Customizing the Configuration File

FlexNet Manager Suite 2024 R1 (On-Premises)

The configuration file for the FlexNet Manager Suite Inventory Export Tool executable, FNMS-SVM.exe, is called FNMS-SVM.exe.config, and must reside in the same folder as the executable.

Certain parts of the configuration file can be modified, but proceed with caution:
  1. Always make a backup copy of the originally supplied configuration file, so that if any changes cause problems, you can reliably revert to the original settings.
  2. Customizations that you add to the configuration file are not migrated automatically in any future upgrades. You should therefore be careful to document the changes you make, so that you can conveniently reproduce these in future versions of the utility when required.

The configuration file is an XML text file. To make any of the following changes, save a copy of the original, then open your working copy in a flat text editor. When you save changes, be sure not to modify the saved file name.

To modify the location for saving log files:

  1. In FNMS-SVM.exe.config, find the element that starts:
    <appender name="FileAppender" ...
  2. This contains a child file element, for which the value attribute defines the path and file name for logging. Modify this value as required.
    The default element is:
    <file type="log4net.Util.PatternString" 
          value="%property{ComplianceLoggingPath}\FNMS-SVM_%date{yyyyMMdd}.log"/>
    The variables expand to a default path of C:\ProgramData\Flexera Software\Compliance\Logging\SVM. To redirect log files of the same name pattern to your D:\temp folder, overwrite the above to read:
    <file type="log4net.Util.PatternString" 
          value="d:\temp\FNMS-SVM_%date{yyyyMMdd}.log"/>

To change the name of the asset list exported to Software Vulnerability Manager:

  1. Find the relevant <query> child in the following hierarchy within the configuration file:
    <vimexport>
    	<queries>
    		<query name="Default" asset-list="FNMS_Import">
  2. Modify the value of the asset-list attribute.
    Tip: You may also change the name of the query. This modifies the file names for any .csv files dumped as tests of the export.

To experiment with additional queries (for expert administrators only):

  1. Add a new <query> element as a child of the <queries> parent. (Copying the default one is an easy first step.)
    Important: For the attributes of the query:
    • Every <query> element should have a unique value for its name attribute, as this will assist in trouble-shooting where issues are logged against the query name in the log file.
    • There is no requirement for its asset-list attribute to be unique: multiple queries may contribute to the union of data shown in the one asset list within Software Vulnerability Manager. However, you may use distinct asset list names, and each unique name results in the creation of a matching asset list in Software Vulnerability Manager.
    • The tenantuid attribute should be omitted in a single tenant, on-premises implementation. In a multi-tenant environment:
      • Any <query> element that does not include a tenantuid attribute is considered "global" and is executed as a part of every tenant's data export
      • The managed service provider may add a tenantuid attribute to any <query> element, in which case the relevant query is run only for that tenant's data export.
  2. Modify the SQL query embedded within the element to customize the scope of the returned data.
    If your configuration file contains more than one <query> element, each data export (or test file dump) transmits the full set (union) of the data for all relevant queries (where 'relevant' means filtered for matching tenants: for a tenant-specific export, the data transferred is a union of results from global queries without a tenantuid attribute plus tenant-specific queries with a matching tenantuid attribute).
    Note: In Software Vulnerability Manager, the entire data pool for each company account is overwritten for each data transfer. This means you should take care to use consistent queries against FlexNet Manager Suite to export data on each occasion. For example, if today you identify a separate access list (say Special List) in a new <query> element, and transfer the resulting data to Software Vulnerability Manager, the new access list is created in Software Vulnerability Manager, showing the matching installations gathered by that query. Supposing that tomorrow your remove that <query> element from the configuration file, the Special List access list in Software Vulnerability Manager is not itself automatically deleted, but instead shows all its member installations as deleted, because they were no longer included in the data transfer.
When you are satisfied with your changes, save the configuration file in the same folder and with the same name (keeping the original file elsewhere, unchanged). First test your SQL modifications with the dump command before exporting anything to the production instance of Software Vulnerability Manager.

FlexNet Manager Suite (On-Premises)

2024 R1