When you enable software inventory for a site, SMS searches clients for files of types that you specify. SMS first distributes the configuration to all client access points (CAPs) at the site. The Software Inventory Agent installed on each client searches for the file types defined in the software inventory configuration. When the agent finds a file of a specified type, it obtains as much of the following information from the file header as possible:
If a file has valid entries for the company name, product name, version, and language, the file is associated with a product and inventoried as a "known" product. If any of the last four values is missing, blank, or invalid, the file is inventoried as an "unknown" file. When client software inventory exists in the database, you can view inventory for a client in Resource Explorer.
Change from SMS 1.2 Software inventory is no longer associated with packages or rule files (package.rul and audit.rul).
Related Topics
Configure Software Inventory for a Site
View Software Inventory for a Client
How SMS Collects Software Inventory
About Inventory on Multi-Site Clients
About Recollecting Complete Software Inventory on a Client
About Running Software Inventory When Disk Space Is Low
About Disabling Software Inventory
Collecting Software Inventory Overview