Software metering in 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 based on usage data collected by Configuration Manager 2007 inventory. These rules are evaluated by the software metering client agent on Configuration Manager 2007 client computers, which 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 2007 site and will report this back when the connection is re-established. Software metering data held on the site database is summarized on a specified schedule and propagated up through the site hierarchy to any parent site. The central Configuration Manager 2007 site database will therefore contain usage data from all client computers within the site hierarchy.
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| If you plan to use software metering to collect information about virtual application packages you must restart the target computers after you install the Microsoft Application Virtualization Client software. For more information about virtual application packages see: About Virtual Application Packages. By default, software metering rules are active only on the Configuration Manager 2007 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 2007 site where it was created. |
After you collect usage data from Configuration Manager 2007 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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| For information about using the Configuration Manager 2007 Software Development Kit to script and develop software for this feature, see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=129514. |