You can use JP1/Software Distribution to manage the information required for managing clients, such as clients' user names and PC resource numbers, in the same way that hardware and system information is managed. The user can specify the information to be managed; the information that is managed or specified by the user is called user inventory information.

User inventory information enables you to manage user-defined information as well as the client itself under an easy-to-manage name. For example, if you use the user inventory information to manage host users, the managing server can identify each host by its user name.

You can have the client users enter information in the Software Distribution - Update User Information dialog box, and then you can collect this information as user inventory information by executing a Get system information from client job or a Get user inventory information job from the managing server.

Note that a Get user inventory information job cannot be executed from JP1/Software Distribution Client (relay system).

Figure 2-7 JP1/Software Distribution - Update User Information dialog box

The user can set desired information in the items (user inventory items) in the Software Distribution - Update User Information dialog box. The user inventory items must be created in advance on the managing server and distributed to the applicable clients by a Transfer user inventory schema to client job.

To have the clients always set user inventory information, you can suppress startup of Package Setup Manager until the clients have specified their user inventory information.

The following figure shows the general procedure for acquiring user inventory information.

Figure 2-8 General procedure for acquiring user inventory information

For details about how to acquire user inventory information, see 3.3 Collecting user inventory information in the manual Administrator's Guide Volume 1.