Customizing More Than One Client

IDMIF files and NOIDMIF files are specific to a single client. To customize hardware inventory for more than one client, you must create a MIF file for each client. To do so, place an IDMIF file with a delta header that includes the architecture, unique ID, and agent ID in the following directory of any client:

%Windir%\MS\SMS\Idmifs

You must submit an IDMIF file for each instance of any architecture you want to customize.

When you use NOIDMIF files, you can establish the same new classes and attributes on each client by placing identical MIF files in the NOIDMIF directory on each client. You can use the software distribution feature to accomplish this task.

When you use IDMIF files, you must create an IDMIF file for each instance identified by a unique ID for that instance. There are several ways to create such a set of MIF files.

• Use a tool to create a MIF file, and then place it in the target directory of a client.
• Create a simple program to create a MIF file and to extend a single MIF file to multiple instances.
• Use any text editor to create the first MIF file, and then change instance information to create additional MIF files.
• Create a form that can be completed for each instance, and then attach it to a program that automatically creates a MIF file and places it in the target directory of a client.

The MIFgen tool that was first released with SMS 1.2 is updated and available for SMS 2.0. As mentioned earlier, this tool is provided on the Microsoft BackOffice 4.5 Resource Kit CD-ROM. MIFgen produces a form that is completed by the user at each client computer. After the user completes the form, the tool creates a NOIDMIF file in the Noidmifs directory on that client. This tool is useful if you can gather information from the user at each client, and if the form addresses the information you want to collect.

If the MIFgen tool does not meet your needs, you can create and use a similar tool that creates a NOIDMIF file in the Idmifs directory of each client computer, or a tool that creates an IDMIF file for each instance of a custom architecture and then places it in the target directory on an SMS client. For more information about creating such applications, see the SMS 2.0 Toolkit.