myITforum.com Community Forum myITforum.com Community Forum

Home  Forums  Blogs  Live Support chat  Search Articles  Wiki  FAQ  Email Lists  Register  Login  My Profile  Inbox  Address Book  My Subscription  My Forums 

Photo Gallery  Member List  Search  Calendars  FAQ  Ticket List  Log Out

All Forums RSS Feed Subscription:


  


Extra Info

 
View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest
  Printable Version
All Forums >> [Management Products] >> Microsoft Systems Management Server >> SMS 2003 >> Extra Info Page: [1]
Login
Message << Older Topic   Newer Topic >>
Extra Info - 8/10/2008 6:55:19 PM   
alokin123

 

Posts: 28
Score: 0
Joined: 8/7/2008
Status: offline
We are contemplating decommissioning our current hardware database in favor of SMS. What we ideally want to do is use SMS to store extra info like asset sticker number, division, office location etc.. In our dev environment i have successfully managed to add the data to the WMI on the client machines. Here is what my mof looks like:

#pragma namespace ("\\\\.\\root\\CIMv2")
class Static_MOF
{
       [key]
       string username;
   string assettag;
       string location;
       string division;
   string rating;
   string warranty;
};
instance of Static_MOF
{
       username = "bloggsj";
   assettag = "1234";
       location = "base office";
       division = "accounting";
   rating = "E";
   warranty = "1/1/2008";

};


And i have added this to my sms_def.mof:

#pragma namespace ("\\\\.\\root\\CIMv2\\sms")
[ SMS_Report     (TRUE),
 SMS_Group_Name ("Static AssetInfo MOF"),
 SMS_Class_ID   ("MICROSOFT|Static_MOF|1.0")]
class Static_MOF : SMS_Class_Template
{
   [SMS_Report(TRUE), key]
       string username;
   [SMS_Report(TRUE)]
       string assettag;
   [SMS_Report(TRUE)]
       string location;
   [SMS_Report(TRUE)]
       string division;
   [SMS_Report(TRUE)]
       string rating;
   [SMS_Report(TRUE)]
       string warranty;
};

I can see the details in the resource explorer. First question is, how i can produce a useful report from that data. Secondly, is there another way to do it? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Post #: 1
RE: Extra Info - 8/10/2008 10:13:01 PM   
skissinger


Posts: 2293
Score: 145
Joined: 9/13/2001
From: Sherry Kissinger
Status: offline
In your console, if you go to the Reporting section, you can create new reports there.  In general, most reports join views together using resourceid.  Assuming the view for your static class is v_gs_StaticMOF (it could be v_gs_staticmof0), probably something like...

select sys.netbios_name0, st.username, st.assettag, st.location, st.division, st.rating, st.warranty from
v_r_system sys join v_gs_staticmof st on sys.resourceid=st.resourceid
order by sys.netbios_name0

_____________________________

mofmaster@smsexpert.com (version 2007) | http://www.smsexpert.com | http://www.sccmexpert.com
My Blog
Microsoft MVP - ConfigMgr

(in reply to alokin123)
Post #: 2
RE: Extra Info - 8/10/2008 10:56:26 PM   
alokin123

 

Posts: 28
Score: 0
Joined: 8/7/2008
Status: offline
thanks for that! its just what I'm looking for. I really need to brush up on this stuff.

(in reply to skissinger)
Post #: 3
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 12:22:57 AM   
alokin123

 

Posts: 28
Score: 0
Joined: 8/7/2008
Status: offline
Just going back on this, is there a recommended way for updating details? i.e. if the username or office location changes.
In my dev environment i went in to the database and manually changed some details and the changes stuck but if i recompile again on the machine and do a hardware inventory it doesn't overwrite the changes i made in the database. I'm just curious, if i hadn't touched the database and just changed the mof file and compiled again on the client machine would that have updated the database? is that the best way to do it? I just want to make this updating of our records as convenient as possible when hardware changes hands

(in reply to alokin123)
Post #: 4
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 1:13:31 PM   
gjones


Posts: 903
Score: 60
Joined: 6/5/2001
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Status: offline
You are better off adding this information to the registry of each PC.  I says this because the way you are trying to setup the MOF is not really supported.

You are going to ask why, I say that and the answer is because you are setting the details for only one user.

instance of Static_MOF
{
      username = "bloggsj";
  assettag = "1234";
      location = "base office";
      division = "accounting";
  rating = "E";
  warranty = "1/1/2008";

};

If this information is set in the registry then you can edit as you see fit and ConfigMgr / SMS will pick up the changes and report them back to your db.

BTW, Edit the db is completely unsupported and not recommended.

_____________________________

Garth@enhansoft.com

For a List of my Articles
http://www.myitforum.com/contrib/default.asp?cid=116
Blogs:
http://smsug.ca/blogs/garth_jones/default.aspx
http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/gjones/default.aspx


(in reply to alokin123)
Post #: 5
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 4:13:47 PM   
skissinger


Posts: 2293
Score: 145
Joined: 9/13/2001
From: Sherry Kissinger
Status: offline
To put in my 2 cents' (or less) worth of opinion.... I'm not a big fan of having static information in WMI or the registry, and depending upon that data to be close to accurate, or even there at all, to be picked up by an SMS or ConfigMgr inventory.  There's too much of a human element for mistakes, failure to update, or failure to input the data at all.  Also, if a computer goes walkabout for more than your cleanup schedule, it'll drop out of the database anyway.  So if you are relying upon these reports to know where a computer is, in 3 years if a computer has left the premises you might never know what happened to it. 

Think of it this way:  Configuration Manager is to Configure & Maintain existing computers that connect to your network.  It's not really designed to be an All-in-One Asset Management solution to track things like invoice#, etc. over the long term.

Sure, you could add it to WMI or the registry as a *secondary* location for that information.  But I wouldn't rely on it to be the primary/main database holding that information.

Again, just my opinion, which as many people maintain is not worth the 2 (Canadian) pennies you might have given me.  (not-so-subtle Canuck dig, sorry G!)

_____________________________

mofmaster@smsexpert.com (version 2007) | http://www.smsexpert.com | http://www.sccmexpert.com
My Blog
Microsoft MVP - ConfigMgr

(in reply to gjones)
Post #: 6
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 5:49:39 PM   
alokin123

 

Posts: 28
Score: 0
Joined: 8/7/2008
Status: offline
Thanks for the honest response. I personally don't like doing it this way either but my boss is keen on using sms to house this data. I don't suppose there is a 3rd party application that would help with something like this that integrates with SMS? 

(in reply to skissinger)
Post #: 7
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 5:50:36 PM   
alokin123

 

Posts: 28
Score: 0
Joined: 8/7/2008
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: gjones

You are better off adding this information to the registry of each PC.  I says this because the way you are trying to setup the MOF is not really supported.

You are going to ask why, I say that and the answer is because you are setting the details for only one user.

instance of Static_MOF
{
     username = "bloggsj";
assettag = "1234";
     location = "base office";
     division = "accounting";
rating = "E";
warranty = "1/1/2008";

};

If this information is set in the registry then you can edit as you see fit and ConfigMgr / SMS will pick up the changes and report them back to your db.

BTW, Edit the db is completely unsupported and not recommended.


Just out of curiosity, how do i go about adding this to the registry as opposed to WMI and then getting SMS to collect the info?

(in reply to gjones)
Post #: 8
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 6:02:25 PM   
skissinger


Posts: 2293
Score: 145
Joined: 9/13/2001
From: Sherry Kissinger
Status: offline
How about this.

Just because I don't agree it's a good place to keep that info doesn't mean I don't know how to do it. 

_____________________________

mofmaster@smsexpert.com (version 2007) | http://www.smsexpert.com | http://www.sccmexpert.com
My Blog
Microsoft MVP - ConfigMgr

(in reply to alokin123)
Post #: 9
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 6:31:11 PM   
gjones


Posts: 903
Score: 60
Joined: 6/5/2001
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: skissinger

To put in my 2 cents' (or less) worth of opinion....

Again, just my opinion, which as many people maintain is not worth the 2 (Canadian) pennies you might have given me.  (not-so-subtle Canuck dig, sorry G!)


Yes.. the USD is again worth more than the Canada dollar, Newman!   As long as it stay about this level, I will be happy. So feel free to send those US pennies my way.   P.S. I take dollars too. :-)


_____________________________

Garth@enhansoft.com

For a List of my Articles
http://www.myitforum.com/contrib/default.asp?cid=116
Blogs:
http://smsug.ca/blogs/garth_jones/default.aspx
http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/gjones/default.aspx


(in reply to skissinger)
Post #: 10
RE: Extra Info - 8/13/2008 7:57:43 PM   
alokin123

 

Posts: 28
Score: 0
Joined: 8/7/2008
Status: offline
thanks for your help. Much appreciated!

(in reply to skissinger)
Post #: 11
Page:   [1]
All Forums >> [Management Products] >> Microsoft Systems Management Server >> SMS 2003 >> Extra Info Page: [1]
Jump to:





New Messages No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages Locked w/o New Messages
 Post New Thread
 Reply to Message
 Post New Poll
 Submit Vote
 Delete My Own Post
 Delete My Own Thread
 Rate Posts



  
Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI

1.750