Using a Mini Monster File for Hardware Inventory with SMS 2003
One of the many features of SMS is to extend SMS Hardware Inventory by adding customized classes to "sms_def.mof", which on your sms server is found in inboxes\clifiles.src\hinv. In general, SMS Admins would simply append custom classes, and then Advanced Clients (usually via an SMS Advertisement) mofcomp the customized sms_def.mof. Those additional classes would be compiled on the client, and the hardware policy would run as designed to gather that additional information.
Periodically, it is discovered that some of the default classes in sms_def.mof shouldn't be re-compiled on the client. This can cause hiccup's in the Hardware Inventory process working as expected; like the Windows Update Agent version: http://www.myitforum.com/articles/8/view.asp?id=9482, or recently Rick Jones discovered an anomoly with mofcomp'ing a customized sms_def.mof on a Vista 32 client.
For those reasons, and others, some SMS Admins have adopted using a "mini monster" MOF file. How one uses a mini monster is (briefly):
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All of your customized classes do not go into sms_def.mof. It is an entirely separate file. For the purposes of this article, let's call it mini.mof
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At your SMS Servers, place mini.mof in inboxes\clifiles.src\hinv (the same folder where sms_def.mof lives)
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Edit sms_def.mof, and assuming it is the default sms_def.mof (you do not have any additional customizations at the end of it), the only line you add is right at the bottom of the file. Which line you add depends upon your server's Operating System Version.
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If the server is a Windows 2000 operating system, add this line:
#include ("mini.mof")
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If the server is a Windows 2003 operating system, add this line:
#pragma include ("mini.mof")
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As soon as you save sms_def.mof; monitoring dataldr.log; you'll see the mof be compiled successfully (I hope successfully!)
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On your clients, instead of mofcomp'ing sms_def.mof; you only need to mofcomp mini.mof. This avoids the potential reported problems with mofcomp'ing the default, full, sms_def.mof + your changes
PS: note the above mini-monster information, # include statements, etc; are specifically for SMS 2003. System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM, or the next version of SMS) uses a "configuration.mof" file for additional data classes. Customizing the SCCM Hardware Inventory process is a completely different subject...