LIUSAGE.TXT Headings: 4.0 Set-up and Administration 4.1 Introduction 4.1.1 Access to Inventory Administrative Functions 4.1.2 What's in this Chapter 4.2 Audit Set-up and Administration 4.2.1 Maintaining LAN Sites 4.2.2 Setting the Audit Scope 4.2.3 Setting the Audit Software Options 4.2.4 Setting the Audit Parameters 4.3 Alerting Set-up and Administration 4.3.1 Defining Alerting Criteria 4.3.2 Setting the Method of Notification 4.3.3 Setting the Alert Schedule 4.3.4 The Audit Timer Icon 4.4 Qualification List Set-up and Administration 4.4.1 Viewing Qualification Lists 4.4.2 Modifying Qualification Records 4.5 Database Descriptions 4.5.1 Categories Database 4.5.2 Classes Database 4.5.3 Components Database 4.5.4 Contract Types Database 4.5.5 Departments Database 4.5.6 Locations Database 4.5.7 MAC Software List Database 4.5.8 Manufacturers Database 4.5.9 Models Database 4.5.10 Names Database 4.5.11 PC Software List Database 4.5.12 Software Categories Database 4.5.13 Types Database 4.6 Baseline Inventory Export/Import 4.6.1 About the Baseline Inventory 4.6.2 Exporting the Baseline Inventory 4.6.3 Importing a Baseline Inventory File 4.6.4 Removing a Site from the Baseline Inventory 5.0 Collecting Inventory 5.1 Introduction 5.1.1 Automating Inventory Collection 5.1.2 What's in this Chapter 5.2 EQUIP Command Line Reference 5.2.1 [drive:\path] 5.2.2 /NOSHOW 5.2.3 /SHOW 5.2.4 /E 5.2.5 /S 5.2.6 /H 5.2.7 /Y 5.2.8 /V 5.2.9 /D, /W and /M 5.2.10 /U 5.3 Collecting Networked PC Inventory 5.3.1 Running EQUIP 5.4 Collecting Stand-alone PC Inventory 5.4.1 Creating a Collector Diskette 5.4.2 Running SA_EQUIP 5.4.3 Loading Stand-alone Data into LAN Inventory 5.5 Collecting Networked MAC Inventory 5.5.1 Installing MACEQUIP 5.5.2 Automating MACEQUIP Execution 5.5.3 Running MACEQUIP 5.6 Collecting Stand-alone MAC Inventory 5.6.1 Running MACEQUIP 5.6.2 Updating MAC Transaction Files 6.0 Conducting an Audit 6.1 Introduction 6.1.1 Access to Audit Functions 6.1.2 What's in this Chapter 6.2 Auditing Checklist 6.2.1 Time Considerations 6.2.2 What to Audit 6.2.3 Scheduling 6.2.4 Multiple Sites 6.2.5 Alerting Options 6.3 Auditing the Collected Inventory 6.3.1 Running an Audit 7.0 Reviewing Audit Results 7.1 Introduction 7.1.1 Access to Audit Results 7.1.2 What's in this Chapter 7.2 Viewing the Audit Log 7.2.1 Viewing the Audit Log 7.3 Managing Unidentified Software 7.3.1 Viewing and Managing Unidentified Software 7.3.2 Transferring Unidentified Software 7.3.3 Illustrating an Application Group 8.0 Maintaining the Baseline Inventory 8.1 Introduction 8.1.1 Access to Equipment Database Information 8.1.2 What's in this Chapter 8.2 Maintaining Equipment Inventory Data 8.2.1 Viewing Equipment Inventory Data 8.2.2 Managing Equipment Inventory Records 8.3 Maintaining Component Information 8.3.1 Managing Component Information 9.0 Inventory Reports 9.1 Introduction 9.1.1 Access to LAN Inventory Reports 9.1.2 What's in this Chapter 9.2 Using Pre-defined Report Style Sheets 9.2.1 Printing Pre-defined Reports 9.2.2 A List of Pre-defined Inventory Reports 9.3 Using Queries to Customize Reports 9.3.1 Applying a Query to a Report 9.3.2 Customizing Report Style Sheets 9.3.3 Removing a Query from a Report 9.3.4 Creating a New Query 9.3.5 Editing a Query 9.3.6 Deleting a Query 9.4 Adding New Reports 9.4.1 Adding Reports 9.4.2 Renaming Added Reports 9.4.3 Deleting Reports 4.0 Set-up and Administration Chapter 3 provided an introduction to LAN Inventory. This chapter discusses the set-up and administration of several inventory parameters. Included are audit control parameters, change in inventory alerting options, the inventory database data, and printer control information. 4.1 Introduction The inventory set-up and administration features covered in this chapter are briefly described below. o Audit Parameters - Audit parameters refer to the settings and options which indicate where, how and when to run the inventory audits for your network(s). Before running an audit, LAN Inventory automatically refers to the defined options which can be changed as needed. o Alerting and Notification Options - LAN Inventory can be configured to notify you of any inventory changes upon completion of an audit. Notification options allow you to receive notices via printed output, cc:Mail, or various other electronic communications methods. o Inventory Databases - LAN Inventory provides several databases which contain standard types of equipment, software and contracts which commonly apply to a network. LAN Inventory uses these databases, or "qualification lists," for data validation and for compiling equipment inventory records. You can add to, modify and remove entries from these databases to reflect your own environment. o Inventory Data Import/Export - LAN Inventory baseline inventory data can be exported for use in other applications (e.g., a spreadsheet or database application). Likewise, a spreadsheet or database file can be imported into LAN Inventory. 4.1.1 Access to Inventory Administrative Functions Inventory administrative functions are accessed by choosing Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, the desired command is chosen. 4.1.2 What's in this Chapter The following chart describes the sections in this chapter: SECTION DESCRIPTION Audit Set-up and Administration Describes how to define LAN sites to be included in an audit, set the scope of the audit, define audit parameters, and identify software to be inventoried. Alerting Set-up & Describes how to set the alert options to Administration notify you regarding inventory or audit changes. Qualification List Set-up and Provides generic procedures for adding Administration records, modifying records and deleting records for any of the databases. Database Descriptions Provides a description and illustration of each of the inventory databases. Baseline Inventory Provides procedures for exporting and Export/Import importing baseline inventory data. 4.2 Audit Set-up and Administration After the inventory collection programs have been run on your networked and stand-alone PCs and MACs (i.e., EQUIP, SA_EQUIP and MACEQUIP), the inventory data is ready to be audited. Audits should be performed on a periodic basis to keep your inventory accessible and current. The first time an audit is performed, a "baseline inventory" list is generated. Every subsequent audit updates the baseline inventory to reflect the most recently collected inventory data. This section describes the procedures that should be performed before running an audit. The procedures include: o Maintaining LAN sites o Setting the scope of the audit o Defining audit parameters o Identifying the software to be inventoried NOTE: To verify that the current parameters accurately reflect your intended audit, the audit settings should be reviewed before running your audit. Audit settings can be adjusted as needed. 4.2.1 Maintaining LAN Sites Defining sites is useful for categorizing your inventory data. For example, a company that has a LAN with two file servers might want to define two sites. Assuming that the Marketing Department uses one file server and the Sales Department uses the other file server, the two sites might be named MARKETING and SALES. Defined in this way, an audit can be performed which compiles an inventory list for one or both departments. The hardware and software components for the individual departments (or sites) can be separately maintained. A site is actually a directory (referred to as a "transaction directory") from which EQUIP is run. It contains, at the very minimum, the inventory transaction files. In the example above, all workstations in the SALES site execute EQUIP from within the SALES site directory. As a result, the collected inventory data for the SALES site workstations is maintained in the SALES transaction directory. NOTES: a - Refer to the section "Inventory Configuration Options" in Chapter 3 for procedures on defining a transaction directory. b - The LANINV program directory must always be defined as a site because it maintains the file server, MAC and stand-alone inventory data. Use the following procedure to define a LAN site, change site information, or remove a site from inventory consideration. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Define Sites command. The Define Sites dialog box is displayed. This dialog box lists all of the sites that are defined in your LAN Inventory configuration. It also indicates the directory in which the site data is maintained. NOTE: The Local Site (i.e., the site name defined for the LANINV program directory) is displayed in red. 2. Choose one of the following: o To add a site, choose the Add button. The Add Site dialog box is displayed. Go to Step 3. o To change the transaction directory of an existing site, highlight the site to be changed and choose the Edit button. The Edit Site dialog box is displayed. Go to Step 4. o To remove a site, highlight the site to be removed and choose the Delete button. A dialog box displays the prompt "Do you really want to delete this item?" Choose the Yes button to remove the site. Go to Step 5. NOTE: The Local Site cannot be deleted. o To exit the Define Sites dialog box, choose the Close button. 3. To add a site in the Add Site dialog box, enter the site name in the Site Name field. Site names can be up to 25 characters (including spaces). 4. Specify the drive and directory combination which identifies the site. To define or modify the site's path, click on the entries in the Directories and Drives lists. NOTE: The Directories and Drives lists only display the information for the file server volumes and directories to which you are mapped. 5. Choose the OK button to save the site information and return to the Define Sites dialog box. 6. Choose the Close button to save the new or changed site information and exit the Define Sites dialog box. NOTE: Sites are not included in LAN Inventory audits unless they are specified using the Scope of Audit dialog box. See the next procedure, "Setting the Audit Scope." 4.2.2 Setting the Audit Scope The scope of an audit is defined by selecting the sites and file servers to be included in the audit. For example, if you administer a LAN on which you have defined two sites, you might want to perform an audit that includes only SITE1's inventory data. (This might be the case if you have not collected the updated inventory data for SITE2.) To do so, you would include only SITE1 in the audit scope, and then run the audit. Use the following procedure to define the scope of an audit. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Scope of Audit command. The Scope of Audit dialog box is displayed. Sites included in the audit are listed on the top right side of the dialog box; sites excluded from the audit are listed on the top left side of the dialog box. File servers included in the audit at the local site (as identified during the LAN Inventory installation and set-up) are listed on the bottom right side of the dialog box; file servers excluded from the audit at the local site are listed on the bottom left side of the dialog box. NOTE: All file servers on the network are listed in the Scope of Audit dialog box; however, only those file servers on which LAN Inventory is installed can be audited, even if the file server name is "included" in the Scope of Audit. 2. Choose one of the following: o To include a site or file server in the audit, click on the item name and choose the Include button. The selected item moves from the left side of the dialog box to the right side. o To remove a site or file server from the audit, click on the item name you want to remove and choose the Remove button. The selected item moves from the right side of the dialog box to the left side. 3. Choose the OK button to save the site(s) and server(s) specified. The Scope of Audit dialog box is closed. NOTE: When including file servers in the audit scope, a Server dialog box is displayed prompting you to enter your login name and password. Enter a login name which has supervisor or equivalent rights. Press the key to move to the Password field, and enter your password. Choose the OK button to continue. 4.2.3 Setting the Audit Software Options The software that is identified during an audit or workstation inventory depends on the applications listed in the PC and MAC Software Lists, as well as the "software options" that you have defined for the audit. The process of setting software options instructs the audit to identify specific files. Non-system file extensions can be listed for identification on file servers or PC workstations (e.g., application-specific software that you want to monitor). System files also can be tagged for identification. Files that have extensions other than those listed will not be identified in an audit. For example, all PC-based files with the extension .EXE and .COM are executable files and, by default, are included in an audit. However, if you also want to include all files having the extension .BAT, you must list the .BAT extension as a software option. NOTE: Unidentified software is only collected if the "Unknown Files to Identify on Local Site" options for Fileserver, Workstation and/or Macintosh are checked in the Software Options dialog box. If none of these options are checked, then only the applications listed in the PC or MAC Software Lists are included in the inventory and audit. Use the following procedure to identify the software to be audited on your file servers and workstations. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Software Options command. The Software Options dialog box is displayed. The top portion of the Software Options dialog box allows you to instruct LAN Inventory to identify specific file extensions during an audit. The bottom portion of the dialog box allows you to instruct LAN Inventory to identify specific system files to be considered for inventory/audit purposes at the local site. 2. To specify or manage the file extensions identified during an audit, click on either Fileserver or Workstation, depending on where the file(s) will be inventoried. Then choose the Options button. The File Extensions to Identify dialog box is displayed. Follow the steps in the table below to do the following: TO... THEN... Add another file extension for a - Choose the Add button. The Add File a local workstation or a file Extension to Identify text box is displayed. server b - Type the file extension to be inventoried/audited (e.g., BAT), and choose the OK button to save the new extension. Choose the Close button to continue, and proceed to Step 4. Edit a non-system file a - Highlight the desired file extension, extenstion for a local work- and choose the Edit button. The Edit File station or a file server Extension to Identify text box is displayed with the selected extension. b - Change the file extension, and choose the OK button to save the change. Choose the Close button to continue, and proceed to Step 4. Delete a non-system file a - Highlight the desired file extension, and extention from a local work- choose the Delete button. A dialog box is station or file server for displayed with the prompt "Do You Want to inventory/audit purposes only Proceed?" b - Choose Yes to remove the extension. Choose the Close button to continue, and proceed to Step 4. NOTE: Checking the Macintosh option in the Software Options dialog box includes all Macintosh applications in the MAC inventory (i.e., those applications that are not listed in the Macintosh Software List). All MAC applications will be included in the equipment inventory and audit. 3. To add, change or remove a system file in the audit consideration, follow the steps in the table below: TO... THEN... Add a local system file for a - In the bottom portion of the Software inventory/audit consideration Options dialog box, choose the Add button. The Add System File to Inventory text box is displayed. b - Enter only the name of the system file you want to add (not the path), and choose the OK button. Proceed to Step 4. Edit a local system file for a - Highlight the desired system file, and inventory/audit consideration choose the Edit button. The Edit System File to Inventory text box is displayed with the selected file name. b - Change the file name, and choose the OK button to save the change. Proceed to Step 4. Delete a local system file from a - Highlight the desired file and choose the inventory/audit consideration Delete button. A dialog box is displayed with the prompt "Do You Want to Proceed?" b - Choose Yes to remove the file. Proceed to Step 4. NOTE: All system files must be in the workstation's search path. 4. Choose the OK button in the Software Options dialog box to save your selections. The Software Options dialog box closes. 4.2.4 Setting the Audit Parameters Audit parameters identify the following: o the software and hardware to be audited o the audit schedule o whether the LAN Inventory baseline inventory file should be backed up before the audit o whether or not an alert should be made if changes are detected during an audit Use the following procedure to define the audit parameters: 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Audit Parameters command. The Audit Parameters dialog box is displayed. Define the audit settings by selecting any/all of the following: a - To define the components to be audited, select either Software or Hardware or both (as applicable) for each of the following categories: PCs, MACs, and Fileservers. An 'x' appears in the box associated with each selected option. b - To identify when LAN Inventory audits should occur, choose one of the following options: o To run the audit automatically, click on Once Per Hour, Once Per Day, Once Per Week, or Once Per Month as applicable. Then click on the box to the right of your choice and enter the desired time or day of the audit. o To run the audit only on request, click on When Requested. c - To back up the LAN Inventory baseline before each audit, select the Backup Baseline setting in the Additional Options area. The Settings button is enabled and, when chosen, displays the Backup Baseline Settings dialog box listing the four LAN Inventory files to be backed up. Enter the backup file names, and specify the drive, and directory (and sub-directory as applicable) to which the baseline files should be saved. NOTE: The backup file names must be explicitly entered; wildcards are not allowed. Choose the OK button to save the baseline settings. d - To be notified of certain conditions and changes detected during the audit, select the Alert if Changes Occur setting in the Additional Options area. NOTE: The conditions and changes for which you want to be alerted are defined in the Alerting Options dialog box. Refer section 4.3 entitled "Alerting Set-up and Administration." 2. Choose the OK button to save the audit parameters. To close the dialog box without saving your changes. NOTE: When an audit has been scheduled, a Timer icon is displayed in the LAN Inventory application window. For more information on the LAN Inventory Timer icon, refer to section 4.3.4 entitled "The Audit Timer Icon.". 4.3 Alerting Set-up and Administration LAN Inventory can be configured to automatically alert you of inventory changes that are detected during an audit. An "alert" consists of one or more change criteria for which you want to be notified, the method of notification and the alert schedule. Therefore, the following three steps are required to define an alert: 1. Define the changes for which you want to be alerted. For example, you might want to be notified if a new node has been detected during the audit or if a system file has been deleted. 2. Select the method of notification. Notification of the changes in inventory can be made via numeric pager, MHS message, cc:Mail message, LAN Inventory report, NetWare broadcast message or special program. 3. Set the alert schedule. Alerting can be performed in one of several intervals. For example, you might want to be notified of the changes in inventory only once per month, or you might want to be notified once per hour. NOTE: When all three steps above are performed to set the alert, a Timer icon is displayed in the LAN Inventory application window. For more information on the LAN Inventory Timer icon, refer to section 4.3.4 entitled "The Audit Timer Icon." 4.3.1 Defining Alerting Criteria This section describes the procedures required to set an alert. Use the following procedure to define the inventory changes about which you want to be alerted. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Alerting Options command. You can also choose the Alerting tool bar button to display the Alerting Options dialog box. The first time you establish alert parameters, no values appear in either the Criteria or Change columns. Once you have defined alert parameters, the Criteria column displays specific classes and descriptions or file names for the alert, and the Change column displays the reason for the alert. 2. To remove an alerting criteria item, highlight the criteria to be removed and choose the Remove button. The specified Criteria/Change line is removed. 3. To add an alerting criteria item, choose the Add button. The Alerting Criteria dialog box is displayed. 4. In the Item Changed category, select the item to be monitored. You can be alerted to changes in either equipment or system files. For example, if you want to be alerted to additions to the hardware inventory, then select the Equipment option in the Item Changed category. If you want to be alerted to changes to system files, then select the System File option. 5. In the Source Database category, select the database to be monitored. You can be alerted to changes in either the transaction database (i.e., inventory before the audit) or the baseline database (i.e., inventory after the audit). For example, if you want to be alerted to changes made to the inventory data compiled after an audit, then select the Baseline option in the Source Database category. If you want to be alerted to changes in the inventory data before the audit is performed, then select the Transaction option. 6. In the Filters area, define the filtered data to be monitored. From the drop-down lists, select the Category, Class and/or Description of the item to be monitored. For example, if you want to be alerted to changes in the base memory of all file servers on your network, then enter "File Server Hardware" in the Category field and "Base Memory" in the Class field. NOTE: When monitoring System Files, filter criteria applies to the system file names. Note that either one specific system file name or system file names that are listed in the Software Options dialog box can be selected for monitoring. 7. In the Change category, select the reason for the alert. For example, if you are monitoring Equipment and you want to be alerted of the removal of any 386 PCs, then select the Removed option. (In this example, 386 would be specified as the Class filter.) If you are monitoring System Files and you want to be alerted of any additions, then select the Added option. The following Change options also are available: o Changed - alert on any changes made to the inventory. o New Node - alert on any new nodes added to the inventory. 8. Choose the OK button to save your changes and exit the Alerting Criteria dialog box. When the Alerting Criteria dialog box is closed, the Alerting Options dialog box becomes active. If you have not already done so, you can: o Choose the Notifications button to review or change the method by which you want to be notified. Refer to section 4.3.2 entitled "Setting the Method of Notification." o Choose the When button to review or change the notification schedule. Refer to the procedure in section 4.3.3 entitled "Setting the Alert Schedule." o Exit the Alerting Options dialog box by choosing the OK button to save your changes. 4.3.2 Setting the Method of Notification Use the following procedure to select the method by which you want to be notified of inventory/audit changes. 1. From within the Alerting Options dialog box, choose the Notifications button. The Notification Options dialog box is displayed. The selected methods of notification display on the right side of the dialog box; the excluded methods of notification display on the left side of the dialog box. 2. Define the notification method. To select a method of notification, click on the method listed in the left side of the dialog box, and choose the Include-> button. A dialog box is displayed allowing you to enter details regarding the selected method. Refer to Step 3. To remove a method of notification, click on the method listed in the right side of the dialog box, and choose the <-Remove button. Your selection moves from the right side of the dialog box to the left side. 3. Enter details associated with the selected method of notification, and choose the OK button. For example, if you choose the Run Inventory Report notification method, you have the opportunity to select a specific report type to be printed. If you choose the cc:Mail Message option as the method of notification, a dialog box is displayed prompting you to specify your cc:Mail name and password, as well as the user name or group name to whom you want to send the message. The available notification options and the information required for their use are as follows: o NetWare Message - Select a Server and Login Name from the drop-down list associated with each field. o cc:Mail Message - Enter your cc:Mail user name in the From field and your cc:Mail Password; enter the Mail Drive Letter and cc:Mail user name of the person or group to receive the notification. o Run a Program - Enter the name of the program to be run as the alert. The program can be either a DOS or Windows program with the extensions .EXE, .COM or .BAT, and it must be in the current path. o MHS Message - Enter the MHS Mail Drive, the MHS user name in the From field and the associated Host; enter the MHS user name of the person to receive the notification in the To field and the associated Host; enter the Application and Routing Information. o Numeric Pager - Enter the Name of the person to be paged, their Phone Number, Baud Rate, Port and Delay criteria. o Run Report - Select a report to be printed from the list of available LAN Inventory reports. Upon choosing OK, you are returned to the Notification Options dialog box, and the selected method moves from the left side of the dialog box to the right side. 4. Choose the Save button to save your changes and exit the Notification Options dialog box. You are returned to the Alerting Options dialog box. 4.3.3 Setting the Alert Schedule Use the following procedure to define the frequency of notification. 1. From within the Alerting Options dialog box, choose the When button. The Alert Scheduling dialog box display. 2. Define the notification schedule. Click in the radio button that corresponds to the desired notification schedule. For example, to be notified of the inventory changes on a weekly basis, click in the radio button to the left of the Once Per Week option. If you choose the Once Per Hour, Once Per Day, Once Per Week or Once Per Month options, additional information is required. For these options, you must specify the exact time of day and/or the number of the day that you want to be notified, as appropriate. For example, if you want to be notified once per month, you must specify which day of the month you want to be notified, as well as specify the time of day (e.g., Day No.1 at 10:00 AM to be notified at 10:00 AM on the first day of each month). To be notified immediately, click on the Right Now option. To stop notification via electronic communications, click on the Stop Alerting option. 3. Choose the OK button to save the alert schedule and exit the Alert Scheduling dialog box. You are returned to the Alerting Options dialog box. 4.3.4 The Audit Timer Icon When an alert has been set and/or when an automatic audit has been scheduled, a Timer icon is displayed in the LAN Inventory application window. NOTE: Only one alert can be defined at any time; however, the alert can consist of multiple change criteria (e.g., the alert might be triggered if a system file has changed, a node has been added or equipment has been removed). Similarly, only one audit can be scheduled at any time. Use the following procedure to view the timers that have been set. 1. Double click on the Timer icon. The Active Timers dialog box is displayed. The Active Timers dialog box lists the Timer Name and indicates the next time the "event" should occur. (An "event" is either a scheduled audit or an alert.) 2. To delete a timed event, select the event to be deleted and choose the Delete button. 3. To modify the configuration of an event, select the event and choose the Configure button. If the selected event is an alert, then the Alerting Options dialog box is displayed. Modify the information, and choose the OK button to return to the Active Timers dialog box. If the selected event is a scheduled audit, then the Audit parameters dialog box is displayed. Modify the audit schedule, and choose the OK button to return to the Active Timers dialog box. 4. Choose the Close button to close the Active Timers dialog box. 4.4 Qualification List Set-up and Administration The inventory databases provided with LAN Inventory are referred to as "qualification lists." As you collect inventory and perform audits, LAN Inventory maintains your inventory information in several categorized databases. This enables you to access the information easily. LAN Inventory automatically updates and maintains the qualification lists; however, you can customize the data to reflect your network environment. This section describes the inventory qualification lists that are provided with LAN Inventory and provides procedures for viewing and maintaining the database records. 4.4.1 Viewing Qualification Lists Use the following procedure to view the contents of a qualification list. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Qualification Lists command. The Qualification Lists option is also a sub-menu that lists the LAN Inventory databases. 2. Choose the database you want to access. A database is chosen by clicking on the database name. The records of the selected database display. To review all database records, use the arrow buttons to scroll through the list. At this point, the database information can be modified. Refer to the procedure below entitled "Modifying Qualification Records." 3. Choose the Close button to exit the database. 4.4.2 Modifying Qualification Records The inventory database information provided with LAN Inventory can be customized to apply specifically to your network environment. For example, you might want to maintain a list of the hardware manufacturers who supply your network equipment. In addition to the Manufacturers determined by the LAN Inventory collection programs (i.e., EQUIP, SA_EQUIP or MACEQUIP), you might want to list and track another manufacturer. Use the following procedure to modify a database record. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Qualification Lists command. The Qualification Lists option is also a sub-menu that lists the LAN Inventory databases. 2. Choose the database you want to modify. A database is chosen by clicking on the database name. The records of the selected database display. 3. Modify the database record information. The modifications that can be made to a record depend on the selected database. As mentioned above, many database records provided with LAN Inventory cannot be edited or deleted. Possible modifications include the following: o Adding a record - To add a new record, choose the Add button. An Add dialog box is displayed prompting you to specify required information about the new record. Enter the information, and choose the OK button. The new record is added to the qualification list. o Editing a record - To edit an existing record, select the record from the list and choose the Edit button. An Edit dialog box is displayed with the selected record's information. Make changes to the information, and choose the OK button. The record's information is updated. o Deleting a record - To delete an existing record, select the record from the list and choose the Delete button. A prompt is displayed asking "Do you Want to Proceed?" Choose the Yes button to delete the record. o Printing all records - To print all records in the database, choose the Print button. The entire database is sent to the printer as defined by your current print parameters. o Unmarking all records - The MAC and PC Software Lists have an Unmark option. To deselect all highlighted records, choose the Unmark button. (A record is highlighted or selected by clicking on the record entry. Multiple records can be selected by clicking on them one at a time.) o Sorting all records - The MAC and PC Software Lists have a Sort option. To change the sorting order for all records in a list, choose the Sort button. A dialog box is displayed listing the available sort options. Select a sort order, and choose the OK button. The records are sorted and displayed according to the selected method. o Hiding/Unhiding a record - The MAC and PC Software Lists have a Hide option. To keep certain records hidden from the software inventory list while performing an audit, select the record(s) and choose the Hide/Toggle button. A checkmark is displayed next to all hidden records. The hide action works as a toggle (e.g., if a hidden record is selected when Hide/Toggle is chosen, the record will be unhidden). Multiple records can be selected by clicking on them one at a time. Hidden records can be viewed in the database list; however, they will not appear in an inventory list. NOTES: a - Many Macintosh applications consist of only one file; therefore, be careful when hiding files in the MAC Software List. b - To hide a file from inventory, the file must be hidden before EQUIP is run on a machine which has the file. Once a file is detected by EQUIP, the file is recorded in inventory upon running an audit. If it is subsequently hidden, the file will be considered as "missing" after the next audit is performed. 4. Choose the Close button to close the database dialog box. 4.5 Database Descriptions This section describes the contents of the LAN Inventory qualification lists. Note that not all of the lists are populated with information upon the installation of LAN Inventory. For example, there are no records in the Components and Models lists until you perform an audit. 4.5.1 Categories Database A Category is the broadest classification of LAN equipment, identifying hardware and software for PCs, MACs, Fileservers and Fax Servers. Examples of records on this database are File Server Hardware, File Server Software and PC Hardware. One 30 character field defines a category record. 4.5.2 Classes Database Classes provide further definitions for the Category and Type records. They include the individual components and add-ons which make up a category or a type (e.g., Base Memory, Keyboard, Monitor, Ports). 4.5.3 Components Database The Components database gathers information from several other database records to develop a complete record for a specific hardware component or software item. The key fields which must be specified when adding or editing a component record are: o Category o Class o Manufacturer o Product Name Secondary/optional component record fields are: o Model o Vendor o Maintenance Vendor o Contract Type o Warranty Information (start date and length of warranty) All fields of a component record can be selected from drop-down lists, with the exception of Product Name which must be manually entered. 4.5.4 Contract Types Database The Contract Types database defines the generic types of contracts that are in effect in your company. For example, you can specify a contract type as the period of time a contract is effective (e.g., Two Years) or as a specific type of contract (e.g., Maintenance Only). One ten character field defines a contract type record. 4.5.5 Departments Database Departments can be defined as: o An individual organization or group in your company, for example, Sales, Finance, or Customer Service. o A line of business or profit center, for example, retail operations or some product-specific definition. o Any logical grouping of people in your company, for example, MIS-Southwest Operations and MIS-Western Operations. Departments are used to identify the hardware and software in specific areas during an inventory/audit. One 30 character field defines a Department record. 4.5.6 Locations Database The Locations database contains a name for each site and/or physical location at which inventories are performed. Examples are Lab, Shipping or Accounting. One 25 character field defines a locations record. 4.5.7 MAC Software List Database The MAC Software database provided with LAN Inventory contains a list of popular Macintosh software applications. The software detected by MACEQUIP during an inventory is compared against this list. Each application record includes a Product Name (49 characters), File Creator (4 characters), Version (9 characters). A sub-set of this database that can be viewed when editing a record includes fields for File Size (7 characters), Manufacturer Name (selected from the Manufacturers database) and Category (an optional field selected from the Software Categories database). You have the option of sorting this database for display in File Name order or Product Name order. Many applications require more than one executable file to run the software. To accommodate this and reduce the number of files listed in the software databases, LAN Inventory lets you mark a particular file to be considered as the key or identifying component of a software package. The package identifier is based on the package name, file size and version number. 4.5.8 Manufacturers Database The Manufacturers database contains the names of companies that produce equipment and products or provide services (e.g., McAfee, Inc., Microsoft). A sub-set of this database allows addresses, phone, and FAX numbers of each manufacturer to be captured. One 30 character field defines a Manufacturers record. 4.5.9 Models Database The Models database contains records for each model used in your network (e.g., Compaq 386, PS2). One 25 character field defines a Models record. 4.5.10 Names Database The Names database contains a record for each network user. One 48 character field defines a user name record. 4.5.11 PC Software List Database The PC Software database provided with LAN Inventory contains a list of popular PC software applications. The software detected by EQUIP during an inventory is compared against this list. Each application record includes a File Name (12 characters), Product Name (49 characters), Version (9 characters). A sub-set of this database that can be viewed when editing a record includes fields for File Size (9 characters) and Manufacturer Name (selected from the Manufacturers database). You have the option of sorting this database for display in File Name order or Product Name order. Many applications require more than one executable file to run the software. To accommodate this and reduce the number of files listed in the software databases, LAN Inventory lets you mark a particular file to be considered as the key or identifying component of a software package. A package identifier is based on the package name, file size and version number, and it is marked as the "identifier" by choosing the Hide/Toggle button to hide all the other supporting files (i.e., the identifier is the only file that is not hidden). 4.5.12 Software Categories Database The Software Categories database classifies various types of software according to their general purpose. Several Software Categories database records are provided with LAN Inventory (e.g., games, spreadsheets, word processors). Additional records can be added, and existing records can be modified. 4.5.13 Types Database The Types database identifies specific machine types (e.g., File Server, Workstation, MAC, and Spare Parts). One 30 character field defines a types record. 4.6 Baseline Inventory Export/Import 4.6.1 About the Baseline Inventory The baseline inventory is the equipment inventory database that is updated each time an audit is performed. This database is an accumulation of the most currently audited inventory information. LAN Inventory collection programs (EQUIP, SA_EQUIP, MACEQUIP) place the collected hardware and software data in "transaction files." The audit process compiles the transaction files and compares the most recently collected equipment inventory information against the current baseline. As a result, a new updated baseline inventory database is created. The baseline is made up of equipment inventory records which contain data specific to each type of equipment, as identified in the Types qualification list. The equipment inventory records maintain data such as manufacturer, network address, memory, software applications, and storage. During an audit, information is gathered from the LAN Inventory qualification lists and the equipment inventory. The data that is audited depends on the audit parameters that are defined during the audit set-up (e.g., scope, software options). A baseline may even include inventory data from stand-alone PCs and MACs, provided that the stand-alone inventory data is loaded into the transaction inventory before the audit is performed. This section discusses the procedures that can be performed with the baseline inventory data. These procedures include: o Exporting the baseline inventory data outside of LAN Inventory for use in other applications (e.g., a spreadsheet or database application). o Importing baseline-type files into LAN Inventory from other applications. o Removing inventory data for a specific site from the baseline. 4.6.2 Exporting the Baseline Inventory Use the following procedure to create an export file of your baseline. In addition to selecting the export file format, you have the option of selecting a specific site whose data you want to export. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Export Baseline command. The Export Baseline dialog box is displayed. 2. Choose the site data to be exported. To view a complete list of sites, click on the down arrow button to the right of the Site to Export field. Highlight an individual site name, or click on the entry to include all site data in the export file. NOTE: Either the data from one specific site can be exported, or the data from all sites can be exported. 3. Define the Equipment Options to be included in the export file. Select the Long Identifier option if you want the export file to include the following identifying fields: location, department, asset tag, site, user name, unique ID, component category/class/description/tag, manufacturer, model, vendor, serial #, internal ID, cost center, warranty length/dates, purchase date/price, cost to date, and maintenance vendor/contract type. Select the Short Identifier option if you want the export file to include all of the above except the location, department, and asset tag fields. 4. Define the Component Options to be included in the export file. This is an optional step. If you want the export file to include specific export data that is extracted from the Equipment Inventory record, choose any number of the available component options. o Purchasing Information refers to the purchasing data entered into the Equipment Component dialog box for each workstation (as discussed in the section "Maintaining Component Information" in Chapter 8). o Maintenance Information refers to the maintenance contract data entered into the Equipment Component dialog box for each workstation (as discussed in the section "Maintaining Component Information" in Chapter 8). o Software Details refers to information about the software residing on the workstation or file server (or other type of equipment you may have in your Types qualification list). NOTE: The purchasing information, maintenance information, and software details referred to above can be reviewed by choosing the Inventory command from the View menu. Select a specific node from the Inventory dialog box to display the node's equipment details. Choose the Software Applications button to review the software programs associated with the workstation. Choose the Misc Equipment button to review the miscellaneous equipment associated with the workstation. 5. Choose the Export button. The Save Export File dialog box is displayed, prompting you to enter the export file's name, format, and path information. 6. Specify the export file information. In the File Name field, enter the name you want assigned to the export file. The default dBase extension .DBF is provided. The available formats include: o dBase (.DBF) o Lotus 1-2-3, Versions 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 (.WK?) o Excel, Versions 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 (.XL?) o VisiCalc (.DIF) Click on the down arrow button to the right of the Save File as Type field to display a list of formats. Select the format in which you want the export file configured. Specify the drive and directory path into which the export file should be saved. 7. Choose the OK button to begin the export process. The export status screen is displayed. A status bar shows the percentage complete of the export. When the export is finished, the status screen is closed. 4.6.3 Importing a Baseline Inventory File Use the following procedure to import baseline inventory data into LAN Inventory. The imported data is added directly into your current baseline inventory file. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Import Baseline command. The Open File to Import dialog box is displayed. 2. Specify the imported file name and file format. If you know the name of the file to be imported, enter the full path name into the File Name field. You can search for the full path name by clicking on entries in the Directories and Drives lists. Click on the down arrow button to the right of the List File as Type field to display a list of formats. Select the format in which the import file is configured. 3. Choose the OK button to continue. The Import File dialog box is displayed. 4. Define the field-to-field relationships between the import file and the baseline inventory file. The Import File dialog box allows you to define the relationship between the data fields in the import file and those in the LAN Inventory baseline inventory file. The dialog box consists of the following areas: o The Inventory Data Fields list contains every data field in a LAN Inventory baseline record. o The Import File Data Fields list contains every data field in a record in your import file. o The Included Fields list identifies the relationship between the LAN Inventory Baseline fields and those from the Import File. The total number of records in the import file and the number of data fields per import file record are shown at the bottom of the dialog box. To define the field-to-field relationship, highlight a LAN Inventory data field from the Inventory Data Fields list, and then choose the Include button. Then move to the Import File Data Fields list, and highlight the data field which corresponds to the selected LAN Inventory field. Repeat for every applicable field to build the LAN Inventory baseline record. The selected fields appear in the Included Fields area. LAN Inventory data fields are shown in capital letters. Import data fields are shown in lower case letters. For example, if your import file has a field called LOC which is equivalent to LAN Inventory's SITE field, the Included Fields entry appears as: SITE = > LOC NOTES: a - Relationships must be defined for the Site, Name, Node ID1, Node ID2 and Type fields. b - Imported Site names must be unique. c - The imported file data fields must be accurately matched to the LAN Inventory data fields to avoid misplacing the data in the baseline file. 5. Choose the Import button to begin the import process. The import status screen is displayed. A status bar shows the progress of the import. When the import is complete, the status screen is closed. 4.6.4 Removing a Site from the Baseline Inventory Removing a site's data from the baseline inventory might be necessary if you no longer require an inventory of the site's equipment. Use the following procedure to remove a site from the baseline. Use this procedure with caution as all equipment inventory records for the selected sites are removed from the baseline. You should retain a backup version of the baseline prior to purging the equipment inventory for certain sites. (The procedures for creating a baseline backup are discussed in the section entitled "Setting the Audit Parameters.") NOTES: a - The baseline for your Local Site (as identified during the LAN Inventory installation) can be purged. b - The Purge command removes the selected site data from the baseline files only. All site data, except that which was manually entered, remains in the transaction files. Therefore, if you perform an audit after purging the baseline, the data will be restored. (Refer to the next note for instructions on permanently removing the data.) c - To exclude the site from future audits, you must remove the site from the audit scope and delete the site nodes from inventory (i.e., from the Inventory dialog box). 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Purge Baseline command. The Purge Site from Baseline dialog box is displayed. All sites defined for your LAN Inventory environment are listed. 2. Select the site(s) you want to remove from the baseline inventory. To select a site for removal, click on the site name. The Number of Sites to Be Purged counter increases as sites are selected. 3. Choose the OK button. A dialog box is displayed with a warning message and the prompt "Do You Want to Proceed?" Choose the Yes button to purge the equipment inventory records for the selected sites. 5.0 Collecting Inventory Chapter 4 discussed the inventory set-up and administrative procedures. This chapter discusses the procedures for collecting inventory information from both networked and stand-alone PCs and MACs. 5.1 Introduction Equipment inventories are performed using the LAN Inventory collection programs. These programs include: o EQUIP.EXE - used for collecting the inventory on networked PC workstations o SA_EQUIP.EXE - used for collecting the inventory on stand-alone PC workstations o MACEQUIP - used for collecting the inventory on networked and stand-alone MAC workstations NOTE: File server inventory can be automatically collected during the audit process by selecting the 'Fileserver Software/Hardware' options in the Audit Parameters dialog box. Refer to "Setting the Audit Software Options" in Chapter 4. 5.1.1 Automating Inventory Collection The equipment inventory process can be automated for your networked PC workstations by placing the EQUIP command in the system login script. Refer to "Consider Placing EQUIP in the Login Script" in Chapter 3 for an illustration. For networked users, each time the workstation is logged in to the network, the EQUIP inventory collection process is invoked. Depending on the EQUIP command line switches defined in the login script, the workstation user can be notified of the inventory progress as it occurs. The login process can continue after the inventory is complete. A LAN Inventory transaction file is updated with the date and hardware or software changes that have occurred since the last time an inventory was performed for the workstation. NOTE: The inventory collection process cannot be automated for stand-alone PCs and MACs. For these configurations, the equipment inventory is stored on diskettes. The collected data must then be added to your network inventory data. These procedures are detailed in this chapter. 5.1.2 What's in this Chapter The following chart describes the sections in this chapter: SECTION DESCRIPTION EQUIP Command Line Reference Describes the command line options available with EQUIP. Collecting Networked PC Describes the procedures for using EQUIP in Inventory performing an inventory on networked PCs. Discusses executing EQUIP automatically upon workstation login. Collecting Stand-alone PC Describes the procedures for using SA_EQUIP Inventory in performing an inventory on stand-alone PCs. Describes the procedures for adding the stand-alone PC inventory to the LAN Inventory baseline inventory. Collecting Networked MAC Describes how to install and configure Inventory MACEQUIP, in preparation for taking inventory on Macintosh equipment. Describes the procedures for using MACEQUIP in performing an inventory on networked MACs. Collecting Stand-alone MAC Describes the procedures for using MACEQUIP Inventory in performing an inventory on stand-alone MACs. Describes the procedures for adding the stand-alone MAC inventory to the LAN Inventory baseline inventory. 5.2 EQUIP Command Line Reference The EQUIP program is used to collect the hardware and software inventory of networked PC workstations. The program is executed at the machine for which you want to perform the inventory. The EQUIP program's syntax is as follows: EQUIP [drive:\path] /[options] in which drive:\path is an optional parameter which indicates the path to the inventory data files and /options indicates the scan parameters which are always preceded by the slash (/) character. The brackets are not typed. One or more options can be used on the EQUIP command line. NOTE: The optional [drive:\path] parameter is used to execute EQUIP from within a "transaction directory." A transaction directory contains the EQUIP program executable and the LAN Inventory transaction files. It is used to collect and maintain inventory data for a site other than the local LAN Inventory site. (For more information on transaction directories, refer to "Establishing a Separate Transaction Directory" in Chapter 3.) The following command illustrates EQUIP execution: F:\USER\JOE>EQUIP J:\SALES /SHOW /S where F:\USER\JOE> is the directory on the file server from which Joe is issuing the EQUIP command; J:\SALES is the directory in which the SALES site inventory data is maintained (several LAN Inventory files are also located here); /SHOW is the EQUIP switch which specifies that the collected inventory be displayed on the screen; and /S is the EQUIP switch which specifies that software inventory be collected. NOTES: a - Because LAN Inventory uses the Novell Btrieve Record Manager for database management, BTRIEVE or BREQUEST must be loaded before EQUIP is executed. Refer to "Consider Improving LAN Inventory's Database Performance" in Chapter 3. b - When running the Brequestor, BSPXCOM must also be loaded on the file server. For details on loading these programs, refer to your Novell documentation. The following chart lists and describes each EQUIP command line option. OPTION DEFAULT DESCRIPTION [drive:\path] current directory Optional parameter which represents the path to a transaction directory (a directory other than the LANINV program directory which contains the EQUIP executable and several required LAN Inventory files). /NOSHOW * Do not display the inventory on screen as the collection process occurs. /SHOW Display the inventory on screen as the collection process occurs. /E[=node ID] Delete/erase a node's inventory data from the LAN Inventory transaction files. /S Collect software inventory. /H * Collect hardware inventory. /Y * Collect system file inventory. /V View hardware inventory only; do not update the transaction files. /D Run EQUIP daily. /W Run EQUIP weekly. /M Run EQUIP monthly. /U[=user name] Log the user name or text string to be associated with the node. (This switch is only valid the first time EQUIP is run at a node.) More than one collection option can be specified on the EQUIP command line. For example, the following command executes EQUIP from the current directory and scans for software, hardware and system file inventory. EQUIP /S /H /Y When the EQUIP command is issued without parameters, the program will default to a hardware and system file scan using the current directory. Further, the collected inventory will not display (i.e., /NOSHOW mode). The following sections explain each of the EQUIP command line options. 5.2.1 [drive:\path] The [drive:\path] parameter tells EQUIP which directory to execute from to update the LAN Inventory data files maintained in the specified directory. This parameter is optional, and it can be used in any of the following three ways: o If no drive letter or path is specified on the EQUIP command line, then the current directory is used. o If only a drive letter is used (e.g., F:), then the current directory for that drive is used. o If the full path is specified, then the full path is used. The brackets are not typed. 5.2.2 /NOSHOW The /NOSHOW option instructs EQUIP not to display the detected inventory on screen as it is collected. This is the default condition when the EQUIP command is issued without any parameters. NOTE: When the /NOSHOW option is specified, scan parameters must also be provided. For example, the command 'EQUIP /NOSHOW' is invalid. 5.2.3 /SHOW The /SHOW option instructs EQUIP to display the detected inventory on screen as it is collected. NOTE: When the /SHOW option is specified, scan parameters must also be provided. For example, the command 'EQUIP /SHOW' is invalid. 5.2.4 /E The /E option is used to delete/erase all information about a particular network address/unique identifier from the LAN Inventory transaction files. For example: EQUIP /E=2C581ACF:32E1 where [node ID] is the identifier of the node to be deleted. Use uppercase for alpha characters. Leading zeros are not required. NOTES: a - /SHOW is the only EQUIP command line option with which the /E switch can be used. b - If the node to be deleted is the same node from which EQUIP is executed, then the [node ID] specification is not required. In this case, simply enter: EQUIP /E. c - The node ID can be determined by running EQUIP with the /V option to view the hardware inventory. Refer to the /V option discussion below. If you use the EQUIP /E option and then run an audit, all information about the deleted node will be removed from the equipment files and reported as "missing." If you use the EQUIP /E option and then delete the node from the Inventory dialog box before running an audit, the node will be completely removed from the inventory (i.e., not even considered as missing after the next audit). 5.2.5 /S The /S option instructs EQUIP to scan for all software applications stored on the workstation's local hard drive(s). EQUIP searches for file names that are listed in the PC Software qualification list (i.e., the WPCSLIST.DAT file). Upon finding a file name that is listed in LAN Inventory's PC Software List, EQUIP verifies the file size. If the detected file size is identical to the file size listed in the PC Software List, then the item is included in the updated Transaction file. If EQUIP cannot detect a file name that previously had been detected on the node and currently is listed in the PC Software database, it will not include the file name in the updated transaction file. The item will be listed as a missing application in the Inventory Log results. NOTE: If the 'Workstation' option is checked in LAN Inventory's Software Options dialog box, then the Unidentified PC/Fileserver Software list also will be updated. In this case, upon finding a file name (or corresponding file size) that is not listed in the PC Software list, the file is added to the Unidentified PC/Fileserver Software list. 5.2.6 /H The /H option instructs EQUIP to scan for all hardware components and network information. Refer to Appendix A for a complete listing of hardware inventory data. NOTE: EQUIP detects certain items on the basis of the CMOS set-up; therefore, the CMOS set-up on all workstations must be accurate. 5.2.7 /Y The /Y option instructs EQUIP to scan for the system files that are specified in LAN Inventory's Software Options dialog box. System files generally include the following: o AUTOEXEC.BAT o CONFIG.SYS o WIN.INI o SYSTEM.INI To detect the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files, EQUIP scans the root directory on the drive from which the workstation was booted. The boot drive is determined in two ways: o In DOS 4.0 and above, EQUIP gets the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files from the boot drive. o In DOS versions prior to 4.0, EQUIP searches the first hard disk that it finds. If there is no hard disk, EQUIP searches for the system files on the first floppy drive it finds. NOTE: To be detected by EQUIP, all system files must be in the workstations' search path. 5.2.8 /V The /V option instructs EQUIP to scan for hardware and network information for viewing purposes only. The detected inventory information is not written to a database and does not require Btrieve to be loaded. This option can only be used with a scan for hardware. The following example instructs EQUIP to perform a scan for hardware and display the results on screen: EQUIP /H /V NOTE: The /V option only scans for hardware and network information. When using /V, it is not necessary to specify the /H scan parameter. 5.2.9 /D, /W and /M The /D, /W and /M options are called "frequency switches." These switches refer to running EQUIP on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, respectively. Each switch instructs EQUIP to execute only after an entire cycle. For example, using the /D option, EQUIP will execute only once every 24 hours. In all other cases (i.e., before 24 hours has passed), EQUIP will display the message "No Action Taken" instead of executing. The /W option causes EQUIP to execute once every 7 days. The /M option causes EQUIP to execute once every month. Placing the following command in a login script will cause EQUIP to execute monthly and scan for software and hardware: ..... #EQUIP /M /S /H ..... To instruct EQUIP to execute on a particular day, you must use the Novell DAY_OF_WEEK command, as in the following example: ..... IF DAY_OF_WEEK="MONDAY" THEN MAP Q:=FS1/SYS:APPS\LANINV DRIVE Q: #BREQUEST /D:17000 #EQUIP /H /Y /D #ENDBTRV MAP DEL Q: END ..... NOTES: a - The EQUIP frequency switches are machine specific--the next time EQUIP executes on a machine depends on the last time EQUIP was executed on that machine. b - If the user does not log in to the server during the specified day, week or month, the next time the user logs in, EQUIP determines how much time elapsed since the last login. EQUIP will execute if the elapsed time is greater than the option cycle. c - In order to execute at correct cycles, a login script should have only one EQUIP command with frequency switches. The second EQUIP command will never be executed because of the previous EQUIP command (e.g., the cycle for the second command will never occur). For example: MAP INS S16:=C:\. 5.2.10 /U The /U option allows the LAN Inventory user to pass an alphanumeric string to the inventory transaction files. This option can only be used the first time EQUIP is executed at a workstation. It allows a name other than the login name to be associated with the node. For example, a Supervisor might enter the following command to log onto Joe's machine and execute EQUIP for the first time: EQUIP /H /Y /S /U=JOE The above command instructs EQUIP to scan for hardware, system files, software and pass the name "Joe" to the inventory transaction files. 5.3 Collecting Networked PC Inventory The EQUIP program is used to collect the inventory of networked PCs. Upon execution, EQUIP scans the hardware for a unique ID in the root directory. This unique ID is used throughout LAN Inventory as the workstation's identifying key. NOTES: a - The first time EQUIP is executed at a workstation, EQUIP generates the workstation ID and stores it in a hidden file called LAIID.CFG maintained in the workstation's root directory. b - The LAIID.CFG file is used to identify a workstation on which EQUIP is executed. If the file has been deleted, EQUIP will create a new LAIID.CFG file and consider the workstation to be a new node. As a result, two entries for the same PC will be listed in the Inventory dialog box. Therefore, to avoid confusion, if the LAIID.CFG file has been deleted, also delete the node's entry in the Inventory dialog box before running EQUIP and auditing the workstation inventory. As discussed in Chapter 3, "Consider Placing EQUIP in the Login Script," the EQUIP command can be placed in the system login script so that inventory collection is performed automatically each time a user logs into the network. LAN Inventory also provides two EQUIP batch files which are placed in the LANINV program directory upon installation. The batch files names are listed below: o EQUIP1.BAT - loads server-based Btrieve (BREQUEST.EXE), executes EQUIP and then unloads Btrieve. o EQUIP2.BAT - loads local Btrieve (BTRIEVE.EXE), executes EQUIP and then unloads Btrieve. Both batch files need to be modified to reflect the correct path and drive combination, as well as to specify the desired scan parameters. 5.3.1 Running EQUIP Use the following procedure to execute EQUIP from a networked PC. NOTES: a - To hide a file from inventory, the file must be hidden before EQUIP is run on a machine which has the file. Once a file is detected by EQUIP, the file is recorded in inventory upon running an audit. If it is subsequently hidden, the file will be considered as "missing" after the next audit is performed. Refer to the discussion "Modifying Qualification Records" in Chapter 4 for instructions on hiding records in the PC/MAC Software qualification lists. b - Executing EQUIP on several machines that use the same boot disk might cause the machines' inventory to be incorrectly incorporated into the baseline inventory. c - Executing EQUIP on a machine that uses more than one boot disk might cause the machine's inventory to appear more than once in the baseline inventory. 1. From the workstation on which you want to perform an inventory, change into the directory containing the EQUIP executable and LAN Inventory database files. Use the DOS CD command to change directories. 2. Load the Btrieve software. Btrieve must be properly configured on the file server from which it is run. Btrieve must also be loaded before EQUIP is executed, and it should be unloaded after EQUIP has run. Due to the resulting increase in performance, it is highly recommended that you use Btrieve's server-based program (BREQUEST.EXE). To load Brequest, use the LAN Inventory BRQ.BAT file which consists of the following command: BREQUEST /D:17000 To load local Btrieve, use the LAN Inventory BTR.BAT file which consists of the following command: BTRIEVE /P:3072 /F:22 /T:BTR.TRN /E 3. Execute EQUIP. For example, to scan for the hardware, software and system file inventory, type: EQUIP /H /S /Y The inventory is collected and placed in the appropriate LAN Inventory transaction files. 4. Unload the Btrieve software. To unload the Btrieve software, type: ENDBTRV NOTES: a - To enable EQUIP to run under NetWare 2.1x, users need Read, Open, Write, Search, Create, and Delete rights to the directory where LAN Inventory files are stored. NetWare 3.x or 2.2 users need Read, Write, Filescan, Create, and Erase rights. b - Mark the .EXE files as "shareable" and make sure the COMSPEC is set properly. 5.4 Collecting Stand-alone PC Inventory The SA_EQUIP program is used to collect the inventory of stand-alone PCs. The collected data is placed onto "collector diskettes" which are prepared expressly for this purpose. As with EQUIP, SA_EQUIP scans the hardware for a unique ID in the root directory. This unique ID is used throughout the inventory as the stand-alone machine's identifying key. NOTE: The first time SA_EQUIP is executed at a stand-alone machine, SA_EQUIP generates the machine's ID and stores it in a hidden file called LAIID.CFG maintained in the root directory. The steps for including stand-alone PC data in your LAN Inventory baseline inventory include the following: 1. Creating a collector diskette via the LAN Inventory console 2. Running SA_EQUIP at the stand-alone PC 3. Loading the stand-alone data into LAN Inventory 4. Running an audit to include the stand-alone data in the baseline inventory The procedures for each step are described in this section. 5.4.1 Creating a Collector Diskette Stand-alone PC inventory data collected by SA_EQUIP is placed onto specially prepared diskettes containing the LAN Inventory equipment inventory system files. All inventory for the stand-alone PCs must be placed onto a collector diskette. If the collected inventory data requires more than one diskette, additional collector diskettes must be used. Use the following procedure to create a collector diskette. 1. Insert a blank formatted diskette into the diskette drive. Approximately 300K of disk space is required for the collector diskette files. 2. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Create Collector Diskette command. The Create Collector Diskette dialog box is displayed. 3. In the Drives list, choose the drive into which you inserted the diskette. The selected drive letter is displayed in the Path field. Any directories on the selected drive display in the Directories list. 4. If applicable, select the directory into which you want the equipment inventory files placed. The directory and sub-directory (as applicable) display in the Path field. 5. Choose the OK button to create the collector diskette. The SA_EQUIP executable and LAN Inventory equipment inventory files are copied to the specified drive and directory path. As the files are copied, the copy progress is displayed. NOTES: a - All collector diskettes must be created using the above procedure. Collector diskettes created in any other manner (e.g., DOS DISKCOPY) will not work correctly. b - All collector diskettes are associated with the main/local LAN Inventory directory site name; therefore, all stand-alone data will be associated with the main LAN Inventory site. 5.4.2 Running SA_EQUIP Use the following procedure to collect the equipment inventory of a stand-alone PC. You must use a prepared collector diskette to which the inventory data will be copied. (Refer to the above procedures for creating collector diskettes.) NOTES: a - Executing SA_EQUIP on several machines that use the same boot disk might cause the machines' inventory to be incorrectly incorporated into the baseline inventory. b - Executing SA_EQUIP on a machine that uses more than one boot disk might cause the machine's inventory to appear more than once in the baseline inventory. 1. Insert the collector diskette into the diskette drive of the stand-alone PC. 2. Execute SA_EQUIP from the floppy diskette. Issue the SA_EQUIP command by typing: SA_EQUIP If applicable, use the DOS CD command to change into the directory containing the SA_EQUIP executable and LAN Inventory files. The LAN Inventory files are activated and the Workstation Information screen is displayed. NOTE: Upon executing SA_EQUIP, if there is insufficient space available on the diskette, SA_EQUIP displays the message "Not enough disk space. Use a new collector disk." 3. If desired, modify the workstation information. The values of the following fields can be modified: o Location - the workstation location (e.g., First Floor) o Department - the department to which the workstation belongs (e.g., Sales) o User - the user name/ID assigned to the workstation o Asset Tag - the tag or identifying number assigned to the machine to be used as another ID for the workstation Use the arrow keys to move the cursor into a field, and overtype the existing entry with your new data. 4. Press the key to save the workstation information and continue. The machine's hardware data is automatically collected, and then the SA_EQUIP menu bar is displayed across the top of your screen. Use the keys to highlight a desired menu. Press to choose the highlighted menu and display its drop down list of commands. Use the keys to highlight a desired command. Press to choose the highlighted command. The available SA_EQUIP menus and their commands are as follows: o File Menu - System Files - command used to collect the system files that are specified in LAN Inventory's Software Options dialog box. - Exit - command used to save the collected data to files on the collector diskette and exit the SA_EQUIP program. o Hardware Menu - Edit Hardware - command used to modify hardware details about the PC (e.g., Model Number, Serial Number, and Component/Asset Tag). o Software Menu - Scan Software - command used to inventory the PC software. When chosen, a status bar is displayed showing the progress of the software inventory. 5. To edit the PC hardware inventory, choose the Edit Hardware command from the Hardware menu. The Hardware Components screen is displayed showing the PC hardware inventory that is compiled automatically upon executing SA_EQUIP. Values for the Model Number, Serial Number and Component (Asset) Tag fields can be specified for any of the listed hardware items. To do so, use the keys to highlight the desired item and press . When the Edit Hardware screen is displayed, enter or overtype any of the three detail fields. Press two times to save any changes and close the Edit Hardware screen. Press to exit without saving your changes. Press to close the Hardware Components screen. 6. To inventory the PC software, choose the Scan Software command from the Software menu. The software inventory is immediately performed. The inventoried software data cannot be edited. 7. To inventory the workstation's system files, choose the System Files command from the File menu. All system files listed in the LAN Inventory Software Options dialog box (accessible from the Inventory command on the Administration menu) are collected. The system file inventory is immediately performed. The inventoried system file data cannot be edited. 8. To save the inventory data and exit SA_EQUIP, choose the Exit command from the File menu and choose any key to save the configuration to the collector diskette. The inventory data is copied onto the collector diskette. When all inventory data is copied to the diskette, SA_EQUIP is automatically exited. Remove the collector diskette from the PC. Repeat the procedure for additional stand-alone PCs. The collected data must now be loaded into LAN Inventory in order for the inventory to be included in the next audit. NOTES: a - If the collector diskette becomes full when saving the data, the message "Disk out of space. Do collection again." is displayed. In this case, exit the program and then re-execute SA_EQUIP using a new collector diskette. You must collect the data again. b - If one collector diskette is used to inventory multiple stand-alone PCs, the information for each additional workstation is appended to the appropriate file. 5.4.3 Loading Stand-alone Data into LAN Inventory After the stand-alone PC inventory has been gathered using SA_EQUIP, the data must be loaded into LAN Inventory in order for the next audit to include the new inventory. Using the LAN Inventory console, use the following procedure to load the stand-alone PC inventory data into LAN Inventory. 1. Insert the collector diskette into the diskette drive. 2. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu, choose the Load Equipment from Collector Diskette command. The Load Equipment From dialog box is displayed. 3. Select the drive and directory containing the stand-alone inventory data. 4. Choose the OK button to load the stand-alone PC equipment inventory into LAN Inventory. A status screen is displayed the progress as the stand-alone inventory data is copied from the diskette to the equipment inventory files maintained in the LANINV program directory. NOTE: To incorporate the stand-alone data into the LAN Inventory baseline inventory, the audit parameters must be defined to include PC hardware and software before performing the audit. (Refer to the procedures in Chapter 4, "Setting the Audit Software Options" regarding defining audit parameters.) 5.5 Collecting Networked MAC Inventory MACEQUIP is used to collect the inventory of Macintosh computers attached to Novell file servers that are running the MAC VAP/NLM. MACEQUIP is also used to collect the inventory of stand-alone MACs, as is discussed in the next section of this chapter. LAN Inventory provides two programs for collecting MAC inventory. Both programs are used to collect inventory information on stand-alone and networked Macintosh computers; however, their execution is slightly different: o MACEQUIP 3.1 - Performs inventory collection and provides a menu from which you can choose to view the collected inventory and/or close the program. o MACEQUIP AUTOMATIC 3.1 - Automatically closes the program when inventory collection is complete. NOTE: The following discussion uses the term "MACEQUIP" to refer to both MAC programs. When following the procedures, use either the MACEQUIP 3.1 program or the MACEQUIP AUTOMATIC 3.1 program. Upon execution, MACEQUIP automatically scans the machine's hardware components and the software applications on its hard drive. The hardware and software data is stored in the MACEQUIP.CFG and MACSOFT.LST files, respectively. The collected data is added to the LAN Inventory baseline inventory by running an audit. For each workstation on which MACEQUIP is executed, a unique ID is created using the Ethernet address. If there is no AppleTalk, the user name is converted to a numeric ID. The network number will be 0000 for all Macintosh's. NOTE: To run MACEQUIP automatically upon booting up the machine, an alias for MACEQUIP can be placed in the System folder as a Start Up item. Refer to section 5.5.3 "Automating MACEQUIP Execution". This section covers the following topics: o Installing MACEQUIP o Automating the execution of MACEQUIP o Running MACEQUIP 5.5.1 Installing MACEQUIP The following must be in place before continuing with the MACEQUIP installation: o LAN Inventory must be properly installed according to the instructions outlined in Chapter 2 of this manual. o Your network file server must support the AppleTalk Filing Protocol (AFP). o Your network must be running one of the following: NetWare 286 2.15c or 2.2 with the Macintosh VAP; NetWare 386 3.11, 3.12 or 4.01 with the Macintosh NLM; AppleTalk 2.15c or 2.2 Macintosh VAPs. Use the following procedure to install MACEQUIP. Because MACEQUIP is a Macintosh file, you MUST follow these steps to properly install the program on your network. MACEQUIP should be copied to the same directory where EQUIP and the other LAN Inventory files reside. 1. At a Macintosh workstation, insert the floppy disk containing the MACEQUIP file into the disk drive. 2. Choose the Chooser command from the Apple menu. 3. Select Apple Share. 4. Select the file server on which MACEQUIP should be installed. 5. Mount the selected file server. 6. Close the Chooser. An icon is created that reflects the name and volume of the file server. For example: MYSERVER.SYS 7. Double click on the File Server icon. 8. Find the LAN Inventory folder. 9. Open the floppy disk icon. 10. Drag the file icon for MACEQUIP from the floppy disk to the LAN Inventory directory on the file server. This completes the MACEQUIP installation process. The MACEQUIP program can now be executed from your network's Macintosh workstations. 5.5.2 Automating MACEQUIP Execution With System 7.0 or greater, the MACEQUIP program can be a Start Up item and run automatically when the Macintosh starts up. Use the following procedure to set up the automatic equipment inventory. 1. From the Macintosh, choose the Chooser command from the Apple menu. 2. Select Apple Share. 3. Select the file server on which MACEQUIP resides. 4. Mount the selected file server. 5. Close the Chooser. 6. Double click on the File Server icon. 7. Open the folder where MACEQUIP is located and select MACEQUIP. 8. Select the Make Alias command from the File menu to create an alias for MACEQUIP. 9. Drag the alias under MACEQUIP into the Start Up Items folder in the System folder. Every time the machine is rebooted, the volume will be mounted and MACEQUIP will run automatically. NOTE: If you do not have SYSTEM 7.0 or greater, every time you want to use MACEQUIP, you must go through steps 1-7 above and then run MACEQUIP by double clicking on the MACEQUIP icon. 5.5.3 Running MACEQUIP Use the following procedure to manually execute MACEQUIP from a networked Macintosh workstation. 1. From the workstation on which you want to perform an inventory, change into the directory containing the MACEQUIP executable and LAN Inventory database files. 2. Launch MACEQUIP. The inventory scan is performed, and the MACEQUIP.CFG and MACSOFT.LST files are updated to reflect the collected hardware and software inventory, respectively. 5.6 Collecting Stand-alone MAC Inventory MACEQUIP is also used to collect the hardware and software data from MACs that are not connected to the network. The collected data is placed onto a diskette and later added to the LAN Inventory transaction files to be included in the next audit. The steps for including stand-alone MAC data in your LAN Inventory baseline inventory include the following: 1. Running MACEQUIP at the stand-alone MAC 2. Updating the LAN Inventory MAC transaction files to reflect the stand- alone data 3. Running an audit to include the stand-alone data in the baseline inventory The procedures for each step are described in this section. NOTES: a - The following discussion uses the term "MACEQUIP" to refer to both MAC programs. When following the procedures, use either the MACEQUIP 3.1 program or the MACEQUIP AUTOMATIC 3.1 program. b - If you collect and audit the inventory of a stand-alone MAC and then later put the same MAC on the network and do a subsequent inventory and audit, two entries for the same MAC will be listed in the Inventory dialog box. Therefore, to avoid confusion, before running MACEQUIP and auditing the networked MAC inventory, first delete the node's entry in the Inventory dialog box. 5.6.1 Running MACEQUIP Use the following procedure to collect the equipment inventory of a stand- alone MAC. 1. Copy the MACEQUIP file onto a Macintosh formatted floppy diskette. 2. Insert the floppy diskette into the stand-alone MAC. 3. Execute MACEQUIP from the floppy diskette. The inventory is collected. 4. Choose the Quit command from the File menu. The inventory is complete. Repeat the procedure for additional stand-alone MACs, and use the same floppy diskette. The LAN Inventory MAC inventory transaction files must now be updated in order for the next audit to include the new inventory. 5.6.2 Updating MAC Transaction Files As a result of taking inventory on a stand-alone MAC, two DOS-based files are created on the Macintosh-formatted diskette: o MACEQUIP.CFG - contains the hardware inventory data o MACSOFT.LST - contains the software inventory data To include the stand-alone MAC inventory in the next audit, copy the MACEQUIP.CFG and MACSOFT.LST files into the LANINV program directory on the network. If the MACEQUIP.CFG and MACSOFT.LST files residing in the LANINV program directory already contain data from other networked or stand-alone MACs, you must append the new information to the existing files in the LANINV program directory. To append the new data, first get the new data files (MACEQUIP.CFG and MACSOFT.LST) into a DOS environment (i.e., a Novell Volume [or directory], a DOS floppy disk, or a DOS hard disk). Then append the data by using the DOS "TYPE" command on the new data files and redirecting the output of the TYPE command to the existing MACEQUIP.CFG and MACSOFT.LST files that reside in the LANINV program directory. The TYPE command syntax is as follows: TYPE [drive:][path..]source file >> [drive:][path..]target file For example, if the new data files are residing on Drive B: and the LANINV program directory is currently mapped to Drive K:, the commands to append both MACEQUIP.CFG and MACSOFT.LST would be executed as follows: B:\>TYPE macequip.cfg >> k:macequip.cfg B:\>TYPE macsoft.lst >> k:macsoft.lst In this example, Drive B: is the current drive. Refer to your DOS documentation for more information on the TYPE command. NOTE: To incorporate the stand-alone data into the LAN Inventory baseline inventory, the MAC Hardware and Software options must be checked in the Audit Parameters dialog box before performing the audit. Also, the Macintosh Unknown Files to Identify option must be checked in the Software Options dialog box. (Refer to the procedures in Chapter 4, "Setting the Audit Software Options" regarding the definition of audit parameters.) 6.0 Conducting an Audit Chapter 5 discussed the procedures for collecting inventory information. This chapter discusses the LAN Inventory audit process. In addition to the instructions for conducting an audit, a checklist is provided listing the activities you should consider before running the audit. 6.1 Introduction Conducting an audit compiles the collected equipment inventory data from your workstations and file servers and adds it to LAN Inventory's baseline inventory. As a result of performing an audit, the baseline inventory file is updated and represents an accumulation of your most currently audited inventory information. The baseline inventory file provides data for various LAN Inventory reports, on-screen viewing, automatic notification of inventory changes, and the LAN Inventory software distribution capability. Audits can be run at any time. However, the audit results depend on the settings defined via the Administration Inventory commands on the LAN Inventory menu bar. Audit settings include: audit scope, audit parameters, software options and notification options. These settings need to be established before the audit is conducted. (For details on these procedures, refer to the discussion entitled "Audit Set-up and Administration" in Chapter 4.) 6.1.1 Access to Audit Functions Audit configuration is performed by choosing Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the desired command. An audit is initiated by choosing Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu which is displayed, choose the Audit command. 6.1.2 What's in this Chapter The following chart describes the sections in this chapter: SECTION DESCRIPTION Auditing Checklist Lists audit options and provides considerations for conducting an audit. Auditing the Collected Inventory Describes what happens during an audit and how to initiate one. 6.2 Auditing Checklist Conducting an audit transfers the inventory information from the transactions database to the LAN Inventory baseline database. For example, when a workstation inventory is performed, the collected inventory data gets stored in a transactions database. When an audit is conducted, the data in the transactions database gets compared to the data in the baseline database. In general, all new inventory data gets added to the baseline; all changed data gets updated in the baseline and any missing data gets removed from the baseline. Several LAN Inventory options enable you to customize the audit process to accommodate your specific auditing needs. This section briefly lists the items you should consider before conducting an audit. NOTE: Many of the details on these items are provided in the discussion entitled "Audit Set-up and Administration" in Chapter 4. 6.2.1 Time Considerations Auditing a large network can be a time-consuming process. Eliminate wasted time by defining the scope of the audit to include only the specific sites, file servers and components you are interested in auditing. For example, if you just received new transaction files from your Chicago office, it may not be necessary to include your New York office data in the audit. Simply remove the New York site from your scope specification and limit the audit scope to include only Chicago. In addition to specific site audits, you can conduct exclusive audits for software, hardware, file servers and/or workstations. To define the Scope of Audit, the Software Options, and the Audit Parameters, choose the appropriate command from the Administration/Inventory sub-menu. (Choose the Define Sites command from the Inventory sub-menu to verify that each site is mapped to the correct drive and directory!) 6.2.2 What to Audit An audit can include networked PC data, file server data, and even stand-alone PC and Macintosh inventory data. "Inventory data" can be further defined to include hardware and/or software. LAN Inventory provides easy-to-use and intuitive programs to collect the inventory on networked and stand-alone workstations. To define the information to be audited, choose the Audit Parameters command from the Administration/Inventory sub-menu. (To include stand-alone data in the audit, make sure that the PC/MAC data has been incorporated into the LAN Inventory transaction files. Refer to the instructions in Chapter 5.) 6.2.3 Scheduling LAN Inventory lets you schedule audits. You can specify the specific hour, day, week, or month that audits be conducted. You may want an audit to be performed each night at midnight, or you may want the audit to be performed on the fifteenth day of each month. LAN Inventory takes care of logging in to the appropriate servers at the correct times to avoid any potential security violations. In addition, the results of an audit are always stored in the audit log for later review. To define an audit schedule, choose the Audit Parameters command from the Administration/Inventory sub-menu. To define notification settings, choose the Alerting Options command from the Administration/Inventory sub-menu. 6.2.4 Multiple Sites LAN Inventory allows you to manage inventory for multiple sites. If you are consolidating information from multiple sites, have you created directories for each site and copied the inventory transaction database files into those directories from the respective sites? Choose the Define Sites command from the Administration/Inventory sub-menu to define new sites. Choose the Scope of Audit command from the Administration/Inventory sub-menu to determine which sites should be included in the audit. Refer to "Establishing a Separate Transaction Directory" for procedures on defining a transaction directory. 6.2.5 Alerting Options Do you want to be notified about the outcome of the audit? LAN Inventory's alerting parameters let you define the conditions under which you want to be notified, as well as the method of notification. For example, you might want to be notified of all hardware changes that have been made to the file servers since the last audit. Further, you might want these results to be sent to you via cc:Mail. To define the audit notification settings, choose the Alerting tool bar button to display the Alerting Options dialog box. 6.3 Auditing the Collected Inventory Conducting a LAN Inventory audit creates or updates the baseline by incorporating the collected inventory data. The baseline inventory is created the first time an audit is performed. For all subsequent audits, the collected inventory is compared against the existing baseline, and the existing baseline is updated appropriately. The collected inventory transactions represent any of the following: o File server hardware and software o PC workstation hardware and software (including stand-alone PCs) o MAC workstation hardware and software (including stand-alone MACs) Before the audit process starts, LAN Inventory considers the established parameters that have been defined using the audit Administration options: o Whether the audit should occur automatically or upon request. If audits are defined to occur automatically, LAN Inventory also considers the specified audit interval time (e.g., daily - at 9 am; weekly - on Friday at 5 pm). o Sites to be included in the audit. o File servers to be included in the audit. o System and application software to be included in the audit. o Workstation and component types to be included in the audit (e.g., hardware and software transactions from PCs and file servers; only hardware transactions from MACs). NOTE: Audit parameters can be changed at any time. Refer to "Audit Set-up and Administration" in Chapter 4 for details on defining audit parameters. 6.3.1 Running an Audit The process of running an audit uses the recently collected equipment inventory transaction information to update each existing individual equipment inventory record. In turn, the baseline inventory is updated. As a result of comparing the new current transactions to the baseline, audit statistics are generated. Reported changes in inventory include components, nodes or software that have been added, changed, or removed since the last audit. Audit results can be reviewed on screen or via hard copy report. (Refer to Chapter 7 for detailed information on "Reviewing Audit Results.") Audits can be initiated at any time, regardless of whether automatic audits (e.g., daily, weekly) have been scheduled in the audit parameters. Use the following procedure to initiate a LAN Inventory audit and update the baseline inventory with current equipment inventory data. NOTES: a - Before you initiate the audit, make sure that all audit parameters are defined correctly and any stand-alone inventory data has been loaded into LAN Inventory. b - Use the Btrieve NLM to improve the performance of data collection, auditing and reporting by as much as 500%. Refer to Appendix C for instructions on configuring BREQUEST and the Btrieve NLM. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the Audit command. A dialog box is displayed with a warning message and the prompt "Do You Want To Proceed?" 2. Choose the OK button to proceed with the audit. An Audit in Progress dialog box displays a status bar showing the progress of the audit. When the audit is complete, the baseline is updated to reflect the new inventory data. 7.0 Reviewing Audit Results Chapter 6 discussed the procedures for conducting an audit. This chapter discusses the procedures for viewing audit results. 7.1 Introduction When an audit has been completed, the audit results are available via the Audit Log dialog box. The Audit Log dialog box provides both summary and detail information regarding the changes made to the baseline inventory as a result of the audit. The software applications that were detected upon inventory collection but not recorded in the inventory database are listed and reported in the Unidentified Software dialog box. 7.1.1 Access to Audit Results Audit results can be reviewed and/or managed by choosing Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the View Audit Log or Unidentified PC/Fileserver or Macintosh Software commands. 7.1.2 What's in this Chapter The following chart describes the sections in this chapter: SECTION DESCRIPTION Viewing the Audit Log Provides procedures for accessing and viewing the Audit Log; lists the information available from the Audit Log. Managing Unidentified Software Provides procedures for moving information from the Unidentified Software list to the qualification lists. 7.2 Viewing the Audit Log The Audit Log provides both summary and detail information about the changes that were made to the baseline inventory as a result of an audit. The information available from the Audit Log includes: o Summarized Changes: - the date and time of the audit - the name of the person who initiated the audit - the number of changes made to inventory categories (e.g., 5 nodes added; 1 system file updated) o Detailed Changes: - an itemized list of components, nodes and system files that have changed since the last audit (e.g., at the site named SALES, a new node JOHN was found) 7.2.1 Viewing the Audit Log Audit summary and detail information is maintained by LAN Inventory for as long as necessary. For example, your organization might require that the audit results be accessible on-line for a year. In this case, each audit performed within the last year is listed in the Audit Log dialog box, and the results of each audit can be viewed. The only modification that can be made to the Audit Log is the deletion of an audit entry. Continuing with the above example, all audits that occurred more than a year ago would need to be deleted from the Audit Log. Use the following procedure to view and manage on-line audit results. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose the View Audit Log command. The Audit Log dialog box is displayed. The dialog box lists all the audits that have been performed. The Date, Time, Performed By, and Status information is listed for each audit. 2. To view the summarized results of an audit, select an audit in the Audit Log dialog box and choose the Results button. The Audit Results dialog box is displayed. This dialog box summarizes the changes made to inventory categories as a result of the audit. NOTE: This dialog box (shown below) can also be displayed by double clicking on an audit in the Audit Log dialog box. To view detailed information about a category that has an entry greater than zero (0), double click on the category name. For example, if two system files are added as a result of the audit, you can double click on the System Files Added category to view the names of the added system files. Choose the Close button to close the Audit Details dialog box. Choose the Close button to close the Audit Results dialog box. 3. To view the audit details, select an audit from the Audit Log dialog box and choose the Details button. An Audit Details dialog box is displayed which contains a itemized list of audited components, nodes, and system files. Use the scroll buttons and scroll bars to view all the information. Choose the Close button to close the Audit Details dialog box. NOTE: Procedures for viewing the detailed dialog box shown above are also provided in Step #2; however, the dialog box accessed in Step #2 only shows the details of a selected component. By choosing the Details button in the Audit Log dialog box, all component changes for an audit are displayed in the audit log details dialog box. 4. To remove an audit entry from the Audit Log dialog box list, highlight an audit and choose the Delete button. You are prompted to confirm the deletion. Choose the Yes button to continue and remove the selected audit from the list. 5. To print the results of an audit entry in the Audit Log dialog box list, highlight an audit and choose the Print button. The details of the selected audit are sent to the printer currently defined in your print set-up. 6. Choose the Close button to exit the Audit Log dialog box. 7.3 Managing Unidentified Software "Unidentified software" is the group of software files that were detected during an inventory but were not listed in the PC or MAC Software qualification lists. As a result, LAN Inventory is not able to categorize and identify the software during the audit. For example, assume that an inventory performed on PC workstation X results in detecting the file named ABC.EXE. If file ABC.EXE is not listed in the PC Software database when an audit is performed, then the file is labeled as "unidentified" and added to the Unidentified Software list. NOTE: Unidentified software is only collected if the "Unknown Files to Identify on Local Site" options for Fileserver, Workstation and/or Macintosh are checked in the Software Options dialog box. If none of these options are checked, then only the applications listed in the PC or MAC Software Lists are included in the inventory and audit. Refer to the instructions "Setting the Audit Software Options" in Chapter 4. In addition to viewing the list of unidentified software, you can "identify" the files by transferring them to their appropriate database. In the above example, file ABC.EXE can be transferred to the PC Software qualification list. By doing so, the next time an audit is performed or inventory is collected, the file will no longer be tagged as "unidentified." This section includes the following discussions: o Viewing and managing the Unidentified Software list o Transferring files from the Unidentified Software list individually and as a group of applications o Illustration of the "application group" concept 7.3.1 Viewing and Managing Unidentified Software Use the following procedure to view, sort, print and delete items from the list of unidentified software. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose either the Unidentified PC/Fileserver Software command or the Unidentified Macintosh Software command. The last command you select depends on the workstation type for which you want to view unidentified software. The Unidentified Software dialog box is displayed. Use the line up/line down and page up/page down scroll buttons to scroll through the list of file names. The following information is provided: o File Path o File Name (or File Creator for Macintosh software) o File Size NOTE: The dialog boxes displayed for both PC/Fileserver and Macintosh information are very similar. A File Name field is listed for PC applications; whereas, a File Creator field is listed for Macintosh applications. 2. To sort the Unidentified Software list, choose the Sort button. The Sort Options dialog box is displayed allowing you to select the sort method. The items in the Unidentified Software list can be sorted by either File Path or File Name/File Creator. Select the appropriate sort method, and choose the OK button. The list is sorted to reflect the selected method. 3. To print the Unidentified Software list, choose the Print button. The entire list of Unidentified Software is sent to the printer as defined by your current print parameters. 4. To delete an item from the Unidentified Software list, highlight the item name and choose the Delete button. The highlighted file name is removed from the list. Multiple files can be selected and simultaneously deleted from the list. To select more than one file name, simply click on each desired file name. 5. To deselect any highlighted files, choose the Unmark button. The highlight is removed from all files that were previously selected. 6. To close the Unidentified Software list, choose the Close button. All changes made to the Unidentified Software list are saved. 7.3.2 Transferring Unidentified Software All files listed as unidentified software can be transferred to their appropriate database (i.e., PC or MAC Software list) for inclusion in subsequent audits. Once transferred, the file(s) are removed from the Unidentified Software list and added to the target database. Many applications require more than one executable file to run the software. To accommodate this requirement and reduce the number of files listed in the software databases, LAN Inventory lets you mark a particular file as the key or identifying component of a software product. Therefore, files can be transferred from the Unidentified Software list individually or in groups. Use the following procedure to transfer unidentified software. 1. Choose Inventory from the Administration menu. From the sub-menu that is displayed, choose either the Unidentified PC/Fileserver Software command or the Unidentified Macintosh Software command. The last command you select depends on the workstation type for which you want to view unidentified software. The Unidentified Software dialog box is displayed. The items in the Unidentified Software list can be sorted by either file path/file creator or file name. To change the method by which the items are sorted, choose the Sort button. The Sort Options dialog box is displayed. Select the appropriate sort method, and choose the OK button. The list is sorted to reflect the selected method. 2. Select an individual file name or a group of files to be transferred. Multiple files can be selected by clicking on more than one file name. Choose the line up/line down and page up/page down scroll buttons to scroll through the list of file names. 3. To transfer a single file, choose the Transfer Individually button. The Transfer Unidentified Software dialog box is displayed. Depending on the type of unidentified software being viewed (i.e., either PC or MAC), the corresponding Software list is displayed on the bottom half of the dialog box for reference purposes. a - Specify details of the file to be transferred. The File Name and File Size fields are automatically filled in; however, the information can be edited. The following information must be supplied: o Product Name - enter the name which identifies the software product to which the file belongs. NOTE: If you want to add the single unidentified file to a group of files already defined in the PC or MAC Software List, then add a colon to the Product Name followed by the file name. For example, if you want to add the ABC.EXE unidentified file to the ABC product group, then enter 'ABC:ABC.EXE' in the Product Name field. By doing this, ABC.EXE will be listed with all other ABC product files in the software list. o Version Number - enter the version number of the software product to which the file belongs. o Category - from the drop down list associated with this field, select the category of the software product to which the file belongs. o Manufacturer - from the drop-down list associated with this field, select the manufacturer of the software product to which the file belongs. (If you enter a new manufacturer name, the name is added to the Manufacturers qualification list.) o Hide in Inventory - place a checkmark in this field to hide the file from inventory display. (Hidden files are listed in the qualification list, but cannot be viewed in an inventory list.) b - Choose the Transfer button. The selected file is transferred to the target database. 4. To transfer a group of files, choose the Transfer As Group button. The Transfer Unidentified Software as a Group of Applications dialog box is displayed. a - Specify details of the group to be transferred. The following information must be supplied: o Group Base Name - enter the name which identifies the software product to which the group of files belong. o Group Version - enter the version number of the software product to which the group of files belong. o Group Manufacturer - from the drop-down list associated with this field, select the manufacturer of the software product to which the group of files belong. (If you enter a new manufacturer name, the name is added to the Manufacturers qualification list.) o Category - from the drop-down list associated with this field, select the software category in which the group of files belong (e.g., word processing, games). If you enter a new Category name, the name is added to the Software Categories qualification list. o Inventory Options - select one inventory option: - Hide in Inventory - hide the entire set of files from inventory - Inventory All Members - identify all files as separate components to be inventoried - Inventory Identifier Only - inventory only the package identifier o Group Identifier - the drop-down list associated with this field lists the file names selected for transfer. Select one file that should be used to identify the group of files. NOTE: A group of unidentified files cannot be added to another group of files already defined in the PC or MAC Software List. Files can only be added to groups individually. b - Choose the OK button to begin the group transfer. The selected files are transferred to the target database. 5. When all files have been transferred, choose the Close button in the Unidentified Software list dialog box. NOTE: To include all transferred PC files in your inventory, you must subsequently run EQUIP on all workstations and then perform an audit. To include all transferred MAC files in your inventory, you must subsequently perform an audit. 7.3.3 Illustrating an Application Group As discussed immediately above, multiple files can be transferred from the Unidentified Software list in groups. Transferring a group of files associates the entire group with a specific software product. For example, the unidentified WordPerfect files SPELL.EXE, WP.EXE, and WPINFO.EXE can be transferred under the group name "WordPerfect." In addition to a group name, the transferred files are also assigned to a specific version of the product, as well as the product's manufacturer name. For example: o Group Base Name: WordPerfect o Group Version: 5.10 o Group Manufacturer: WordPerfect Corp. After being transferred, the WordPerfect files would be listed as follows in the PC Software List: o WordPerfect - SPELL.EXE 5.10 o WordPerfect - WP.EXE 5.10 o WordPerfect - WPINFO.EXE 5.10 8.0 Maintaining the Baseline Inventory Chapter 7 discussed the procedures for reviewing audit results. This chapter describes how to review and make changes to the equipment information maintained in LAN Inventory's baseline inventory file. 8.1 Introduction The baseline inventory is the equipment inventory database that is updated each time an audit is performed. LAN Inventory collection programs (EQUIP, SA_EQUIP, MACEQUIP) place the collected hardware and software data in "transaction files." The audit process compiles the transaction files and compares the most recently collected equipment inventory information against the current baseline. As a result, a new updated baseline inventory database is created. The baseline is made up of equipment inventory records which contain data specific to each type of equipment (e.g., file server, workstation). The equipment inventory records maintain data such as manufacturer, network address, memory, software applications, and storage. These records provide a basis for LAN Inventory reports and on-screen viewing. As a result, you might need to verify and update the equipment inventory information, as well as add supporting information to the component data. 8.1.1 Access to Equipment Database Information Inventory equipment database information is accessible by choosing the Inventory tool bar button or by choosing the Inventory command from the Tools menu. 8.1.2 What's in this Chapter The following chart describes the sections in this chapter: SECTION DESCRIPTION Maintaining Equipment Inventory Data Provides procedures for viewing and managing the equipment inventory. Maintaining Component Information Provides procedures for viewing and managing the detailed component data. 8.2 Maintaining Equipment Inventory Data Equipment inventory records for each workstation, file server and stand-alone machine are created or updated automatically during an audit to reflect the most current hardware and software inventory information. In addition to simply viewing the inventory data, record maintenance is sometimes necessary. For example, the floppy disk information collected by the EQUIP program is determined by the machine's CMOS set-up. If the CMOS set-up is incorrect, then the collected information regarding the machine's floppy disk(s) will not be accurate. To avoid having to run another inventory (after correcting the CMOS set-up), equipment inventory data can be corrected on-line. Two primary windows are associated with equipment inventory records: o Inventory Window - a summary screen listing each record (i.e., node) in the Equipment Inventory database. o Site: Detail Equipment Inventory Record - displays equipment-specific information for a selected node. Information includes computer data, mass storage, keyboard and port data, network adapter information and memory. Sub-dialog boxes provide software details, system files or miscellaneous equipment information for the selected record. 8.2.1 Viewing Equipment Inventory Data Use the following procedure to display the Inventory dialog box which provides a summary of each record in the Equipment Inventory database. 1. Choose the Inventory tool bar button, or choose the Inventory command from the Tools menu. The Inventory dialog box is displayed. This is a summary dialog box that is displayed a list of the workstations and file servers for each audited site. If necessary, choose the line up/line down and page up/page down scroll buttons to scroll through the list of records. 2. To change the sort method of the records, choose the Sort button. The records are initially listed in alphabetical Site order; however, you have the option of resorting the records. Upon choosing the Sort button, the View Inventory Sorting Options dialog box is displayed. The Current Sort Order is displayed at the top of this dialog box. Up to two fields can be selected to define the order in which you want the records sorted. Choose the OK button to re-sort the inventory records according to the selected method. 3. To narrow the list of records displayed, choose the Filter button. The Filter Options dialog box is displayed. Select one or more filter criteria fields, and choose the OK button. Only the inventory records that match the filter criteria will display in the Inventory dialog box. 4. To view the details of a record, highlight the desired record and choose the Edit button. You can also double click on the record to view the record details. The detail dialog box is displayed. The title bar of the dialog box indicates the last time the record's inventory data was updated. The fields in the detail dialog box differ depending on the record type (e.g., file server, MAC, PC workstation, and spare part). The fields displayed for each record type are itemized in Appendix A of this manual. Choose the horizontal and vertical scroll buttons in any of fields to scroll through the information. 5. To close the Inventory dialog box, choose the OK button. 8.2.2 Managing Equipment Inventory Records From the Inventory dialog box, new equipment inventory records can be added, existing records can be removed, and/or a record's detail information can be modified. (The Inventory dialog box is displayed by choosing the Inventory tool bar button or by choosing the Inventory command from the Tools menu.) Use the following procedure for managing records in the Equipment Inventory database. 1. To add a new equipment inventory record to the Inventory dialog box, choose the Add button. The Add New Equipment dialog box is displayed allowing you to select field values from drop-down lists to define a new record to be included in future audits. (The Asset Tag field does not have an associated drop- down list and must be manually entered.) Specify the field values for the new record, and choose the OK button. The new record is saved and added to the Inventory list. (Inventory data for the new record is automatically added by LAN Inventory after you perform an inventory on themachine and then run an audit.) 2. To remove an equipment inventory record from the Inventory dialog box, highlight the desired record and choose the Delete button. A dialog box is displayed with the prompt "Do you really want to delete this item?" Choose the Yes button to delete the record, or choose No to exit without removing the record. 3. To edit the details of an equipment inventory record, highlight the desired record and choose the Edit button. You can also double click on the record in the Inventory dialog box to view the record details. The detail dialog box is displayed. The following actions can be performed in the detail dialog box: a - To cycle through the detailed equipment inventory records listed in the Inventory dialog box, choose the Previous and Next buttons. For example, choosing the Next button will display the detailed inventory for the next record/node listed in the Inventory dialog box. b - To review the status of equipment inventories taken on the record shown in the detail dialog box, choose the Notes button. The Notes dialog box is displayed showing the last date on which an audit was performed which included this workstation, file server or MAC. Type any additional notes, and choose the OK button to return to the detail dialog box. c - To print the displayed equipment inventory record, choose the Print button. A pop-up dialog box displays a "printing" message while the record is being printed. d - To review the contents of the system files applicable to the record shown in the detail dialog box, choose the System Files button. (This button is not available for file servers and MACs.) The System Files Available list is displayed. To review the contents of a system file, highlight the desired file and choose the View button. Note that editing cannot be performed from this dialog box. Choose the Close button two times to return to the detail dialog box. e - To add a component to the record shown in the detail dialog box, choose the Add button. The Components dialog box is displayed. To display specific component information, select a component Category and Class from the drop down lists in the lower section of the Components dialog box. The data which matches the selected Category and Class is displayed in the Components dialog box. To add a component to the record shown in the detail dialog box, highlight an item and choose the Select button. To add new component data to the LAN Inventory database, choose the Add button. The Add Component dialog box is displayed. Enter the information for the new component. All entries except for Product Name can be selected from drop-down lists. Choose the OK button to add the new component information to the Components dialog box. Choose Close to return to the detail dialog box. f - To modify miscellaneous equipment related to the record shown in the detail dialog box, choose the Misc Equipment button. The Miscellaneous Equipment dialog box is displayed listing any items in this category. Highlight an item and choose the Edit button to modify the item, or choose Delete to remove the item. Choose the Close button to save any changes and to return to the detail dialog box. g - To review the software residing on the workstation, file server or MAC displayed in the detail dialog box, choose the Software Applications button. The Software Applications dialog box is displayed the application name, version, file name and path of each software application associated with this record. Choose the Close button to close the Software Applications dialog box. h - To modify a field in the detail dialog box, double click on the field to be modified. The Equipment Component dialog box is displayed. For detailed information on reviewing, adding, or modifying purchasing and/or maintenance information for a detail field, refer to the next section in this chapter entitled "Maintaining Component Information." 4. To exit the detail dialog box and save any changes made to the equipment inventory record details, choose the OK button. The Inventory (summary) dialog box is displayed. 8.3 Maintaining Component Information When an audit is performed, LAN Inventory compares the new inventory data against the data maintained in its databases and the existing equipment inventory records. Performing an audit updates the data in the equipment inventory records. You can enhance the equipment inventory record by adding and maintaining data regarding the purchase and maintenance of individual components associated with your PC workstations, file servers, and MACs. 8.3.1 Managing Component Information Use the following procedure to review, add, or modify purchasing and/or maintenance information for a detail field. 1. Choose the Inventory tool bar button, or choose the Inventory command from the Tools menu. The Inventory dialog box is displayed. This summary dialog box displays the workstations and file servers for all audited sites. 2. Highlight the record for which you want to manage component data, and choose the Edit button. You can also double click on the record in the Inventory dialog box to view the record details. The detail dialog box is displayed. 3. To add, edit or delete purchasing and/or maintenance information for a hardware component associated with this record, double click on the field which represents the component. For example, double click on the "Clk Freq" entry in the Computer Information section of the detail dialog box. The Equipment Component dialog box is displayed. This dialog box lists the purchasing and maintenance information for the selected hardware component. The following actions can be performed from within the Equipment Component dialog box: a - To add or edit purchasing or maintenance information for the hardware, type new values in the corresponding fields, or select values from the drop-down lists. Choose the OK button to save the new field values. b - To delete the hardware component, choose the Delete button. A dialog box is displayed with the message "Do you really want to delete this item?" Choose the Yes button to remove the component from the equipment inventory record. 4. To review the software application associated with this record, choose the Software Applications button in the detail dialog box. The Software Applications dialog box is displayed listing all software files associated with this record. To add or edit purchasing and/or maintenance information for a software application associated with this record, double click on the application name. The Equipment Component dialog box is displayed listing the purchasing and maintenance information for the selected software file. Enter new values in the corresponding fields, or select values from the drop-down lists. Choose the OK button to save the new field values. From within the Equipment Component dialog box, to review the path, version or size of the displayed software file, choose the Additional Application Info button. The Additional Software Information dialog box displays the Path, Version, and Size of the selected file. Choose the OK button to return to the Equipment Component dialog box. 5. Choose the OK button to close the Equipment Component dialog box and save the editing changes. 9.0 Inventory Reports Chapter 8 explained how to maintain the LAN Inventory equipment database. This chapter discusses LAN Inventory reporting module and presents instructions for generating reports. NOTE: Because BrightWorks' software distribution capabilities are provided with the inventory capabilities, the procedures in this chapter also pertain to generating distribution reports. 9.1 Introduction LAN Inventory is shipped with several pre-defined inventory and distribution reports called "style sheets." These style sheets represent frequently requested reports which can also be customized to accommodate a specific need. By performing a "query," the information included in a report can be filtered according to virtually any combination of values maintained in the LAN Inventory database. For example, a report based on the Applications by Name style sheet will list all software applications in the LAN Inventory database. The reported software data can also be filtered to include only the Microsoft Word software running on 386 machines with CPU speeds greater than 16 MHz. Queries can be saved and attached to any number of style sheets. As discussed in the BrightWorks manual, the same queries apply to the scopes used within LAN Inventory's software distribution feature. In addition to customizing the pre-defined style sheets, reports that are created using the Crystal Reports software can be added into the LAN Inventory system. These added reports can be customized, renamed and/or deleted. NOTE: The Crystal Reports software is installed using the LAN Inventory install utility. Refer to the installation instructions in Chapter 2 of this manual. When installed, a Crystal Reports program icon is added to the MCAFEE Program Manager group. Procedures for using Crystal Reports are presented in Appendices F-H of this manual. IMPORTANT: Because the reporting function for inventory and distribution reports is the same, instructions for both are provided in this chapter. If you purchased LAN Inventory, the distribution reports described in this chapter are not included with your product. If you purchased BrightWorks, you get both the inventory and distribution reports. 9.1.1 Access to LAN Inventory Reports By choosing the Inventory and Distribution command from the Report menu, the Choose Report dialog box is displayed listing the LAN Inventory reports (it will also list distribution reports if you purchased BrightWorks). NOTE: Choosing the Reports tool bar button will display the Choose Report dialog box that was last selected from the Reports menu (e.g., either the inventory/distribution reports or the metering/monitoring/security reports). 9.1.2 What's in this Chapter The following chart describes the sections in this chapter: SECTION DESCRIPTION Using Pre-defined Report Style Sheets Presents the procedures for generating pre-defined reports and selecting an output option; describes the contents of each pre-defined report. Using Queries to Customize Reports Presents the procedures for creating queries to filter report data, applying queries to reports and saving the report under a new name. Adding Reports Presents the procedures for adding and managing new reports. 9.2 Using Pre-defined Report Style Sheets The pre-defined inventory style sheets supplied with LAN Inventory represent frequently requested inventory reports. A pre-defined report can be generated "as is," or it can be customized by applying queries which further define the data to be included in the report. This section lists the procedures for generating a report using the pre-defined style sheets. (The procedures for creating, applying and managing queries are discussed in the next section of this chapter.) NOTE: The pre-defined LAN Inventory report style sheets cannot be deleted. 9.2.1 Printing Pre-defined Reports Use the following procedure to generate a pre-defined report without applying any queries. 1. Choose the Inventory and Distribution command from the Reports menu. The Choose Report dialog box is displayed listing the reports pertaining to inventory and distribution. 2. From the list of Report Names, select the report you want to generate. Your selection is highlighted. The default selection is the first report name in the list. 3. Select the report's Destination. The following destinations are available: o Printer - Sends the report to the printer and uses the currently defined Printer Set-up parameters. (Refer to the section entitled "Printer Set-up and Administration" in Chapter 3 for instructions on administering your print set-up.) o Screen - Sends the report to a dialog box on your screen. Use the scroll bars to scroll through the report contents. Double click on the control menu button to close the dialog box when you are finished. o File - Sends the report to a file. When this option is selected, the File Format options become available. The format options are: - Text - output file is saved in ASCII format. - Comma Delimited - output file is saved in a comma delimited format in which commas are used to separate the fields. 4. Choose the OK button to initiate the creation of the report. A Printing dialog box is displayed indicating the status of the report generation. NOTES: a - If the report is being sent to a file, you are prompted to enter a file name. Enter the file name and destination, and choose the OK button. The Printing dialog box is displayed even if the report is being sent to a file. b - If the report is sent to the screen, the resulting report is displayed in a Crystal Reports dialog box. The buttons at the top of the dialog box from left to right can be chosen for page scroll to first page, previous page, next page, last page, stop scroll, page magnification and route report to printer. For detailed instructions on using the Crystal Reports software, refer to Appendices F-H. 9.2.2 A List of Pre-defined Inventory Reports The pre-defined inventory reports supplied with LAN Inventory (and BrightWorks) are listed below. The report name, file name and definition are provided. o Applications by Group (BYGROUP.RPT) - categorized by Site and then User; this report lists the Name, Type, Version and Publisher of each application. o Applications by Name (BYNAME.RPT) - categorized by Site and then Application Name; this report lists the Type, Version, Publisher and User of each application. o Applications by Type (BYTYPE.RPT) - categorized by Site and then Application Type; this report lists the Name, Type, Version and Publisher of each application. o Change in Installed Applications (CHINSAPP.RPT) - categorized by Site and then User Name; this report lists the names and status of the applications that have changed since the last audit. o Change in Installed Fileserver Hardware (CHISHWSV.RPT) - categorized by Server Name; this report lists the file server hardware and the changes that have occurred since the last audit. o Change in Installed Macintosh Hardware (CHISHWMC.RPT) - categorized by Macintosh User Name; this report lists the Macintosh hardware and the changes that have occurred since the last audit. o Change in Installed Workstation Hardware (CHISHWPC.RPT) - categorized by PC User Name; this report lists the PC hardware and the changes that have occurred since the last audit. o Change in System Files (SYSFCHG.RPT) - categorized by Site and then by User Name; this report lists the system file names and the modifications that have occurred since the last audit (e.g., new, missing). o Completed Software Distribution Packages (COPLETE.RPT) - categorized by Site and then by Package Name; this report lists the receiving User Name, Node Address, Distribution Date and Time for each completed package. o Equipment List (EQIPLIST.RPT) - categorized by Site and then by User Name; this report lists the hardware and provides a description of each item. o Fileserver Equipment (FSVER.RPT) - categorized by Server Name; this report lists the identifying information and provides a description of each hardware component. o Incomplete Software Distribution Packages INCOMPLT.RPT) - categorized by Site and then by Package Name; this report lists the receiving User Name, Node Address, Distribution Date, Time and Status for each incomplete package. o Installed Fileserver Hardware (INSTHWS.RPT) - categorized by Site and then Server Name; this report provides a description of each hardware component. o Installed Macintosh Hardware (INSTHWM.RPT) - categorized by Site and then Macintosh User Name; this report provides a description of each hardware component. o Installed Workstation Hardware (INSTHWP.RPT) - categorized by Site and then PC User Name; this report provides a description of each hardware component. o Macintosh Equipment (MAC_ST.RPT) - categorized by Macintosh User Name; this report lists the identifying information and provides a description of each hardware component. o Workstation Report (WSREPOT.RPT) - categorized by PC User Name; this report lists the identifying information and provides a description of each hardware component. 9.3 Using Queries to Customize Reports Queries can be defined and applied against a report to act as a filter for the data gathered from the LAN Inventory database. Queries can be saved and applied to any number of reports. The same queries can also be used when creating scopes for BrightWorks' software distribution, as discussed in the BrightWorks manual. This section lists the procedures for: o Applying a query to a report o Customizing report style sheets o Removing a query from a report o Creating a new query o Editing a query o Deleting a query 9.3.1 Applying a Query to a Report Applying a query against report data can be used to generate a custom report. Use the following procedure to apply an existing query to a report. 1. Choose the Inventory and Distribution command from the Reports menu. The Choose Report dialog box is displayed listing the reports pertaining to inventory and distribution. 2. From the list of Report Names, select the report to which you want to apply a query. Your selection is highlighted, and the Current Query field displays the name of the query currently applied to the selected report. NOTE: The entry in the Current Query field indicates that no query is currently applied to the report. 3. Choose the Select button to the right of the Current Query field. The Select Query dialog box is displayed listing all queries. 4. Select the query name from the Available Queries list, and choose the Apply button. To select a query name, point to the query and click the left mouse button. Upon choosing the Apply button, the Select Query dialog box closes and the selected query name is placed into the Current Query field of the Choose Report dialog box. The LAN Inventory database records are sorted, and only the records that match the query's specified filter criteria will be included when the report is generated. NOTE: Before applying a query, make sure that the correct report name is highlighted in the Choose Report dialog box. 9.3.2 Customizing Report Style Sheets Customized LAN Inventory and distribution reports can be created by assigning unique names to the pre-defined reports and then applying a query to each customized report. NOTE: For instructions on using the Crystal Reports software to create new inventory and distribution reports, refer to Appendices F-H. Use the following procedure to customize a pre-defined style sheet. 1. From the list of Report Names in the Choose Report dialog box, select the report on which you want to base the new report. Select a report that consists of fields and data which are similar to the report to be created. For example, you might select the Workstation Equipment report to create a new report which lists the 386 workstation nodes. 2. Choose the New button in the Choose Report dialog box. The New Report dialog box is displayed. 3. Enter a new unique name in the Report Name field. When the New Report dialog box first displays, the name of the selected report is in the Report Name field. Delete the existing name, and enter the new report name. 4. Select a file name to be associated with the new report. The File Name field has an associated drop-down list of file names residing in the LANINV (or BWORKS) program directory. Because the new report is to be based on the report selected in the Choose Report dialog box, click on the file name of the selected report. For example, if the new report is to be based on the pre-defined Applications by Group report, then select the file name BYGROUP.RPT. 5. Choose the OK button to save the new report information. The New Report dialog box closes, and the new report name is added to the Choose Report dialog box. To customize the data to be included in the new report, use the procedure in the section entitled "Applying a Query to a Report." 9.3.3 Removing a Query from a Report Use the following procedure to remove a query from a report. 1. From the list of Report Names in the Choose Report dialog box, select the report for which you want to remove the query. Your selection is highlighted, and the Current Query field displays the name of the query currently applied to the selected report. 2. Choose the Select button to the right of the Current Query field. The Select Query dialog box is displayed. 3. Select the query name, and choose the Apply button. The Select Query dialog box closes. The filter criteria is removed and all records that apply to the report will be included when the report is generated. 9.3.4 Creating a New Query Use the following procedure to create a new query. The procedure assumes that you have already chosen the Select button in the Choose Report dialog box to display the Select Query dialog box. NOTE: All queries are also available from the LAN Inventory software distribution feature when creating scopes, as discussed in the BrightWorks manual. 1. Choose the Add button in the Select Query dialog box. The Add Query dialog box is displayed. Press the key to move from field to field within this dialog box. 2. Enter a Query Name and define a filter entry. The purpose of each filter entry is to narrow down the list of records to be included in a report. If more than one filter entry is defined, the entries are "linked" using either the AND or OR relationship. For example, assume the following two filter entries: Central Processing Unit = Intel_80386 CPU Clock Frequency > 66.00 Mhz If the entries are linked with the AND relationship, only the nodes that satisfy both criteria (i.e., the 80386 machines that have a clock speed greater than 66 Mhz) are included in the report definition. If the entries are linked with the OR relationship, the nodes that satisfy either criteria (i.e., all Intel 80386 machines and all machines that have a clock speed greater than 66 Mhz) are included in the report definition. For each filter entry, specify the following: o Query Name - Enter a query name up to 80 characters in length. o Component - Choose a component from the LAN Inventory database to use as the filter basis. Select a component from the drop-down list associated with this field (e.g., Brand, Computer Model, CPU Clock Frequency). o Condition - Choose a conditional operator from the drop-down list associated with this field (e.g., equal to, less than, greater than, not equal to). 'Equal to' is the default condition. o Description - If desired, choose a description of the component. (This field can be NULL.) The items which automatically display in this list depend on the selected component. For example, "Intel_80386" might display if Central Processing Unit is entered in the Component field; "16.00 Mhz" might display if CPU Clock Frequency is entered in the Component field. See Note (a) below. o Query Link - Specify the relationship between the filter entries (e.g., Central Processing Unit = 80386 OR Central Processing Unit = 80486). The link options are AND and OR. See Note (b) below. NOTES: a - To create a query which tests for the presence of a component, leave the Description field blank. For example, to include all nodes with a hard disk, construct a query with the following entries: Component = Hard Disk #1 < > In this case, the Component description is left blank, and the query results in including all nodes which have a hard disk (i.e., Hard Disk #1 does not equal blank). b - All filter entries in a query must have the same Query Link type (e.g., all entries will be linked by AND or all entries will be linked by OR). 3. Choose the Insert button to accept the filter entry definition. The entry is added to the Current Query list in the Edit Query dialog box. 4. If required, insert additional filter entries. Repeat steps #2 and #3 above. NOTE: To add a filter entry between existing entries, first highlight the filter entry line in the Current Query list where you want the new entry to be placed. The new defined entry is placed in the highlighted position. 5. When all filter entries are defined, choose the Save button. The query is saved and added to the Available Queries list in the Select Query dialog box. The new query can now be applied to a report. 9.3.5 Editing a Query Use the following procedure to edit the definition of an existing query. The procedure assumes that you have already chosen the Select button in the Choose Report dialog box to display the Select Query dialog box. 1. Select a query from the Select Query dialog box, and choose the Edit button. The Edit Query dialog box is displayed showing the query's filter entries. 2. Modify the information, and choose the Save button. For instructions on modifying the filter entries, follow the procedure above entitled "Creating a New Query." To delete a filter entry, highlight the entry in the Current Query List and choose the Delete button. NOTE: To add a filter entry between existing entries, first highlight the filter entry line in the Current Query List where you want the new entry to be placed. The new defined entry is placed in the highlighted position. 9.3.6 Deleting a Query Use the following procedure to delete an existing query. The procedure assumes that you have already chosen the Select button in the Choose Report dialog box to display the Select Query dialog box. 1. Select the query to be deleted from the Select Query dialog box, and choose the Delete button. A prompt is displayed asking you to verify the delete action. Choose the Yes button to delete the query. The query is removed from the Available Queries list. NOTE: Queries that are currently applied to a software distribution scope and/or inventory/distribution report can be deleted. 9.4 Adding New Reports Additional reports can be incorporated into the LAN Inventory system through the use of the Crystal Reports software. Queries can also be applied to the new reports, and once added, the reports can be renamed and/or deleted. NOTE: The Crystal Reports software is installed with LAN Inventory. A Crystal Reports program icon is added to the MCAFEE Program Manager group. Procedures for using Crystal Reports are presented in Appendices F-H. 9.4.1 Adding Reports New reports created using the Crystal Reports software can be added into LAN Inventory by using the following procedure. All report files (.RPT) must be located in the LANINV program directory. Use the following procedure to add a new report into LAN Inventory. 1. Choose the Inventory and Distribution command from the Reports menu. The Choose Report dialog box is displayed. 2. Choose the New button. The New Report dialog box is displayed. 3. Enter the Report Name of the report to be added. The name entered in this field is the name that will display in the Choose Report dialog box. 4. Select the File Name, and choose the OK button. Select the .RPT file name to be added into LAN Inventory. (The .RPT files that display are located in the LANINV program directory.) The selected file will be associated with the Report Name entered in the above step. 9.4.2 Renaming Added Reports Use the following procedure to rename a Crystal report that has been added into LAN Inventory. 1. Choose the Inventory and Distribution command from the Reports menu. The Choose Report dialog box is displayed. 2. From the list of Report Names, select the report to be renamed, and choose the Rename button. The Rename Report dialog box is displayed prompting you to enter a new report name. 3. Enter the new report name, and choose the OK button. The new report name is displayed in the Choose Report dialog box, and the old name is removed. All attributes of the old report are preserved in the renamed report (i.e., the report contents and applied query do not change). 9.4.3 Deleting Reports Use the following procedure to delete a Crystal report that has been added into LAN Inventory. NOTE: A pre-defined LAN Inventory report style sheet cannot be deleted; however, a report that was created using the Crystal Reports software and then added into LAN Inventory can be deleted. 1. Choose the Inventory and Distribution command from the Reports menu. The Choose Report dialog box is displayed. 2. From the list of Report Names, select the report to be deleted, and choose the Delete button. A prompt is displayed asking you to confirm the deletion. 3. Choose the Yes button to delete the report. If deleted, the report name is removed from the Choose Report dialog box.