OCS Inventory NG is a cross-platform, open-source inventory and asset management solution. It brings more than plentiful features to the table to satisfy the business needs of small-to-large organizations with up to tens of thousands of computers. However, to put this inventory solution to optimum use requires a lot of skill.

This book will lead you through the steps of implementing OCS-NG until you master working with it. This book aims at reducing efforts involved in resource management. The solution gives a robust foundation on top of which we can implement other third party applications, plugins, and much more.

This book begins with the basics-it explains what IT inventorying needs are to be met in the real-world. Then, it covers a step-by-step approach to everything you need to know to set up and implement OCS-NG as a centralized inventory solution to meet all these requirements. It delves deeper into carrying out inventory tasks with every chapter.

You will learn how to choose the best agent type and deployment method. We discuss the process of gathering inventory data and cover techniques for creating and deploying packages. You will also learn how to acquire added benefits with the use of plugins. We discuss best practices on inventorying and troubleshooting agent-related problems. The book presents real-world inventorying scenarios along with their solutions. You will basically learn how to use OCS-NG to get the most out of it.

As a conclusion, if you want to learn about a free solution that fulfils inventorying necessities of the real-world, this is the book for you.

A practical guide on how to set up, configure, and work with OCS Inventory NG- a cross-platform, open-source inventory solution

What you will learn from this book

• Easily set up and configure an OCS-NG management server
• Integrate help-desk and ticketing system as part of the centralized inventory solution suite
• Gather inventory data effectively by choosing the best agent type and deployment method
• Solve common pitfalls, eliminate redundancies, and maintain a clean inventory by smart use of the toolbar
• Tweak the process of gathering data to have a cleaner and more organized inventory
• Perform remote execution of commands to support your centralized server and multiple agents by learning techniques for creating and deploying packages
• Utilize extended features by integrating OCS-NG with GLPI and additional plugins
• Grab statistics and generate impressive reports and graphs quickly
• Discover vital tips and best practices on inventorying with OCS-NG
• Find flaws and fix them quickly with robust troubleshooting techniques
• Peek into the most frequently occurring problems along with their solutions

Approach

This book closely follows the style of a practical, hands-on "how to" guide on working with OCS Inventory NG. The step-by-step approach, coupled with the use of visual aids, clear instructions, and real-world examples, makes it a fast-paced book. Upon the completion of this book, you will have the necessary skill set, know-how, and confidence to implement OCS Inventory NG to meet the demanding asset management needs of any organization. Then you can carry on using the book as reference material.

Who this book is written for

This book targets an audience of system administrators and IT professionals who are required to implement, configure, customize, and work with IT Inventory and Asset Management solutions. The book does not presume any prior knowledge of inventory management, just a solid grasp of the server/client model and familiarity with the chosen operating system along with the necessary web server and database server terminologies. Anyone with an interest in inventorying IT assets and solving real-world resource management dilemmas will enjoy this book.