Situation:

- have some new expensive document scanner here
- want to inventory these devices with zcm asset management

Environment:

- the scanner just have an USB-Interface (no NIC)
- so can't get them into the zcm database as an "standalone" object (discoverd network-device/inventory only device/managed device)
- if scanner is connected via usb, they weren't reported with automated inventory scan of the workstation
- so have to add them manually via "adding hardware" in inventory report of the workstation

Problem:

- manually added hardware is only assigned to the managed workstation (can't exists alone without workstation relationship)
- e. g. when the managed workstation (notebook with manually added document scanner information) will be deleted (because notebook will be scrapped) the inventory information about the related scanner will be lost
- or: user with document scanner gets another workstation, we have to assign all the "scanner-inventory-information" to the new computer again and again

Solution:

- need a better possibility to manage "not-network-connected" devices (without relationship to an existing managed workstation)

by: Martin S. | over a year ago | Hardware inventory

Comments

• Martin has perfectly described a gap in the hardware side of asset management in ZENworks. At the core is the managed device centric model; ideally this suggestion leads us down the path to a hardware asset management functionality comparable to our software asset management.

  by: Bruce M. | over a year ago

• I also vote for this as we would like to roll in our inventory of monitors to Zenworks. I think that it would be something that can be created under discovered devices.

  by: Ben W. | over a year ago

• At least most monitors - those attached to devices - will be picked up by the automatic inventory. But the comment is spot on with regards to monitors in stock. Need a genuine stockroom feature on the way to full Hardware Asset Management on par with existing Software features.

  by: Bruce M. | over a year ago

• This goes along with needing a stock room location for devices currently on a shelf. Not everything is on and plugged into a network all the time.

  by: Paul B. | over a year ago