Fix Custom Inventory Errors SCCM Hardware Inventory MOF File Import Error Configuration Manager MEMCM. Recently, one of the clients got into an issue while extending the hardware inventory.
They wanted to collect all users in all local groups using SCCM. Sherry Kissinger’s post (ALL MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL GROUPS INVENTORY FOR ConfigMgr 2012) helped them proceed until they got the following error.
Fix Custom Inventory Errors SCCM Hardware Inventory MOF File Import Error
We see this error only when we’ve ConfigMgr SCCM Current Branch hierarchy with CAS and primary servers.
Primary server admins don’t have access to change Default Client Settings, which impacts other primary servers in the hierarchy. So what is the process that we need to follow to extend hardware inventory in SCCM 2012 Hierarchy? How to Extend Hardware Inventory Using MOF file in SCCM ConfigMgr Hierarchy?
Error
You can only import hardware inventory classes for the default client settings on the central administration site. The following Classes for which you are trying to import settings do not exist.
Import the required class definitions and then import the settings again LocalGroupMembers (cm_LocalGroupMembers). While importing MOF files into SCCM / ConfigMgr, we get 3 options.
When you’ve CAS and primaries, you need to be careful with selecting these options. First, 2 options can ONLY be performed with Default Client Settings. 1. Import both hardware inventory classes and hardware inventory class settings:-
(a) Perform this action from the CAS server when adding these classes globally for all child primary servers. These new hardware inventory settings should be enabled and collected from all the systems/devices in the environment.
(b) Perform this action from a stand-alone Primary server when we don’t have SCCM /ConfigMgr 2012 hierarchy. These new hardware inventory settings should be enabled and collected from all the systems/devices in the environment. 2. Import Hardware Inventory classes only:-
(a) Perform this action from CAS server, When we’ve SCCM /ConfigMgr 2012 hierarchy and only one of the primary site devices (or a subset of devices ) need to be inventoried about the option. Also, these new hardware inventory settings should be enabled only for Custom Client Settings (NOT default client settings).
(b) Perform this action from a stand-alone primary server, Whenwe doesn’t want to collect the inventory of all systems in the organization. Also, when this new hardware inventory (classes), settings should be enabled and collected only from a few systems using custom client settings (NOT default client settings).
When we select this option, the new hardware inventory classes will get imported. Still, the new hardware inventory settings won’t get enabled, and it won’t start collecting the inventory from clients.
3. Import Hardware Inventory Class Settings Only:-
Don’t use this option at all 🙂 Once we import the new inventory classes (using option 2 above), then we can do a checkmark or select that LOCALGROUPMEMBERS inventory class from the hardware inventory classes list (as shown in the below picture).
When you select “Import Hardware Inventory Class Settings Only”, it’s automatically Enables hardware inventory settings. Once we’ve enabled this, then the client will start collecting the new inventory data. So both the options are the same 🙂
(a) Perform this action from the child primary server, When I’ve already imported the new inventory classes using the above option (2 a) on my CAS server.
(b) Perform this action from a stand-alone primary server when I’ve I’ve already imported the new inventory classes using the above option (2 b) on my stand-alone primary server.
Once we import new inventory class settings, the SCCM 2012 server will create a new policy and collect the inventory of new classes from the devices assigned to custom client settings.
Resources
ConfigMgr Client Action Hardware Inventory Collection Cycle | SCCM HTMD Blog (anoopcnair.com)
Author
Anoop is Microsoft MVP! He is a Solution Architect in enterprise client management with more than 20 years of experience (calculation done in 2021) in IT. He is a blogger, Speaker, and Local User Group HTMD Community leader. His main focus is on Device Management technologies like SCCM 2012, Current Branch, and Intune. E writes about ConfigMgr, Windows 11, Windows 10, Azure AD, Microsoft Intune, Windows 365, AVD, etc…
Hi Anoop, I have a query regarding creating custom inventory class. I would like to add few properties/attributes to each computer object we are managing through SCCM.Those properties/attributes cannot be collected using any WMI/Registry as we have those values per computer object in a separate Table in another SQL Database. Example, we have a table containing computer name,owner name,owner user id, Patch designation(means in which patching phase we will patch the server),server type(like prod,dev,qa etc.). I would like have those part of the Inventoried information for each computer object and create device collection based using those properties in Console(example, collection of all PROD systems).Is there anyway to get those values from the SQL Table and extend existing inventory class in SCCM. Any help will be highly appreciated! Thanks in advance.
Thanks,
Arindam