Workstation Inventory Tasks

Once you have installed, configured, and started the workstation inventory process for you network, you should be aware of several tasks. The following sections describe common tasks that you need to be aware of and use to maintain your workstation inventory.

Optimizing Database Performance

One important task you should be familiar with is improving the database performance by improving database cache size. You can improve the performance of the Inventory database maintained in Sybase on NetWare or Windows NT/2000 servers. The default database cache size is 32MB; however, this database cache size might not be adequate for large databases with more than 10,000 workstations.

You should change the database cache size to an optimum size. A good rule of thumb is a database cache size that is 1/4 of the database size. You must also consider server memory size while assigning a cache size. For example, if you have 256MB RAM, a cache size of 64MB is recommended.

Use the following steps to change the database cache size on a NetWare server:

1. Close all connections to the Inventory database.

2. Quit the Sybase server.

3. Open the MGMTDB.NCF in SYS:\SYSTEM directory.

4. Modify the -c parameter. For example, using -c 64M sets the cache size to 64MB.

5. Save the file.

6. On the server console, load the Inventory database. Enter MGMTDBS.

Use the following steps to change the database cache size on a Windows NT/2000 server:

1. Run the file, NTDBCONFIG.EXE, from the installation directory on the database server.

2. Modify the -c parameter.

3. Save the file.

4. Restart the server so that the Inventory database service (Adaptive Service Anywhere - ZENworks for 4Desktops 4) starts.

Backing Up the Inventory Database

Another inventory task you should be aware of is backing up the inventory database. ZENworks for Desktops provides an option to back up the Inventory database from the server. It's a good idea to back up the database on a weekly basis. However, if you are tracking the inventory of workstations frequently, increase the frequency of your backups.

The Database Backup tool can be run from ConsoleOne by choosing Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Configure DB, ZENworks Database object. Then click OK. Then choose Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Database Backup. Specify where to back up the database and then click the Start Backup button.

Use the following steps to restore the database:

1. If the Inventory database server is up, stop the database storing service. At the database server console, enter the following:

   StopSer Storer

2. Quit from the Sybase database.

3. At the database server prompt of NetWare servers, enter q to stop the Sybase database.

4. On Windows NT/2000, stop the Sybase service (Adaptive Service Anywhere - ZENworks for 4Desktops 4).

5. Copy the backup files, overwriting the working database files.

6. Restart the database server.

NOTE

The backup tool creates a .LOG file located in ZENworks database directory on NetWare and Windows NT/2000 servers. The log records the status of the backup operation. This file increases in size every time a backup is created. Remove the existing contents of the file if you do not need the details.

These steps work for the Sybase database only. For detailed instructions on backing up the oracle database, refer to the online ZENworks for Desktops documentation.

Customizing Software Scanning

Another important task you should be familiar with is how to customize software scanning. You can customize the list of software applications that you want to scan by specifying the software scan settings in the Workstation Inventory Policy page.

By default, the scanner does not scan for software applications at the workstation. You must enable the software scan option in the Workstation Inventory policy. You should use the Custom Scan Editor to configure the list of applications for scanning. The Custom Scan Editor provides you with a powerful tool to optimize software scanning for your network. Use the Custom Scan Editor to specify the vendor, product name, product version, filename, and file size of the software you want to scan for on servers. This allows you to selectively inventory only software that is important to track reducing the size of inventory reports as well as network and server utilization.

Use the following steps to configure custom application scanning for workstations:

1. In ConsoleOne, select the Workstation Inventory Policy and click Properties. Select the Software Scan tab of the Workstation Inventory Policy page and ensure that the Enable software scan option is checked.

2. Click the Custom Scan Editor button to bring up the Custom Scan Editor, shown in Figure 13.10.

   Figure 13.10. Custom Scan Editor dialog box for software scanning in the Workstation Inventory Policy.

   

3. Click the Add button to add a custom application to be scanned for.

4. Fill in the details of the application: vendor name, product name, product version, filename, and file size (in bytes).

5. Click OK.

6. To save the application entry in eDirectory, click OK in the Custom Scan Editor dialog box.

You can also add application entries to the Custom Scan table by importing a file with the list of application entries. Use the following steps:

1. Open a text editor.

2. Create a file. The format of the custom scan file is as follows:

   [View full width]
   total_number_of_application_entries_in_Custom_Scan_file>;total_number_of_columns_in_the_application_entryvendor_name;product_name;product_version;file_name;file_size(in Bytes)vendor_name;product_name;product_version;file_name;file_size(in Bytes)

3. Save the application as a text file with any extension you prefer.

4. In ConsoleOne, select the Workstation Inventory Policy and click Properties. Ensure that the Enable Software scan operation is checked.

5. Click Custom Scan Editor.

6. Click Import. To save the application entry in eDirectory, click OK in the Custom Scan Editor dialog box.

You should keep the following guidelines in mind if you decide to create your own custom scan files:

• The default total number of columns in the application entry is 5.

• The separator between the columns is a semicolon (;).

• Fill in all the columns for each application entry.

• Do not use comma (,) in the file size parameter.

Exporting the Inventory Data to CSV Format

ZENworks for Desktops includes a tool that allows you to customize inventory data you want from the inventory database and export it to a file. Once you select the inventory components that you need and further filter the data, the export program exports the data into a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file format.

All workstations satisfying the filter you specify in the selected database are exported to a CSV file. If you save the settings, you can later reload the configuration file to export the data. The following sections describe how to set the filters and queries and export the data from either a client or a server.

Exporting Inventory Data from ConsoleOne

You can run the Data Export tool from ConsoleOne by choosing Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Configure DB, ZENworks Database Object. Click OK. Then choose Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Data Export to open the Data Export tool.

Once the tool is open, use the following steps to export the inventory data to a CSV file:

1. Select to Create a New Database Query to open the Defined Query dialog box shown in Figure 13.11. This option lets you add a new query that defines the inventory fields such as hardware, software, network, and others that you want to export. You can also specify the criteria to limit the workstations and the database to be included in the query. Based on the inventory components and criteria you specify, the inventory data from the database is exported to a CSV file. Click Next.

   Figure 13.11. Defined Query dialog box in the ZENworks Inventory Data Export tool of ConsoleOne.

   

2. Specify the scope of the query to be Workstations Servers or both.

3. Form the query and specify the filter conditions as described in the following section by clicking on the Edit Query button shown in Figure 13.11. Click Next.

4. Configure the database fields that you want be exported for the workstations that match the criteria you specified in Step 3. The fields can be added and removed by navigating the Database Fields and Selected fields lists, shown in Figure 13.12, and using the arrow button to add and remove entries. Click Next.

   Figure 13.12. Database Fields dialog box in the ZENworks Inventory Data Export tool of ConsoleOne.

   

5. View the summary data export settings. Click Save Configuration to save the configurations settings to an .EXP file, specify the filename for the .EXP file, and then click Save. The configuration file (.EXP) contains the settings such as the inventory components you selected, and also the query formed for filtering the workstation data export. You create an .EXP file so that you can reload the configuration settings and generate the .CSV files any time you need to. Click Next.

6. Click Perform the Query from this Computer to run the data export processing from the workstation computer. This option accesses the inventory database on the specified database server and exports the data to a .CSV file. Click Finish.

7. Specify the .CSV filename. Click OK.

This process generates the .CSV file in the specified directory. You can then open the .CSV file in any CSV-supported viewer to view the exported data.

Forming a Query and Setting Filter Conditions

The following sections discuss setting the appropriate query values on the Define Query window shown in Figure 13.13.

Figure 13.13. Define Query dialog box in the ZENworks Inventory Data Export tool of ConsoleOne.

Select the Attributes of the Inventory Components

Click the Browse Attribute button to select component attributes in the Select Attribute window shown in Figure 13.14. For example, to specify the version of Bios as a component in the data export, select Bios as the component, and select Version as the component attribute.

Figure 13.14. Select Attribute dialog box in the ZENworks Inventory Data Export tool of ConsoleOne.

Components are as follows: Software, Hardware, Network System, DMI, and General Information.

Select the Operator

Relational operators show the relationship between the component and the value. Use the Matches option to specify the wildcard characters in the Value field.

Specify the Values for the Inventory Attributes

Description values are the possible values of an inventory component. For example, 6.0 is a possible value for the DOS-Version attribute. Description values are not case-sensitive. Use the wildcard character % to substitute any number of characters, or the ? character to substitute one character in the Value field.

The list of description values displayed for an Inventory component is taken from the inventory database corresponding to the component.

Specify the Query Connectors and Controls

The connectors and controls available for building filter conditions include the following:

• AND: The expressions before and after the AND must be true.

• OR: Either the expression before the OR or the expression after the OR must be true.

• Insert Row: Lets you build the filter condition for this current row.

• Delete Row: Deletes the row.

• New Group: Lets you form a new filter condition group and specify the criteria for it. This group is combined with the previous group by using the relational operator specified between the groups.

• End: Ends the filter condition.

Exporting Inventory Data from the Server

Accessing the inventory database from a server is recommended if you are exporting data from a large database or if you have specified complex queries for filtering the workstation.

Use the following steps to run the Data Export program from the server:

1. Ensure that you have generated the data configurations files. Then perform Steps 1 through 5 of the "Exporting Inventory Data from ConsoleOne" section of this chapter. Also ensure that you save the settings in the .EXP file.

2. Click Perform the Query on a Remote Server to run the data export program from any server that has Workstation Inventory components installed. Click Finish.

3. From the server console, run DBEXPORT.NCF on NetWare servers or DBEXPORT.BAT on Windows NT/2000 servers, by typing DBEXPORT configuration_filename.exp csv_filename.csv where configuration_filename.EXP is an existing file that contains the data export settings. The data exported from the database is stored in the csv_filename.csv file. The corresponding .CFG file for the .EXP file should be in the same folder as the .EXP file. The .CFG file contains the list of the database attributes to be exported.

4. Choose the Inventory sites.

5. If you want to export the data from all database sites, satisfying the filter conditions, type 0.

6. To choose the database sites, type the numbers corresponding to the site names in the displayed list.

7. To select multiple site databases, separate the site numbers corresponding to the site names by commas.

   The data export displays the number of workstations that satisfy the query and filter conditions for export.

8. Open the .CSV file in Microsoft Excel, or any other CSV-supported viewer to view the exported data.

Viewing Inventory Data

Another important inventory task you should be familiar with is viewing the information in the workstation inventory. The following sections describe how to view information about managed workstations.

Viewing Minimal Inventory Information from an eDirectory Object

Workstation inventory scanners store a subset of the scan data directly into the workstation object in eDirectory. You can view that information by right-clicking the Workstation object and selecting Properties, ZENworks Inventory tab, Minimal Information.

The minimal view, shown in Figure 13.15, displays the following information about that workstation: asset tag, BIOS type, computer model, computer type, disk information, IP address, IPX address, last scan date, MAC address, memory size, model number, NIC type, Novell client, OS type, OS version, processor, serial number, subnet mask, and video type.

Figure 13.15. Minimal view of inventory data for a workstation object in ConsoleOne.

Viewing the Workstation Inventory Summary of a Managed Workstation

If the minimal inventory information does not show all you need, you can see the complete listing from ConsoleOne by clicking Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Configure DB. Right-click the workstation object, and then choose Actions, Inventory.

The summary view, shown in Figure 13.16, allows you to view the entire listing of the inventory scan data for the workstation object.

Figure 13.16. Summary view of inventory data for a workstation object in ConsoleOne.

Viewing the Workstation Inventory Summary of a Managed Workstation Formed by Query

If the entire listing for the workstation object is too much for you, you can view only the information that you requested by performing a query. Use the following steps to view the information that was formed by a query:

1. In ConsoleOne, click a container.

2. Choose Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Configure DB.

3. Choose Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Inventory Query.

4. From the Inventory Query dialog box, shown in Figure 13.17, specify the criteria for the query. Set the Find in, Search Entire Database, Find Type, Attributes, Operator, Value, and Save options for the query.

   Figure 13.17. Inventory Query dialog box for the ZENworks inventory database in ConsoleOne.

   

5. Click Find.

A query is run on the database and the results are displayed for you to view.

Creating Inventory Reports

Another inventory task that is useful is running inventory reports. You can run reports from a predefined list to gather inventory information from the inventory database. Once you run the report, it can be printed or exported as desired.

Use the following steps to generate the inventory report:

1. In ConsoleOne, click a server object.

2. Click Tools, ZENworks Reports.

3. Click the report you want to generate. See Table 13.2 for a list of reports and their descriptions.

4. Specify the selection criteria. See Table 13.2 for a list of reports and their criteria.

5. Click the Run Selected Report button.

A status box appears displaying the progress of the report generation. When the report is generated, it appears in the viewer. Use the buttons on the toolbar to page through, print, or export the report.

Table 13.2. Report Types and Criteria for Inventory Reports

NAME (SIMPLE/COMP)	CRITERIA[*]	DESCRIPTION
Scan Time Listing(S)	Last Scan Date	Data and time of the last Inventory scan on each workstation
Operating System Listing(S)	OS Type, OS Version	List of all the workstations with an OS Type, an OS Version, and the total number of such workstations
BIOS Listing(S)	BIOS Install Date	List of all the workstations with a BIOS release date, and the total number of such workstations
Processor Family Listing(S)	Processor Family	List of all the workstations with a processor family (such as Pentium[*] Pro), and the total number of such workstations
Processor Current Clock Speed(S)	Lower Bound, Upper Bound	List of all the workstations within a range of processor speed (such as 200-1000 MHz), and the total number of such workstations
Processor Maximum Clock Speed(S)	Lower Bound, Upper Bound	List of all the workstations within a range of maximum processor speed (such as 200-1000 MHz), and the total number of such workstations
Video Adapter Listing(S)	Video Architecture	List of all the workstations with a video adapter (such as MGA 2064W), and the total number of such workstations
Network Adapter Listing(S)	Adapter Name	List of all the workstations with a network adapter (such as 3Com[*] Fast EtherLink[*]) and the total number of such workstations
Software Listing(S)	Software Name and Version	List of all the workstations with a software name, version and the total number of such workstations
Software Summary Listing(S)	Software Name and Version	Lists of the total number of workstations with a particular software and version
Application Software Inventory Report	DN of Workstation	Software information including product name, version and vendor on each workstation
Asset Management Report	DN of Workstation	BIOS, computer description, processor, and OS Description for each workstation
System Internal Hardware Report	DN of Workstation	Memory, processor, display details, physical disk drive, and modem for each workstation
Networking Information Report	DN of Workstation	OS Description, MAC Address, NIC Type, IP Address, and Network Drive mappings for each workstation
Storage Devices Inventory Report	DN of Workstation	Hard disk, removable disk, logical drives, disk and CD-ROM details for each workstation
System Software Inventory Report	DN of Workstation	OS description, display drivers, pointing device drivers, network adapter drivers and NetWare Client details for each workstation
System Peripherals Inventory Report	DN of Workstation	Computer description, display details, keyboard, pointing device and network adapter details for each workstation

^[*] The IP Address, DN, Distinguished Tree, and DNS name can be used as criteria for all workstation inventory reports.

View the Workstation Inventory Status Logs

Another valuable task that you should frequently perform is to view the status and scan logs generated by workstation inventory. The following sections list the logs, what they contain, and how to access them.

Workstation Scan Log

The workstation scan log monitors information from scan programs and the database storage process on the server. It contains the scanned workstation name, time of scan, inventory component, message type, and status message.

To access the workstation scan log from within ConsoleOne, select the container; then choose Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Workstation Scan Log. The Workstation Scan Log, shown in Figure 13.18, displays a listing of inventory scans that have occurred on the configured inventory database.

Figure 13.18. Workstation Scan Log for the ZENworks Inventory database in ConsoleOne.

Roll-Up Log

The roll-up log contains information collected from data sending servers, data receiving servers, and the database storage process. The roll-up log contains information about where the roll-up initiated from, roll-up start time, inventory component, message type, and status message.

To access the roll-up log from within ConsoleOne, select the container for the Inventory Service Object and then click Tools, ZENworks Inventory, Roll-Up Log.

Workstation Scan Status

The workstation scan status monitors information from the scan programs and the database storage process. It contains the time of scan and status message.

To access the workstation scan status from within ConsoleOne, right-click the workstation object and click Properties, ZENworks Inventory tab, Scan Status. The Scan Status tab, shown in Figure 13.19, displays the time of each scan as well as status messages that occurred during the scan. You can use the up and down arrows to navigate through the status messages.

Figure 13.19. Scan Status of inventory scans that have occurred on a workstation object in ConsoleOne.

Status of Inventory Components on Server

The status of inventory components on the server contains information gathered from the sending server, receiving servers, the selector on the server, the database storing process, the service manager, and the roll-up scheduler. It shows the time of log, source, message type, and a textual message.

To access the status of inventory components on the server from within ConsoleOne, right-click the Inventory Service object and then click Properties, Status Report, Server Status.

Figure 13.20. Inventory Server status window for a ZENworks Inventory Service object in ConsoleOne.

Roll-Up Status

The roll-up status contains information gathered from the sending server, receiving servers, and the database storing process. It shows the roll-up start time and message.

To access the roll-up status from within ConsoleOne, right-click the Inventory Service object. Then choose Properties, Status Report, Roll-Up Status.