Hardware and Software Inventory

If you have not already done so, conduct hardware and software inventories of all servers and client computers in use on your network. Document all routers, printers, modems, and other hardware, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID) arrays and Remote Access Service (RAS) server hardware. Be sure that you include such details as basic input/output system (BIOS) settings and the configuration of any peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, and input devices. Record driver versions and other software and firmware information.

Your software inventory should list all applications found on all computers, and include version numbers (or date and time stamp data) of dynamic link libraries associated with the applications on your system. Remember to document any service packs you might have applied to your operating system or applications. You can use scripts and a variety of third-party applications to obtain this information from Windows and Windows NT networks that use Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).

Systems Management Server is helpful for gathering information about your Windows NT network and can produce detailed reports about the hardware, software, and applications in use in your organization. For more information about analyzing your network using Systems Management Server, see "Using Systems Management Server to Analyze Your Network Infrastructure" in this book.

Document network configurations for servers and client computers. On computers running Windows NT, network settings are easily obtained.

To obtain network settings in Windows NT

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Network.
3. Note the information on the Identification, Services, Protocols, Adapters, and Bindings tabs.

On each computer that is assigned a static Internet Protocol (IP) address, open a command prompt window, run the ipconfig /all command, and record the results. Third-party hardware vendors often provide diagnostic and administrative software that gathers detailed information about hardware and configuration settings.

You can use these inventories to:

• Confirm that your current infrastructure, server hardware, computer BIOS, and software configurations are compatible with Windows 2000 Server by comparing your inventory to the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). For more information about the HCL, see the Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web Resources page at http://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources.
• Determine the specific upgrade path for each server and client computer and draft specifications for acquiring new equipment.

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