Hardware and software detection

Hardware and software discovery of computers on the network is performed by the administrator first issuing hardware and software discovery requests for selected computers in the AM Console. The requests are stored in a database. AM Collector handles the requests and stores the results of the detections back into the database where they are available for viewing in AM Console.

Detection methods

Hardware and software of computers in the network can be detected by installing Agents (recommended). For more options, see Detection method selection.

Detection Settings

Each computer may use a different detection method. Which detection path is used for which computer is determined by the detection profile assigned to the computer. By default, all computers use the Default detection profile. You can change the settings of this profile, or you can create your own detection profiles and assign them to computers, for example in the object tree on a computer type object using the local menu command - Set Detection.

Tip:
If you want the computer to be undetectable for some reason (e.g. it is running on Linux, Apple operating systems), check Detection way for both hardware detection and software detection. Setting up detection in this way will then ensure that bulk requests do not generate detection requests for the machine.
Note:
The detection profile to use when creating detection requests. Changing the profile later will not affect requests already created.
Note:
For each computer, you can define custom detection settings to be used instead of a detection profile. This option will be removed in future versions of Alvao and is no longer recommended.

Creating Detection Requests

To create multiple computer discovery requests:

  1. In the object tree, select the organizational folder in which you want to detect the software.
  2. In main window in the top right, select the Objects and the Computers view.
  3. Select the computers you want to detect. (To select the entire list, press Ctrl+ A.) Then right-click and select the command - Detect from the menu.
  4. A window will open on the screen New Detection - Basic, where you can specify the scope and method of detection. By default, you can leave the option enabled. Use saved settings and continue with the OK.
  5. You can monitor the processing progress of the created requests in the main window on the Detection in the Status column. The tab shows all requests related to all computers in the organizational folder that is currently selected in the tree.
Tip:
You can also use the Detect command in the object tree on a specific computer.

Creating a request for immediate detection of HW and SW

To perform an immediate HW or SW detection, use the following procedure:

  1. In the object tree in the AM Console, select computer.
  2. From the local menu, select Detect.
  3. The New Detection window will appear, where you turn on the Detect and evaluate immediately.
    Note: When a single PC is selected, the option is automatically enabled.
  4. Finish the detection settings and select OK.
  5. Now a new detection request will be created on the Detection tab, which Collector will try to execute and evaluate as quickly as possible. If the computer already had a pending request (for example, scheduled automatically), this request will be replaced with the newly created one.
Tip:
You can also select an entire organizational unit and on the Objects tab, multiple computers at the same time.
Tip:
Instant detection can only be guaranteed for the No Agent, Agent over TCP/IP and automatic detection methods. If you need to detect immediately with the Autonomous Agent method, you need to abbreviate Agent's polling interval to the WebService.
Note:
Requests entered in this way are executed starting from the oldest. If the computer is powered off, detection is deferred according to the settings in WebApp - Manage - Asset Management - Servers - Edit - the settings in the Detection block.

Create a request for immediate detection evaluation

If you want to evaluate the detection immediately, use the following procedure:

  1. In the tree, select a specific computer or organizational unit and go to the Detection tab.
  2. Select the desired detections and from the local menu select the Evaluate Now.
  3. Detection status will change to "Waiting for detection evaluation".
  4. Collector will now attempt to process the request as quickly as possible even outside of the detection evaluation schedule.

Display instant detection requests

  1. In the AM Console, select the desired organization in the object tree.
  2. Go to the Detection tab.
  3. View the Immediately column, which determines whether the request should be processed immediately (if manually entered, select Detect and Evaluate Immediately).
  4. If you sort the list of requests by the Immediately column, you can easily find all requests for immediate detection.

Automatic detection scheduling

We recommend that computers be detected periodically using automatic detection scheduling. Depending on how up-to-date you want the information to be, specify a period (number of days) after which a new detection and evaluation should be automatically performed. When the system finds a detection older than the number of days you specify, it creates a request for a new detection. The default period is set in WebApp - Administration - Asset Management - Detect Profiles - Edit - Automatic Detection Scheduling Period.

Tip:
Once a new detection is created and evaluated, it is recommended to invalidate the older detection. This can be set in WebApp - Administration - Asset Management - Settings - Detection by enabling the Maintain only one valid detection per computer option.
Note:
When detections will be performed and evaluated can be specified in the server settings: Alvao WebApp - Administration - Asset Management - Servers - Edit- block Scheduling.

Hardware detection

When a new computer is inserted into the registry, only the Assembly - Computer object pair is created. After the hardware detection is completed, additional objects representing the detected parts of the assembly or computer components appear in the assembly and computer.

When you redetect the computer hardware later, the default setting removes all computer components and replaces them with the currently detected ones. Objects that are automatically updated in this way according to the hardware detection are marked with a yellow triangle in the tree. Assembly components are not updated. Only new objects are created if, for example, you connect a printer, etc.

For each object in a computer report, you can set whether or not it should be automatically updated. In the object tree, right-click on the object, then in appeared menu click on Edit option. A window will open on the screen Object - General, where you can turn on or off the Automatically update based on detection.

The images show the default settings that govern the object template settings (the first one the on the Properties tab, the second one on the Detail window). Cmponents inside the computer are automatically updated, if you see an yellow triangle over them. The components of the assembly do not change.

Objects that do not update automatically must be updated manually. If you right-click on the computer in the tree and select Hardware - Details from the menu, a window will open on the screen Hardware Detection Detail with a detailed view of the last hardware detection taken, which you can follow.

Caution:
Because updating is done by removing existing objects and creating new ones, do not write any notes to objects that are automatically updated, create document links, etc. You would lose this information at the next hardware detection. If you want to keep a component, such as a hard disk, as a separate asset with notes and documents, first disable automatic updating for it.
Note:
If you have two or more hard drives on your computer and you turn off automatic updating for one of them, the remaining hard drives will not be updated. This is because the system cannot accurately match detected drives to drives in the registry and does not know which to update and which not to update.
Note:
Objects in the tree are automatically updated according to the hardware detection performed only if the Update objects in the tree option is enabled in the detection profile.
Note:
If key identifying components of a computer happen to contain duplicate and meaningless values in the serial number (e.g. multiple motherboards with serial number: 000000), it is possible to add these values to the so-called HW blacklist.
Note:
The values of the following properties are automatically updated according to the hardware detection if they are contained in an object of type computer:
  • Total hard drive capacity (GB)
  • Case type
  • Graphic card
  • Host computer
  • IP addresses
  • MAC addresses
  • Model
  • Last logged in user (username)
  • Operating system
  • Number of physical CPU cores
  • Number of logical CPU cores
  • Number of hard disks
  • Number of processors
  • Description
  • Processor
  • BIOS serial number
  • Part of a domain
  • RAM size (GB)
  • Manufacturer

Software Detection

If the Update installation log option is enabled in the detection profile for software detection, the detection result is automatically evaluated against the library of software products and entered into the installation log, records of product installs or uninstalls are automatically entered so that the recorded status matches the detected status. The logs are created with the detection processing date.

When you disable the Update installation records option, You can manually update the installation records by right-clicking on the relevant software detection in the main window on the Detection tab and selecting Software - Compare with installation status from the menu. The screen will display a Installation logging vs. software detection, which displays the entries that need to be created in the installation log. You can select only certain entries in the list and have them created at your discretion.

To properly evaluate software detection, it is therefore advisable to load the current software product library with Software - Software Product Library - Load Current Library before submitting a detection request to the database. When you execute this command after the software has been detected, all computers are re-evaluated for the last detections made against the updated library and the installation records are updated if necessary.

Tip:
If the system does not detect some programs and the Software tab you see unrecognized records, select the unrecognized records and use the Send SW to identify... command from the local menu. A wizard will be displayed where you can enter advanced information for the unrecognized records, and once this wizard is complete, a request will be created and sent by Collector to our specialists. They will add the unrecognized products to the standard library. Once the new library is downloaded, the records will be recognized.
Tip:
Details of the last computer detection To view the software detection detail, right-click on the computer in the tree and select from the menu Software - Details.

 

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