What Can Be Used for FlexNet Inventory Collection
- The complete, most powerful, backward-compatible entity is called the FlexNet Inventory Agent. Whenever this name is used within this document, it always means
the complete agent. The complete FlexNet Inventory Agent is the entity that is
deployed automatically by IT Asset Management onto target inventory devices, if you
choose to allow it. Its purposes are:
- To take inventory of both the hardware and software on a computing device, and return an XML document (.ndi) describing this inventory
- By default, to return additional files for extended discovery and inventory tasks, such as taking inventory of any Oracle Database discovered on the local computer
- To optionally track usage of applications on the same device, based on watching specified files that form part of the application.
- The smaller footprint option, with reduced functionality that covers inventory
collection most simply, is called FlexNet inventory core components. Although this includes
the same core executable (ndtrack) as the complete FlexNet Inventory Agent, we consistently use this distinct name, FlexNet inventory core components, to
help clarify the reduced set of functionality and differences in deployment and
management. Its sole purpose is:
- To take inventory of both the hardware and software on a computing device, and
return an XML document (.ndi) describing this inventory.Tip: If you are deploying the FlexNet inventory core components yourself, it is possible to deploy an additional special-purpose file to add the extended discovery and inventory tasks mentioned above; but this is not included by default.
- To take inventory of both the hardware and software on a computing device, and
return an XML document (.ndi) describing this inventory.
- On one hand, this explains why inventory collection managed by the inventory beacon (remote from the target device) cannot collect application usage information, in contrast to the FlexNet Inventory Agent which (locally installed on the target device, with additional monitoring capabilities) can track usage. The distinction explains the missing functionality.
- On the other hand, the FlexNet inventory core components achieve more when operating on an inventory beacon than they do if you deploy them to another file share. This is because the inventory beacon provides additional code (installed as part of FlexNet Beacon) and integration services available only in this context.
As another example, as noted above, the FlexNet inventory core components can be delivered as the FlexNet Inventory Scanner.
Therefore, a full understanding of available functionality (and management needs) requires both knowledge of the different code entities, and knowledge of contexts. The question of contexts and delivery methods is discussed shortly, in Deployment Overview: Where to, and How. But first, some more insight into the differences between these two basic code entities.
A note about 'agents'
The word "agent" can be used with different scope. For example, the FlexNet Inventory Agent is a scope that includes several executables performing different functions. For example, one of these is ndupload, which is also colloquially called the "upload agent". Both the large scope and the small scope of the word "agent" fit the general definition of a software "agent": a software program that runs on a computer to collect information and transfer it to a central location. However, for clarity, this document reserves the word "agent" for the larger scope of the entire FlexNet Inventory Agent, referring to the smaller elements as either "elements", "components", or as individual "executables".
In every case, whether invoked as part of the FlexNet Inventory Agent or through the FlexNet inventory core components, the executable ndtrack (amongst others) runs in the context (memory) of the target inventory device. For this reason, this document does not describe use of any of these approaches as "agentless". Some people like to use this term to mean that nothing is permanently installed on the target device, and there are deployment scenarios available that avoid such a permanent footprint. But the relevant code elements still execute in the context of the target machine. (Some other kinds of specialized inventory collection by IT Asset Management are truly agentless, in the sense that no 'agent' code element executes in the target context. Examples include an inventory beacon executing remote discovery and inventory for Oracle, Oracle VM, and VMware, which make use of services already available on the target machines. In these cases, execution is in the context of the inventory beacon, using the API offered by the installed software.)
Differences
Function | FlexNet Inventory Agent | FlexNet inventory core components |
---|---|---|
Included executables*
Tip: The full FlexNet Inventory Agent includes
several components present for backward compatibility, so that the latest FlexNet Inventory Agent can function in earlier implementations during migration, for
example.
Each case (FlexNet Inventory Agent and FlexNet inventory core components)
also includes additional configuration files and libraries, here omitted for
clarity. |
Still included, but now deprecated:
|
|
Inventory types |
|
|
Policy, rules, and settings |
Set in the web interface, automatically managed through the inventory beacons, and applied automatically as specified. |
None included. Must be either:
|
Scheduling (inventory collection) |
Built in (follows schedule set in the web interface). Can be used for high-frequency inventory gathering for IBM PVU licensing. |
None. Must be scheduled using external tools (including FlexNet Beacon). |
Updates |
Self-updating to a version set either in the web interface, or by using a supplied command line tool. |
None. Third-party deployments must be managed independently (presumably using the same deployment tools as were used in the initial deployment). (Components installed with FlexNet Beacon are also updated with future self-updates of the inventory beacon.) |
Upload behavior (for collected inventory) |
On by default |
Off by default. To turn on requires:
|
Usage tracking |
Available, subject to configuration. |
Not supported. |
- The core component for inventory collection,
ndtrack
, which can optionally also immediately upload the gathered inventory to an inventory beacon - The upload component (
ndupload
), which retries transfers of the inventory results to an inventory beacon to recover from transient network issues - The schedule component (
ndschedag
) to coordinate execution of the other components - The task management component (
ndtask
), functionally identical withmstask
(part of the Microsoft Task Scheduler) but available across platforms - The policy component (
mgspolicy
), responsible for managing the various rules that the control the overall FlexNet Inventory Agent - The installation component (
ndlaunch
) which downloads policy, schedule, self-update and other packages required for operation - The service component (
ndinit
, available only on Windows) is automatically initialized as a service on machine reboot, and is responsible for startingndtask
. On UNIX-like platforms,ndtask
is the service, which is initialized in platform-specific ways after a reboot.
IT Asset Management (Cloud)
Current