ALTIRIS INVENTORY SOLUTION 6.1 FOR WINDOWS REFERENCE

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A

LTIRIS®

INVENTORY SOLUTION®

6.1 FOR WINDOWS

REFERENCE

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Notice

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, 4701745, 5016009, 5146221, 5144425, 5463390, 5506580, 5532694, GB 2172127, B 904359, 3606869. 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 www.altiris.com.

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).

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Getting Started . . . 6

Chapter 1: Introduction to Inventory Solution . . . 7

Overview . . . 8

Ease of Use and Deployment . . . 9

Inventory Scan Agents . . . 9

SMS Integration . . . 9

Chapter 2: Installation. . . 11

Installing Notification Server . . . 11

Installing Inventory Solution . . . 11

Installing the Altiris Agent . . . 12

Uninstalling Inventory Solution . . . 12

Registration . . . 12

Chapter 3: Quick Start Tasks . . . 13

Running Inventory Solution with Altiris Agents . . . 13

Manually Scanning Inventory using AeXInvSoln.exe . . . 13

Running Inventory Solution using HTTP (without the Altiris Agent Installed) . . . 14

Running Inventory Solution using a Network File Share (without the Altiris Agent Installed) . . . 14

Performing a Software Scan . . . 14

Performing a Hardware Scan . . . 15

Editing the AuditPls.ini file . . . 15

Viewing Inventory Scan Results . . . 17

Using Inventory Solution . . . 18

Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution. . . 19

Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent . . . 20

Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent . . . 21

Running AeXInvSoln.exe using a Logon Script . . . 21

Setting Up a Web Page or E-mail to Run Inventory Solution . . . 23

Disabling the File Compare Feature . . . 24

Alternate Directory for NSI File Creation . . . 24

Input and Output Command Line Arguments . . . 25

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Contents

Real Time View . . . 26

Inventory Results . . . 26

Deploying and Collecting Inventory Solution Data . . . 26

Customizing Data Reported by Inventory Solution . . . 27

Customizing How Data is Reported to a Notification Server . . . 28

Inventory Collector . . . 28

Reports . . . 29

Managing Patches . . . 29

Running Inventory Solution using HTTP, E-mail Deployment, or a File Server . . . 29

Web Inventory Package . . . 30

Package Editor . . . 31

Network File Access . . . 34

Running Inventory Solution Using Floppy Disks . . . 34

Logon Script Agent Deployment . . . 35

Frequency of Scan . . . 35

Necessary Files . . . 36

Using SMS to Deploy and Collect Inventory Solution Data . . . 36

Create a Source Directory with Required Files . . . 36

Remove Agent Data From an SMS 2.0 Database . . . 41

Configuration File . . . 42

Windows Schedules . . . 43

Chapter 5: Troubleshooting . . . 44

How to Use Inventory Solution with a Port Other Than 80 . . . 44

How to Post Inventory Solution Data Using HTTP with Web and E-mail Attachments . . . 44

Timeouts Posting Data from Remote Computers . . . 45

Log Files . . . 45

Inventory Solution Data Flow . . . 46

DLL Requirements when using Windows 95 . . . 47

Agents. . . . 48

Software Audit Agent . . . 49

Software Audit Agent Overview . . . 49

Features and Benefits of the Software Audit Agent . . . 49

Input for the Software Audit Agent . . . 50

Customizing Audit Configuration . . . 50

audit.rul File Usage . . . 51

Files Needed to Run the Software Audit Agent . . . 51

Running the Software Audit Agent Using Logon Scripts . . . 51

How the Software Audit Agent Works . . . 52

Software Audit Agent Configuration . . . 54

Modifying the Software Audit Agent Configuration File . . . 54

Scanning for a Single File or Files of a Given Extension . . . 55

Using the Software Audit Agent Configuration Editor . . . 56

Advanced Tab . . . 57

Directories Tab . . . 58

Disk Usage Tab . . . 59

Include Unknown Tab . . . 59

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Contents

File Masks Tab . . . 61

Known As Tab . . . 61

Manufacturer Known As Tab . . . 62

Overrides Tab . . . 62

Special Groups Tab . . . 63

Software Audit Agent Troubleshooting . . . 66

How to Scan For Data (XLS, DOC, PPT, QWB, etc.) Files . . . 66

How to Use the Software Audit Agent Through a Logon Script for Windows 95/98 . . . 66

How to Find Just One File With the Software Audit Agent . . . 67

How to Handle Win32 Files when the Software Audit Agent does not Currently Read the Version Resource Information . . . 68

Custom Inventory Agent. . . 69

Custom Inventory Agent Administration . . . 69

Custom Inventory Agent Command Line Arguments . . . 69

XML File Syntax and Examples . . . 70

Exchange Agent . . . 82

How the Exchange Agent Works . . . 82

Exchange Agent Configuration . . . 82

Customizing the Data Reported . . . 82

Exchange Agent Administration . . . 83

Exchange Agent Troubleshooting . . . 84

Serial Number Agent . . . 85

Serial Number Agent Administration . . . 85

Serial Number Agent Troubleshooting . . . 85

Machine Inventory Agent . . . 86

Reference . . . 87

Appendix A: Exchange Directory Values . . . 88

Appendix B: Program Command Line Arguments. . . 95

AeXAuditpls Executable . . . 95 AeXCustInv Executable . . . 96 AeXExchPls Executable . . . 97 AeXInvSoln Executable . . . 98 AeXMachInv Executable . . . 99 AeXNSInvCollector Executable . . . 99 AeXRunControl Executable . . . 101 AeXSNPlus Executable . . . 102

Appendix C: Inventory Solution Data Reference . . . 105

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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 Provides an introduction to Inventory Solution. “Installation” on page 11 Install Inventory Solution on your Notification

Server.

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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.

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Inventory Solution

• 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

Overview

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 e-mail, 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

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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

• E-mail (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 2003.

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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.

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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)

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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

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.

Registration

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 www.altiris.com or purchase a full product license.

To view your current license, open the Altiris Console, click the Configuration tab, and select Licensing.

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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.

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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 E-mail 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:

http://NSName/Altiris/NS/NSCAP/Bin/Win32/X86/AeXWebInvPkg.exe 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

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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

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.

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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 Enter sol.exe and click Add.

b Enter freecell.exe and click Add. c Enter winmine.exe and click Add.

11 In the Attribute field, select Internal Name and add the following three attribute values: a Enter sol.exe and click Add.

b Enter freecell and click Add. c Enter winmine and click Add. 12 Click OK.

13 Under the Known As tab, enter sol.exe in theInternal 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

,

enterSolitairein theProduct 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

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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.

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Using Inventory Solution

This section provides information about using Inventory Solution.

Quick Links

“Running Inventory Solution” on

page 19 Provides a comprehensive guide for running Inventory Solution.

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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.

• E-mail 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, e-mail 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

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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, E-mail 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.

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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

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 e-mail.

Quick Links

• “Running AeXInvSoln.exe using a Logon Script” on page 21

• “Setting Up a Web Page or E-mail to Run Inventory Solution” on page 23

Running AeXInvSoln.exe using a Logon Script

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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.

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• 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 E-mail to Run Inventory

Solution

Here are two ways to run Inventory Solution without using the Altiris Agent.

Running From a Web URL or an E-mail Attachment

1 For Web URL: Point your Web browser to http://NSName/NSCap/Bin/Win32/X86/ AeXWebInvPkg.exe. Instruct users to choose “Run” when prompted.

2 For E-mail: E-mail the self-extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to the target set of computers and instruct the users to run the attached file.

Or

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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.

</head> <body> <p>

<a href=”http://NSName/Altiris/NS/NSCap/Bin/Win32/X86/ AeXWebInvPkg.exe”>Inventory</a>

- Click here to run Win32 Inventory Solution on a target computer. </p>

</body> </html>

2 Browse to http://NSName/Altiris/NS/win32inv.htm 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 “http://targhee/Altiris/NS/ postevent.asp”

/s c:\temp

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Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Input and Output Command Line Arguments

Input and Output Command Line Arguments

Command line arguments can be used to specify the location of output and input files. To specify the output location of the files created by Inventory Solution, use the /o outputpath argument. Be sure to use this path as the source path for the collector. This can be specified with the /s inputpath argument after the call to AeXNSInvCollector.exe.

aexauditpls.exe /hidden /output xml /o outputpath aexmachinv.exe /output xml /o outputpath

aexexchpls.exe /hidden /output xml /o outputpath aexsnplus.exe /output xml /o outputpath

aexnsinvcollector.exe /hidden /s inputpath /o NSEOutputpath

To override the default output location for the collector, use the /o argument as in the example above, and the NSE output file will be placed in the folder specified.

For example, the /o argument may be used if the default location install path\Altiris\express\Inventory is not accessible.

Controlling Data Output Format

Inventory Solution lets you specify whether the data output is in XML that the Notification Server processes or SMS MIF format. The following are some of the advantages of doing XML with Notification Server vs. SMS MIFs only:

• Notification Server can handle a higher frequency of inventory record updating.

• You can replicate to SMS from Notification Server on a schedule based upon SMS settings. High frequency updates for Notification Server does not mean high frequency data loads to SMS. (SMS is slower than Notification Server in loading data).

Use the /output mif argument if you want the SMS client to collect inventory data during its scheduled hardware inventory cycle. The one disadvantage to this is that the MIFs in the SMS client’s NOIDMIFS directory will be collected every SMS hardware inventory scan regardless of whether or not the data has changed. This process would add Inventory Solution data directly to SMS through the SMS client and the inventory agent that is run with the /output mif argument (AeXAuditpls.exe, AeXSNPlus.exe, and AeXExchpls.exe only).

To get XML only output, run the agent with the /output xml command line argument.

Security Context Considerations

By default, Inventory Solution NSI files are created in install path\Altiris\express\Inventory. • If you are running Inventory Solution from the context of the Altiris Agent, then the Altiris Agent

will have the security context to create these directories.

• If you are running Inventory Solution on a locked down Windows NT or Windows 2000 computer and running the program under the local logged on user’s security context, the user may not have permission to create the NSI files in that directory.

• All of the agents that are part of Inventory Solution will redirect their NSI output files to a directory using the user’s temp directory if the NSI file is unable to be created under the Program Files folder.

Suppose you want to deploy Inventory Solution using logon scripts and a number of your computers are Windows 2000. Also suppose the users on those computers do not have the access rights to create new files and directories under install path\Altiris\Inventory. In this case, the Inventory Solution agents will place the NSI files under the user’s temp space.

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Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Real Time View

Note: If the scan is run from a security context that does not have any read permissions in the user profile data, then default data of Jan 1 1900 and a size of 0 is used in the AeX OS User Profiles group. However, you can still see that the profile has been loaded on that computer.

For more details on how to place the NSI files in another directory, see “Alternate Directory for NSI File Creation” on page 24.

Real Time View

An application, AexNSIViewer6Plus, which can view any NSI file in real time. These can be NSIs reported by basic inventory or by custom inventory. This program is found in the install

path\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86 directory.

Note: NSI files in an older Inventory format (Inventory Solution 6.0 and older) are not supported by AexNSIViewer6Plus. This includes any data class sent by Basic Inventory, identified by the prefix AeX_AC. To view these older NSI files, use AeXNSIViewer. AeXNSIViewer provided the same functionality as AexNSIViewer6Plus in Inventory Solution 6.0 and older.

Inventory Results

You can access inventory results through the Resource Manager. In the Inventory tab, there is a group in the Data Classes > Inventory > Software folder called AeX AC Inventory Results. This gives you the collection time, the file count, the total size, and the version (the version of collector posting the data).

Deploying and Collecting Inventory Solution Data

When you install Inventory Solution, it automatically creates a package and five policies that, when enabled, cause the inventory agents to run on all Windows computers that have the Altiris Agent installed. The Inventory Solution software will be downloaded and installed on all Altiris Agents that are attached to your Notification Server.

These policies are:

• Recreate Full Inventory

This policy is used to run software audit, serial number, and machine inventory on a monthly schedule. It sends all inventory data to the Notification Server regardless of whether or not the inventory has changed since the last run.

This is particularly useful if you have set up your Notification Server to forward inventory to another Notification Server. If you use this policy, your history files will be deleted from your Notification Server. This will let the target Notification Server receive the full inventory. • Recreate User Inventory

This policy is used to run end-user and exchange inventory on a monthly schedule. It sends all inventory data to the Notification Server regardless of whether or not the inventory has changed since the last run.

This is particularly useful if you have set up your Notification Server to forward inventory to another Notification Server. If you use this policy, your history files will be deleted from your Notification Server. This will let the target Notification Server receive the full inventory. • Hardware Inventory

• Software Inventory • User Inventory

These policies are found by clicking on the Tasks tab, then navigating to Tasks > Assets and Inventory > Inventory > Windows > Inventory Tasks in the treeview pane.

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Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Customizing Data Reported by Inventory Solution

For more information on running these with the Altiris Agent, see “Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent” on page 20.

Customizing Data Reported by Inventory Solution

Inventory Solution uses a number of executable modules to scan for specific types of information and post the data to Notification Server. (The AeXAuditpls, AeXExchpls, and AeXSNPlus agents can directly generate MIF files on SMS client computers.)

Inventory Solution agents generate output files with an extension of NSI (Notification Server Inventory). NSI files contain inventory data in an XML format. The default output folder used by the agents when creating an NSI file is install path\Altiris\express\Inventory. The folder used can be customized with command line arguments to the various Inventory Solution agents. To do this, use the /o outputpath argument.

AeXInvSoln.exe executes the programs that are listed in the AeXInvSoln.ini file sequentially. Each of the various agents have command line arguments. You can run each application with a /? command argument for a usage dialogue that provides the full command line usage details. The Inventory Solution agents are described in the following table.

AeXSNPlus The AeXSNPlus program gathers serial number, computer make and model, BIOS, SMBIOS,

and memory module information. It can generate both MIF as well as NSI files. For full details on how to customize the set of data reported by the serial number agent, see “Serial Number Agent” on page 85.

AeXMachInv The AeXMachInv program runs on any Windows 32-bit Intel based computer. It reports data

from the core Win32 API such as the operating system, the logged on user, the set of local and network disks, the amount of physical memory, TCP/IP, CPU, and PCMCIA devices. There are options to run AeXMachInv.exe with the /zfp argument which will cause the agent to not report memory and disk change history. The /zfp argument will also remove the GUID from the registry. Then, the next time Inventory Solution is run, a new GUID will be generated and the computer will appear as a new computer in the database.

You can also specify which inventory groups to include or exclude from the output of AeXMachInv.exe.

For details on this agent, see “Machine Inventory Agent” on page 86.

AeXAuditpls The AeXAuditpls program runs a detailed scan of the hard drive reporting on the applications

that are present on the computer. It also reports on data file usage. It uses the auditpls.ini file to control how applications are reported. AeXAuditpls.exe can generate both MIF and NSI files. There are a large amount of configuration options in setting up your auditpls.ini file. For the full details on how to customize the software scan data, see “Software Audit Agent” on page 49.

AeXExchpls The AeXExchpls program reports data about the logged on user as found in the Microsoft

Exchange Directory Service, Active Directory, or Exchange 2000. It uses the exchpls.ini file to control which user properties are reported from the Microsoft Exchange Directory Service. AeXExchpls.exe can generate both MIF and NSI files. To learn how to customize the data reported from AeXExchpls.exe, see “Exchange Agent” on page 82.

AeXCustInv The AeXCustInv program lets you gather arbitrary registry and WMI data. For details on how

to use AeXCustInv.exe, see “Custom Inventory Agent” on page 69.

Sample VB Form A sample VB application shows how you can have any application register data with Inventory Solution and report to the database. For details, see the Altiris Resource Kit. The Altiris Resource Kit also outlines the NSI file format information.

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Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Customizing How Data is Reported to a Notification Server

Customizing How Data is Reported to a Notification Server

The Inventory Collector is used to post the inventory data collected to the Notification Server. It is used to consolidate the data from various NSI files into a single NSE file and post the data to the Notification Server using HTTP, e-mail deployment, or a file server.

Quick Link

• “Inventory Collector” on page 28

Inventory Collector

For a listing of the Inventory Collector command line arguments, see “AeXNSInvCollector Executable” on page 99.

To run the Inventory Collector from another NT, NetWare or UNIX Server

1 Copy the self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to your target server(s). (See “Running Inventory Solution using HTTP, E-mail Deployment, or a File Server” on page 29.)

2 Run AeXWebInvPkg.exe.

There are several ways to do this. Some of them are:

• Run AeXRunControl.exe with its parameters to limit frequency.

Notification Server Inventory

AeXSNPlus

AeXMachInv AeXAuditpls

AeXExchpls Creates NSI File

Creates NSI File

AeXNSInvCollector Notification Server NSI NSI NSI NSI NSE GUID

AeXNSInvCollector combines all NSI files, places them into a newly created NSE file, and places the GUID (taken from the registry)

in the header. AeXNSInvCollector can then post directly to the NS using HTTP, email,

floppy disk, or to the Altiris Agent queue. Creates NSI File

Creates NSI File

Any Custom Inventory

Creator NSI

Creates NSI File

Email HTTP

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Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Reports

• Run AeXWebInvPkg.exe in a login script on a local Novell server mapped drive. • Run AeXWebInvPkg.exe using a Web link on a local Web server.

To run the Inventory Collector from a Web URL or an e-mail attachment

1 Complete one of the following steps depending on whether you are using a Web URL or an e-mail attachment:

a Post the self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to a Web URL (by default, this program is located at http://NSName/Altiris/NS/NSCAP/Bin/Win32/X86/AeXWebInvPkg.exe). Instruct 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.

b E-mail the self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to the target set of computers and instruct the users to run the attached file.

c To reduce the impact on the e-mail server, you can e-mail a link to the Web location used in step a.

Reports

Inventory Solution utilizes Notification Server to produce and host Reports. You can generate and view reports from within the Altiris Console.

The deployment reports help you understand which computers are new, which ones are no longer reporting current information, and the size of the inventory data being transmitted over the network. The other reports provide details about the inventory data that is gathered.

Managing Patches

Inventory Solution provides reports that let you find out which computers have received OS updates and which have not. These reports can be found in the Altiris Console under the Reports tab by navigating to Reports > Assets and Inventory > Inventory > Windows > OS Updates in the treeview pane.

These reports are

• Count of Win9X Computers without Update ‘X’ • Count of WinNT/2000 Computers without Update ‘X’ • Distinct Win9X Updates by Computer

• Distinct WinNT/2000 Updates by Computer

To use these reports

1 In the treeview pane, click on a report to select it. 2 In the content pane, click Run this Report.

3 Select the Hotfix or Machine Name from the drop-down list. 4 Click Refresh.

5 You can drill down to see more data on the table items by double-clicking on the item name.

Running Inventory Solution using HTTP, E-mail

Deployment, or a File Server

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Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Web Inventory Package

There are three ways to use Inventory Solution

• Altiris Agent - Load the Altiris Agent on the target computer (see “Running Inventory Solution with the Altiris Agent” on page 20).

Advantages to using:

• Local system access to computer • Logon and User trail

• Runs on a schedule

• Restartable posting of data (mobile user friendly) • Delta-file reduction of posted data

• HTTP - Send the Inventory Solution files (using the Web Inventory Package) via HTTP to the target computer (see “To run the Inventory Collector from a Web URL or an e-mail attachment” on page 29).

• No need for security validation

• No connection via MS Networking required • Works through proxy servers and firewalls • No Altiris Agent needed

• Zero Footprint

• Network File Path (UNC) - Let the target computer user access the Inventory Solution files from a network path. You can use either the Web Inventory Package or point the user directly to the Inventory Solution directory (see “To run the Inventory Collector from another NT, NetWare or UNIX Server” on page 28 or “Network File Access” on page 34).

• Inclusion of login scripts, email, etc.

• Security via MS Networking or Active Directory (not everyone can run and post) • No Altiris Agent needed

• Zero Footprint

Inventory Solution data can be easily posted to Notification Server using HTTP. This allows computers that are not able to connect to the Notification Server nscap share (because of security, network transport, or other issues) to still post the data over an HTTP connection to Notification Server. HTTP posting uses the settings that are defined in Internet Explorer to determine the user of proxy servers for HTTP traffic.

Notification Server includes an Active Server Page URL (http://NSName/Altiris/NS/ postevent.asp) that is able to accept data and insert it into the Notification Server database. (This is the same URL that is used by UNIX computers that post UNIX Inventory Solution data to Notification Server.)

In order to post data through HTTP, the target computer must have Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 or later installed on the computer.

Web Inventory Package

During installation of Inventory Solution, a self executing executable (Web Inventory Package) gets created. This executable is found at install path\Altiris\Notification

Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\AeXWebInvPkg.exe.

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The Web Inventory Package contains all Inventory Solution files needed to run an inventory on a target computer. It lets you run inventory on computers that do not have the Altiris Agent installed. A Package Editor is provided that lets you edit the Web Inventory Package. See “Package Editor” on page 31.

The Web Inventory Package can be distributed the following ways:

• E-mail - see “To run the Inventory Collector from a Web URL or an e-mail attachment” on page 29.

• Web URL - see “To run the Inventory Collector from a Web URL or an e-mail attachment” on page 29.

• Network File Path - see “To run the Inventory Collector from another NT, NetWare or UNIX Server” on page 28.

When run on the target computer, the Web Inventory Package does the following: • Extracts the Inventory Solution files to the target directory.

• Runs AeXInvSoln.exe (the default options are /s AeXIsHttp.ini

/cleanbeforerun /hidden). For information on AeXInvSoln.exe, see “Running Inventory Solution without the Altiris Agent” on page 21 and “AeXInvSoln Executable” on page 98.

Package Editor

The Package Editor lets you edit the Web Inventory Package (AeXWebInvPkg.exe). It is found in the same directory as the Web Inventory Package - install path\Altiris\Notification

Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86.

Note: Before you edit the Web Inventory Package, it is recommended that you make a copy of it. Upon saving the package, a copy of the original package is stored with a .bak extension.

To edit the Web Inventory Package

1 Find AeXPkgEditor.exe (found in the directory listed above) and run it.

2 Select the Web Inventory Package (AeXWebInvPkg) and click Open.

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To edit a file in the Web Inventory Package

1 Run AeXPkgEditor.exe.

2 Click the Files tab.

3 Click the file to edit from the Files in Package list. 4 Click Extract.

5 Select the location to extract the file to, then click OK. 6 Edit the file in the editor of your choice.

7 Click the file that you edited from the Files in Package list. 8 Click Delete.

9 Click Yes. 10 Click Add.

11 Navigate to the file you edited and select it. 12 Click Open.

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Options Tab Items

Item Description

Command Line The command line for AeXInvSoln.exe. The default command line is:

AeXInvSoln.exe /s AeXIsHttp.ini /cleanbeforerun /hidden

Note: AeXIsHttp.ini can be edited in the AeXIsHttp.ini file contents field. See “AeXInvSoln Executable” on page 98.

Extract files silently

to folder Use this field to list the folder to extract the Inventory Solution files to._{The default is %TEMP%.} Note: If the checkbox for this field is cleared, the files will be installed to the default (%TEMP%).

To list another folder besides the default: 1) Click the checkbox.

2) Enter the desired folder. Prompt user with

message Lets you prompt the user with a message before continuing with running AeXInvSoln.exe. Note: The prompt needs to be ended with a question like “Do you want to continue?”. The prompt gives two buttons: Yes and No. The user clicks Yes to continue with the install, and No to abort the install.

AeXIsHttp.ini file

contents This field lets you change the contents of the AeXIsHttp.ini file that gets placed in the Web Inventory Package. AeXInvSoln.exe uses this INI file to run inventory on the target computer.

See Also

“AeXAuditpls Executable” on page 95 “AeXMachInv Executable” on page 99 “AeXExchPls Executable” on page 97 “AeXSNPlus Executable” on page 102 “AeXNSInvCollector Executable” on page 99

Save Click to save all changes.

Cancel Click to cancel all changes.

Files Tab Items

Item Description

Files in Package Lists all the files found in the Web Inventory Package.

Add Click to add a file to the Web Inventory Package.

Extract Lets you extract a file from the Web Inventory Package so you can edit it.

To extract a file

1) Click a file in the Files in Package list. 2) Click Extract.

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Chapter 4: Running Inventory Solution Network File Access

Network File Access

You can run Inventory Solution from the nscap share on Notification Server and post the data to Notification Server using HTTP. However there are some cases where the target computers may not be able to connect a network drive to Notification Server. For example, dial-up or remote target computers may not have a fast enough connection, or Novell NetWare target computers may not be able to connect to the Notification Server file system.

There are three primary ways to run Inventory Solution on computers that are not able to connect to the Notification Server file system:

• Copy the Inventory Solution files to another file server (another Windows NT server in another LAN or domain, NetWare, UNIX, and so forth) that the computers can connect to and have the target computers run the Inventory Solution files from this server.

Note: The Inventory Solution files are found in the install path\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\Inventory Solution directory.

• Access the self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file from a URL. (See “To run the Inventory Collector from a Web URL or an e-mail attachment” on page 29.)

Note: This self extracting executable automatically points to the Notification Server that it comes from.

• E-mail the self extracting AeXWebInvPkg.exe file to users of target computers. (See “To run the Inventory Collector from a Web URL or an e-mail attachment” on page 29.)

Running Inventory Solution Using Floppy Disks

A floppy disk based Inventory Solution can be used to gather inventory from remote computers. You need three blank formatted floppy disks. Two for the programs and one for the data.

To create the Inventory Solution Floppy disks

1 Insert a blank formatted floppy disk in the A: drive.

2 Copy the file win32invfloppy1.exe from the install path\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\floppy folder to the floppy disk.

Note: In the floppy folder, there is a readme.txt file that contains these instructions.

3 Label the Disk Inventory Program Disk 1.

4 Insert another blank formatted floppy disk in the A: drive.

5 Copy the file win32invfloppy2.exe from the install path\Altiris\Notification Server\NSCap\Bin\Win32\X86\floppy folder to the floppy disk.

6 Label the Disk Inventory Program Disk 2.

7 Label a third blank formatted disk Inventory Data Disk.

Delete Lets you delete a file from the Web Inventory Package.

To delete a file

1) Click a file in the Files in Package list. 2) Click Delete.

3) Click Yes.

Save Click to save all changes.

Cancel Click to cancel all changes.

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