SMS: HowTo Determine if a File is "Known" or "Unknown" (202326)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0

This article was previously published under Q202326

SUMMARY

Systems Management Server 2.0 can perform software inventory based on file type using a wildcard character. The default is to search for .exe files (*.exe), but you can modify this to search for any file type.

Note that unlike in Systems Management Server 1.2, you cannot look for a specific file, such as Notepad.exe, you can only search for the file extension type.

When you examine the data in Resource Explorer for a specific client, the files are listed under either the Manufacturer or Unknown Files tree in Microsoft Management Console (MMC).

MORE INFORMATION

Systems Management Server determines whether to place the file under Manufacturer or Unknown Files by reading the file's header information to find manufacturer details. If the header does not contain the manufacturer information, it is placed in the Unknown Files MMC tree.

Note that there are a number of file types that will not include this manufacturer information, including .txt, .bat, .dat, and so forth.

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/14/2005
Keywords:kbinfo kbInventory KB202326