Summary

Well, that’s it for the inventory collection process. As you can see, SMS 2003 can report on a lot of “stuff”—both hardware-related and software-related. Using the SMS_def.mof file and customized NOIDMIF and IDMIF files, you can append data to the existing client architecture and add new architectures, object classes, and attributes to the database. You can view inventory through Resource Explorer, and you can further refine what you see through the use of queries.

More Info

Because the inventory process is fairly straightforward, this chapter didn’t include a “Checkpoints” section. You can easily spot and correct any problems you might encounter by monitoring the log files and status messages. You’re more likely to encounter issues as you work with MOF Manager and create custom MIF files, and, in that regard, there are no better resources than the Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Operations Guide available through the Microsoft SMS Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/smserver) and through Microsoft TechNet.

In Chapter 10, “Remote Control of Client Systems,” we’ll continue our exploration of client management tools as we look at Remote Tools.