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Software
The Applications area allows you to create applications that can be assigned to devices. It will also list all applications currently in the system and show how many devices they are assigned to.
Creating applications can be done manually but the easiest way is to let them auto populate through the updater PowerShell script (for Windows machines). If an application doesn't show up, or you have non-Windows devices, you can create and assign the application manually.
Keep in mind that devices which do report automatically with PowerShell will clear and re-add their application list automatically. This means manually assigned applications will be removed at the time of an auto update. In general it's best to pick manual vs auto for your device type at the time of creation.
It is possible to "watch" a particular application through the use of the monitoring toggle. This creates an alert when devices with this application are found. Click the watch icon to turn on monitoring, and click it again to remove.
A use case for this might be watching an older version of an application that is supposed to get updated automatically. You can keep a watch on exactly how many devices still have this application installed (or are reporting they do).
Many applications have some type of lifecycle. This lifecycle includes new versions, and perhaps even planned deprecation. For many applications the lifecycle is handled automatically; browsers will generally keep themselves up to date. For other applications however this is a more manual process due to software with no auto update feature, organization requirements or complex pre-requisites.
Defining a Lifecycle for a particular software version allows better tracking of what devices are using it, when it should be updated, and how it should be updated. Using cron syntax an update check date can be calculated. This allows for some reminders on if a vendor should be contacted or downtime scheduled for a particular application. Notes can also be made about update procedures, links, or other issues that should be known. Do note that once assigned to a lifecycle, an application cannot be deleted from the system.
A software lifecycle needs a few things when setup. The application to be assigned to the lifecycle, a schedule of when it should be updated, and when the last update was performed. The schedule is used to show which applications should be updated, or at the very least checked for updates.
When an update is needed there are a few outcomes.
- There is no update necessary - no new version exists or cannot be upgraded for some other reason. If this is the case the green "Update Last Check Date" button can be used to update the last checked date so that the schedule will reset.
- There is an update to the software. Devices on the older version can be updated according to their instructions.
When performing an update there are two options. You can create a new Application for the new version and then assign devices as the update is rolled out. This is useful for updates that are performed over a long period of time. Once fully completed you can Edit the Lifecycle to assign the new Application as the current one for Lifecycle management. If you can update all the devices in a short amount of time you can update to the new version within the Lifecycle info window and hit "Mark Upgraded". This will automatically update all attached devices to the new version. This quicker update method only works if an application doesn't already exist in the database on the upgraded version.
The method you choose depends a lot on how you are managing applications, and what your plans are for upgrade rollouts.
Compared to the above areas Licensing is pretty straightforward. Here you can record licenses for specific applications and assign them to devices. The license will show up on the information page for the device, and can be reassigned if needed. Devices that have licenses applied to them will not be allowed to be decommissioned or deleted until the license is re-assigned. Licenses can be set to UNUSED as well.
The Operating Systems page shows a list of any OS listed in the Operating System device field for any device. Each system in the list will show the total for devices that are reporting that OS. Optionally you can set an End Of Life Date for each Operating System. These dates can be either the manufacturers EOL date, or perhaps a date custom set by you to phase out this system.
The EOL date will not trigger any notifications but will color code the OS as the date approaches. A yellow warning label will appear if the operating system will reach the EOL date within the year. A red label will appear if the date for this OS has passed.