14.9 Mobile Device Inventory

The existing ZENworks Asset inventory module feature is enhanced to collect mobile inventory details. The mobile inventory retrieves various hardware and software information from mobile devices.

The following table lists software and hardware information collected from mobile devices:

Table 14-1 Mobile Inventory details

Data

Inventoried Information

Software

Operating System, and system apps, managed and non-managed app details.

App details such as app name, app version, publisher name, package name and app size are collected.

Hardware

System information such as device serial number, MAC address, LAN adapter, RAM, memory modules, free space and total disk space details are collected.

  • A managed app is one that is deployed through ZENworks to a device.

  • A non-managed app is an app that was installed on the device before enrolling with ZENworks, or an app that was downloaded directly on the device without being deployed through ZENworks.

Depending on the type of device platform, following information is collected:

  • Android: Managed, non-managed and system app details.

    If an Android device is enrolled in the work profile mode, then only system and managed app details are collected.

  • iOS: Managed and non-managed app details.

NOTE:If a device is enrolled as an Email only (ActiveSync Only) device, then only device information is collected.

14.9.1 Mobile Inventory Scan

By default, mobile inventory details are collected once in 24 hours. However, inventory schedule can be configured by modifying the mobileinventory.properties file. This is the schedule in which inventory data is collected.

NOTE:Inventory is collected along with device refresh. If inventory is scheduled for 3 hours, inventory is collected on or after 3 hours depending on when the device is refreshed.

In the ZENworks 2017 Update 2 release, mobile inventory can be scheduled only by modifying the mobileinventory.properties file. In subsequent releases, mobile inventory can be scheduled from ZENworks Control Center.

To configure the inventory scan schedule:

  1. Open the property file.

    On Windows: %ZENWORKS_HOME%/conf

    On Linux: /etc/opt/novell/zenworks/mobileinventory.properties

  2. Edit the InventoryScheduleinHours parameter.

    By default, InventoryScheduleinHours is 24. Based on requirements, you can modify the parameter.

Following are some of the features that can be configured in the mobileinventory.property file.

  • Mobile Inventory Scan: You can configure the InventoryEnabled parameter to enable or disable the mobile inventory scan. The valid values for InventoryEnabled can be True or False.

  • Collect Non-managed App details: You can configure the CollectNonManagedAPP parameter to enable or disable the collection of non-managed app details. The valid values for CollectNonManagedAPP can be True or False.

  • Collect System App details: You can configure the CollectSystemApp parameter to enable or disable collection of the system app details. The valid values for CollectSystemApp can be True or False.

NOTE:If the mobileinventory.properties file is modified in one Primary Server, ensure that you make similar changes in other Primary Servers in the zone. The settings configured in the mobileinventory.properties file is applied at zone level.

After configuring the inventory scan schedule, you can also configure the device refresh schedule in ZCC as the inventory details will be collected only when the device is refreshed. For more information, see Section 14.6, Refreshing a Device.

Consider a scenario, where the inventory collection and device refresh is scheduled for every 3 and 2 hours, respectively. The refresh on a specific device is performed at 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM. The inventory scan triggers at 3:00 PM. The inventory details are collected and populated in ZCC only after 4:00 PM (when the device is refreshed) based on the scan that was triggered at 4:00 PM.

14.9.2 Viewing Mobile Inventory

Mobile inventory details can be viewed in the Apps page or in the Reports page.

For more information, see Section 14.3, Viewing Apps Information and Using Reports in the ZENworks Asset Inventory Reference.

Like servers and workstations, you can view standard or create a custom report.

IMPORTANT:While creating custom report of type Software applications for mobile devices, ensure that you select Mobile Applications in the Focus section.

Viewing Standard Reports for Mobile Devices

Viewing an inventory report for a mobile device is similar to viewing an inventory report for a Workstation or a Servers. The existing standard reports are modified to display mobile device information along with servers and workstation reports.

The standard report includes mobile device details retrieved from mobile devices in a zone.

To view a standard reports:

  1. In ZCC, click Reports,

  2. In the Inventory Standards Reports panel, click any Group folder, and then click the required report.

For more information, see Using Inventory Standard Reports in the ZENworks Asset Inventory Reference

Creating Custom Reports for Mobile Devices

In ZCC, you can create a custom report to collect mobile application data.

To create a custom report of type Software Application focusing on Mobile Application:

  1. In ZCC, click Reports.

  2. Select or create an Inventory Custom Reports folder.

  3. In the folder, click New.

  4. In the Custom Report Definition page, perform the following and click Continue:

    • Specify the name for the report

    • In the Type section, select Software Applications.

    • In the Focus section, select Mobile Applications.

  5. Fill in the following fields:

    • Name: Specify the name of the report.

    • Folder: Select a folder where you want to save the report.

    • Description: Specify a description for your report.

    • Type: This field is display only. It shows the report type you selected.

    • Columns: From the list on the left, select what data you want to include in your report. Use the arrow icons to move the selected data to the list on the right. Use Ctrl+click to select more than one option at a time. Use the up and down icons to arrange how you want the data displayed.

      Some of the newly added columns for mobile devices include Application Package Name, Application Platform, Application ID, Application Type, Story Type, Application Size (MB) and Enterprise Application.

    • Criteria: Select your filter criteria in the Field, Operator, and Value fields. Use the + icons to add filters; click the - icon to delete a filter. Click OR or AND to toggle back and forth between the two operators.

    • Summary Criteria: Select your summary filter criteria in the Field, Operator, and Value fields. Use the + icons to add filters; click the - icon to delete a filter. Click OR or AND to toggle back and forth between the two operators.

  6. Click Save.

For more information, see Using Inventory Custom Reports in the ZENworks Asset Inventory Reference.