Software Inventory - adding new file type

[raiv]

The current Software Inventory is reporting on EXE & INI, I have added OCX (& on occassion would like to add DLL's) but although I can easily add the new file type of OCX to the 'Software Inventory Client Agent' in the 'Inventory Collection' window, several days later there is still no OCX files being reported in the SMS database.

I am quite new to SMS admin so am unsure how to troubleshoot, any help appreciated.

 

[Jpoandl]

I think this might be due to the software inventory schedule on you client agent.

In the same area that you configured the inventory of OCX files, you can configure the inventory schedule. By default it is set to one week. If needed, you can alter the schedule to make it happen more frequently.

Also, you can force the inventory on a few clients just to make sure that everything is working. To do this, go to the SMS Maangement icon in control panel (on an SMS client) and start the Software Inventory component. This will force software inventory on the client. Later, you can find this client under Collections in your SMS site server. Go to Resource Explorer and look at the Software Inventory to see if the file type was discovered.


-hope this helps...

Joseph L. Poandl
MCSE 2003

If your company is in need of experts to examine technical problems/solutions, please check out

http://www.NJCOMPUTERNETWORKS.com

(Sales@njcomputernetworks.com)

 

[tbrennans]

You have to edit the mof file to be able to see dll's or ocx files.

If you do this it will take that much longer when your inventories/collections take place and it will probably double the size of your DB

Tim B

don't use the mofman.exe to do this , edit it in notepad

 

[Jpoandl]

Tbrennans is wrong...

Here is some text from SMS help:

File type
Specify a filename extension (the part of a file name that appears to the right of the period). You can use up to 255 characters. You can use a period at the beginning of the file type (although SMS will strip it when you click OK), but you cannot type a period within the file type. For example, you can type exe, dll, or ocx. However, app.exe is not valid.

MOF is for hardware and customization of SMS inventory...this type of change does not need to involve MOF.

-later

Joseph L. Poandl
MCSE 2003

If your company is in need of experts to examine technical problems/solutions, please check out

http://www.NJCOMPUTERNETWORKS.com

(Sales@njcomputernetworks.com)

 

[tbrennans]

OK your right but doing it that way (to me)is a bad idea what I SHOULD have said is you shouldn't add dll's that way.

As I said this will bog down the works and you CAN do it in your mof if you want to inventory 1 dll instead of all 5 million of them on each HD x all the workstations on your network.

Just a habit of mine to say how I would do it.

 

[tbrennans]

or this way..

http://www.myitforum.com/articles/1/view.asp?id=120

 

[raiv]

Thanks for your replies,

The schedule is set to every day & I had tried forcing a software inventory on a client but was still not logging the OCX files. I added OCX with no fullstop etc just the 3 chars OCX.

I had read in an article from MS that adding DLLs was a bad idea due to bulk of data but I have not added DLL I have only added OCX & these are still not getting logged to the database. I can see that there is data being logged every day but still only the default EXE & INI files. I need to troubleshoot what is happening between adding OCX & the files being logged to the database.

 

[Mich]

Hmmm, I'm not sure what a fullstop is, but you said you're inventorying on 'just the 3 chars OCX'. Maybe I'm wrong, but I take that to mean you didn't add any wildcards. I've inventoried all kinds of things with no problems. Make sure you're inventorying '*.ocx'. If not, I bet that's your problem.

 

[Mich]

jpoandl,

You can specify any type of file. I have used the software inventory to inventory '*@*' (produces some interesting data although it should be whittled down) as well as 'clean.dat'. The SMS default exe is '*.exe'. I'm assuming we're talking about SMS 2003.

 

[tbrennans]

Ya if its sms 2.0 then its only ocx not *.exe (though I never tried it that way to see what happens.

The logs (in sms2.0) you would want to check are,

on the client %windir%\ms\sms\logs\Sinv32.log

on the CAP \sms\logs\sinvproc.log

if that worked then look at your replmgr.log

see if you see any errors in there.

 

[raiv]

It is SMS 2.0 not 2003, so I can only use OCX not *.OCX, if I try to add *.OCX I get "File types cannot contain periods".
I've checking for the log files but do not have a SINVPROC.LOG (there is a SMSPROC.LOG). SINV32.LOG & REPLMGR.LOG all seems okay.

 

[tbrennans]

Software Inventory Logs

Tables 4-3 and 4-4 list the log filenames, their associated threads, and the location for 32-bit

clients. These log files should be used in conjunction with the Software Inventory

Table 4-3 Software Inventory Logs (32-bit Client)

Thread
Log file
Location

Software Inventory Agent

<%windir%>\MS\SMS\Logs\Sinv32.log

Client


Client Component Installation Manager

<%windir%>\MS\SMS\Logs\Ccim32.log

Client


Client Service

(CliSvcl) <%windir%>\MS\SMS\Logs\Clisvc.log

Client


Copy Queue

<%windir%>\MS\SMS\Logs\Cqmgr32.log

Client


Inbox Manager Assistant

SMS\Logs\Inboxast.log

Server


Software Inventory Processor

SMS\Logs\Sinvproc.log

Server


Replication Manager

SMS\Logs\Replmgr.log

Server

Below is the process,......if you feel like reading it


The following checklist assumes the Software Inventory Agent is installed correctly on the client computer and this is the first Software Inventory process performed on the computer. If Software Inventory is enabled for the site, Ccim32.dll installs the Software Inventory components on the client computer into the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\ Sinv32 directory. Then, 20 minutes after the Software Inventory components have been installed, Clisvcl32.exe initiates the first software scan.

Client Phase

The SMS Client Service (Clisvcl32.exe) starts the Software Inventory process by executing Sinv32.exe which then retrieves the information that describes the types of files that should be inventoried. This information is stored at the SMS site in the Software Inventory properties. Sinv32.exe creates a Software History (Sinv.his) file from any Software Complete (Sinvdat.sic) file that exists. Sinv32.exe always creates this history file, even if inventory has previously been gathered.

Checkpoint Check the Sinv.his file located in the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\ Sinv directory for a current date and time stamp. If the date and time of the file is not current, view the Software Inventory Agent log for possible problems. The Software Inventory Agent may have had problems starting.

Code Blue If File Collection has been enabled for the site, the specified files are gathered duringthe same time as the software inventory is being run. The Software Inventory Agent(Sinv32.exe) provides the file gathering mechanism. Any files designated for collectionare retrieved and placed into the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\Filecol directoryon the client computer. For subsequent file collections, Sinv32.exe checks against theSinv.his file to identify any collected files that have changed since inventory. The old versions of the files found in the \Filecol directory are replaced with the updated files. File collection impacts the overall Software Inventory process in the following ways:

More disk space is required on the client computer to store the collected files during the Software Inventory process.
More disk space is required on the Primary Site server to store the collected files. If collection has been enabled, the site server extracts and stores the specified files from every resource assigned to the site. Do not collect large files! Instead, you can limit the size of data collected in the Software Inventory Client Agent properties on the site server. The default collection value is 1MB. Watch this. If you are collecting a file larger than 1MB, this value will need to be altered. If you see a 10603 error in the SMS Status Message system, this indicates the maximum size of the collected files has exceeded the setting. By default, the Software Inventory process stores retain up to five copies of the collected files on the site server. You can change this number by modifying a registry key on the site server: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \Software \Microsoft SMS\Components\SMS_Software_Inventory_Processor\Maximum Collected Files.
The time for the Software Inventory process to complete is doubled. The Software Inventory agent spends extra time identifying the file to be collected, gathering the file, and then compressing it into the software inventory file.
A larger data stream is sent to the CAP and on to the site server. The more files and the larger the files collected, the larger the amount of data that must be replicated to the server for storage. Network bandwidth can be severely affected. Files collected are appended (compressed) to the Software Complete or the Software Delta file. When they are compressed into the inventory file, Sinv32.exe deletes them from the \Filecol directory.
Based on the client status, Sinv32.exe performs either a full or partial software scan and writes the information to the Software Complete (Sinvdat.sic) or the Software Delta (Sinvdat.sid) file in the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv directory on the client computer.

Note If Software Inventory has been gathered before, Sinv32.exe compares the newly created history file with the old one. Based on the changes, Sinv32.exe creates a Software Inventory Delta (%WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\Sinvdat.sid) file. The delta file contains only the changes, as opposed to the complete inventory file. The capability to propagate only the changes in inventory saves network bandwidth when the inventory is reported to the site. Then, Sinv32.exe replaces the old history file (%WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\Sinv.his) with the new one from the working directory (%WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\Temp).

Checkpoint Verify the Sinvdat.sic or Sinvdat.sid file exists in the %WINDIR%\MS\ SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\ directory on the client computer. For this type of write access, the SMS Service account needs the proper security authorization to the MS directory structure.

Sinv32.exe copies the Sinvdat.sic or the Sinvdat.sid file to the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\Outbox directory.
Sinv32.exe renames the Sinvdat.sic or the Sinvdat.sid file with a *.inv extension. The actual filename of the *.inv file is an eight-character name that is randomly generated. The renamed file resides in the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\Outbox directory.
After the *.inv file is created, Sinv32.exe deletes the original Sinvdat.sic or Sinvdat.sid file from the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv directory.
Checkpoint Check both the %WINDIR%\MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv and %WINDIR%\ MS\SMS\Clicomp\Sinv\Outbox directories. The *.sic or *.sid files should be deleted and the *.inv file should be waiting in the Software Inventory Outbox.

Sinv32.exe calls the Copy Queue Manager (Cqmgr32.dll) process to begin the process of copying the *.inv file to the CAP.
Cqmgr32.dll renames the *.inv file to a new *.sic or *.sid file with a unique eight-character filename.
Cqmgr32.dll moves the new *.sic or *.sid file to the CAP into the \Sinv.box directory.
Checkpoint If the client doesn't have network connectivity to the CAP, the inventory files won't be copied. If the inventory files aren't present on the CAP, verify the network connection, as well as the security rights of the logged-in user.

Site Server Phase:

As the *.sic or *.sid file is moved from box to box, the random eight-character filename is changed by the process acting upon it.
Inbox Manager Assistant moves the *.sic or *.sid file from the CAP to the SMS\Inboxes\Sinv.box on the SMS site server.
Note If the discovery data for the client doesn't exist in the SQL database, Software Inventory Processor moves the *.sic or *.sid file to the SMS\Inboxes\Sinv.box\Orphans directory. The Data Discovery Record (DDR) must be processed and recorded in the SMS site database before the software inventory information can be written. Without a corresponding DDR in the site database, the software inventory cannot be tied to the record. The Software Inventory Processor checks for the client's DDR every ten minutes. When the DDR is available, it is placed in the SMS\Inboxes\DDM.box directory for processing. When the DDR is processed and the information is written to the SQL database, then the *.sic or *.sid file is acted upon.

Software Inventory Processor checks the date stamp of the *.sic or *.sid file and compares it to the date stamp of the software inventory already stored in the SQL database for the client. If the date stamp is older, the *.sic or *.sid file is deleted and the Software Inventory process is halted.
If the date stamp of the *.sic or *.sid file is newer than the information stored in the SQL database, Software Inventory Processor checks the syntax of the file.
If the syntax of the *.sic or *.sid file is correct, Software Inventory Processor processes the files. If the syntax is incorrect, resulting in a corrupt or invalid inventory file, Software Inventory Processor moves the *.sic or *.sid file to the SMS\Inboxes\ Sinv.box\Badsinv directory. Software Inventory Processor then forces a Software Inventory Resync (shown later in this chapter), which requests a new complete inventory of the identified client.
Checkpoint Check the SMS\Inboxes\Sinv.box\Badsinv directory for any *.sic or *.sid files. You can also verify no *.sic or *.sid files exist in the SMS\Inboxes\Sinv.box\Orphans directory.

Note If file collection has been enabled, Software Inventory Processor separates the actual information from the compressed, collected files. The compressed information is written back into the original files, with the original extension, to the SMS\Inboxes\Sinv.box\Filecol\ <ClientResourceID> directory. A directory is created under \Filecol for every DDR recorded in the site database. Each client DDR contains a unique Client Resource ID. This ID is used to create the individual directory. Each client assigned to the site receives its own directory and Software Inventory Processor stores five versions of the collected file. Each file has a unique character name with the file's original extension. If you are collecting multiple files, the random filename makes it hard to identify exactly what is being stored in the client's ID directory.

Software Inventory Processor writes the inventory information to the SQL database. This data includes the software inventory information, as well as the collected file's header information.
Checkpoint Once the data has been written to the SMS SQL database, the new information is viewable through the Resource Explorer of the specific client. If the information isn't available, check the SQL logs for problems that may have arisen due to SMS writing to the SQL database. The Software Inventory process is complete.