There are so many hidden jewels in the inventory, we'll take a deeper look at what's in there, how it's useful, and what's not in there and how to get it in there. Learn more: http://dell.to/1GDYpr8
Unveiling the Tech Salsa of LAMs with Janus in Real-Time Applications
Dell World User Forum Inventory Tips & Tricks
1. Dell World User Forum
UFIL513: Inventory Tips & Tricks
Ron Colson, Senior Trainer
Peter Doerfer, Senior Trainer
Dell World
User Forum
2. Dell World User Forum
Agenda
• Agent Overview
• Inventory Overview
• Relationship between Inventory-Assets
• Custom Inventory and why we need it
• Inventory that isn’t computers
4. Dell World User Forum
Agent Executables
• What executables?
• AMPAgent
• AMPKickstart
• AMPTools
• Inventory
• Kcopy
• Kdeploy
• Kinventory
• KLaunch
• KLaunchSvc
• KSWMeterSvc
• KUserAlert
• runkbot
• Executables folder locations
– Win (x86) – C:Program FilesDellKACE
– Win (x64) – C:Program Files (x86)DellKACE
– Linux - /opt/dell/kace/bin
– OS X - /Library/Application Support/Dell/KACE/bin
*Not all executables present on all OSes
5. Dell World User Forum
Agent - runkbot
• runkbot commands
• Windows
– runkbot.exe 1 0 – Bootstrap
– runkbot.exe 3 0 – Update KBot Scripts
– runkbot.exe 4 0 – Inventory
› runkbot.exe -s 4 0 (as local system account)
– runkbot.exe 5 0 – Upgrade Agent
– runkbot.exe 6 0 – MI’s and FS’s
• OS X & Linux
– sudo ./runkbot 2 0 – Inventory
– runkbot 3 0 – Update KBot Scripts
– runkbot 6 0 – MI’s and FS’s
– runkbot 7 0 – Upgrade Agent
6. Dell World User Forum
K1000 Agent and SSL
• SSL impacts the agent, too…
– SSL ‘instructions’ sent to agent after it is enabled on the appliance
– Agent uses port 80 to communicate until first check-in after SSL is implemented
– SSL Certificate MUST be trusted by the client machines
7. Dell World User Forum
Managed Installs
• kcopy.exe copies files from K1000 or Replication Share
• Agent Copies File
• KUserAlert.exe alerts user that an MI is
in progress (also used for additional
optional alerts)
• Agent Alerts User
• kdeploy.exe handles running the install
command for the MI
• Agent Installs Software
8. Dell World User Forum
Scripting
• runkbot.exe runs the script and leverages klaunch.exe for ‘run as’ functionality
• runkbot
• kdeploy.exe is used if software is being
deployed with a script
• kdeploy (installing software)
• runkbot.exe handles other scripting
tasks (processes, registry, file
manipulation, etc.)
• runkbot (other tasks)
9. Dell World User Forum
Patching
• kpatch.exe runs to detect the need for
patches
• Patch Detection
• kcopy.exe runs to copy patch files to
the local machine
• Copy Patch Files
• kpatch.exe runs to deploy patches,
KUserAlert.exe runs if alerts are
defined.
• Patch Deployment
10. Dell World User Forum
Agent Logs
• What Logs? Is there a configuration file, too?
• amp.conf
• amp.log
• kcopy.log
• kdeploy.log
• kinventory.log
• klaunch.log
• kpatch.log
• ksmeter.log
• kuseralert.log
• runkbot.log
• Log Files folder locations
– Windows – C:programdatadellkace
– Linux – /var/dell/kace
– OS X – /Library/Application Support/Dell/KACE/data
• KAgent.log
– ‘Master’ client log for 6.0 agent
*Additional logs created during agent install
11. Dell World User Forum
Agent Logs - Debug
• What does debugging do for me?
• More verbose logging
– Why did it fail?
• Troubleshooting
– Replication Shares
– Managed Installs
– Patching
– Scripting
– Custom Inventory
• Log file locations
– Windows – C:programdatadellkace
– Linux – /var/dell/kace
– OS X – /Library/Application Support/Dell/KACE/data
• To enable:
– From command-line: amptools.exe debug=true
OR
– Add debug=true to amp.conf file and restart Dell KACE Agent
14. Dell World User Forum
Inventory Process Overview
Upload Task
Results
Perform File
Sync Tasks
Upload
Inventory
Custom
Inventory
Perform
Managed
Install Tasks
Apply
Smart/LDAP
Labels
Default
Inventory
Clear
Smart/LDAP
Labels
Agent
Update
Check-in
15. Dell World User Forum
Two Software Inventories?SoftwareCatalog
Software
• Discovers Software
• Updated once a day (by default)
• Scans for executable files from
local drives
• Compares against Dell catalog
• Ability to add to local catalog
• Is used for license compliance,
metering and application control
• Installed Programs
• Runs at every inventory cycle
(every 2 hours by default)
• Lists applications registered with
the OS (Registry, plist, WMI, etc.)
• Is used for software distribution
• Ability to define custom inventory
20. Dell World User Forum
Custom Inventory Rules
• Why do we need them?
• Allow us to capture items in inventory that are not picked up by traditional methods.
• Doesn’t show up at all…
OR
• Doesn’t show up the way you want it to….
• Makes Virtually Anything Display in Inventory:
• Software Related…
OR
Hardware Related….
• If the Machine Knows it….You can use Custom Inventory to detect & display it!
21. Dell World User Forum
Agent Executables
• Why do we need them?
• Allow us to capture items in Inventory that:
– Don’t show up at all…
OR
– Don’t show up the way you want it to….
• Makes Virtually Anything Display in Inventory:
– Software Related…
– OR
– Hardware Related….
• If the Machine Knows it….You can use Custom Inventory to detect & display it!
22. Dell World User Forum
Custom Inventory Rule (CIR) ~ Custom Inventory Field (CIF)
CIR
Boolean in nature
…Exists,
…Equals
…Less Than,
…Greater Than
Software Title
Conditionally Displayed
CIF
Displays returned values
…Return
TEXT, NUMBER, DATE
Software Title
Always Displayed
23. Dell World User Forum
CIR - General Rules about Rules
• Each value MUST be separated by commas
• Commas are not allowed anywhere else in the string
• No quotes, single or double
• Key must exist under LocalMachine, like the other tests
• Failure to specify everything correctly will result in the test evaluating to FALSE
• All comparisons happen as strings, testing other registry value types may or may not work as
you'd expect.
24. Dell World User Forum
CIR - General Rules about Rules
• Type can be: TEXT, NUMBER, or DATE
• attribute on Windows can be:
– Comments, Language, CompanyName, LegalCopyright, FileBuildPart, LegalTrademarks, FileDescription,
OriginalFilename, FileMajorPart, PrivateBuild, FileMinorPart, ProductBuildPart, FileName, ProductMajorPart,
FilePrivatePart, ProductMinorPart, FileVersion, ProductName, InternalName, ProductPrivatePart, IsDebug,
ProductVersion, IsPatched, SpecialBuild, IsPreRelease, CreatedDate, IsPrivateBuild, ModifiedDate, IsSpecialBuild,
AccessedDate
• Linux/OS X can be:
– device_number, inode, number_links, owner, group, size, access_time, modification_time, creation_time,
block_size, blocks
• AND/OR Statements are acceptable
27. Dell World User Forum
Agentless - There’s a DWUF class for that!
• The agentless capability in K1000 v6.0 can help you…
• Use your K1000 to collect info from devices broadcasting SNMP data –
routers, switches, printers, etc…
• Use your K1000 to collect info from devices that can be communicated
with using SSH or Telnet.
• Report against more than what the agent can provide on its own or what
you input via asset management.
29. Dell World User Forum
KACE Support Portal Migrating to Dell Software Support Portal
• Starting in November, all KACE
Support Portal material will be
migrated to the Dell Software Support
Portal
• All service requests will be submitted
online or by phone
• Same great content
– Knowledge base articles
– Video tutorials
– Product documentation
– JumpStart training
• Check out the Support Portal Getting
Started videos
Notes de l'éditeur
AMPAgent.exe
The executable associated with Dell KACE Agent (AMP) service
Establishes a connection on port 52230 to the K1000
Receives short instructions from the K1000 and delegates to one of the other K1000 Agent executables to handle the actual work associated with the task
AMPKickstart.exe
Restarts the AMPAgent service when it crashes
Does not restart the AMPAgent service when it is stopped by a user
In version 5.5 and later, the AMPAgent service is set to self-restart on first and second failures
AMPTools.exe
A command line utility to start/stop AMPAgent (AMP service)
Can also be used to reconfigure amp.conf or uninstall the K1000 agent
Inventory.exe
The Dell Application Catalog (DAC or Software Catalog) software inventory tool
Collects the raw file attributes of files in order to match into the Software Catalog and identify the software titles installed
Kcopy.exe
Copies files via HTTP or SMB between the K1000 and client, or between clients (replication server and targets)
In version 5.5 and later agents, the upload to the K1000 is compressed by default
Kdeploy.exe
Handles Managed Installations, File Syncs, Custom Inventory and Software Installs via Scripts
Can also generate an md5 hash of a file
KInventory.exe
A generic inventory tool to run WMI and other code to collect hardware, service, process and software attributes from the system
K1000 output format is XML
KLaunch.exe
The process framework that launches other K1000 Agent executables on local or remote Windows machines
Supports RunAs functionality, including Local System, Current User on Console, All Users and User/Password
KLaunchSvc.exe
The KLaunch service initiator
kpatch.exe
Handles K1000 patching tasks such as scanning, and deploying patch payloads
KSWMeterSvc.exe
The Dell Application Catalog (DAC or Software Catalog) software metering tool
Monitors the creation/termination of processes on the system in an event-driven fashion
Generates a metering report that is sent to the K1000 based on the K1000 Agent’s Metering interval configuration
KUserAlert.exe
The Windows GUI for K1000 Agent popup messages, snooze prompts and alerts
runkbot.exe
Runs K1000 (kbot) scripts
A flexible scripting engine that can run processes, create/delete files, create/delete/update the registry and so on
AMPAgent.exe
The executable associated with Dell KACE Agent (AMP) service
Establishes a connection on port 52230 to the K1000
Receives short instructions from the K1000 and delegates to one of the other K1000 Agent executables to handle the actual work associated with the task
AMPKickstart.exe
Restarts the AMPAgent service when it crashes
Does not restart the AMPAgent service when it is stopped by a user
In version 5.5 and later, the AMPAgent service is set to self-restart on first and second failures
AMPTools.exe
A command line utility to start/stop AMPAgent (AMP service)
Can also be used to reconfigure amp.conf or uninstall the K1000 agent
Inventory.exe
The Dell Application Catalog (DAC or Software Catalog) software inventory tool
Collects the raw file attributes of files in order to match into the Software Catalog and identify the software titles installed
Kcopy.exe
Copies files via HTTP or SMB between the K1000 and client, or between clients (replication server and targets)
In version 5.5 and later agents, the upload to the K1000 is compressed by default
Kdeploy.exe
Handles Managed Installations, File Syncs, Custom Inventory and Software Installs via Scripts
Can also generate an md5 hash of a file
KInventory.exe
A generic inventory tool to run WMI and other code to collect hardware, service, process and software attributes from the system
K1000 output format is XML
KLaunch.exe
The process framework that launches other K1000 Agent executables on local or remote Windows machines
Supports RunAs functionality, including Local System, Current User on Console, All Users and User/Password
KLaunchSvc.exe
The KLaunch service initiator
kpatch.exe
Handles K1000 patching tasks such as scanning, and deploying patch payloads
KSWMeterSvc.exe
The Dell Application Catalog (DAC or Software Catalog) software metering tool
Monitors the creation/termination of processes on the system in an event-driven fashion
Generates a metering report that is sent to the K1000 based on the K1000 Agent’s Metering interval configuration
KUserAlert.exe
The Windows GUI for K1000 Agent popup messages, snooze prompts and alerts
runkbot.exe
Runs K1000 (kbot) scripts
A flexible scripting engine that can run processes, create/delete files, create/delete/update the registry and so on
If SSL is enabled, be sure to verify Agent communications before disabling HTTP
For ease of Agent deployment, leave port 80 enabled
Can disable after provisioning
Note that Kinventory runs first to collect and submit inventory data and KLaunch is what actually launces other exe’s
Kace Agent log files
amp.log
Logs all of the messages going back and forth to the K1000
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the AMPAgent sections of the KAgent.log
user\ampmsi.log
Logs information related to K1000 Agent provisioning
user\ampinstaller.log
Logs information related to K1000 Agent provisioning and manual installation
user\KAgent.log
This file did not exist in version 5.5 and earlier
In version 6.0, all client-side logs (kcopy, kdeploy, kinventory, klaunch, kpatch and so on) have been consolidated into this log
kcopy.log
Logs file copy information between the K1000 and client, or between clients (replication server and targets)
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the KCopy sections of the KAgent.log
kdeploy.log
Logs deployment details for Managed Installations, File Syncs, Custom Inventory and Software Installs via Scripts
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the KDeploy sections of the KAgent.log
kinventory.log
Logs information related to the collection of data during the inventory process
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the KInventory sections of the KAgent.log
klaunch.log
Logs information related to the launch of other K1000 executables on local or remote Windows machines
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the KLaunch sections of the KAgent.log
kpatch.log
Logs information for K1000 patching tasks such as scanning, and deploying patch payloads
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the KPatch sections of the KAgent.log
ksmeter.log
Logs information for metering, such as indicating which applications should be metered
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the KSWMeterSVC_ sections of the KAgent.log
kuseralert.log
Logs information for K1000 Agent alerts, including the alert message
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into KAgent.log
user\kwinstart.log
Logs agent initiation information for when the agent loads during the boot process
pluginDesktopAlerts.log
Logs information related to when the K1000 asks the agent to spawn and alert
The work is eventually passed to KUserAlert.exe, but this plugin drives KUserAlert.exe to spawn broadcast and message alerts
pluginPatching.log
Logs information related to when the K1000 asks the agent to perform patch-related tasks, before the work is passed to kpatch.exe
pluginRunProcess.log
Logs information related to when the K1000 asks the agent to run any scripts, before the work is passed to runkbot.exe
pluginWeb.log
Logs information related to when the K1000 asks the agent to download/upload payloads
Some work will be passed to Kcopy.exe, but some download/upload activity happens in this plugin directly
runkbot.log
Logs information related to the running of any scripts
In version 6.0, this log has been incorporated into the runkbot sections of the KAgent.log
Debugging is used to show how something failed (and how we got to that failure) instead of just the failure itself
KUID!!!
AMPAgent.exe
The executable associated with Dell KACE Agent (AMP) service
Establishes a connection on port 52230 to the K1000
Receives short instructions from the K1000 and delegates to one of the other K1000 Agent executables to handle the actual work associated with the task
AMPKickstart.exe
Restarts the AMPAgent service when it crashes
Does not restart the AMPAgent service when it is stopped by a user
In version 5.5 and later, the AMPAgent service is set to self-restart on first and second failures
AMPTools.exe
A command line utility to start/stop AMPAgent (AMP service)
Can also be used to reconfigure amp.conf or uninstall the K1000 agent
Inventory.exe
The Dell Application Catalog (DAC or Software Catalog) software inventory tool
Collects the raw file attributes of files in order to match into the Software Catalog and identify the software titles installed
Kcopy.exe
Copies files via HTTP or SMB between the K1000 and client, or between clients (replication server and targets)
In version 5.5 and later agents, the upload to the K1000 is compressed by default
Kdeploy.exe
Handles Managed Installations, File Syncs, Custom Inventory and Software Installs via Scripts
Can also generate an md5 hash of a file
KInventory.exe
A generic inventory tool to run WMI and other code to collect hardware, service, process and software attributes from the system
K1000 output format is XML
KLaunch.exe
The process framework that launches other K1000 Agent executables on local or remote Windows machines
Supports RunAs functionality, including Local System, Current User on Console, All Users and User/Password
KLaunchSvc.exe
The KLaunch service initiator
kpatch.exe
Handles K1000 patching tasks such as scanning, and deploying patch payloads
KSWMeterSvc.exe
The Dell Application Catalog (DAC or Software Catalog) software metering tool
Monitors the creation/termination of processes on the system in an event-driven fashion
Generates a metering report that is sent to the K1000 based on the K1000 Agent’s Metering interval configuration
KUserAlert.exe
The Windows GUI for K1000 Agent popup messages, snooze prompts and alerts
runkbot.exe
Runs K1000 (kbot) scripts
A flexible scripting engine that can run processes, create/delete files, create/delete/update the registry and so on
If SSL is enabled, be sure to verify Agent communications before disabling HTTP
For ease of Agent deployment, leave port 80 enabled
Can disable after provisioning