Configuring File Collection

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File collection copies files from SMS clients to the SMS site server. You use software inventory to collect files from clients and store them at the primary site server that the clients are assigned to. The files are collected the next time software inventory runs after the file collection rule is created and propagated to clients. They are not collected again until inventory collection runs and the files have changed. You must specify the files you want to collect. When you do, you can use wildcard characters so that you collect all initialization files (*.ini), for example. You can also specify multiple variations of a file, such as Status*.doc.

To configure file collection

  1. Select the File Collection tab in the Software Inventory Agent Properties dialog box.

  2. Click the New icon, and then type the name of a file you want to collect.

    You can type exact file names, or you can use wildcards (such as *.zip). Any valid use of wildcards for the DIR command is valid in this dialog box. Wildcards can also be used in the last part of the path, for example, %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual*.

    Note

    • The value of the environment variable must not contain an environment variable. For example %temp% cannot be used if its value is "%Windir%\temp."

  1. By default, all hard disks on the SMS clients are scanned for files to collect. If you want to scan a particular folder or folder tree, click the Set button. In the Path Properties dialog box, click Variable or path name, and then specify a folder or folder tree.

    A variable is an environment variable, such as %Windir%. By setting Search subdirectories, you can also specify whether subfolders should be searched.

  1. Set Exclude encrypted and compressed files if the desired files are not encrypted or compressed. If the local system account (or a group that contains the local system account) is not given administrative rights to encrypted files, SMS cannot decrypt or collect them. Excluding these files also makes the collection process more efficient.

  2. Set the Maximum size (KB) for the files to be collected. This is the maximum size of the file or files collected for this rule. If the total size of the files collected by this rule exceeds this value, none of the files are collected.

Note

  • When SMS sends a large volume of collected files across the network, network performance can suffer. To minimize this problem, you can use the Maximum Size (KB) option, restrict the path so that you collect only copies of files from the desired folder tree, or schedule software inventory when network traffic is lightest. The sum of the Maximum Size (KB) options is indicated as the Maximum traffic per client (MB) value on the File Collection tab.

  • Also, during the collection process SMS makes a temporary copy of the files being collected. Sufficient disk space must be available for the copies. If multiple file collection rules apply to a file, and it is within the size limitation of one rule but not another, the file is not collected.

  • Be aware that collecting all .dll files from each client can create considerable network traffic.

For More Information

Did you find this information useful? Please send your suggestions and comments about the documentation to smsdocs@microsoft.com.