Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I install or uninstall the Express Client manually, via a batch file or script, or via a Windows group policy?
A. Yes.  There may be cases where you do not want to or cannot install the Express Client to machines from the Administrative Console (for example, if you have machines that are not connected to the network).  Technical Note 2021 describes: how to install, upgrade, and uninstall the client manually; the logic and syntax required to install, upgrade, or uninstall the client via a batch file or script; and, the requirements to deploy the client via group policy. Back to top »
Q. Why do I get the error "The RPC server is unavailable" when I try to install the Express Client or inventory a machine?

A. Typically, you will see the "RPC Server not available" error when a firewall is enabled on a client machine or when the machine is turned off.  This is the most common client installation or inventory error.  (To troubleshoot other client installation or inventory errors, see the "Error messages in the Machine Properties dialog box" topic in the Express Software Manager Help, accessible via the Help menu in the Administrative Console.)

Troubleshooting steps:

  1. To allow access through the XP SP2 firewall, follow the instructions in Technical Note 2009.

  2. Verify that the account you are using to install the client or inventory a machine can access the \\{machinename}\c$\{windows}\system32 folder.  If you cannot access this folder, either the account does not have proper privileges or the machine is turned off.

    Note:  The Express Server is responsible for deploying the client or inventorying a machine.  Therefore, the computer running the Express Server must be able to access remote computers using the proper account.  When you do the test above log into the Express Server machine with the account you are using in the Administrative Console to deploy the client or inventory a machine and then test access to the system32 folder.

  3. If step 2 above is successful, verify that you have Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) access by launching \Program Files\Express Metrix\Administrative Console\WMIViewer\WMIViewer.html, and remotely connect to the targeted machine using the same account you used in step 2 above.  If that fails, verify that Windows Management Instrumentation service is enabled via Services, accessible via the Control Panel in Windows, on the targeted machine.
  4. Verify that the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service is enabled via Services, accessible via the Control Panel in Windows, on the targeted machine.

  5. DCOM must be enabled on the target client machine.  You can check the following registry setting to determine whether or not DCOM is enabled:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\OLE\EnableDCOM

    A value of Y indicates DCOM is enabled; N indicates it is disabled.  See this Microsoft Knowledgebase article for more information: http://support.microsoft.com/x?scid=kb;en-us;825750

    The instructions in this article that can assist you with DCOM issues: http://consumer.installshield.com/kb.asp?id=Q108324

  6. Repair or reinstall WMI.  You can find instructions to do so here: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/repairwmi.htm

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Q. How do I register an Access Point?

A. The Express Access Point should get registered during the installation. On occasion, this does not occur for one or more reasons, depending on the operating system involved. 

To help you register the Access Point, please see the information in Technical Note 2018.


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Q. How do I move the Express Database to a new server?
A. Depending on your implementation, this can be a straightforward to moderately complex task.  Contact Express Metrix Technical Support (support@expressmetrix.com) for assistance.
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Q. When extracting the ESID update, why do I get the following error message: "Error 2 running command EMSIDInstaller.exe"?
A. Typically, this error message is generated when EMSIDInstaller.exe, the Express Software Identification Database (ESID) Installer, is not found in the path to which you extracted the ESID update files.  EMSIDInstaller.exe is located on the machine where the Express Database component is installed (e.g., \Program Files\Express Metrix\Database or \Program Files\Express Metrix\Database Tools) and where the Express database is located.  This the machine to which you should extract the ESID update.  Verify that the "Unzip to folder:" path on the Express Database machine is correct and that it contains EMSIDInstaller.exe.
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Q. I notice machines and users discovered from my domain but I don't see my Active Directory structure.  How do I discover machines and users from Active Directory?
A. By default, an NT Domain discovery is performed by the Express Server.  To discover from Active Directory, select Discover Machines and Users from the Tools menu in the Express Administrative Console.  Next, select the Discover from Active Directory radio button and click Discover.  Thenceforth, an Active Directory discovery will be performed once a week as a Scheduled Task (Express Discover Task) in Windows.
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Q. Why does the information in the Licensed Features section of the Express Today panel in the Express Administrative Console indicate that I have more licenses in use than I have Express Clients installed?

A. Express license use is based on the collection and accessibility of machine data via reports rather than the installation of the Express Client.  An Express license is used whenever metering or inventory information is collected from a machine, and that information is accessible via reports, whether or not the Express Client is currently installed on that machine.

When a machine is moved to the 'Deleted machines' bin, an Express license is made available for use since data associated with that machine is no longer accessible via reports.  When a machine is restored and, hence, removed from the 'Deleted machines' bin, an Express license is used since data associated with that machine would be accessible via reports.


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Q. How do I back up the Express Database?
A. To back up your Express Database, you can use an interactive tool such as Microsoft's SQL Management Studio or a command-line tool such as OSQL. For information on using OSQL, see Technical Note 2026.
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Q. I deleted a machine and/or user in the Express Administrative Console but now when I run a discovery, that machine and/or user is no longer discovered.  How do I re-discover that deleted machine and/or user?
A. When you right-click on a machine or user in the Express Administrative Console and choose the Delete menu option, the machine or user is moved to either the 'Deleted machines' or 'Deleted users' bin.  (Note: When a machine is moved to the 'Deleted machines' bin, an Express license is made available for use since data associated with that machine is no longer accessible via reports.)  A machine or user in such a bin is excluded from reports and will not be re-discovered unless it is removed from the 'Deleted' bin either by completely purging the machine or user from the database or by restoring the machine or user from the 'Deleted' bin.  To purge a machine or user, right-click on the machine or user in the 'Deleted' bin, select Delete, and click on Yes when prompted.  To restore a machine or user, right-click on the machine or user in the 'Deleted' bin and select Restore.  (Note: When a machine is restored and, hence, removed from the 'Deleted machines' bin, an Express license is used since data associated with that machine would be accessible via reports.) 
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Q. I ran an Active Directory discovery and it discovered all the OUs, machines, and users in my Active Directory.  How do I limit the Active Directory discovery process to one or more OUs?

A. To limit the Active Directory discovery process to an OU, select Discover Machines and Users from the Tools menu in the Express Administrative Console.  Next, click on the Add button and specify the LDAP string in the OU Path text box as per the example below the text box.  Repeat the process as desired.

Note that this process does not remove OU, machine, and user data collected previously via a full Active Directory discovery.  To remove such data and start anew:

  1. Go to the Machines panel in the Express Administrative Console and select the 'Full list' folder.  Next, sort by the 'Last install status' and 'Inventory status' columns and select those machines that have both 'Not installed' and 'Never inventoried' values for each column, respectively.  Right-click on the selection and select Delete.  Next, right-click on the 'Deleted machines' bin, select 'Empty "Deleted machines" folder,' and click on Yes when prompted.  Finally, expand the 'Discovered' folder, right click on the Active Directory name you wish to expunge (e.g., my_AD.com), select Delete Group, and click Yes when prompted.
  2. Go to the Users panel in the Express Administrative Console and select the 'Full list' folder.  Next, sort by the 'Last login' column and select those users for which value in the column is blank.  Right-click on the selection and select Delete.  Next, right-click on the 'Deleted users' bin, select 'Empty "Deleted users" folder,' and click on Yes when prompted.  Finally, expand the 'Discovered' folder, right click on the Active Directory name you wish to expunge (e.g., my_AD.com), select Delete Group, and click Yes when prompted.
  3. To initiate the limited discovery you configured above, select Discover Machines and Users from the Tools menu in the Express Administrative Console.  Next, select the Discover from Active Directory radio button and click Discover.

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Q. What is a License Unit?

A. As you use Express Software Manager, you'll notice that the term "license unit" is used in places where you may expect to see the terms "application" or "suite." This is because Express Software Manager groups versions of a given application or suite (which consist of two or more related applications) into license units for information collection and reporting purposes. This grouping allows license counts to apply to a group of applications that may have differing version numbers, but are grouped under the same license agreement.

In Express Software Manager, license units, suites, and applications are defined as follows:

  • License unit:  A collection of one or more versions of suites or applications used in reporting to determine which products are present on machines throughout the company in order to ensure license compliance. Typically, the applications or suites that make up a license unit differ only by version. Control and metering are also implemented at the license unit level.
  • Suite:  A collection of two or more applications that are sold as a bundle (for example, Microsoft Office) in several possible configurations.
  • Application:  A collection of one or more main executables and related support files. Presence of the main executable file is the primary means of identifying which license units are on which machines.

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Q. When trying to apply the latest ESID update, why do I get the following error message: "You do not have permission to use the BULK INSERT statement."?

A. If you used the Express install program to create the database (by installing the Express Database component on the SQL Server), an Express user account is created via the process with db_owner and public database roles and bulkadmin and public server roles to use when accessing the Express Database.

The user name and password you should use to access the database via the Express Administrative Console (and to update the ESID), is the Express user account you created when you created the Express Database (not the sa account).  To view this account, go to \Inetpub\wwwroot\esmweb\expresssoftwaremanagerap on the Express Access Point machine, open Web.config in Notepad, and make note of the values in the <User> and <Passwd> tags.  That account should have the db_owner and public database roles and bulkadmin and public server roles.  These roles are automatically assigned if you use the Express install program to create the database.


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Q. When I try to access any of the Administrative Reports or the Express Reports Console, why do I get "HTTP 404 - File not found" error message?
A. It may be that either the URL for the Express Reports Console or the root folder for Administrative Reports (i.e., reports not accessible via the Express Reports Console) is incorrectly specified.  The default URL to access the Express Reports Console is http://<machine_name>/ESMReportsConsole/x and the default root folder to access Administrative Reports (i.e., reports not accessible via the Express Reports Console) is http://<machine_name>/ExpressSoftwareManagerAP/webreports.  In both cases, <machine_name> is the name of the machine where the Express Reports Web Site is installed.  These URLs can be found and updated, if necessary, in the Reports Locations section of the Express Administrative Console.
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Q. What are the default URLs to access the Express Administrative Console and Administrative Reports?
A. The default URL to access the Express Reports Console is http://<machine_name>/ESMReportsConsole/x, and the default root folder to access Administrative Reports (i.e., reports not accessible via the Express Reports Console) is http://<machine_name>/ExpressSoftwareManagerAP/webreports.  In both cases, <machine_name> is the name of the machine where the Express Reports Web Site is installed.  These URLs can be found and updated, if necessary, in the Reports Locations section of the Express Administrative Console.
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Q. How do I add more Express licenses?
A. To add more Express licenses, you need to purchase additional Express licenses upon which you will be provided a new Express license key.  The new key can be applied in the Licensed Features section of the Express Today panel in the Express Administrative Console.  Contact your sales representative at 1.888.611.2288 to purchase additional Express licenses and obtain a new Express license key.
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Q. Can I upgrade the SQL Server hosting the Express Database from version 2005 to 2008?
A. Yes, upgrading your SQL Server from version 2005 to 2008 will not impact your Express Database.
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Q. How do I install the Express Database on a SQL Server cluster?
A. You cannot install the Express Database on a SQL Server cluster using the default installation option.  When you launch esmsetup.exe, the Express Software Manager installation program, you can choose either the Typical/Evaluation Install or the Remote Database Option.  To install the Express Database on a machine in a SQL Server cluster, select the Remote Database Install Option.  This option allows you to copy files required to create and initialize the Express database manually (or remotely).  After installing, read \Program Files\Express Metrix\Database Tools\RemoteExpressDatabase.txt for further instructions.
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Q. I downloaded a copy of the Quickstart Guide but when I open it and try to view a topic, I get either "Navigation to the webpage was canceled" or "Action canceled."  What do I need to do to view a topic in the the Quickstart Guide?
A. To resolve this problem, choose to save the Quickstart Guide locally, right-click on the file, click Properties, click Unblock, and then click OK.  Please refer to the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article for more information: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/902225/
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Q. Why does Express Software Manager require Microsoft IIS, Microsoft SQL Server, and the Microsoft .NET Framework?
A. Express Software Manager utilizes the latest Microsoft .NET, SQL Server, and Internet Information System (IIS) technologies for optimized scalability, performance and management:
Microsoft IIS
IIS is a web server providing high-volume, web protocol based communications functionality. Express Software Manager uses IIS and the Microsoft .NET framework to facilitate communication between Express clients and the Express Database. IIS is also used generate and serve Express Software Manager Web Reports.
Microsoft SQL Server
Microsoft SQL Server is a database environment providing powerful data store and database programming functionality. Express Software Manager uses SQL Server to store and manage all Express data including:
  • Data collected by Express clients
  • Administrative and configuration data
  • The Express Software Identification Database (ESID)
  • Processed data displayed in Express Reports
Microsoft .NET Framework
The Microsoft .NET framework provides a modern, full-featured interface allowing applications to take full advantage of all of the functionality provided by Microsoft Windows in a network and web environment. Express Software Manager uses the .NET framework in several ways:
  • Express Access Point - a .NET web service that facilitates communication between Express clients and the Express Database.
  • Express Reporting - a .NET based website that provides report and filter selection and report viewing.
  • Express Administrative Console and Express Server - Windows .NET forms applications that provide administrative, data collection management, and event handling functionality within Express Software Manager.
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Q. How do I inventory a Mac OS-based machine from a USB drive?

Collecting inventory data from Mac OS-based machines is different than inventorying Windows-based machines. For Mac OS machines, you need to use the appropriate remote client package to collect the data, and then import that data via the Administrative Console.

Follow these steps:

  1. From the Administrative Console's Machine menu, point to Remote Inventory, and then click Prepare Client. Note the location of the Mac OS remote client package that is shown in the dialog box.
  2. Copy the contents of that folder to a USB drive or other portable media that you can use on Mac OS-based machines.
  3. Mount the portable media on the Mac OS machine and run Inventory Mac.app from the drive. Mac OS inventory client will write its inventory data back to a folder on the portable media.
  4. From the Administrative Console's Machine menu, point to Remote Inventory, and then click Import. Browse to the location of the .XML files on the portable media, and then click Import.


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Q. Can I inventory Mac OS-based machines from a share?

Yes - to inventory from a share and import the results, do the following:

Prepare the network share location

To run inventory from a share, you must first prepare the network share location:

  1. Create a network share with read and, if you plan to use the same location to write the generated output files, write access by other machines. If you also run inventory from a Windows share, make sure this location is different.
  2. From the Administrative Console's Machine menu, point to Remote Inventory and then click Prepare Client. This will generate an inventory configuration file in the location shown in the Prepare Remote Inventory Client dialog box. Note that this dialog box lists locations for the both Windows-based machines and Mac OS-based systems. Navigate to the appropriate location and copy all the files in that folder to the share.

Run the inventory from the share

After you've prepared the network share location, you are ready to run inventory from the share. To do so, run the Inventory Mac.app script from the machine to be inventoried.

The client will write its inventory files into a subfolder of the folder where Inventory Mac.app is located. The client creates the subfolder in the form esm_<machinename>_yyyymmdd. For example, an inventory run on December 15, 2010 would create the following subfolder: esm_JERRY160L_20101215

Process the inventory

After you've prepared the network share location and run inventory from it, you need to process the resulting .Xml files by pulling that data into the Express Database. You can do this either one machine at a time, or for an entire share containing inventories generated from multiple clients. Both procedures are described here.

Importing a single machine

You can import the inventory from a single machine directly from within the Express Administrative Console using the same method as provided for other types of remote inventories:

  1. From the Administrative Console's Machine menu, point to Remote Inventory and then click Import.
  2. In the Import Remote Inventory Files dialog box, navigate to the folder containing the machine’s inventory files. (Remember, this will be a folder name containing the machine name and date as described earlier.)
  3. Click Import.

Importing multiple machines

To import inventory files generated by the Inventory Mac.app script, do the following:

  1. Copy the ProcessEMInvFS.wsf file into the C:\Windows\System32\Wex4962 folder of a Windows machine that is running an Express Software Manager client.
  2. Run the ProcessEMInvFS.wsf script from that location with the following arguments. (Note: all arguments are optional – see the argument descriptions for defaults if not specified.)
    • /visible - (optional) This script invokes the inventory client to pass the individual inventories up one at a time to the Express Access Point. If you do not use the /visible parameter, the client runs without displaying its user interface. Note: If you specify /visible, you will need to click on a Close button in the client user interface for each inventory processed.
    • /nosummary - (optional) Use if you do not want messages to display when the script completes. If you do not use the /nosummary parameter, a summary message box is displayed.
    • /delete - (optional) Use to delete each processed folder once complete. If you do not use the /delete parameter, the folder is not deleted, but is renamed by pre-pending "processed_" to the folder after processing is complete. This is done so if you rerun the script at a later date, only unprocessed folders are imported. For example, after the folder used in the sample above has been processed, its name will be: processed_esm_JERRY160L_20101215


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Q. How can I schedule the SCCM import to occur automatically?
Once you've followed the steps to configure the Express SCCM Connector and successfully imported data, you can schedule the import process via the Task Scheduler (also called simply the Scheduler), a System Tools accessory that ships with Windows. To do so, use the following command in the Scheduler:
\Program Files (x86)\Express Metrix\SCCM\SCCMDriver /S <server> /D <database> /U <login id> /P <password> - or - \Program Files\Express Metrix\SCCM\SCCMDriver /S <server> /D <database> /U <login id> /P <password>

The database connection information for the SCCM database is stored in the Express database as a global setting. The field mapping information is stored in the Express database as a global setting. The collection information is stored in the Express database as a per-user setting. Therefore, when you're setting up a scheduled task, the task must run as the same user who saved the collection information.

For example, if you were logged in as domain\myuser when you saved the collection information, the scheduled task must run as domain\myuser.

See the online Help that accompanies the Scheduler if you need more information on how to use it.

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Telephone / E-mail Support
United States & Canada
Online: Request Support
E-Mail:
Phone: 1.206.691.7903
1.888.826.2288
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E-Mail:
Phone:+44(0) 870 850 0610
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Australia, New Zealand & Asia/Pacific
E-Mail:support@expressmetrix.com.au
Phone:+61 2 9973 4151
Hours:8:00AM to 5:00PM AET