Before you deploy Windows Server 2003, you might need to upgrade the hardware and software used in your organization. Therefore, it is essential that you conduct comprehensive hardware and software inventories of all computers on your network before you begin planning your deployment.

You can use Microsoft® Systems Management Server (SMS) to conduct an inventory of the hardware and software on your network. For more information about SMS, see the Microsoft Systems Management Server link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.

To obtain a hardware and software inventory from Microsoft® Windows® and Microsoft® Windows NT® operating system networks that use Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), you can use scripts and a variety of third-party applications. For more information about scripting, see the at http://www.microsoft.com/reskit, or see the MSDN Scripting Clinic link on the Web Resources page at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/reskits/webresources.