Features > Inventory agents
Minimum impact design
A major advantage of iInventory is the lightweight, low impact design of the deployable inventory agents. These reliable components mean that administrators of large networks can run them confidently and without fear of conflicts.
- agents are small and typically less than 500 kb
- use minimum network resources (if network applied)
- audit data files only around 50kb per machine
- agent leaves just a small text file on each computer
Find all file types
The inventory agents by default seek only .exe files but you can choose to audit targets for ANY file extension including .mp3, .avi, .com, .bat, .sys, .jpg and .gif. This feature is useful if you want to check targets for abuse, such as the unauthorized storage of music, video or graphic images.
Stealth audits
You may choose to display a message to the user during the audit process or alternatively run a 'stealth' audit. This means that users will be unaware of being audited. Their machines will continue to operate normally and the audit will not interrupt the login process or their work. This method is used effectively to surreptitiously check systems for abuse.
User messages
You may choose to display a message to the user while a computer is being audited - see example. The text and window title of the message are user definable. Audit messages effectively encourage users to think twice about installing unauthorized software. If you want users to be unaware of an audit taking place just turn the message off or use a broad statement such as 'System check'.
Collect file header info
Unlike some products iInventory agents don't just collect file names and sizes when interrogating your machines. File header information is collected too. This information is invaluable to advanced users when reviewing file signatures for remote targets. Headers often hold details of the developer, the application and the version. Users have been known to rename files on their machine to avoid detection, but it is much harder to modify the header. This means, for example, that the iInventory administrator can examine suspicious signatures to check if their header information really matches the filename.
