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This document discusses how to use the BGInfo tool to build a centralized database of system information from network computers. BGInfo displays system details on the desktop background, but can also save data to files or databases. The article explains how to configure BGInfo to save data to text files or SQL databases, then deploy the tool across a network via scheduled tasks to monitor multiple systems from a single location.

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269 views7 pages

Bginfo PDF

This document discusses how to use the BGInfo tool to build a centralized database of system information from network computers. BGInfo displays system details on the desktop background, but can also save data to files or databases. The article explains how to configure BGInfo to save data to text files or SQL databases, then deploy the tool across a network via scheduled tasks to monitor multiple systems from a single location.

Uploaded by

ferro4u
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How-To Geek

Use BGInfo to Build a Database of System Information of Your Network Computers


One of t he more popular t ools of t he Sysint ernals suit e among syst em administ rat ors is BGInfo which t acks real-t ime syst em informat ion t o your deskt op wallpaper when you first login. For obvious reasons, having informat ion such as syst em memory, available hard drive space and syst em up t ime (among ot hers) right in front of you is very convenient when you are managing several syst ems. A lit t le known feat ure about t his handy ut ilit y is t he abilit y t o have syst em informat ion aut omat ically saved t o a SQL dat abase or some ot her dat a file. Wit h a few minut es of set up work you can easily configure BGInf o t o record syst em informat ion of all your net work comput ers in a cent ralized st orage locat ion. You can t hen use t his dat a t o monit or or report on t hese syst ems however you see fit .

BGInfo Setup
If you are familiar wit h BGInfo, you can skip t his sect ion. However, if you have never used t his t ool, it t akes just a few minut es t o set up in order t o capt ure t he dat a you are looking for. When you first open BGInfo, a t imer will be count ing down in t he upper right corner. Click t he count down but t on t o keep t he int erface up so we can edit t he set t ings.

Now edit t he informat ion you want t o capt ure from t he available fields on t he right . Since all t he out put will be redirect ed t o a cent ral locat ion, dont worry about configuring t he layout or format t ing.

Configuring the Storage Database

BGInfo support s t he abilit y t o st ore informat ion in several dat abase format s: SQL Server Dat abase, Access Dat abase, Excel and Text File. To configure t his opt ion, open File > Dat abase.

Using a T ext File


The simplest , and perhaps most pract ical, opt ion is t o st ore t he BGInfo dat a in a comma separat ed t ext file. This format allows for t he file t o be opened in Excel or import ed int o a dat abase. To use a t ext file or any ot her file syst em t ype (Excel or MS Access), simply provide t he UNC t o t he respect ive file. The account running t he t ask t o writ e t o t his file will need read/writ e access t o bot h t he share and NTFS file permissions.

When using a t ext file, t he only opt ion is t o have BGInfo creat e a new ent ry each t ime t he capt ure process is run which will add a new line t o t he respect ive CSV t ext file.

Using a SQL Dat abase


If you prefer t o have t he dat a dropped st raight int o a SQL Server dat abase, BGInf o support t his as well. This requires a bit of addit ional configurat ion, but overall it is very easy. The first st ep is t o creat e a dat abase where t he informat ion will be st ored. Addit ionally, you will want t o creat e a user account t o fill dat a int o t his t able (and t his t able only). For your convenience, t his script creat es a new dat abase and user account (run t his as Administ rat or on your SQL Server machine): @SET Server=%Comput erName%. @SET Dat abase=BGInfo @SET UserName=BGInfo

@SET Password=password SQLCMD -S %Server% -E -Q Creat e Dat abase [%Dat abase%] SQLCMD -S %Server% -E -Q Creat e Login [%UserName%] Wit h Password=N%Password%, DEFAULT_DATABASE=[%Dat abase%], CHECK_EXPIRATION=OFF, CHECK_POLICY=OFF SQLCMD -S %Server% -E -d %Dat abase% -Q Creat e User [%UserName%] For Login [%UserName%] SQLCMD -S %Server% -E -d %Dat abase% -Q EXEC sp_addrolemember Ndb_owner, N%UserName%

Not e t he SQL user account must have db_owner permissions on t he dat abase in order for BGInfo t o work correct ly. This is why you should have a SQL user account specifically for t his dat abase.

Next , configure BGInfo t o connect t o t his dat abase by clicking on t he SQL but t on.

Fill out t he connect ion propert ies according t o your dat abase set t ings.

Select t he opt ion of whet her or not t o only have one ent ry per comput er or keep a hist ory of each syst em.

The dat a will t hen be dropped direct ly int o a t able named BGInfoTable in t he respect ive dat abase.

Configure User Desktop Options


While t he primary funct ion of BGInfo is t o alt er t he users deskt op by adding syst em info as part of t he wallpaper, for our use here we want t o leave t he users wallpaper alone so t his process runs wit hout alt ering any of t he users set t ings. Click t he Deskt ops but t on.

Configure t he Wallpaper modificat ions t o not alt er anyt hing.

Preparing the Deployment


Now we are all set f or deploying t he configurat ion t o t he individual machines so we can st art capt uring t he syst em dat a. If you have not done so already, click t he Apply but t on t o creat e t he first ent ry in your dat a reposit ory. If all is configured correct ly, you should be able t o open your dat a file or dat abase and see t he ent ry for t he respect ive machine.

Now click t he File > Save As menu opt ion and save t he configurat ion as BGInfoCapt ure.bgi.

Deploying to Client Machines


Deployment t o t he respect ive client machines is pret t y st raight forward. No inst allat ion is required as you just need t o copy t he BGInfo.exe and t he BGInfoCapt ure.bgi t o each machine and place t hem in t he same direct ory. Once in place, just run t he command: BGInfo.exe BGInfoCapt ure.bgi /Timer:0 /Silent /NoLicPrompt

Of course, you probably want t o schedule t he capt ure process t o run on a schedule. This command creat es a Scheduled Task t o run t he capt ure process at 8 AM every morning and assumes you copied t he required files t o t he root of your C drive: SCHTASKS /Creat e /SC DAILY /ST 08:00 /TN Syst em Info /TR C:BGInfo.exe C:BGInfoCapt ure.bgi /Timer:0 /Silent /NoLicPrompt

Adjust as needed, but t he end result is t he scheduled t ask command should look somet hing like t his:

Download BGInfo from Sysint ernals

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Jason Faulkner is a developer and IT professional who never has a hot cup of coffee far away. Interact with him on Google+ Published 01/27/11 20,643 Views

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