ZENworks 11 SP3 Troubleshooting Inventory

January 2015

This document provides troubleshooting guidelines for common problems related to ZENworks 11 SP3 Inventory. If, after completing the troubleshooting steps, the problem is not resolved, please contact Novell Technical Support for additional help.

1.0 A product that should be in a device’s inventory is not showing up in the inventory

Recommendation: Update to ZENworks 11 SP3. ZENworks 11 SP3 Asset Inventory uses Add/Remove Programs data and MSI data (in addition to the traditional Fingerprint method) to discover installed software products. This increases the likelihood of products being discovered during scans.

  • If you are not sure that you have applied the latest Product Recognition Update (PRU) to your ZENworks Knowledgebase, check for updates and apply the latest update to your knowledgebase.

    1. In ZENworks Control Center, click Configuration > System Updates.

    2. In the Available System Updates panel, click Action > Check for Updates. It might take some time to connect and get the request from the server.

    3. Once the newest PRU is visible in the list, select the check box next to the PRU name, then click Action > Download Update.

    4. Once the status of the PRU is Downloaded, select the PRU, click Action > Authorize Update to authorize the update to be deployed, then click Action > Deploy PRU Now.

    5. To verify the deployment status of the PRU, click the Asset Inventory tab and check the Knowledge Base Status panel.

      If the deployment is finished, you’ll see a status showing the merged date and time, similar to the following:

      If the deployment is not finished, you’ll see a status showing the merge progress, similar to the following:

    6. After the PRU is merged into the knowledgebase, run an inventory scan on the device and check the resulting inventory in ZENworks Control Center.

      • On the device: Click the ZENworks icon > Inventory Details > Scan Now or go to a command prompt and run zac inv scannow.

      • In ZENworks Control Center: Locate the device. Select the check box next to the device, click Quick Tasks > Inventory Scan. Configure the Quick Task, then click Start.

  • If you have the latest PRU, make sure the PRU is merged into the ZENworks Knowledgebase:

    1. In ZENworks Control Center, click Configuration > Asset Inventory.

    2. Check the Knowledge Base Status panel. The last merge date should be more recent than the date of the most recently applied PRU, similar to the following:

    3. If the merge date is earlier than the most recently applied PRU, in the Local Software Products panel, click Action > Update Knowledgebase with Local Product Changes.

      This causes the PRU to be merged with the knowledgebase.

    4. After the PRU is merged into the knowledgebase, run an inventory scan on the device and check the resulting inventory in ZENworks Control Center.

      • On the device: Click the ZENworks icon > Inventory Details > Scan Now or go to a command prompt and run zac inv scannow.

      • In ZENworks Control Center: Locate the device. Select the check box next to the device, click Quick Tasks > Inventory Scan. Configure the Quick Task, then click Start.

  • Verify that the device’s latest scan is uploaded to the ZENworks server:

    1. In ZENworks Control Center, go to the device’s Inventory page (device object > Inventory tab). Note the date in the Last Scan Date field. This is the date of the last scan that has been uploaded to the ZENworks server.

    2. On the device, double-click the ZENworks icon, then click Inventory Details. Check when the last scan occurred and if it was uploaded.

    3. If the product that is missing from the device’s inventory was installed on the device after the last scan, run a new inventory scan on the device (ZENworks icon > Inventory Details > Scan Now). Wait for the scan to be uploaded and then check the device’s inventory in ZENworks Control Center.

    4. If the device’s last scan has not been uploaded, check the following:

      • Is the device using a Satellite Server for its Collection server? To check, run zac zc -l at a command prompt.

        If the device’s Collection server is a Satellite Server, check its collection role-up schedule. The schedule determines how often the Satellite Server uploads its collected inventory to a Primary Server; the inventory will not show up until it has been uploaded to a Primary Server. To check the roll-up schedule on the Satellite Server, click the ZENworks icon > Satellite Collection. The collection schedule is listed as well as any inventory files waiting to be uploaded.

      • Are the scan files trapped on the device? This can be caused by corrupt scan files.

        To check, go to the %zenworks_home%\work\inventory directory. Delete any *-full.xml and *-last.xml files. Run a new inventory scan on the device (ZENworks icon > Inventory Details > Scan Now).

2.0 A device’s uploaded inventory scan is not showing up in ZENworks Control Center

Symptom: A device shows that its current inventory scan has been uploaded, but the inventory is not showing up (old inventory or blank inventory) on the device in ZENworks Control Center.

  • Check to see if the device’s Collection server is a Satellite Server. To check, run zac zc-l on the device.

    If the Collection server is a Satellite Server, check its collection role-up schedule. The schedule determines how often the Satellite Server uploads its collected inventory to a Primary Server; the inventory will not show up until it has been uploaded to a Primary Server. To check the roll-up schedule on the Satellite Server, click the ZENworks icon > Satellite Collection. The collection schedule is listed as well as any inventory files waiting to be uploaded.

  • On the device’s Collection server (Primary Server or Satellite Server), go to the following directory:

    • Windows: novell\zenworks\work\collection\inventory

    • Linux: \var\opt\novell\zenworks\collection\inventory directory (on Linux)

    Do the following:

    1. Delete any files not in the success or failed directories. These files are waiting to be processed and might be in a stuck state.

    2. Run a new scan on the device (click the ZENworks icon > Inventory Details > Scan Now or go to a command prompt and run zac inv scannow).

    3. Check the Collection server’s inventory directory to see if the files have been processed.

    4. Check the device’s Inventory page in ZENworks Control Center. The Last Scan Date field should show the date/time of the recently completed scan.

    5. If the date/time is not correct, check the Collection server’s inventory directory again. Are they processing? If so, wait. If not, contact Support.

3.0 The wrong inventory scan is showing up for a device in ZENworks Control Center, or an inventory scan is showing up on the wrong device

This issue is typically caused by two devices having the same GUID in ZENworks Control Center.

  • Was the device imaged? If yes, do the following to the image that was used so that the future devices created from the image will not have duplicate GUIDs:

    • If the ZENworks Adaptive Agent is on the image, refer to the Cool Solution article “Installing the ZENworks Adaptive Agent in an Image” for information about how to correctly perform this task to avoid duplicate GUIDs.

    • Was the image SYSPREPed? PXE to run “zisedit-c” to clear the Image Safe Data or contact Support for a tool that can clear the Image Safe Data so that registering creates a new ZENworks GUID.

  • To resolve duplicate GUIDs:

    1. In ZENworks Control Center, click Configuration > Zone Management Settings > Device Management > Registration.

    2. In the Reconcile Settings panel, deselect Serial Number, then click OK to save the changes to the registration settings.

      The Reconcile settings determine if a registering device is associated with an existing ZENworks device object or if a new device object is created. Not using the serial number as reconciliation data reduces the likelihood of a registering device matching an existing device object.

    3. Reregister the device for which you want to create a new device object:

      1. At a command prompt on the device, run zac unr -f to unregister the device locally.

      2. Run zac reg -g <zenworks_server> to reregister the device with a new GUID.

  • Run a new inventory scan on the device:

    • On the device: Click the ZENworks icon > Inventory Details > Scan Now or go to a command prompt and run zac inv scannow.

    • In ZENworks Control Center: Locate the device. Select the check box next to the device, click Quick Tasks > Inventory Scan. Configure the Quick Task, then click Start.