Extending Hardware Inventory

You can extend hardware inventory using any of the following methods:

• Creating a Management Information Format (MIF) file
• Creating a new hardware class

Before selecting an option for extending inventory, you should check the SMS_def.mof file to ensure that your component is not disabled currently. Microsoft® Systems Management Server (SMS) defines over 650 properties in SMS_def.mof, but only 200 are enabled. If your component is disabled, you can edit the SMS_def.mof and set its reporting value to TRUE. After the file is compiled, SMS provides the inventory data for you. For more information on enabling the reporting value, see Enabling the Report Feature for Existing Classes and Properties.

Creating a MIF File

The MIF file option provides a simple solution for capturing static data, but it does not lend itself well to capturing dynamic data. Data that is captured using the MIF file only changes when the contents of the client's MIF file change. You use a NOIDMIF file to report hardware inventory data.

The SMS Provider exposes new inventory groups reported by NOIDMIF files as WMI classes derived from the SMS_Group class. You can view data by using the Resource Explorer or by accessing it with WMI API methods.

For more information on MIF syntax and usage, see the Microsoft BackOffice Resource Kit.