Using Configuration Items instead of Software Inventory
Issue to be solved: Software Inventory (which is really FILE inventory) you've noticed takes FOREVER when you define a rule like "dropbox.exe on c:\users\", the clients take several minutes to run that query. and the more rules you make, the longer it might take your clients to run software inventory.
Resolution: whenever possible, forget creating software (file) inventory rules. This blog post will show how to setup a rule looking for dropbox.exe on c:\users\, and you can get back File Version so you can run reports.
Take the attached --> here <-- and import it into your console, Configuration Items. Create a Baseline and deploy that Baseline to a target collection. What should happen is if the file dropbox.exe is in c:\users\ somewhere, those boxes will report non-compliant, and will report the Fileversion, and path location, where dropbox.exe is located.
Why I used dropbox.exe... dropbox.exe may not be listed in Installed Software, nor in Add/Remove Programs. It might be listed in ccm_recentlyusedapps. Using this as a sample, after you've deployed this, run this .sql query to see which computers, the version, and path.
selects1.netbios_name0,
ci.displayname,
rooles.RuleName,
perclientdetails.DiscoveredValue,
perclientDetails.InstancePath as 'Found In'
from
v_localizedciproperties ci
join vDCMDeploymentNonCompliantRuleDetailsPerClientMachine perclientDetails
on perclientdetails.ci_id=ci.ci_id
join v_CIRules rooles on rooles.rule_id=perclientdetails.rule_id
join v_r_system s1 on s1.ResourceID=perclientDetails.ItemKey
where
ci.displayname = 'File Inventory Dropbox.exe'
and
ci.localeid = 1033
order by s1.Netbios_Name0
One interesting caveat: every time you change a ConfigItem (add something) the vDCMDeploymentNonCompliantRuleDetailsPerClientMachine will "reset", so if you don't want to "lose" history, you'll want to likely simply make more CIs. Not edit existing ones.
This sample was to show you can get version of any dropbox.exe file, for reporting purposes. If, for example, what you really need to be able to do is create a collection of "machines where widgets.exe located in c:\program files\widgets is less than version 5.4.3.2", then make a ConfigItem for widgets.exe, in that folder, and "compliant" means version is greater than or equal to 5.4.3.2. You can then easily right-click the CI and make a collection of Non-Compliant machines.
I encourage you to test it out for yourself; and see how quickly on a client a CI runs; vs. software file inventory for the same file.
- Created on .