Methods For Gathering Inventory - Symantec ALTIRIS INVENTORY SOLUTION 7.0 SP2 - V1.0 Manual

18 Introducing Inventory Solution

Methods for gathering inventory

Methods for gathering inventory
Method
Basic inventory
Help manage your application licenses by tracking how often an application
is used, not only if it is installed.
Deny unauthorized applications from running on managed computers.
You can use different methods to gather inventory data. Each method has some
advantages and possible disadvantages.
Inventory methods
Table 1-3
Description
This method is performed automatically when the Altiris Agent is installed on
managed computers. This feature is a core function of the Symantec Management
Platform and does not require any additional inventory components.
See Table 1-1 on page 14.
Basic inventory gathers information such as the computer s name, domain, installed
operating system, MAC and IP address, primary user account, and so on. This
information is updated on a regular basis as long as the Altiris Agent is running on
the computer.
The advantages are as follows:
Inventory data is automatically collected when the Altiris Agent is installed on
the client computer—no other components or steps are needed.
Inventory data is updated at regular intervals.
Can be used on a different platform.
The disadvantages are as follows:
Inventory data is limited in scope.
The computer must be managed using the Altiris Agent.
For more information, see topics about basic inventory and the Altiris Agent in the
Symantec Management Platform Help.