New Twist to Monitoring Software Applications: Software Metering

Endpoint Central | April 19, 2011 | 3 min read

Software Metering-Desktop Central’s latest feature-enables you to track the usage of software applications in your network. Using this feature you can do the following:

  • Generate reports related to inventory and compliance of software applications
  • Gather details about prohibited software applications
  • Create and implement software metering rules
  • Gather and maintain usage statistics of software applications

You can complete the tasks mentioned above by creating software-metering rules. 

Software Metering Rules

Software metering rules are rules that you can define to enable easy collection of software usage data for the computers in your network. 


Prerequisites

You must know the following information before you add rules:
  • File name
  • Original file name

  • Product name

  • File version
To find out the information mentioned above, follow the steps given below:

Note : Assume that you have to find the file name, original file name, product name and

version of Adobe Media Player.


  1. Click start

  2. Point to Programs>Adobe

  3. Right-click Adobe Device Central CS5 and click Properties

  4. In the Shortcut tab, click Find Target

    Note : The name of the target is the file name.  If the Find Target option is not available, locate where  the .exe file of the application is stored and follow the steps given below. 
    Right-click on the target .exe file and click Properties.

    Figure 1: File Name

  5. Click the Version tab

  6. In the Item name list, click each of the following names to get information about  them:
    • Original file name

    • Product name

    • File version

  7. Click OK

You now have the required information to add rules.


Adding Rules

You are required to add rules to monitor the usage details of specific software applications.  To add rules, follow the steps given below:
  1. Click Inventory

  2. In the Actions/Settings section, click Software Metering

  3. Click Add Rules

  4. Click Select Software

  5. Select the required software application

  6. Click Select

  7. Enter a name for the rule

    Note : The name you enter for the rule should be unique and descriptive. For example, if
    you have selected Adobe Flash Player, you can enter Monitoring Adobe Flash Player
    Usage as the name of the rule. Once you have used this name, you cannot use it as
    a name for any other rule.

  8. Enter the following:
    • File name

    • Original file name

    • Product name

    • Version

    Figure 2: File Name, Version Name, Product Name
  9. Click Save

You have added a rule for a software application.

By default, the software metering rule is enabled. You can disable, edit or delete  the rule by using the icons in the Action column. You can also disable, edit or delete more than one software metering rule simultaneously by using the respective buttons provided.


Note : You cannot add software metering rules for groups of software.



Predefined Rules

In Software Metering there are certain predefined rules available. These rules are used to automatically assign rules to software applications that are commonly monitored. For example, if you monitor the Microsoft Office Suite in all the computers in your network to keep a track of license information, it will be added automatically to the list of software metering rules. Rules will be created for all the software applications that comprise the Microsoft Office Suite.


Software Usage Statistics

It is important to monitor software usage statistics and record them. This information will help you make an informed decision when you want to buy new software applications or renew licenses for existing software applications. Desktop Central provides information about all the software applications installed in your network. 

The software usage information is gathered from the metering rules that you create for software applications.


Viewing software usage information
To view software usage information gathered from software metering rules, follow  the steps given below:
  1. Click the Reports tab 
  2. In the Reports Category , click Inventory Reports

  3. In the Software Reports section, click Application Metering Rules Summary

  4. You can see the following information:

    • Name of the software metering rule
    • Name of the file
       
    • Discovered count: This refers to the number of computers that the agent finds the software application installed in.  For example, if you have installed Adobe Dreamweaver on 500 computers, but 300 computers are not available (because they are shut down) when the agent is scanning the network. The agent will detect the Adobe Dreamweaver software application only in 200 computers. Hence, the discovered count is 200. This information gets updated everyday at 12:00 a.m. 
    • Usage count: This refers to the number of times a software application is used (opened and closed) in all the computers that are being monitored for software usage in your network. For example, if Mozilla Firefox is installed in 300 computers and each of the 300 users uses Mozilla Firefox 10 times a day for 5 working days, the usage count of Mozilla Firefox, for all the computers, will be 15000. 
    • Duration of usage: This refers to information about how long a software application  has been used. This is measured in hours.

  5. Click on the discovered count number to view the details of a software metering rule for specific computers.

Note : Use this report instead of the report Software Usage by Computer for detailed information about software usage in the computers in your network.

You can now view software usage information gathered from software metering rules.

Tags : inventory management / license management / licensing / software metering / software-application usage
Tripti Padukone