Overview
The Cireson Asset Management solution contains many workflows to automate the common processes, calculations, notifications and triggers that occur as part of the typical organization’s IT asset management (ITAM) requirements.
These workflows contain thresholds and other values that are configurable to allow organizations to adjust the workflows to best suit their needs.
Once the Cireson Asset Management solution has been installed, there are a number of settings that require configuration to allow the workflows and processes to function correctly. This section will step through each of the required sections and what impact each of the settings has on the environment and final outcome.
Within the SCSM console, select the Administration workspace and from the list of settings in the Settings node, double click the Cireson – Asset Management Settings.
Related Articles
KB2519 - Reference: Asset Management
KB2520 - User Guide: Installing Asset Management
KB2521 - User Guide: Configuring Asset Management
KB2522 - How To: Asset Management Environment Permissions - Master User Role
KB2523 - User Guide: Asset Management Lists
KB2526 - User Guide: Upgrading Asset Management
KB2527 - User Guide: Optimizing Asset Management Intelligence
KB2528 - How To: Configuring Software Metering in Configuration Manager
KB2531 - How To: Configuring User Device Affinity in Configuration Manager
KB2533 - User Guide: Configuring and Using Asset Excel
Cireson Asset Management Settings
The asset management settings are broken down into seven categories:
- Miscellaneous
- Hardware Asset Sync Workflow
- Software Asset Sync Workflow
- Hardware Asset Catalog Item Workflow
- License Status Update Workflow
- Contract Status Update Workflow
- Notice Event Workflow
Use the Table of Contents to go directly to the section
Notice for configuring Workflows: It is best practice to not run multiple workflows at the same time. Consideration should be given to all workflows when determining any workflow schedule. System backups, maintenance windows and other system processes should also be taken in to consideration when planning any workflow schedule.
Miscellaneous
The Miscellaneous settings contain a number of global configuration settings that determine how the Cireson Asset Management solution functions in various situations. Below is a breakdown of each setting within the miscellaneous settings screen.
Maximum attachment size (KB) - Limit the size of file attachments that can be attached to an asset (hardware or software)
Maximum number of attachments - Limit the number of file attachments that can be added to a hardware or software asset
Workflow Log Path - A local or network (UNC) path that is accessible by the workflow account to be able to write log files relevant to each individual workflow
Note: We strongly recommended configuring a log path. Workflow logs are very useful for verifying correct workflow operations, what was updated, or to assist with troubleshooting errors. This information is not logged elsewhere.
Show debug workflow logging information for applicable workflows - Increase the verbose on logging to assist with debugging and identifying issues (Will increase log files sizes, recommended to only use when contacting Cireson Support)
Restrict Create Buttons on Asset Management forms to members of the Administrators role - Gives administrators the ability to restrict the creation of assets and asset related items to members of the Administrators role only
Restrict visibility of Key property on License forms to members of this AD group - Specify an AD group containing users that are permitted to view the license keys.
Note: For performance reasons, Cireson recommends that this AD group should contain no sub-groups.
Remove requirement for Serial Number or Asset Tag from Hardware Asset form - Selecting this check box will disable this mandatory requirement
Remove requirement for Model on the Catalog Item form - Selecting this check box will disable this mandatory requirement
Maximum number of items for Update Software asset Task to process - Balance expected wait time versus the maximum number of items allowed to run the task from the console. This setting does not limit the number of CI’s that can be associated with a Software Asset but only the number that are processed when an analyst clicks the Update Software Asset task
This is a performance tuning option. A Software Asset could potentially have hundreds or even thousands of related items. Running the Update Software Asset task on such a Software Asset can cause the console to hang for an extremely long period of time. Software Assets that cannot be processed by the Update Software Asset task can only be updated when the Software Asset Update workflow next runs.
Workflow commit batch size - Change this setting to change the amount of time a workflow takes to process data. Increasing this setting reduces the amount of time it takes to process large volumes of data (but may require more memory)
This is a performance tuning option. When workflows run and create or update instances and relationships, these changes are committed in batches of this size. The default size has been set to 100 as a balance between performance and speed.
Do not automatically load unauthorized computers when opening Software Asset form - Selecting this option will not show unauthorized computers on the list
On the Hardware Asset form, use the Catalog Item Model and Manufacturer lists - By default, Model and Manufacturer are free-text fields and selecting this option turns them into drop-down lists that use the relevant Catalog Item lists for their source items
On the Software Asset form, use the Catalog Item Manufacturer List - By default, Manufacturer is a free-text field and selecting this option turns it into a drop-down list that use the Manufacturer Catalog Item list for their source items
On the Consumable form, use the Consumable Model and Manufacturer lists - By default, Model and Manufacturer are free-text fields and selecting this option turns them into drop-down lists that use the relevant Consumable lists for their source items
Note: The 3 options above to switch between free text fields and lists also affects certain built-in asset management views, the preview panes and some reports. These options can be changed at any time, but we recommend you decide which setting you prefer at installation because if you change these options, you may have to reset/re-enter your data for these properties
Show Auto Renew on the Notice Event forms - Adds a check box to the Notice Event form that allows businesses to identify a notification event as an Auto Renew of an existing license
Default Consumable Notification Template - This option sets the default template to be used on all new consumable CI’s
Hardware Asset Sync Workflow
The Hardware Asset Sync Workflow settings are used to configure the workflow that automatically creates new hardware assets when new devices are found and/or updates new and existing ones with data from ConfigMgr.
Workflow Schedule - Allows administrators to set the time of day or the frequency of when the workflow runs. The initial run of the Hardware Asset Sync Workflow can take a very long time in larger environments, depending on how many hardware assets you have in your environment. This should be taken into consideration when initially running this workflow
Associate new computers to existing Hardware Assets if Serial Numbers match - This option can be used to automatically relate new devices as they are found to a Hardware Asset with a matching Serial Number
Note: This feature requires a working Configuration Manager Connector, or alternate method such as an Asset Management Import connector, to populate the Serial Number. Otherwise, this option is not required.
If a match is found, rename Asset to match computer name - Can only be turned on with above option. If Serial Numbers match, rename the Asset to match the computer name if this setting is turned on
Create a Hardware asset for new devices if one in not already related - As new devices are found in the CMDB, this option will automatically create and relate a new Hardware Asset to the device.
Note: If the relevant computer CI has been created by an AD connector, and a Configuration Manager connector has not had the chance to populate the Serial Number, if both this and the previous options are set, the new device will be related to a new Hardware Asset. At least one of the previous two options must be selected and both will cause ConfigMgr properties to be updated to related Hardware Assets (based on later settings).
Before creating, check for existing renamed Windows Computers - Can only be turned on with above option. If a Windows Computer has been renamed, don't create a new Hardware Asset if this setting is turned on.
Unique Key value: Asset Tag | Serial Number | Principal Name | ID (Guid) | SID - When a new Hardware Asset is created, a new GUID is used for the Hardware Asset ID
If the Unique Key Value does not exist, create the Hardware Asset and use the associated Device Guid for the Hardware Asset ID - If the Key value from the above selection does not exist, create the asset with default Guid
Ignore Virtual systems when creating new Hardware Assets - Disable the creation of a new Hardware Asset if the ConfigMgr value for a device is set to "Is Virtual Machine".
Don’t synchronize device Primary User to Hardware Asset Primary User - If the ConfigMgr environment has User Device Affinity enabled, the Configuration Manager Connector will import this data associated with the computer CI. By default, the Hardware Asset Sync Workflow will set the Primary User field for the Hardware Asset to the same user as the User Device Affinity value from Configuration Manager. Enabling this setting will prevent the Primary User value to be set to the User Device Affinity value.
Also synchronize device Primary User to Hardware Asset Custodian - Enabling this setting will set the Hardware Asset Custodian value to be synchronized with the Primary User value.
Synchronize Hardware Asset Custodian to device Custodian - Enabling this setting will set the Device Custodian value of the computer CI to the Hardware Asset Custodian value.
Remove Hardware Primary User and Custodian if no longer exists on Device - Enabling this setting will remove the Hardware Asset’s Primary User and Device Custodian values if the computer CI Primary User data from ConfigMgr is blank.
Don’t remove existing Hardware Asset SCCM properties if they don’t exist or match from SCCM - When copying Model, Manufacturer, Asset Tag and Serial Number from ConfigMgr properties, select this option to instruct Cireson Asset Management workflows to avoid any existing values already set on hardware assets if the corresponding value is blank within ConfigMgr.
Update Hardware Assets with the following properties from: Model | Manufacturer | Asset Tag | Serial Number - Select the properties that will be copied from ConfigMgr properties to the Hardware Asset
Automatically relate Hardware Assets to a Location based on subnet - If ConfigMgr has populated network interface information on computers in the CMDB, and you have created and configured Locations and Subnets as Cireson Asset Management data, you can use this option to automatically set the Location on your Hardware Assets from Configuration Manager IP Subnet information.
Don't replace any existing Location on the Hardware Asset - If the Hardware Asset is moved, once ConfigMgr updates the new IP information, it will be related to a new Location if found. This setting will prevent this information being updated automatically if required.
Ignore all items with a name starting with “\\” - Some items, such as shared printers, are discovered via an AD connector but may not be a relevant hardware asset. Selecting this check box will exclude all entries starting with \\.
Software Asset Update Workflow
The Software Asset Update Workflow settings are used to configure the workflow that automatically updates software assets with usage counts and triggers alerts.
Workflow Schedule - Allows administrators to set the time of day or the frequency of when the workflow runs.
Don't count computers related to retired or disposed Hardware Assets - If matching software is found on a computer, and the computer is related to a Hardware Asset with a status of Retired, Disposed or In-Stock, the computer will be ignored and not added to the Software Asset.
Remove authorized computers related to retired, disposed or instock Hardware Assets - If matching software is found on a computer, and the computer is related to a Hardware Asset with a status of Retired, Disposed or In-Stock, the computer relationship will be removed from the Software Asset.
Use Usage Count instead of Install Count to calculate Available Count - This option is only available if you have created and enabled a Software Metering Connector. This option will effectively replace Install Count with Usage Count (based on ConfigMgr software metering data) to determine the status of the Software Asset and Available Count
Note: When the Software Asset Update workflow runs, before a computer is added, AD is checked. If the computer object is not found, or the computer object was last modified past the number of days set, the computer will not be added to the Software Asset. The Workflow Account requires read access to all computer objects in the domain or forest for this option to work correctly. If the AD attribute "whenChanged" is being updated by internal processes, this option can still be used to filter out computers in the CMDB that have been deleted in AD.
Note: Using this feature may prevent the license consumption count to be inaccurate as some machines may not contact the domain for periods of time longer than the value set or may not have been disposed correctly. It is best practice to leave this setting disabled and have accurate disposal procedures in place
Only count computers changed since this number of days - This setting allows administrators to exclude computers from being added to Software Assets if they have not reported to the Active Directory domain within the set number of days. Set the value to a maximum number of days since a computers AD object was last changed in order to be added to a Software Asset and counted towards install count. A Value of 0 will disable this workflow from running
Only count computers that have current software metering data - This option is only available if you have created and enabled a Software Metering Connector. This setting excludes any computers from being counted towards software asset usage that do not have current software metering data imported from ConfigMgr
Only count a computer if Authorized Cost Center, Org or Location matches - This setting will cause a computer to only be counted if the related Hardware Asset's Cost Center, Organization or Location match the Software Asset's Authorized Cost Center, Organization or Location.
If none of these are defined for a Software Asset, count anyway - Can only be turned on with above option. If this setting is enabled, revert to default behaviour for counting software on computers.
Note: If a Software Asset is related to a Location, the computers will only be counted if their associated Hardware Asset has an exactly matching Location.
Hardware Asset Catalog Item Workflow
The Hardware Asset Catalog Item Workflow keeps the Hardware Assets updated with properties such as Model, Cost, Vendor, Manufacturer and hardware asset type from the related Catalog Items.
Workflow Schedule - The workflow schedule allows administrators to set the time of day or the frequency of when the workflow runs
Update Hardware Asset Properties - These settings allow the selection of the properties that are to be automatically transferred from the related Catalog Items to Hardware Assets via manual association, console tasks and this workflow.
Don't remove existing Hardware Asset properties if null or empty on Catalog Item - If enabled, does not remove an existing property from a Hardware Asset if the associated catalog item has a blank value for that property
Note: This option, and options in blue, can also affect ConfigMgr data transfer. If these properties are not set or removed based on these options by a Catalog Item, the Hardware Asset Sync workflow will still attempt to set them from ConfigMgr if the relevant options are set for the Hardware Asset Sync workflow.
Never overwrite any existing Hardware Asset property - Prevents this synchronization from overwriting any existing Hardware Asset property
Automatically associate Hardware Assets to Catalog Items - This option will associate a Hardware Asset to a Catalog Item automatically if the Model and Manufacturer match but only if the Hardware Asset does not currently have a related Catalog Item. If the asset does have an associated Catalog Item, the workflow will skip the asset.
For retired or disposed assets, ignore and disassociate the asset - This setting removes any asset associations on a catalog item if the hardware asset is either retired or disposed. This is used to reduce the number of items and the history of items that are associated with a Catalog Item.
License Status Update Workflow
The License Status Update Workflow updates license records and sets the license status to Current, Warning or Expired as appropriate for each license.
This workflow should be run once per day, close to midnight or before the working day starts. The schedule may be changed if the timing of the workflow is affecting server performance.
Note: Disabling this workflow is NOT recommended.
Workflow Schedule - The workflow schedule allows administrators to set the time of day or the frequency of when the workflow runs
Run Update License Workflow after clicking OK - Force the workflow to run after clicking OK on the settings frame
Number of days left on a License to set Expiring status - This value is the number of days before a license is set to expire that will trigger the status of the license to change to Expiring. This is used for workflows that might send reminders about the pending expiration of temporary or periodic licenses.
Note: Setting the Allocated Seats field to 0 on the License form will cause calculation of Seats Remaining to stop and the License status will always be 'Current' regardless of assignment.
Contract Status Update Workflow
The Contract Status Update Workflow updates contract records and sets the contract status to None, OK, Warning or Expired on individual contracts. It also updates properties on associated Hardware Assets.
This workflow should be run once per day, outside of working hours. Workflow schedules should be staggered to ensure multiple Cireson Asset Management workflows are not running at the same time. The schedule may be changed if the timing of the workflow is affecting server performance.
Note: Disabling this workflow is NOT recommended as contract status would not update and notification events would not be triggered possibly leading to contract breaches.
Workflow Schedule - The workflow schedule allows administrators to set the time of day or the frequency of when the workflow runs
Run Update Contract Workflow after clicking OK - Force the workflow to run after clicking OK on the settings frame
Contract Status Warning Threshold - This value is the percentage of days remaining on the contract, before a contract is set to expire. When this threshold is reached the workflow will trigger the status of the contract to change to Expiring. This is used for workflows that might send reminders about the pending expiration of contracts
Notice Event Workflow
The Notice Event Workflow processes notice events that meet their specified criteria to run.
This workflow should be run once per day, outside of working hours, on a staggered schedule relative to other connectors, as mentioned previously. The schedule may be changed if the timing of the workflow is affecting server performance.
Note: Disabling this workflow is NOT recommended. Disabling this workflow will prevent Notice Event e-mails from being sent.
Workflow Schedule - The workflow schedule allows administrators to set the time of day or the frequency of when the workflow runs