Software metering in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 allows you to monitor and collect software usage data on Configuration Manager 2007 clients.

The collection of this usage data is based on software metering rules that can be configured by the administrator in the Configuration Manager console, or by the automatic generation of rules that are based on usage data collected by Configuration Manager inventory. The Software Metering Client Agent evaluates these rules on Configuration Manager client computers, collects metering data, and reports this back to the site database. The Software Metering Client Agent continues to collect usage data when there is no connection to the Configuration Manager site and reports this back when the connection is re-established. Software metering data that is held on the site database is summarized on a specified schedule and propagated up through the site hierarchy to any parent site. As a result, the central Configuration Manager site database contains usage data from all client computers within the site hierarchy.

By default, software metering rules are active only on the Configuration Manager site where they were created. When you create a rule, you can specify that it should be copied to all child sites of the Configuration Manager site where it was created.

After you collect usage data from Configuration Manager clients, you can use different features to view the data, including collections, queries, and reporting. This data, combined with data from software inventory, can assist your organization in determining the following:

• How many copies of a particular software program have been deployed to the computers in your organization. Among those computers, you can determine how many users actually run the program.
  
  
• How many licenses of a particular software program you need to purchase when you renew your license agreement with the software vendor.
  
  
• Whether any users are still running a particular software program. If the program is not being used, you might consider retiring the program.
  
  
• Which times of the day a software program is most frequently used.
  
  

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