Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 6-3
Hardware Inventory Classes
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Add a new hardware inventory class. You can connect to another computer to retrieve
specific inventory classes and then add the new inventory class to the set of default
classes. For example, you might use a client computer to test a hardware vendor-spe-
cific MOF file. After you verify that the specific MOF file collects the custom informa-
tion properly, you can connect to the computer from the Configuration Manager
console to import the vendor-specific classes.
If you have a custom MOF file that contains hardware inventory class settings that you
used in a prior version of Configuration Manager or an MOF file that a vendor provides, you
can use the Import and Export features to import or export custom MOF files and their
associated settings.
The Configuration.mof file is a text file you can edit with a text editor such as Notepad
.exe, which defines the data classes for the hardware inventory agent. Configuration.mof also
defines and registers the providers that the hardware inventory agent uses during data col-
lection. To extend the hardware inventory that Configuration Manager collects, you edit the
Configuration.mof file to use a registered inventory data provider. For example, if you want to
collect additional information from specific registry keys on the client computer, you modify
the registry property provider to collect the specific registry key information that you require.
When clients request computer policies as part of their normal policy-polling interval,
Configuration Manager attaches the Configuration.mof content to the policy body that clients
download and compile. When you add, modify, or delete data classes from the Configuration
.mof file, the next time that clients receive an updated computer policy, they automatically
compile changes that have occurred to inventory-related data classes.
