FlexNet Manager Suite: Components Definitions

[jturley]

Back to Start: Introduction to Series

Definition of FNMS components 

Below are the components of FNMS and a general explanation of how they function.  

NOTE: What you will be able to access differs from on-premise setups to the cloud provided setup

Core Components: 

• Batch 
• Inventory 
• Application 
• Agent 
• Beacon 

Each setup has these core components and database components; for cloud customers, you will not access the core component servers. However, with an on-premises customer, these core components will be accessible. Still, there are different layouts that you can configure depending on your environment. 

Agent 

Three types of agents are used under different circumstances: 

• FlexNet Inventory Agent 
• Zero Footprint (FlexNet inventory core components on inventory beacons) 
• FlexNet Inventory Scanner 

NOTE: These are covered more in-depth within the GatheringFlexNetInventory.pdf  

The agent component itself will gather inventory from the agent. Some of the above utilization methods will alter what is brought back.   

With the full agent, you can configure to inventory hardware data and installation data. If you enable within the FNMS UI, you will be able to import file evidence which will bring back your applications. 

Beacon 

An inventory beacon is a computer with FlexNet Beacon software installed. It gathers hardware and software inventory and other information from your network and uploads the resulting files in date/time order from oldest to most recent to FlexNet Manager Suite. After installation, the inventory beacon is registered with FlexNet Manager Suite. 

A beacon also handles connectors such as SCCM, ADDM, O365, etc., adapters; this is also where the agents (Listed below) send their inventory data. 

NOTE: There is no use case for having the beacon installed on the inventory or web component, but it can be installed on the batch server, which might cause problems when you come to upgrade. 

Presentation Component 

The presentation component is where the UI pages are stored, and the end-users will view them in a browser of some sort will connect to.  The presentation component handles the GUI and presents the data for use. This component handles all of the grids and lists used to present data. It also houses the configuration settings, rules, and license information for your inventoried estate. 

Inventory Component 

The Inventory Component is where the incoming inventory from different data sources will eventually arrive in the FNMS journey. The Inventory Component is where the batch server will take the data from the inventory and import the data from the uploaded files into your database. 

Batch Component 

The Batch Component houses the tasks that the web front (application server) handles. The Batch Component will be where you configure reconciliation tasks. It also addresses the download of packages and policies that both your beacon server and agents use. The Batch Component also handles the readers and writers when importing data into your FNMS system. 

Database Component 

The Database Component has all the data imported into the system and holds configuration settings and saved reports. The Database Component is what the application component pulls data from and presents the data within the GUI. The Database Component can be flexible where it is installed; it can be installed on any servers with a component on or installed separately.