Applies To
Express Software Manager version 6.0 and higher

Summary
This technical note offers suggestions for configuring applications in the Application Wizard in Express Administrative Console.

Using the Application Wizard
Configuring pertinent applications is a critical task when using Express Software Manager, and it can consume the majority of time spent in deploying Express. This task should be performed by someone who is familiar with the applications used in your environment because applications that are incorrectly configured will result in unusable reports. Plan to allocate adequate resources to ensure ongoing accurate configuration of applications.

Important: If you have both parent and child libraries, always configure applications in the parent library. For more information, see your Express Software Manager documentation.

Strategies for Configuring Applications

• Configure pertinent applications.

• Remove unknown or trivial applications (those you are not interested in tracking or metering) from the Auto-added list.

• Create an application named Junk.exe to store trivial executables as support files.

• Regularly run the Application Wizard.

Remove Unknown or Trivial Executables from the Auto-Added List
In the Additional Executables screen you will likely see a long list of executables unrecognized by Express. The majority of these files are trivial executables for which you do not need to collect data. (Many of these of these files are located in directories like \Download, \I386, \Recycle Bin, \Setup, \Temp, \Win NT, or \Windows\System.)

Although you do not need to configure all of the executables in this list, it is advantageous to address each auto-added file in your Express Library. Too many auto-added files will diminish a library’s performance, increase memory requirements, increase network traffic, and potentially cause library corruptions. This is especially important for a metering library because the metering client must continually refresh the auto-added file cache (Applib.cli file) over the network (the larger the file, the greater the impact on the network). A large auto-added file cache will slow down Express Administrative Console, especially the Application Wizard.

Express Metrix recommends that you delete unknown files from the auto-added list. This can be done in the Application Wizard by selecting the files to be removed and then clicking the Remove button. You can also delete files directly from the Auto-added list in Express Administrative Console by selecting each file and clicking Delete. (You can select multiple files to delete by holding down the CTRL key as you select files, then click Delete.)

Some files will re-appear in the Auto-added list despite the fact that they were once removed.

• If the files were found by the inventory process and are never launched, they will never show up in the Auto-added list again.

• If the files were found by the inventory process and are eventually launched, the inventory client will auto-add the files again.

• If the Auto-add feature is enabled (on the Metering tab) and the files are launched on a metered workstation, then the files will be auto-added again. If you still do not care about these files, you can create an application (for example, Junk.exe) and add these trivial files as support files to this application. This will allow you to remove trivial or unknown applications from the Auto-added list. See the section below for more information about creating such an application.

  Disabling Auto-add in Express Meter: After you have configured all of the pertinent applications used in your organization, Express Metrix recommends that you disable the Auto-add feature in Express Meter.

1. To do this, open Library Properties, and then select the Metering tab.

2. In the Auto-add section, clear the check boxes for Network Applications and Local Applications.

This feature could be re-enabled periodically to capture the launch of any new applications being used. Otherwise, periodic inventories will capture any new applications added to the workstations.

One way to determine if a file should be added as a support file to Junk.exe is to look at the number of launches for the executable in the Application Wizard. If the application has never been launched, then it is probably a good choice to add it as a Junk.exe support file.

To create an application to store trivial or unknown executables, follow these steps:

1. Create an application called Junk.exe with a 1Kb-file size.

2. In the Application Properties for Junk.exe, click the General tab. Clear the Manage licenses check box.

3. On the Metering tab, clear the Enable application metering check box.

4. Add the trivial executables in the Auto-added list in the Application Wizard to Junk.exe as Support files. (These files may also be dragged and dropped to the Support files list from an Explorer window.) Note: If the support files are given a size of 0 bytes, then files of the same name but different file size will be similarly treated as Junk.exe support files.

Related Technical Notes

1343	Using Application Wizard: Strategies for Configuring Applications in Express 4.x and 5.x
1609	Configuring Windows 2000 and XP in Express Software Manager
9989	Express Software Manager 6.x Technical Notes