Windows Inventory Analyzer

The Windows Inventory Analyzer (code name ina32) is an audit agent designed to collect inventory data on the computers running Windows OS and produce audit snapshots. For details on the supported operating systems, see Installation Guide: Supported Audit Clients.

Alloy Discovery offers multiple audit methods, based on using standalone Windows audit agent: the Network Folder Audit, the Remote Audit, and the Portable Audit. Those methods involve deployment of the Inventory Analyzer package to a target location (a network share or a flash drive) and running the audit from that deployment location.

The Windows Inventory Analyzer package includes the following files and folders:

ina32.exe - the Windows Inventory Analyzer executable file.
ina32.cfg - the configuration file for the Windows Inventory Analyzer.
autorun.inf - the file that launches the Windows Inventory Analyzer automatically from a removable media, if the client Windows computer has AutoPlay enabled. This file is included in the inventory package of Remote Audit, and Portable Audit only.
Log - the folder in which the Windows Inventory Analyzer will store logged events.
AuditData - the folder where the resulting audit snapshots will be placed.

The Windows Inventory Analyzer produces the following output files:

.adt - binary files containing up-to-the-minute hardware and software inventory details of the audited computers;
.scn (optional) - binary files containing the file scan details of the audited computers;
.log - text files containing status details of the audit operations.

When configured, the Windows Inventory Analyzer may also generate additional files that can be used by the technical support.

Windows Inventory Analyzer configuration file

The ina32.cfg configuration file contains the parameters governing the Windows Inventory Analyzer's operation. Configuration file consistency depends on the chosen Audit Profile and other settings that were used when configuring the Audit Source.

This configuration file is mandatory for the Windows audit agent to be capable of operating. Since the ina32.cfg file contains the necessary configuration settings for Windows Inventory Analyzer executable ina32.exe, it is important that ina32.cfg resides in the same folder as ina32.exe, or defined through the output options.

Running the Windows Inventory Analyzer

There are following ways to launch the Windows Inventory Analyzer:

Launch the Windows Inventory Analyzer from the command line without command-line switches. In this case, the audit agent will use the configuration settings from the ina32.cfg file.
Launch the Windows Inventory Analyzer from the command line using command-line switches. In this case, the parameters you enter on the command line will override the ina32.cfg configuration file settings.

Windows Inventory Analyzer Command-Line Options

The following command line options are available to run the Windows Inventory Analyzer: Output Options, User ID Options, Mode Options, Inventory Options, Interactive Mode Options, E-mail Options, and FTP Options. To see a full listing of these options on the screen, enter ina32.exe /? at the command prompt.

Output Options

Use these options only if you want to change the default path configuration.

`/out=[Path]`	Specifies the output directory for the audit snapshot files (.adt and .scn files). You can use environment variables in the path.
`/ini=[Path]`	Specifies the path to the `ina32u.ini` file. When the Inventory Analyzer runs, it leaves behind an `ina32u.ini` file on every audited computer. This file contains the identification data for the computer and user required for subsequent audits. You can use environment variables (such as %SYSTEMROOT%) as part of the path specification. However, the path must be a local path. If the specified path does not exist, no `ina32u.ini` file will be used. If the `ina32u.ini` file isn't found in the specified folder, this file will be created there automatically. If the logged on user doesn't have permissions to write to this folder, no `ina32u.ini` file will be used. By default, the path for the`ina32u.ini` file can be specified as follows: `%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\Alloy Software\ina32\` (for Windows OS versions released earlier than Windows Vista), or `%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Alloy Software\ina32\` (for Windows Vista and later versions of Windows).
`/cfg=[FileName]`	Specifies the name and location of the configuration file for the Inventory Analyzer. You can specify the file location either as a full path (for example, `C:\audit\deployment\green.cfg`) or as a path relative to `ina32.exe` (for example, `\deployment\green.cfg`). You can use environment variables in the path. By default, the configuration file is located in the same directory as the `ina32.exe` file.
`/log=[Path]`	Specifies the output directory for log files. You can use environment variables in the path.

User ID Options

`/user=[FullName]`	Specifies (overrides) the user's full name. If this option is used without the /userid option, user information is not collected from Active Directory.
`/userid=[LoginName]`	Specifies (overrides) the user's login name.
`/email=[Email]`	Specifies (overrides) the user's e-mail address.
`/nameformat=[Format]`	Specifies the format for the user's full name. The $FN$ and $LN$ placeholders designate the placement of the first name and last name respectively. If the format contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes. Example: "$LN$, $FN$" - outputs "Doe, John" "$FN$ $LN$" - outputs "John Doe"

Mode Options

`/q or /silent`	Forces the Inventory Analyzer to run in silent mode.
`/i or /interactive`	Forces the Inventory Analyzer to run in interactive mode.

Inventory Options

`/forceinventory`	Forces an immediate hardware/software inventory, ignoring the schedule from the audit configuration file (i.e. ina32.cfg), bypass rules and lists of excluded nodes.
`/forcescan`	Forces an immediate file scan, ignoring the file scan schedule from the audit configuration file (i.e. `ina32.cfg`), bypass rules and lists of excluded nodes.
`/force`	Forces an immediate audit process, ignoring any schedule settings from the audit configuration file, bypass rules and lists of excluded nodes. This option is a combination of the `/forceinventory` and `/forcescan` options.
`/auditdelay=[Delay]`	Specifies the time delay in minutes before starting the audit process. If no value is specified, the time delay is set to 1 minute. Use this option to ensure that any resource-intensive tasks that may take place at logon are finished and the initialization is complete.
`/samba`	Prevents the Inventory Analyzer from setting permissions to the audit data files. Use this option if your audit snapshot files are stored on a non-Windows file server.
`/logsize=[Size]`	Automatically rotates the log file when it reaches the specified size (in kilobytes).

Interactive Mode Options

NOTE: These options apply if only the Inventory Analyzer runs in interactive mode and define the appearance of the Inventory Analyzer start screen. If the Inventory Analyzer runs in silent mode, these options are ignored.

`/nocancel`	Hides the Cancel button.
`/nosaveto`	Hides the Save To option.

E-mail Options

NOTE: Any of the /smtp_* options forces the Inventory Analyzer to send audit snapshot files by e-mail. The /smtp_to and /smtp_server options are required to send e-mail, the rest of the e-mail options are optional.

`/smtp_to=[ToAddress]`	Specifies the "To" e-mail address for sending audit snapshots.
`/smtp_from=[FromAddress]`	Specifies the "From" address for sending audit snapshots via e-mail.
`/smtp_server=[ServerName]`	Specifies SMTP server name.
`/smtp_port=[PortNumber]`	Specifies SMTP server port number. If this option is not specified, the default port number '25' is used for non-secure connection and '465' for secure connection.
`/smtp_user=[UserID]`	Specifies the user ID for authorization on the SMTP server if the SMTP server requires authorization.
`/smtp_password=[Password]`	Specifies the password for authorization on the SMTP server if the SMTP server requires authorization.
`/UseSSL=[NO\|TLS\|SSL\|TRYTLS]`	Forces the Inventory Analyzer to use SSL in e-mail related operations. If no other SMTP options are specified this option is ignored. Valid values: NO - This establishes an insecure (plain text) connection. TLS - The Mail Connector will attempt to establish a secure connection using the STARTTLS extension. If the mail server does not support STARTTLS, a connection is not established SSL - The Mail Connector will attempt to establish a secure connection. If the mail server does not support SSL/TLS, a connection is not established. TRYTLS - This establishes a secure connection using the STARTTLS extension. If the mail server does not support STARTTLS, a connection is not established.
`/UseSPA`	Forces the Inventory Analyzer to use Secure Password Authentication on the SMTP server. If no other SMTP options are specified this option is ignored.
`/RejectInvalidCerts`	Terminates the connection established via an TLS/SSL-encrypted channel when a certificate validation error occurs.

FTP Options

NOTE: Any of the /ftp_* options forces the Inventory Analyzer to transfer audit snapshots via FTP/SFTP. The /ftp_type and /ftp_server, /ftp_directory=[Path], /ftp_user=[UserName] and /ftp_password=[Password] options are required to transfer data, the rest of the ftp options are optional.

`/ftp_type=[ServerType]`	Specifies the type for the server: SFTP or FTP.
`/ftp_server=[ServerName]`	Specifies FTP server name.
`/ftp_port=[PortNumber]`	If this option is not specified, the default port number '22' is used for secure connection via SFTP. For non-secure connection via FTP, the default port number is 21. For secure connection via FTP, the default port number is 990.
`/ftp_directory=[Path]`	Specifies the path to the FTP server.
`/ftp_user=[UserName`	Specifies the user ID for authorization on the FTP server.
`/ftp_password=[Password]`	Specifies the password for authorization on the FTP server.
`/FTP_UseSSL=[NO\|SSL]`	Forces the Inventory Analyzer to use SSL in the FTP operations. If no other FTP options are specified this option is ignored. Valid values: NO - This establishes an insecure (plain text) connection. SSL - The server will attempt to establish a secure connection. If the FTP server does not support SSL, a connection is not established.
`/FTP_PassiveMode`	Forces the Inventory Analyzer to use passive mode on the FTP server.