Applies To
Express Software Manager version 4.x through 5.x

Summary
Express Software Manager identifies applications by matching the size of the main executable file to a file in the Express Knowledgebase. Since many patches are applied to support files, the size of the executable file remains unchanged, and Express may not be able to distinguish between a patched and unpatched application. This technical note explains how to use Express Software Manager to identify patched applications.

How Express Software Manager Recognizes Applications
Express Software Manager recognizes an application by comparing the name and size of the main executable file to information in the Express Knowledgebase. When a file exactly matches data in the Express Knowledgebase, the version of the application is recognized and the available compliance information is reported.

Note: Express Software Manager provides data based on available information from various software and hardware vendors. Express Metrix has not independently confirmed any compliance information with the applicable third party vendor(s) and it is your responsibility to do so. EXPRESS METRIX IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM USE OF THIS DATA OR THIS SOFTWARE.

Problem with Identifying Patched Applications
Many patches that resolve Year 2000 compliance are applied to the support files. As a result, the size of the support files may change, but the size of the executable file does not change. Since the Express Knowledgebase identifies applications by matching the size of the main executable file, the knowledgebase may not be able to distinguish between a patched and unpatched application.

Identifying Patched Applications: Four Options
Some of the tools within Express Software Manager can be used to identify and distinguish patched applications. Given your particular scenario, choose from the four available options:

• If you already patched an application, use Option 1.

• If you have not yet applied the patch, use Option 2.

• If you are working with product suites, like Microsoft Office 97, use Option 3.

• If you have metering enabled, use Option 4.

The following example shows how an indicator file can be used to distinguish between Service Release 1 (SR-1) and Service Release 2 (SR-2) of Microsoft Word 97.

Finding an Indicator File
The Express Knowledgebase cannot distinguish Word 97 SR-2 from Word 97 SR-1 or the original release of Word 97 because the main executable file (Winword.exe) does not change size when a Service Release is applied. Here is one approach for finding an indicator file:

1. On a workstation that has Word 97 installed, open Word 97. Click About Microsoft Word on the Help menu.

You may see Microsoft Word 97 SR-2. The SR-2 notation indicates that Service Release 2 (a patch) was applied.

To track the installations of Word 97 SR-2, look for an indicator file that includes SR-2 in a text string.

2. To search for SR-2 in a text string, open Windows Explorer. On the Tools menu, point to Find, and click Files or Folders.

3. Click the Advanced tab.

4. Leaving the default type of All Files and Folders, enter SR-2 in the box for Containing text. Click Find Now.

5. Repeat steps 2 - 4 on a workstation that has Microsoft Word 97 SR-1 installed, but in step 4, enter SR-1.

6. Compare the list of files. Look for a common file name that has a different size in SR-1 and SR-2. In this case, Wwintl32.dll appears in both lists, but with a different file size. It can be used as an indicator file.

1. In Express Console, click Application on the Add menu.

2. On the General tab, enter Word 97 as the application name.

3. Enter Wwintl32.dll as the main executable.

4. On the Versions tab, add a version for each of the sizes of Wwintl32.dll that you want to track (where each size corresponds to a different Service Release for Word 97):
   1. Click the Add button.

   2. Enter SR-2 for the version description, and enter the file size. Click OK.

5. Repeat step 4 but enter the version description and file size information for the SR-1 version of Wwintl32.dll.

6. If the inventory client gathered DLL file extensions, continue with step 7. If the inventory client did not gather DLL information, continue as follows:
   1. Open Library Properties in Express Console. Click the Inventory tab.

   2. Add DLL to the list of file extensions to gather. Click OK.

   3. Run the Inventory client by including Exinv16.exe -N in the login script.

7. On the Tools menu, point to Library, and click Update Database.

8. Open Express Reports. The Software Installation by Application and Version report displays the machines that have Wwintl32.dll installed. Each version of Wwintl32.dll corresponds to the Service Release for Word 97 that is installed.

Creating and Distributing an Indicator File
Before you distribute the patch, create an indicator file to be distributed with the patch file. Follow these steps:

1. Open Notepad. Enter a line to describe which patched application is being tracked. For instance, if you want to track the Service Release 2 patch for Word 97, you might enter:

This file is being distributed with Word 97 SR-2.

Note: This file must have at least one character. It cannot be a zero byte file.

2. Save the file with an .EXE extension. For instance, save the file as WordSR2.exe.

3. As you distribute the patch to the appropriate workstations, save the indicator file (WordSR2.exe) on the same machines.

If you visit an individual workstation to apply the patch, use steps 1 - 3 above to create the WordSR2.exe file on the same machine.

If you use SMS or a login script to distribute the patch, you can distribute the indicator file, WordSR2.exe for instance, at the same time.

1. Run the Express Inventory client using Exinv16.exe -N in the login script or on a command line. Update the Library database.

For information about invoking the Express Inventory client, see your Express documentation.

2. Repeat the inventory-update cycle to complete the second inventory pass and to display WordSR2.exe in the Application Wizard.

For information about Express Inventory's two-pass architecture, see Technical Note 1298.

3. In Express Console, open the Application Wizard and click Next until you reach the dialog box to Configure Additional Executable Files. Highlight the indicator file, WordSR2.exe.

4. Configure WordSR2.exe as an application. Click Finish, close the Application Wizard, and update the database. WordSR2.exe is now in the list of Configured Applications.

5. In Express Console, click Application on the Add menu. Create an application group called Patches.

Note: Use the Patches application group as an archive for the indicator files that you created to identify your site's patched applications.

6. Add WordSR2.exe to the Patches group. (Expand the Configured Applications in the right pane, and drag WordSR2.exe into the Patches folder in the left pane.)

7. Open Express Reports. To locate the machines where WordSR2.exe (and the patched application) is installed, click the Filters button. On the Application tab, click Disable All, and then Enable WordSR2.exe.

8. Open the Software Inventory report for Installations by Application and Version. With the filter applied, the report displays only the workstations where the application is patched.

For example, after the Microsoft Office 97 suite is installed and patched as a suite in your enterprise, the Express Knowledgebase recognizes the component applications as follows:

Microsoft Word 97 SR-1/SR-2
Microsoft Excel 97 SR-2
Microsoft PowerPoint 97 SR-2

When the products are installed and patched as a suite, you can assume that each application in the suite has been patched to the same SR level. In Express Reports, look for the installation of Microsoft Excel 97 SR-2 or Microsoft PowerPoint 97 SR-2, and assume the installation of Word 97 (on the same machine) is also SR-2.

Option 4: When Metering is Enabled Before the Patch is Applied
When Metering is enabled, you can determine which machines have run the patch installation executable.

1. From a metering workstation, run the executable that installs the patch.

2. Within Express Console, update the database to move the patch executable file into the Auto-added list.

3. Using the Application Wizard, configure the Auto-added patch executable as an application. Give this application a descriptive name, such as <Application>Y2K patch.

4. Run the patch executable on all of the appropriate workstations, and update the database.

5. Open Express Reports and click the Filters button. On the Application tab, click Disable All.

6. Then enable two applications: the application being patched and the patch executable.

7. Open the Metering report for Application Statistics by Library and Machine. Verify that the patch executable ran on all of the required workstations.

8. In Express Console, double-click the patch executable to open the Application Properties dialog box.

9. Click the Year 2000 tab and modify the information as follows:

• Clear the "Use vendor statement from Express Knowledgebase" check box.

• In the Year 2000 drop-down menu, select Compliant.

• In the User notes field, enter the patch name, description, and when it was run (if all workstations were patched at one time).

Related Technical Notes

1295	Identifying Unrecognized Applications in Express Software Manager 4.0
1298	Understanding the Inventory Process in Express Software Manager 4.x through 5.x
1328	Identifying Unrecognized Applications in Express Software Manager 4.5 through 5.x
9991	Express Software Manager Technical Notes (5.x or lower)