1

Hello and sorry if this has been asked and answered many times already.

I’m a consultant and work for many different companies. I’d like to use Spiceworks to manage the clients IT, but I don’t want a bunch of separate helpdesks and have to remote into client networks to use it.

Is there way to centralize Spiceworks so I have one main helpdesk that connects back to all my clients, and still keeps the clients data separate from each other? So ideally I login to the Spiceworks desktop in my secret lair and see what is happening and ideally see all the data for all my clients.

Again, sorry if this has been answered a bunch of times.

Thanks!

4 Spice ups
2

You can install one server for your use, will be need remote access to the clients computers in order to collect all information related these devices, this is ideal way of working but in case you do not have remote access to them you can use Stand-alone data collection.

http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/283

http://community.spiceworks.com/how_to/show/178

3

Thanks. I did see the remote collector, but its not clear to me how the architecture works. Using remote collectors, can I differentiate between different companies? When I looked at it, it seemed like it would just look at the remote sites and different sites from the same company.

4

This is exactly how I run in my consulting business. When you setup the remote collector in one of your client locations, you will specify a site name. This is how it will come into your central installation at your location. You can then setup a group in Inventory that will filter on that site name and see their network devices within that group. Here are my home grown instructions on that:

  1. Download program from www.spiceworks.com . Run typical installation, leave all defaults. Uncheck Install Desktop Shortcut, but leave checked Run Spiceworks Now.
  2. Windows firewall make sure to allow private networks checked, click allow access.
  3. Login Information enter the following:
  4. Username (email) = (I created a spiceworksuser@mydomain.com)
  5. Password = password
  6. First Name = Spiceworks
  7. Last Name = User
  8. Company Name = client
  9. Industry, select anything; uncheck both boxes.
  10. Click Launch Spiceworks.
  11. When inventory popup comes up, select don’t want to do this right now?
  12. Click Settings, Network Scan, scroll to bottom of window, and select Yes, Make this Install a Remote Collector, under Remote Collector Mode.
  13. Site Name = clientname
  14. Central Server = server.yourdomain.com
  15. Central Port = 9676 (SSL port on default installation)
  16. Click Save.
  17. At this point, login to your central server spiceworks install on your server. You will need to have some type of access to that server either via vpn or helpdesk.yourdomain.com.
  18. Go to Settings, Remote Sites
  19. You should see the Site Name waiting for authorization, click authorize.
  20. Type in the code given from the new install on the client side, then click Save.
  21. Authorization should be successful.
  22. Setup Network Scan on client installation
  23. You should still be at Remote Collector screen, if not get back there by going to Settings, Network Scan.
  24. Under Scan Entries, click “click here to add a new scan entry”
  25. Device Range will be the IP subnet at the client location; enter as 192.168.2.1-254
  26. Windows – here you will use the administrator account if the network is a domain. If not a domain, you will need to setup an account on each computer with a documented password. Click add new Windows account if you had to create this new account.
  27. Leave all other settings default; make sure that Insert at: Top (Highest Priority)
  28. Save
  29. Default Schedule.
  30. (I like to run as service, but not necessary.) Edit the system tray icon for Spiceworks, right-click and select preferences. Change the startup options to run as service, enter account info as domain\administrator with password if on domain; or enter as computername\username with password if on workgroup. Spiceworks should start back up & get to login screen. You can close at this point.
  31. Add Group to Spiceworks
  32. Settings, Custom Groups, add New Group
  33. Name = clientname
  34. Group Rules match all, Site Name contains clientname (NOTE: this is easier to do once the first scan is successful, because it will show you devices matching your criteria)

That is only to get the network devices. As far as helpdesk tickets go, you will probably just have them all come into your central server installation. I customized a field and called it Client Name, and then used a list of items to enter my client names.

I’ll be glad to go into even more detail if you like. Send me a message if you want.

5

Spiceworks 5.0 will allow you to have a different portal page for each of your clients, and will help you better manage client data within Spiceworks. Personally, if you don’t have Spiceworks implemented for your clients, I would get 4.7 and start playing with it but would wait for the full release of 5.0 before you roll it out to your customers.

6

Well, 5.0 sounds promising. Any ETA on the release or can I get in on the beta?

Jason, great info, thanks!

7

Craig M wrote:

Spiceworks 5.0 will allow you to have a different portal page for each of your clients, and will help you better manage client data within Spiceworks. Personally, if you don’t have Spiceworks implemented for your clients, I would get 4.7 and start playing with it but would wait for the full release of 5.0 before you roll it out to your customers.

I´m with Craig M.

8

Version 5.0 is very near to release, so stay tuned! You can join the beta group here:

http://community.spiceworks.com/group/show/375-spiceworks-5-0-features-news-beta-testing

9

Thanks for the feedback guys. I’ve been sitting on the ledge becuase of this for some time. Looks like Spiceworks may finally really work out for me.

10

I think jason deserved the best answer

11

I agree it was a great post. But the best answer for me appears to be to wait for Spiceworks 5

12

everytime i enter my main servers address witch is a dyndns.biz address i get server not responding . . i did change the central port to 9112 . . i can access it by going to http://mycompany.dyndns.biz:9112 obviously its not really my company but i dont wanna be giving out that specific of an information.

13

I too would like to use Spiceworks from a consultant, multi-client, point of view. Please take this as a feature request… Also, a billing/accounting feature would be sweet so I can bill clients per ticket, etc.

Wishlist for 6.0 maybe???

Thanks!!