Adding Custom Attributes

To add custom attributes to an Inventory class:

1. In the Workstation Inventory policy, click the Hardware Scan tab.

2. Select Enable Custom Scanning.

3. Click the Custom Attribute Editor.

4. In the Custom Attribute Editor dialog box, click Add.

5. From the Class Name drop-down list, select the class where you want to add the custom attribute. For example: Processor

6. Enter the custom attribute name in the Attribute Name field. For example: Rate.

7. Click OK.

   You can add more than one custom attribute for a class.

8. Click OK > Apply > OK.

Using the Custom.ini File to Add Custom Attribute Values

To add values to the custom attributes, you must create the custom.ini file. The administrator must communicate the list of Inventory classes to which the custom attributes can be added. The Inventory Scanner uses the custom.ini file to get information about custom attributes and their corresponding values.

The contents of a custom.ini file are as follows:

[START_CIM_OBJECT] 
Class = Inventory_Class_Name_as_displayed_in_the_Custom_Attribute_Editor_dialogbox or Inventory_Class_Name_in_Inventory_database 
RegularAttrs = regular_attribute_name1, regular_attribute_name2, ..., regular_attribute_nameN 
RegularVals = regular_attribute_value1, regular_attribute_value2, ..., regular_attribute_valueN 
Action = A/D 
custom_attribute = custom_attribute_value 
custom_attribute = custom_attribute_value 
... 
... 
custom_attribute = custom_attribute_value 
[END_CIM_OBJECT]

where Class is a pre-defined Inventory class name (for the list of the pre-defined Inventory class name, refer to the Inventory Class Name and Regular Attributes table), RegularAttrs indicates the list of regular attribute names, RegularVals indicates the corresponding regular attribute values, the Action value A indicates the specified custom attributes to be added to the database table, and the Action value D indicates the specified custom attributes to be deleted from the database table.

You can enter comments after the semicolon (;). The data after the semicolon will be ignored by the Scanner.

In the custom.ini file, the content between [START_CIM_OBJECT] and [END_CIM_OBJECT] is called as a "section". The first three lines within the section is called as a query.

A sample custom.ini file that has one regular attribute, one regular attribute value, and one custom attribute and value is as follows:

[START_CIM_OBJECT] 
Class = Computer System Information       ;Inventory class name 
RegularAttrs = Name                  ;Regular attribute name 
RegularVals =  John                   ;Regular attribute value 
Action = A 
Employee Number=BLR_5000234    ;Custom attribute and its value 
[END_CIM_OBJECT]

In the above query, the employee number will be added to the CIM.UnitaryComputerSystem table if the value of the Name attribute is John.

You can create a custom.ini file using either of the following methods:

• Use a text editor to create a custom.ini file and save it in the windows_installation_drive/zenworks directory of the inventoried workstation.
• Develop an application to automatically generate the custom.ini file and place the file in the windows_installation_drive/zenworks directory of the inventoried workstation. You must save the application in windows_installation_drive/zenworks directory of the inventoried workstation.

  After developing the application, go to the Workstation Inventory policy's Hardware Scan tab, select the Enable Custom Scanning option, and specify the name of the application. For more information, see Configuring the Workstation Inventory Policy.

  This application will be launched by the Scanner.

Guidelines for Creating the CUSTOM.INI File

Follow these guidelines as you work with the custom.ini file:

• If the Inventory class name is not specified, the custom attributes and their corresponding values will be added to the CIM.UnitaryComputerSystem table.
• If the regular attribute name is not specified, the custom attributes and their corresponding values will be added to the appropriate Inventory class only if one instance of the Inventory class exists in the Inventory database.

  If multiple instances of the Inventory class exist, you must specify a minimum set of regular attributes and their corresponding values to distinguish the instances.

• Each regular attribute must have a corresponding value.
• If the action to be performed (addition or deletion) is not specified, the custom attribute values will be added to the appropriate Inventory class.
• Do not use a semicolon (;) in a custom attribute name or custom attribute value. The data after the semicolon (;) will be ignored by the Scanner.
• Use only alphanumeric characters in the custom attribute name.
• If the custom attribute value is a date, you must enter the date value in the format YYYY-MM-DD (Year-Month-day).
• If a query has more than one regular attribute or regular attribute value, use a comma (,) as the separator between regular attribute names and regular attribute values.
• If a regular attribute value has a comma (,) in it, precede the comma with a backslash (\).

  For example, if the regular attribute value is "Novell, Ltd.", the regular attribute value should be written as follows in the custom.ini file:

  Novell\, Ltd.

• A custom.ini file can have more than one section.

  A sample custom.ini file with two sections is as follows:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Computer System Information 
  RegularAttrs = Name, PrimaryOwnerContactID 
  RegularVals = John, 56 
  Action = D 
  EmployeeName= Tom 
  EmployeeId=568 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT] 
  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Diskette Drive 
  RegularAttrs = DisketteDeviceID 
  RegularVals = A: 
  Action = A 
  Manufacturer = Sony 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

• If a query returns multiple instances for regular attributes, the custom attribute and its corresponding values will not be added to the Inventory database.

  For example, a workstation has two floppy drives, one mapped to A: and the other to B:, and the storage capacity of both the drives is 1440 KB. If you want to add "Rate" as the custom attribute, you cannot write a query using only the DisketteCapacity regular attribute as follows:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Diskette Drive 
  RegularAttrs = DisketteCapacity 
  RegularVals = 1440 
  Action = A 
  Rate = $100 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

  The above query returns two instances. One is the floppy drive mapped to a: and the other is the floppy drive mapped to b:. The custom attribute and its value will not be added to the Inventory database.

  You could rewrite the custom.ini file as follows:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Diskette Drive 
  RegularAttrs = DisketteDeviceID 
  RegularVals = A: 
  Action = A 
  Rate = $100 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT] 
  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Diskette Drive 
  RegularAttrs = DisketteDeviceID 
  RegularVals = B: 
  Action = A 
  Rate = $100 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

Viewing Custom Attributes and Custom Attribute Values

You can view the custom attributes and the values of all the inventoried workstations in the Workstation Inventory. For more information, see Viewing the Workstation Inventory of an Inventoried Workstation.

Custom Inventory Scanning Examples

• Example 1: Adds the custom attributes Employee Name and Employee Code with values of XYZ and BLR_TERCH_5000234 respectively to CIM.UnitaryComputerSystem.

  Using the Custom Attribute Editor dialog box, add Employee Name and Employee Code to Computer System Information.

  Create the custom.ini file with the following contents:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Employee Name = XYZ 
  Employee Code = BLR_TERCH_5000234 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

  After creating the custom.ini file, run the Novell Desktop Management Scheduler to start the scan.

• Example 2: Adds the custom attributes Price and Value $4.00 to ZENworks.ExtendedDisketteDrive if the value of the regular attribute DisketteDeviceID is A:. Also adds custom attribute Price with a Value $8.00 to ZENworks.ExtendedDisketteDrive if the value of the regular attribute DisketteDeviceID is B:

  Using the Custom Attribute Editor dialog box, add Price to Diskette Drive.

  Create the custom.ini file with the following contents:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class =Diskette Drive 
  RegularAttr = DisketteDeviceID 
  RegularVals = A: 
  Price = $4.00 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT] 
  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Diskette Drive 
  RegularAttr = DisketteDeviceID 
  RegularVals = B: 
  Price = $ 8.00 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

  After creating the custom.ini file, run the Novell Desktop Management Scheduler to start the scan.

• Example 3: Deletes the custom attribute Employee Name from CIM.UnitaryComputerSystem.

  Create the custom.ini with the following contents:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Action = D 
  Employee Name = XYZ 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

  After creating the custom.ini file, run the Novell Desktop Management Scheduler to start the scan.

• Example 4: To reset the value of Employee Code from BLR_TERCH_5000234 to BLR_TEST_1200012 in CIM.UnitaryComputerSystem

  Create the custom.ini file with the following contents:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Action = A 
  Employee Code = BLR_TEST_1200012 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

  After creating the custom.ini file, run the Novell Desktop Management Scheduler to start the scan.

• Example 5: Adds the custom attributes Price with value $100.00 to CIM.Processor if the values of the regular attributes Family and MaxClockSpeed are 178 and 1500 respectively. Also adds the custom attributes Price with its value $250.00 to CIM.Processsor if the values of the regular attributes Family and MaxClockSpeed are 178 and 2000 respectively.

  Using the Custom Attribute Editor dialog box, add Price to Processor.

  Create the custom.ini file with the following contents:

  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Processor 
  RegularAttr = Family, MaxClockSpeed 
  RegularVals = 178, 1500 ; Pentium 4 with MaxClockSpeed = 1500 MHz 
  Price = $ 100.00 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT] 
  [START_CIM_OBJECT] 
  Class = Processor 
  RegularAttr = Family, MaxClockSpeed 
  RegularVals = 178, 2000  ; Pentium 4 with MaxClockSpeed = 2000 MHz 
  Price = $ 2500.00 
  [END_CIM_OBJECT]

  After creating the custom.ini file, run the Novell Desktop Management Scheduler to start the scan.

Adding New Applications for Scanning

To add a new application, you must provide the details of the application.

1. In ConsoleOne, open the Workstation Inventory policy.

   For more information, see Configuring the Workstation Inventory Policy.

   Ensure that the Enable Software Scan option is checked.

2. Click the Custom Scan Editor button.

3. Click Add to specify the details of the application.

4. Fill in the details of the application:

   Vendor name, Product name, Product version, File name, File Size (in Bytes)

5. Click OK.

6. To save the application entry in eDirectory, click OK in the Custom Scan Editor dialog box.

You can also add application entries to the Custom Scan table by importing a file with the list of application entries. You create this file by following the format of the Custom Scan file conventions. For more information, see Format of the Custom Scan File.

To add a list of new applications:

1. Open a text editor.

2. Create a file with the format specified in Format of the Custom Scan File.

3. Save the application as a text file with any extension you prefer.

4. In ConsoleOne, open the Workstation Inventory policy.

   For more information, see Configuring the Workstation Inventory Policy.

   Ensure that the Enable Software Scan option is checked.

5. Click Custom Scan Editor.

6. Click Import.

   To save the application entry in eDirectory, click OK in the Custom Scan Editor dialog box.

Format of the Custom Scan File

The contents of the Custom Scan file are as follows:

total_number_of_application_entries_in_Custom_Scan_file; total_number_of_columns_in_the_application_entry

vendor_name;product_name;product_version;file_name;file_size (in Bytes)

vendor_name;product_name;product_version;file_name;file_size (in Bytes)

vendor_name;product_name;product_version;file_name;file_size (in Bytes)

Keep in mind the following guidelines as you work with the Custom Scan file:

• The default total number of columns in the application entry is 5.
• The separator between the columns is a semicolon (;).
• Fill in all the columns for each application entry.
• Do not use comma (,) in the file size parameter.

The following is a sample Custom Scan file:

2;5

Novell;GroupWise;5.5;grpwise.exe;4025856

Novell;client32nlm;3.03;client32.nlm;524168

Exporting the List of Application Files for Scanning

You can export the Custom Scan file to use at a different location. You export the Custom Scan file at one location and then import it at the other location.

To export the list of applications:

1. In ConsoleOne, open the Workstation Inventory policy.

   For more information, see Configuring the Workstation Inventory Policy.

   Ensure that the Enable Software Scan option is checked.

2. Click Custom Scan Editor.

3. Click Export.

4. Type the filename with any extension for the text file.

   The export file is a text file.

5. Click OK.

The exported file will contain the list of applications that are displayed in the Custom Scan table. If you have not saved the list of applications before exporting, the entries in the exported file and the saved application entries in eDirectory will differ.

Scanning for Only Custom Applications

You can customize the list of software applications that you want to scan for at the inventoried workstations by using the Custom Scan Editor. To scan for the only such applications that are selected in the Custom Scan Editor, you must enable the Perform Only Custom Scanning option in the Workstation Inventory policy. For more information, see Configuring the Workstation Inventory Policy.