[K12OSN] OT Computer Hardware/Software Inventory

Olivier Mugnier olivier.mugnier at laposte.net
Sun Dec 16 12:33:52 UTC 2007


As extension plugin are available... and since you only have to install once,
I will say that OCS is a very good solution.
I have been using with enough sucess to known that I will reuse it for the nest time.
(I took a pen for my first inventory, OCS for the second one, and never took back a pen !)

For me, on windows machine only i must say...
1. Pen is long. It take more time writing the name of the machine, memory and harddrive
(the very strict minimum) than to install OCSClient.
2. OCS client collect other useful data, (CPU, MAC Adresse.....)
3. The data are SQL stored... that mean you can do whatever you want just by writing your own query !
4. You don't have to do it again 6 month later....

And how i have done it.
(We couldn't use GPO as alternative software already use them and miss things up !)
    1. By batch login script...
 The batch was to heavy (already 5min to switch on some old computer)...
So after 1 day of complaint, i take this solution out.
    2. By remote software installation.
PSTOOLS allow you to run command on remote windows computers if you are
authentified as admin. That how i continued to install. A batch script
run, ping IP and try to launch install on powered on computer. A choice allowing me
to control thing more deeply.
    3. Hence initial installation was done, I just add it to a "install script" that already do
some initial installation for me: registry key change... (Num lock for example)

Now, i can said that we have 92 computer running and that more than a half is more than 6 year old.
As computer name are meaningfull choosen, that allowed me to see where to oldest one are.
Useful to change them by spare one. As well to find RAM slot machine for spare ram bank.

In a word, yes, it is a bit of work for first run... but not as much as pen. And after, great !!
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Conrad Lawes 
  To: Support list for open source software in schools. 
  Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 5:56 PM
  Subject: Re: [K12OSN] OT Computer Hardware/Software Inventory


  I second Micha's recommendation.  For the price (free) and feature, I would highly recommend OCSInventory.  It supports both Linux and Windows systems and well supported by the community.


   
  On Dec 15, 2007 7:01 AM, Micha Silver <Micha at arava.co.il> wrote:

    I use OCSInventory, and we don't need to "sit down at every station". It installs from a logon script, (or set into an  AD group policy) and then over time it starts collecting specs and software for each workstation into a mysql database. You can then do filtering by software. 
    The software inventory part isn't that good: you have to filter by software name (i.e "Office 2003 Professional"), then change the software and filter again. It doesn't give any kind of automatic summary of how many stations with each software package. But it's certainly usable. You can also filter by queries like "RAM<512" etc. 

    Cheers,
    Micha   


    -----הודעה מקורית-----
    מאת: k12osn-bounces at redhat.com בשם Kemp, Levi
    נשלח: ו 14/12/2007 18:43
    אל: Support list for open source software in schools. 
    נושא: [K12OSN] OT Computer Hardware/Software Inventory 



    At a tech meeting we had a few days ago my boss asked us to look into a
    solution to track our computers over the network. Both hardware and
    software, so that we can be in compliance with licenses and see where we 
    need to focus more. He didn't want to spend much if any thing on it, so
    I was hoping to get some suggestions from the group on any ideas for
    handling this. I read some on OCS, but I'd like to avoid sitting down at 
    every station. At that point I might as well walk around with a notepad
    and inventory it myself ;-) Thanks for your thoughts.

    Levi Kemp
    Technology Specialist
    Bolivar R-1 Schools
    417-328-8943
    lnkemp at bolivar.k12.mo.us

    "The only secure computer is one that's unplugged, locked in a safe, and
    buried 20 feet under the ground in a secret location... and I'm not even
    too sure about that one"  

            --Dennis Hughes, FBI


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  -- 
  Regards,
  Conrad Lawes 
  PXE Guru 


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