WMI / Inventory

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Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) is a technology built into Windows that allows for improved manageability of computers in a networked environment.  Microsoft has published numerous WMI VBScript-based scripts and tools on its web site that show just a fraction of the power and flexibility of WMI. But Microsoft's WMI scripting and utilities have drawbacks: scripting solutions require knowledge of the WMI class and property names as well as the scripting language itself.  Most WMI tools can be difficult to use and are more suitable for debugging and general exploration of WMI.

Powerful WMI Query Engine

Hyena leverages WMI by allowing WMI "queries" to be run on one or more computers directly from its GUI interface.   Most importantly, there isn't any scripting required!

Hyena's extensive WMI query capabilities include:

Predefined WMI queries for the most common WMI classes and reports. Get started using WMI right away!
Create your own WMI queries using Hyena's easy to use graphical query builder.
Execute any WMI query for one or more computers instantly.
Quickly export WMI query results to Microsoft Excel or Access or sort and filter the results directly in Hyena.

Using WMI for Computer and Network Inventory

WMI is often used for computer and network inventory and reporting. For example, WMI can be used to access:

Computer make and model, system asset ID, memory, and more.
Computer network address, DHCP information, and network card settings.
Operating system type, service pack level, serial number, and memory usage.
Installed applications, hot fixes, and all security updates.
Processor type, architecture, cache sizes, and more.

The WMI capabilities built into Windows contain thousands of individual properties in hundreds of classes. Put simply, if the information exists, there is probably a WMI query that can be created to access it.

Executing WMI Functions

Hyena's WMI integration is not just limited to executing queries and viewing the results. One of the powerful features of WMI is the capability of executing functions, called methods, on the resulting WMI data. Together with Hyena's powerful WMI query functions, this provides an easy mechanism for updating information for multiple computers at the same time. Examples of the hundreds of possible WMI methods than can be executed on one or more computers directly in Hyena include:

Terminating processes and executing remote processes.
Managing event logs, including changing retention and size.
Changing ip addresses and forcing DHCP lease renewals.
Uninstalling applications.
Controlling services, including service startup.
Computer shutdown and reboot.

Hyena also supports full logging of WMI query and method execution.

Important Note: Hyena’s WMI features are only available in the Enterprise Edition of Hyena.

For an overall look at all of Hyena's features, go to Hyena's main product and download page.