Software Metering Overview

Software Metering gathers and analyzes data on the software used on Client PCs. When it is running, Software Metering enables you to monitor where software is being used, who is using it and the length of time it is used for. You can then use the pre-defined Vector AM reports to identify and predict software usage requirements across your organization and to control your software licensing costs by spotting applications that are rarely used.

Software Metering Agents

Metering Agents run on each Client and collect raw data on what software is being used and how long it is used for. Agents poll the Client at a user-defined frequency (every 10 seconds, by default) and take a snapshot of all applications that are currently open. They also copy the metering data to the Client’s offline area at an interval specified in the configuration settings of each Client.

Collation

Collation is performed by a Scheduler. The Collation job collects software metering data from each Client’s offline area and saves it to the Site database where it can be viewed using the Software Activity Details report. It can also remove old metering data from the Site database and the Clients’ offline areas.

By default, the Collation job is run by one Scheduler at 23:00 each day. However, it can be rescheduled from the Console’s Jobs view and, for large networks, it can be spread across multiple Schedulers.

Summarizing

The Summarizer job consolidates the software metering data provided by the Collator. It calculates the total length of time for which each Client has used each application over the previous 24-hour period by interpolating between each snapshot. The data is then used to produce software usage reports, such as the Software Total Users by Day. By default, the Summarizer runs at 01:00 each day on the same Scheduler as the Collator, but it can be rescheduled, or moved to another Scheduler.

Related Topics

Configure Clients Operation

Enabling and Disabling Software Metering

Software Metering Settings

Software Metering Exclusions