Mac utilization

[sayr01]

We use JAMF to manage 315 iMacs in a college environment. These macs are installed in different location across the campus usually about 20 in each room. We have been asked to provide Mac utilisation report on a weekly basis. Is there a way this information can be extracted? (Can this be done using JAMF or SQL ?)

[rhoward]

When you says utilization, do you mean what/how they are being used? You can just run an inventory update and look at each record to see what is being used in the computer records.

[sayr01]

Hi rhoward

We need to produce Log in and log out information for each mac. Exec want to know how often they are used by students?

thanks

[mm2270]

Go into Computer Management > Check-In > Login/Logout Hooks >
Make sure the following items are enabled (checked):

• Create login/logout hooks
• Log Computer Usage information at login and logout

You may want to enable a few other options there and on some of the other tabs as well, such as the Startup Script tab, which can capture startups. But the above at a minimum will capture the user login information.

However, I should tell you now that actually reporting on that or extracting the data out from each record won't be an easy task. There are no exports options on the pages that display that info unfortunately. So while it's there and you can look at it, you're going to need to get creative with generating any kind of reports. I also don't know that any of this info is in the API. I don't think it is, which is too bad, since it could then be scripted in some way to pull it out.

[bcourtade]

It does look like the API has the computer usage logs available:

Example:
../JSSResource/computerhistory/id/{id}/subset/UsageLogs

[mm2270]

Oh, that's good to know. Maybe that's something new. It wasn't in there in the past in recent versions. I'm not quite on an up to date release just yet.
Thanks for the info @bcourtade!

[bcourtade]

Here's a quick and dirty Powershell script as an example. All it does it list all recorded login events per computer, then a total at the end.

Amount of data is going to be subject to the Computer History setting under Log Flushing in the JSS system settings.

https://pastebin.com/8wDUZSpJ

EDIT: The script needs JSS username and password hard coded near the top as well as jss server url. Usage:
.labUsage -jssgroup <insert computer group here>

[sayr01]

thank you all.

This does provide detail but only for each computer. is there way to get a usage reports on groups of mac's in a classroom.

Go into Computer Management > Check-In > Login/Logout Hooks >
Make sure the following items are enabled (checked): •Create login/logout hooks
•Log Computer Usage information at login and logout