 = Sunday, 2 = Monday, etc. The seventh parameter, /usehkcu, is for environments where the user does not have permissions to write to HKLM but they can write to the current user registry. The eighth parameter, /now, causes the program to execute immediately if this is the first time the CommandLine program is run. Using AeXRunControl.exe in the AeXInvSoln INI file You can also use AeXInvSoln.exe to run the agents using AeXRunControl.exe. This allows greater flexibility in running AeXRunControl.exe such as letting you choose different times for each agent to run. For example: AeXRunControl.exe Software Audit 12 aexauditpls.exe /hidden /output xml /usehkcu AeXRunControl.exe Machine Inventory 24 aexmachinv.exe /usehkcu AeXRunControl.exe Custom Inventory 36 aexcustinv.exe /in.\aexcustinvstd.cit /out AeXCustInvStd.nsi /usehkcu AeXRunControl.exe Exchange Plus 48 aexexchpls.exe /hidden /output xml /usehkcu AeXRunControl.exe SN Plus 60 aexsnplus.exe /output xml /usehkcu AeXRunControl.exe NS Inventory Collector 73 aexnsinvcollector.exe / hidden /o..\..\..\evtinbox /usehkcu Clean Before Run Mode To remove the resulting data from previous scans 1 Use the /cleanbeforerun command in AeXInvSoln.exe. The /cleanbeforerun command cleans the install path\altiris\express\inventory folder before AeXInvSoln.exe runs. Clean After Run Mode AeXInvSoln.exe can be run in clean after run mode by using the /cleanafterrun flag. Clean after run mode removes any NSI files that are created from the local computer after the scan. Setting Up a Web Page or to Run Inventory Solution Here are two ways to run Inventory Solution without using the Altiris Agent. Running From a Web URL or an Attachment 1 For Web URL: Point your Web browser to AeXWebInvPkg.exe. Instruct users to choose Run when prompted. 2 For the self-extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to the target set of computers and instruct the users to run the attached file. Or the Web URL (above) of the self-extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to the target set of computers and instruct the users to run the file. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 23

24 Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Disabling the File Compare Feature Creating a Web Page to Run Inventory Solution 1 Copy the following text into a blank Notepad file, replace NSName with the name of your Notification Server, and then save the file as win32inv.htm in the install path\altiris\notification Server folder. <html> <head> <meta http-equiv= Content-Type content= text/html > <title>altiris Inventory Solution</title> </head> <body> <p> <a href= AeXWebInvPkg.exe >Inventory</a> - Click here to run Win32 Inventory Solution on a target computer. </p> </body> </html> 2 Browse to and click on the link. When prompted if you want to Run or Save, select Run. (Note: Nothing is actually installed; this only runs Inventory Solution). Disabling the File Compare Feature You can disable the file compare feature by using the /nocheck command in AeXNSInvCollector.exe. When you use this argument, all the data is sent from the target computer to the Notification Server. If you are posting data to a new Notification Server, you would want to use this argument. History is not kept on a Notification Server basis but on the target computer as a whole. Note: This is also known as Delta Data transfer. Alternate Directory for NSI File Creation Inventory Solution can be modified to place the output NSI files on any directory on your target computers. The default location used for the placement of the NSI file is install path\altiris\express\inventory. Each of the programs that run as part of Inventory Solution can run with a command line argument that will cause them to place the NSI files in any directory. If you have set up security on your workstations so that users do not have write permissions on this default directory or if you want to place the NSI files in another location on the hard drive, use the following example file to change the output directory. Sample AeXInvSoln.ini File AeXInvSoln.exe uses a file to indicate the sets of agents to run as part of Inventory Solution. This file needs to be modified to contain the proper command line arguments to redirect the output of the agents to a designated directory. IMPORTANT: The command line arguments on the agents are case sensitive in some cases. The following sample AeXInvSoln.ini file causes the agents to place the output in C:\temp and post the data to a Notification Server called targhee through an HTTP post. AeXSNPlus.exe /o c:\temp AeXMachinv.exe /o c:\temp\diskinv.nsi AeXauditpls.exe /hidden /o %TEMP% /output both AeXexchpls.exe /hidden /o c:\temp AeXNSInvCollector.exe /hidden /url postevent.asp /s c:\temp Note: Instead of using c:\temp, you can use an environment variable such as %TEMP% (if the agents cannot write to the provided directory, the default is %TEMP%). AeXInvSoln.exe will expand any environment variables (surrounded by % %) that are listed in the AeXInvSoln.ini file. Inventory Solution for Windows Reference 24