Audit > Run Audit
Show me an explanation of the items on this page.
Audit collects the current state of both the hardware and software on a managed machine. The system maintains two audits for each machine: baseline audit and latest audit. Typically, you run a baseline audit once when a system is in a known working state. Then schedule latest audit to run every day to always have the latest audit information available for any machine. Reports provide detailed comparisons between baseline and latest audits, giving you a clear view of any changes on a machine.
When an agent checks into the KServer for the first time, both a baseline and latest audit are run on the machine. Audit collects all hardware and software information about the machine and stores it in the KSErver's database for retrieval any time.
A latest audit contains current information about a client machine's hardware and software configuration. Typically you would schedule a latest audit collection to run daily.
A baseline audit contains the same information as a latest audit. Baseline audit information only updates when a new baseline audit runs. You would typically only run a baseline audit when a managed machine is in a known good state. Reports let you compare this known good state to the latest audit and quickly identify any system changes.
How do I cancel a previously scheduled audit?
To cancel a previously scheduled audit, select the client machine whose audit you wish to cancel, then press the Cancel button. The Next Audit column information will be removed.
Why should I disable PCI & Disk Audit?
The agent uses a driver to query the PCI bus during the audit. Only disable the driver if you suspect a driver conflict on the managed machine. The agent can not audit PCI hardware cards if this driver is disabled.
Explanation of items on this page
The system maintains current data on each managed machine by auditing each machine on a recurring basis. The KServer detects changes in a machines's configuration by comparing audit results to a Baseline audit and issuing alerts, were desired, or publishing Reports.
The following elements are displayed in the Run Audit function:
Latest Audit
Select this radio button and press Schedule to run a Latest Audit of all selected machines. Run Latest Audit to capture the state of machines on a frequent basis, such as daily. Reports use latest audit information for the majority of data listed.
Baseline Audit
Select this radio button and press Schedule to run a Baseline Audit of all selected machines. Run a Baseline Audit to capture the state of machines in a known good working condition. Reports compare the Baseline Audit information against the Latest Audit information to quickly highlight changes and identify the source of problems.
System Info
Select this radio button and press Schedule to collect System Info of all selected machines. System Info displays all DMI / SMBIOS data collected for each managed machine. This data virtually never changes and typically only needs to be run once.
Schedule
Pressing Schedule tasks each checked machine to perform an audit at the specified time. The audit is automatically repeated at the recurring interval you set. Stagger by setting lets you spread the audit time out when running several machines.
Note: Schedule Latest Audit by unchecking both Baseline Audit and System Info
Cancel
Press Cancel to stop the recurring audit on all selected machines.
Run recurring
To execute a script indefinitely at a regular interval, check the Run recurring checkbox and enter the interval time in day(s) or hour(s).
Note: If the interval is at least one day, then the recurring script runs at the scheduled time every interval. If the interval is less than one day, the interval is added to the last execution time of the script.
Stagger by
Scheduling a the same script to run at the same time on multiple machines my excessively load your server and/or internet connection. To automatically spread out the execution times, enter the number of minutes to stagger the script start time by. Clicking Schedule with multiple machine IDs selected, sets the execution time for the first machine at the scheduled time. It schedules the second machine at that time plus stagger minutes, and so on.
Skip if offline
Checking this box to only allow the script to run at the scheduled time of day (15 minute window). If the machine is offline at the scheduled time, then the script will not execute at all. If recurring is set, then the script is rescheduled to run at the next appointed time.
Remind me when accounts need audit scheduled
Check this box (the default) to pop up a warning message when audits have not been scheduled on a machine. The warning pops up every time you show the Run Audit function.
Machine.Group ID/System Info
Top line shows the machine ID of the managed machine. Bottom line shows when the last System Info collection ran. If a System Info collection is pending, the time displays in red text.
Latest Audit/Baseline Audit
Top line shows when Latest Audit data was last collected. Bottom line shows when Baseline Audit data was last collected. If the baseline audit is pending, the time displays in red text.
Next Audit/Recurring Interval
Shows the time of the next scheduled latest audit and its execution frequency. If the latest audit is pending, the time displays in red text.
PCI & Disk Audit
Enable/Disable the hardware audit driver for an agent. Only disable the driver if you suspect a driver conflict on the managed machine. The agent can not audit PCI hardware cards if this driver is disabled.
Check-in status
The check-in status of the machines shown in the client machine list is indicated by the icon shown to the left of the client machine ID. The icons and their status are as follows:
Agent has checked in
Agent has not recently checked in
Agent has never checked in