The SMS 2.0 32-bit hardware inventory feature collects hardware properties from every client within a site and stores these properties in the SMS site database to be used for queries, collections, and asset management. You schedule hardware inventory for the entire site on the site server using the SMS Administrator console, but hardware inventory is run on each individual client.
The inventory file (*.inv) generated by the hardware inventory process is copied to the client access point (CAP), which renames it (to *.nhm) and forwards it to the site server. At the site server, the file is renamed (to *.mif) and the information contained in the MIF file is entered into the SMS site database and then propagated up the site hierarchy to the central site.
The hardware inventory process takes place on the client, and the information collected is passed up to the site server, where additional processing takes place. For more information about the site server part of the process, see Figure 20.1, “Inventory Data Loader: Normal MIF Processing.”