The hardware and software inventory client agents each collect inventory according to a schedule that is specified in the client agent properties in the Configuration Manager 2007 console for a site.
 Note |
|---|
| Because software inventory is more computer resource intensive than hardware inventory, consider scheduling software inventory to recur less frequently than client hardware inventories. |
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
|
Simple Schedule |
An interval between inventory cycles. For example, every 24 hours or every 6 weeks. |
|
Custom Schedule |
A start time and an interval for inventory collection. For example, every Sunday or on the first Thursday of every month. |
By default, both hardware and software inventory collection schedules are set to run every 7 days. If the client is not running when inventory is scheduled to run, the agent will collect inventory the next time the client is started.
| Note |
|---|
| Although the simple schedule allows less flexibility in scheduling inventory, this method usually causes less network traffic than the Custom Schedule option. This is because the time interval between each client's inventory report is based on the time that the Configuration Manager 2007 client was installed, and the first policies were retrieved, for each client. When Custom Schedule is selected, all clients will begin the inventory process at exactly the same time. |
When you modify an inventory collection schedule on the site server, Configuration Manager 2007 updates the client computer policies downloaded and compiled by clients according to their normal client policy polling interval. When the client inventory agent detects a schedule change, it generates a delta inventory file. The next inventory occurs according to the new schedule.
Configuration Manager 2007 keeps historical inventory records for the number of days specified for a site in the Delete Aged Inventory History site maintenance task. The default setting is 90 days. Current inventory records are never deleted.