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Hi, I’ve read quite a few other posts but haven’t found a clear answer yet. Basically I want to be able to take a USB drive to a site, plug it in and have it scan and audit the network then produce a report with all the necessary info. Is it possible to do this with Spiceworks? If not can anyone suggest another product ? I’m open to any paid applications as well as it is for business use.

Thanks in advance.

Rich.

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Not with a USB drive. But you can setup a remote collector on a machine @ the remote location, scan the network and send the data to your main server

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How many external devices?

Very few - Use the Agent feature: http://community.spiceworks.com/help/Spiceworks_Agent

Many - Use the Remote Collector(s) as suggested above: http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/283-collecting-remote-office-inventory-using-multiple-spiceworks-installations and http://community.spiceworks.com/help/Remote_Collectors

Multiple sites/ADs/nets/subnets - Use Remote Collectors and read here for more: http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/102388-spiceworks-msp-guide

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Interesting. Does that install anything on the server at the remote location?

Can you point me at some guides to setting that up please?

Much appreciated.

Rich.

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Rich - Seems we responded to nearly the same time :wink:

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Check this out for more on remote collectors: http://community.spiceworks.com/help/Remote_Collectors. Essentially, you need a dedicated machine at the remote location that can run Spiceworks. It could be a low powered workstation if it had to be (doesn’t have to be a server). Then, the server at the remote location has to be able to communicate with your main installation via HTTPS, and the inventory objects collected using the remote collector will feed into your main installation. All scan settings for the remote location must be configured within the remote collector itself, but again, any devices scanned will be sent to your main installation (if the HTTPS communication link between servers is functional, that is).

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Hi, thanks for the replies. I think I should elaborate more on my original question.

Basically we are a small IT MSP. At the moment when we go to a new client (or possibly a current client) we will do a manual audit of their network to identify hardware, software, serial numbers, license keys etc. I want to be able to plug in a USB drive, type in any domain credentials, run a scan and take the info away with me so it can be documented back at HQ. I don’t want it to be a service that is constantly running in the background and reporting daily/weekly. We have another tool that we use for proactive monitoring on most sites, so what I’m looking for now will just be something that is going to be run one time, as an information gathering exercise on each site.

Apologies for my badly worded initial question.

Rich.

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Installing Spiceworks on a notebook for that is not an option (maybe as a remote collector)?

Then you would connect to their network, adjust the scan settings, run the scan, …

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Or maybe you could even run an instance of Spiceworks within VMWare Player / Workstation and run it from your laptop? That should collect all of the information you need. You would not have to setup the vm as a remote collector if you did not want the device and software data sent back to your main install. Maybe setup a remote collector after you do your network evaluation and decide to take on the client.