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

Summary
The Express client is typically deployed to workstations using a network login script, but this method is not feasible for inventorying or metering standalone or remote workstations. This technical note provides alternatives for running the Express client on workstations that are either not connected to the network or are linked with a slow wide area network (WAN) connection. Suggestions for optimizing Express in a WAN environment are also included.

Options for Inventorying Stand-Alone and Remote Workstations
Express Metrix recommends using the Express Remote Client to inventory stand-alone or remote workstations. Use the Express Remote Client to inventory each workstation that meets one of the following descriptions:

• Stand-alone workstation

• Laptop that travels with user

• Connected to a WAN by slow links, typically in a remote office

• Connected to a WAN, but the site where the workstation is located has no server

User-Defined Client
If you want to gather information about machine hardware attributes, you must first configure the User-Defined Client, which is invoked when the Remote Client runs. The Express User-Defined Client can be used to gather information about machine attributes. The User-Defined Client, Exuser16.exe, is invoked when the Express Remote Client is run. Therefore, if you want to gather machine attribute data, you must modify an .INI file and a .BAT file before you run the Remote Client.

See Technical Note 1310 for details about using the User-Defined Client on remote machines.

After the data is imported to a library, you can view the data in the Express report called User defined machine attributes by machine. To locate this report, open the Inventory folder and then expand the General folder.

If you want to display the data differently, you can write custom reports or queries. For assistance, contact Express Metrix Services (info@expressmetrix.com).

Express Remote Client
The Express Remote Client utility performs inventory and BIOS scans on non-networked workstations. The data collected is then zipped into a file that can be merged with data gathered in another Express library.

You can deploy the Remote Client in two ways:

• Create a floppy or portable zip disk and run the remote client directly on the machine.

  You could visit each workstation to run the client or distribute a disk to each stand-alone or remote user, who would run the client and return the disk.

• Distribute the Remote Client Setup program, Invrmt.exe, to the users, who would install it, run the client, and send the results to the administrator.

  The program could be e-mailed to remote users or placed on a central web site for remote users to download. The resulting zip file could then be sent by e-mail or uploaded to a central server.

For detailed information about running the Remote Client and importing the data, refer to the online help topic, Remote Client, or the Resource Toolkit Utilities chapter in the System Administrator Guide.

Optimizing Express in a WAN Environment
To minimize network impact, Express Metrix recommends placing Express libraries at remote sites rather than attempting to meter or inventory over slow or heavily used WAN links. The Express client installer, Exinst.exe, is approximately 1.5 MB, and simultaneous downloads over a 64K WAN connection could degrade network performance.

Consider these options for metering or inventorying workstations at remote WAN locations:

• Create a local library at each remote site, and then use the Express Library Manager service to consolidate the remote libraries once a week.

• Deploy the Express client manually to one workstation at a time, or add a small number of users to the login scripts each day.

• If you are gathering only inventory data, use the Express Remote Client instead of inventorying over the WAN link. (See the previous section about using the Express Remote Client.)

• If you are gathering only inventory data over a WAN, modify the library's inventory settings before you run the client:

1. In Express Console, click Library Properties on the File menu. Click the Inventory tab.

2. Clear the Enable high impact gathering check box.

3. Select the Secondary Gathering radio button to enable Continuous low impact gathering.

4. Test this setting on a few workstations to determine the network impact before deploying the Express client to the entire site.

Related Technical Notes

1310	Gathering Machine Attributes with the User-Defined Client
1572	Running the 6.0 Express Client on Workstations with Slow or No Network Connections
9991	Express Software Manager Technical Notes (5.x or lower)