The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) technology used on 32-bit clients cannot be used on 16-bit clients, so SMS 2.0 uses a process similar to the SMS 1.2 hardware inventory process to perform hardware inventory on 16-bit clients.
The inventory file (*.raw) generated by the hardware inventory process is copied to the CAP, which forwards it to the site server. At the site server, the file is converted by the inventory processor to an SMS 1.2 MIF file. Next, it 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.”