Inventory options [Feature Request]

[tlarkin]

Inventory is currently happening, and we are hand counting 6,000 macs to
match our records. I am getting some mismatches with some student
laptops and what I have in inventory. I have been using the JSS/Casper
inventory system to see what users were logged in last and its last
check in time and other things to try to figure out how some machines
got swapped around.

I would like to possibly see a few things happen in Casper, and please
anyone else who has done this add your input too!

1) In inventory have fields where you can assign a machine to a
specific user in your OD. I know it lists the local user accounts, but
I would like to have it assign asset tags to users. So, if I need to
assign one I can say here is your laptop, scan in some bar codes (we
have bar code label printers) and input the information into a web based
form and have the JSS track it. Then I can track it via the JSS
database, and it could be centralized.

2) I would also like it to keep a more robust history, or have the
option to, on users that log in on that machine. If someone is logging
in to a machine that is not theirs a lot I would like to know.

3) email notifications. We have a few machines that checked in once to
the JSS and never again all year. We were never notified on some of
these. A lot of them were locked in a laptop cabinet for whatever
reason and never used, but I would at least like to have some sort of
record. Like if a machine doesn't check in for say 3 weeks in a row, it
gets tossed in a smart group with other machines that have not checked
in, and an email can be sent to whomever to help track that down.

4) Access, I know that JSS has tiered access, but I would like to give
some people access to just inventory, and have them gain all access
needed to the JSS for inventory. I am sure this feature may already
exist, I just haven't fully explored it yet.

5) Printable templates that will print out Asset tag, serial number,
user it belongs to, and model. That way we can tag those machines with
those print outs when we do mass collections for reimaging. Then be
able to sort printable lists by alphabetical order, asset tag, serial,
whatever. So, I can take the one sheet and toss it on the macbook
physically and it would display who it belongs to, and then I could take
the list and toss it on the shelf or cart holding all the
laptops/desktops. Organizing thousands of machines is tedious and right
now I am hand typing this stuff, and if the JSS could automate it, I
would buy it a beer if computers actually drank.

Thoughts, suggestions, or otherwise?

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

[ernstcs]

Hi Tom,

I'll comment on a few of your suggestions, and I'll try to make it quick.

1) I could be off on this, but you'll have to forgive me since I don't use OD. If you go into the Admin tab and add your OD server to the list of LDAP servers can you not search by username on the Location tab for a piece of hardware to match and then stick? Here with AD we do that. We have the AD server set in Admin. When the box is Recon after the very first time it's imaged out of the box we enter in our asset tag number, and then go to the location tab, enter the username have it search and then select the correct user from AD. That piece of hardware now has that specific AD ID assigned to it, so even as that user moves offices/buildings or changes their name (gets married) the information is dynamic (somewhat). Perhaps it works the same for OD...or I'm totally not getting what you are saying. =)

3) I had put in a similar request for this. I have a smart group of machines that haven't talked in 90 days (90 days because sometimes faculty are gone all summer). You can't have it do notifications on changes like that. I asked that they figure out a way to do that even though "it may be difficult programmatically". This way I have an automatic nudge to check on a box. Realistically...90 days is still too long.

4) I've kept saying to them in the past to have a lot more granularity to rights. For example, if you wanted to allow someone work in inventory to cleanup old hardware, delete items, they also had to have access to the admin tab (that was probably a bug back then). Another is license info. If you wanted an employee who strictly works on tracking software licenses or data entry for it, they also had to have access to the admin tab (if memory serves). I also wanted to tighten up options in Casper imaging. Users can ONLY image a machine using this conifg...no option for a blank one.

Then there was the one thing I want to add:

1) In the logs locally I'd like to see usernames of who did what to a machine. If JOHN DOE imaged this box it should say it in the log. I also wanted the ability to get a notification or copy of the log generated from an imaging process. If a machine gets imaged I want a log of what they installed and who did it when in my email. It's a little big brother, but I'd much rather have an awareness of how often people are imaging machines and why.

So that's what I got for ya...I haven't seen ver 6 yet, but hopefully we'll see some of this stuff someday.

Craig

[#3]

I like these ideas for tracking, but don't know how much I would be able to
use. I'm going to try the AD plugin/search as we are moving to AD for
Staff and Students next fall. Thanks for the tip Craig. I may have more
questions as we get closer.

One thing I might like to see in the Logs is the history of IP addresses.
I'd like to see of some laptops are taken home and never brought back to
school or if they go back and forth, etc. Just a simple log of the IP a
client connected with.

-NAthaniel

[tlarkin]

We use CompuTrace on all laptops since they do get taken home. It logs
and tracks the IPs.

I am not quite sure exactly how it works because all I ever have to do
is install it, then management makes sure it works.

I think we had recovered quite a few laptops with it so far this year.

Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
cell: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351