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Titre
Use a custom inventory rule to report on non-inventoried items in Windows -
Description
It is possible to use a custom inventory rule to track detailed information that the KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) does not inventory by default. Though the SMA already gathers IP and subnet mask, this article was created to serve as an example of how to write a ShellCommandTextReturn custom inventory rule.
NOTE: This example was written using SMA version 9.0 and Windows 10, but it should be applicable for any current version of Windows and the SMA. -
Résolution
Gather necessary information:
Custom inventory rules can be used to gather detailed information from inventory. In this example, we are gathering information which already exists in the device detail, however, this is just to serve as example of how to create a custom inventory rule.
NOTE: KACE Support is only able to assist with basic structure or possible break-fix situations when it comes to custom inventory rules. For assistance with structure or break-fix, please contact technical support. For assistance with writing custom inventory rules, please contact Professional Services. This is a fee-based service.
For this example, this command line instruction returns the IP address and subnet mask for the Windows client machine:
ipconfig | findstr "IPv4 Address";"Subnet Mask"
Once the command line instruction is determined, a software inventory item will need to be created.
To create a custom inventory rule:
- Navigate to Inventory | Software | Choose Action | New.
- Name and describe the software inventory item as needed. Using "CIR" in the name is recommended to keep track of custom inventory rules.
- Add the applicable operating systems.
NOTE: Every version of the SMA does not share the exact same format for selecting operating systems (OS). Older versions of the SMA or single-selecting specific OS versions may cause a situation where the software item (CIR) needs to be updated as new OS versions are released.
- Add the custom inventory rule needed to the "Custom Inventory Rule" field. In this case, the command requires the use of ShellCommandTextReturn. The full command needed will be:
- ShellCommandTextReturn(ipconfig | findstr "IPv4 Address";"Subnet Mask")
NOTE: For further examples of the types of custom inventory rules available, please click on the blue question mark box next to "Custom Inventory Rule" or refer to the KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Administrator guide.
Once the applicable client machines complete inventory, the custom inventory rule will be applied to the machine's Device Detail record under Software | Custom Inventory Fields.
To create a report based on the custom inventory rule:
- Navigate to Reporting | Choose Action | New (Wizard).
- Title, categorize and describe the report as needed. Leave Device selected as the topic. Click Next.
- Click the right arrow next to Device Identity Information. At a minimum, select System Name. Add others as needed.
- Click the right arrow next to Custom Fields. Select the custom inventory rule created above. Click Next.
- Order columns if necessary. Click Next.
- Add sorts and breaks as needed. Click Next.
- Add filters if necessary. Click Save.
Once the report is saved, find the report in the Reports listing and select a report format from the right hand side (HTML, CSV, etc.)