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Select the Detection Method

The Collector can use different ways to process requests. The selected detection method depends especially on the possibilities of the operating system installed in the respective machines. The following table contains a list of available detection methods.

Detection Method Description
automatically (default) This option is a combination of the following options: Autonomous Agent, MS SCCM, Agent over TCP/IP, and no Agent. Autonomous Agent is the preferred detection method. Other detection methods are not used until the moment when the autonomous agent has not contacted AM WebService for 7 days. In case the MS SCCM Connector module is available, it attempts to detect the computer by the MS SCCM method first. If failed, it attempts to connect to a remote machine using the ping command. If the remote machine is active, the Collector will attempt to detect the machine with the Agent over TCP/IP detection method. If no Agent is installed on the remote machine, the Collector will attempt to run a scan without the Agent.
Autonomous Agent The Agent sends regular queries to AM WebService to find out if detection is required and whether to perform HW or SW detection. The Agent sends these queries every 2 hours by default. If detection is required by WebService, the Agent will create a detection file (CXM file) and send it to WebService. If the detection cannot be sent, the Agent will retry later (every 15 minutes by default).

If you use Agent, we recommend that you use this detection method.

Advantages/disadvantages:
+ Detected workstations can be anywhere, even outside the corporate network; the communication runs over the Internet.
+ Low network load – sending compressed data.
+ No need to enable a port in the workstation's firewall – the communication runs over the standard HTTP/HTTPS protocol.
+ The risk of detecting a wrong computer due to obsolete records in the DNS is eliminated.
+ Parallel detections are performed.
- Immediate detection is not possible (the Agent contacts WebService at certain intervals)
- It is necessary to install Agents and distribute the WebService address settings.
without Agent This option was used in the legacy system versions and has been replaced with the option automatically.

This detection method can only be used on machines running Windows 2000 or later. It is not necessary to install the Agent on the machines to be detected. The detection uses DCOM, WMI and remote access to the system registry.

Advantages/disadvantages:
+ It is not necessary to install the Agent on the workstations to be detected.
- Large network communication – data are not compressed during detection.
- Risk of detecting another computer due to wrong DNS records.
- Sometimes it is difficult to set the computer to be detected so that it can be detected without the Agent.
- Sequential detections are performed.
Agent over TCP/IP This option was used in the legacy system versions and has been replaced with the option automatically.

The Collector first sends a ping command in attempt to connect to a remote machine. The Agent must be installed on the machines to be detected. The Collector and the Agent communicate over TCP/IP.

Advantages/disadvantages:
+ Low network load – sending compressed detection data.
+ It is possible to perform immediate detection.
- Risk of detecting another computer due to wrong DNS records.
- A specific port in the workstation's firewall must be enabled.
- Sequential detections are performed.
Agent over shared folder The Collector communicates with the Agent over a shared folder. This option is only recommended to detect machines with Windows 95/98/ME where the Agent is run from the login script.
MS SCCM This option is available only after AlvAO MS SCCM Connector module activation.

The Collector loads the data about hardware and software on the computer directly from SCCM database. Therefore there is no need to install agents to target computers, nor set permission for user to access WMI, remote registry and hard drives. For more information about the module please refer here.

Advantages/disadvantages:
+ HW/SW data can be obtained quickly from the SSCM database
- ALVAO cannot influence how old the data in SCCM is.
- Sequential detections are performed.
manually The Collector does not process requests with this detection method. The detection must be run manually by launching the AMAgent.exe program on the machine to be detected. The program generates files with the .cxm file extension which you can later load in the Console using the command Tools – Detection – Load from file.
Use this detection option also for computers that cannot be detected (Linux, Apple, etc.).
over SSH (Unix)This option represents an experimental feature to detect IBM AIX based machines.

To run detection over SSH successfully, the IBM AIX operating system must be installed and SSH must be running on the remote machine. It is also necessary to use a list of remote login accounts in the Collector with login details of a user with the permissions to run commands over SSH. It is currently only possible to detect hardware on IBM AIX operating systems.

The automatic detection method is set as default for all machines (in the Global Detection Settings). This method meets the detection requirements of Windows 95, 98, ME, and NT with Agent over TCP/IP and Windows 2000 or later without Agent or with Autonomous Agent or with Agent over TCP/IP. Set the manually detection method for machines that are not connected to a network or that cannot be detected.

Note:
If no connection can be established over the computer name within the detection in the "Agent over TCP/IP" mode, the system will attempt to connect over the IP address.
Note:
The Collector uses the ping command to find out whether the computer detected is switched on. For the detection method "Agent over TCP/IP" the ping command can be set inactive by setting the item AgentTcpipPing in the system registry path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ALC\ALVAO Asset Management\Collector to 0 (dword) or in the Collector settings.
Notification:
If, in the "no Agent mode", computers are detected which are separated by an internal firewall while still working in the same domain, the following ports must be enabled in the firewall:
- 135 (for the DCOM and WMI services)
- 139 (for the RemoteRegistry service)
- 49154 (for the connection of AM Collector to the detected workstation)

Detection method based on operating system

It is recommended to detect machines connected to a computer network based on the operating system they use and in the following way.

  • Windows 2000 and later – detection method: automatically – the Collector can detect data using standard components of the operating system. It is not necessary to install the Agent on the workstations to be detected.
    Notification:
    Detections without Agent may not work, if the network security settings do not allow to use the DCOM protocol. If this is the case, the Agent must be installed on the respective machines. The Agent must be installed by the system Administrator. The Windows 2000 OS requires Agent v5.10 or lower. For Windows XP Agent 10.0 or older.
  • Windows 95/98/Me/NT – these machines can be detected with Agent 5.0 – for more information please refer to the manual for version 5.0 (ep.chm) which can be found in the Computer Registry 5.0 application installed.
  • IBM AIX Unix – detection method: over SSH (Unix) – the Collector can only detect hardware. SSH must be running on the machine and the login credentials for user with the permissions to run commands over SSH must be defined in the Collector.
  • Other operating systems – detection method: manually – computer information running other operating systems, e.g. Linux or Apple machines, cannot be detected automatically. For such machines, please use the detection method manually. The necessary information must be entered in the system manually, see Inserting computers that cannot be detected.

 

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