A hardware asset item tracks asset characteristics, ownership and financial information.
A hardware asset is usually linked to a computer CI and adds information from the CI, such as the software installed on the CI. But a hardware asset may be linked to another type of CI, such as a printer, or to no CI at all. An asset may be manually or automatically linked to any computer CI and manually linked to any other type of CI. A link that is created automatically is based on a match of the Serial Number and/or Asset Tag fields between the CI and the asset. For example, if you create a hardware asset item by importing a *.csv file based on invoice records, and the invoice information provides the serial numbers, the IT Asset Management Pack matches the Serial Number field that Configuration Manager picks up and places the CI into the hardware asset form, establishing a link. The same process applies to asset tags that are burned to the BIOS and can be discovered with System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. When you manually create the hardware asset and enter the asset tag and/or serial number, the link to the corresponding CI is established. The link to the CI can only be established if there is a match. If a match cannot be found on the serial number or the asset tag, no link is created between them. A link is also created in the reverse direction, from a computer CI to a hardware asset. When a new CI is added to Service Manager, or an existing CI is updated—either through the serial number or BIOS asset tag—a link is created to any matching hardware asset. For more details about the logic behind the hardware asset and computer CI link, see Hardware asset and computer CI linking.
You need to reconcile any discrepancy between the assets you have purchased and the assets not discovered by System Center 2012 Configuration Manager. A link may not be created automatically if the asset is not connected to the network, is in storage or is out for repair.
A hardware asset’s relationship to other items, either in the IT Asset Management Pack or in the Service Manager platform, is shown in the following figure.
A hardware asset could be linked to a CI or a CI could be linked to a hardware asset. The logic used to link them depends on the direction of the link.
The logic used to link a hardware asset (without a link) to a computer CI is as follows:
Search for a windows computer that has a matching serial number AND asset tag. Link the first unlinked physical windows computer and any unlinked virtual windows computers to the hardware asset.
If a link to a physical windows computer was not found, search for any physical or virtual windows computer that has a matching serial number. Use the same logic as step 1 when linking to a physical and virtual computer.
If a link to a physical windows computer was not found, search for any physical or virtual windows computer that has a matching asset tag. Use the same logic as step 1 when linking to a physical and virtual computer.
The logic used to link a computer CI with a hardware asset is as follows:
Search for any hardware asset that has the same serial number and asset tag as the unlinked windows computer. For those that are found:
• If the windows computer is a physical computer, link the first unlinked hardware asset to the windows computer.
• If the windows computer is a virtual computer, link the first hardware asset (linked or unlinked) to the windows computer.
If a link could not be established, search for any hardware assets that have the same serial number as the windows computer. Use the same logic for physical and virtual windows computers as step 1.
If a link still could not be established, using the same logic for physical and virtual windows computers, search for any hardware assets that have the same asset tag as the windows computer. Use the same logic for physical and virtual windows computers as step 1.