Issues with Usage Tracking of Applications

[bmaudlin]

Hey Guys,

Has anyone else noticed, a deterioration in usage tracking of applications over the last few months, with no seemingly good reason reason why. 

We have the agent to track the usage configured as per this document > https://community.flexera.com/t5/FlexNet-Manager-Blog/Application-usage-metering-using-the-FlexNet-inventory-agent/ba-p/146015

If I use the following apps as an example - but not as an exhaustive list of the issue. 

Visio  - following ARL changes the application tracking has broken, if I look at the usage logs in the agent however this is seemingly tracked > 

[19/04/2022 09:19:46 (G, 0)] {7444} Session logging: KNOWN PRODUCT Session start (Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\VISIO.EXE, Product: , Product version: ) Session will be added to cache on completion

Project - following ARL changes the application tracking has broken ( I currently do not have this installed)

Internet Explorer 11 - we were looking to track the subsequent decrease of usage whilst confirming increase usage of Edge. We were tracking usage of this application until November last year, when it simply just stopped. 

Looking at the logs IE 11 seems to be unknown but IE 11 Download Manager seems to be known > 

[19/04/2022 09:17:44 (G, 0)] {7444} Session logging: UNKNOWN PRODUCT Session end (Path: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe, product is unknown) Session will not be added to cache.
[19/04/2022 09:17:44 (G, 0)] {7444} Session logging: KNOWN PRODUCT Session end (Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe, Product: Download Manager 1.6, Product version: 1.6, Run time: 1025.000000000 seconds) Session was added to cache.
[19/04/2022 09:17:44 (G, 0)] {7444} Session logging: Session cache contains 102 sessions

With Edge I see the following > 

[19/04/2022 09:18:45 (G, 0)] {7444} Session logging: KNOWN PRODUCT Session start (Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe, Product: Download Manager 1.6, Product version: 1.6) Session will be added to cache on completion
[19/04/2022 09:19:46 (G, 0)] {7444} Session logging: KNOWN PRODUCT Session end (Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe, Product: Download Manager 1.6, Product version: 1.6, Run time: 241.000000000 seconds) Session was added to cache.
[19/04/2022 09:19:46 (G, 0)] {7444} Session logging: Session cache contains 105 sessions

Is the agent detecting the Download Manager as part of Edge, and then it's being ignored. When Edge runs, I don't see Download Manager in the details in terms of Processes etc. 

Manual mapper is simply not an option, as the overhead to maintain a manual list of applications will be too extensive. 

What has happened in terms of recognition?

Ben 

[nrousseau1]

Hello Benjamin,

Thanks for raising this. Indeed, visio.exe (added last week) and winproj.exe (not yet added, will be next week) were not linked to the new applications... so, usage is not captured. Notes that a week delay happens between usage collection and when it is surfaced as last used dates... are you seeing Visio (the normally should come soon because the evidence is already linked).

Thanks,

Nicolas

[bmaudlin]

Hello @nrousseau1,

With Visio, I am not seeing any usage currently coming through the system, on any of the newer applications that were recently changed by Flexera. 

I noticed, prior to posting this and researching through the community I noticed that usage is actually only updated weekly, rather than the last used date actually being the last used date. Which I do have a concern about in itself, that the wording states last used date, but in the depths of the Community it is identified that is only updated weekly due to processing constraints. Flexera Docs however make no reference to this limitation > https://docs.flexera.com/flexera/EN/ITAssets/AppProps-UsageTab.htm#applications_2829377741_1118046 So my understanding was that updated daily.  

That said however broadly how does this work? Is the first day of the week a Monday, with the last being a Sunday, and what date is used. 

So for example: 

A user uses Visio on Friday 15/4. What would the system display on the Monday 25/4? Consumption from the Friday 15/4 or the start of the week 11/4.

If this data upload failed to upload, whether that was because the user turned their device off or a network issue. What happens to the data, do we miss a weeks worth of data usage and we would have to wait until the 25/4?

Is there any thought why Internet Explorer and Edge are not reporting usage? Appreciate these are free applications, but especially with IE soon going out of support it would be helpful that I can inform the business we still have x usage on the application for example.

I think another element of this I need explaining to me is  what is referred to by Know Product and Unknown Product in the useagent.log. 

So for example >

Session logging: UNKNOWN PRODUCT Session end (Path: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Adobe Desktop Common\HEX\Adobe CEF Helper.exe, product is unknown) Session will not be added to cache.

Does this mean as there is no product information as highlighted in green, the agent simply ignores this data. Where is this information contained? Am I able to recognise this apps if need be? 

With Known Products: Session logging: KNOWN PRODUCT Session start (Path: C:\Users\<snip>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Teams\current\Teams.exe, Product: Microsoft Teams, Product version: 1.5.00.9163) Session will be added to cache on completion. 

Does this mean usage will be tracked, as long as the .exe is mapped to the application. I note in the system there is mapping available for .exe not for recognition which as I understand it, the system will still use the MSI data to correctly identify the application, but ignore it from a compliance/install point of view, but enable usage data to correctly be identified?  

Is that correct?

Ben

[nrousseau1]

Hello Ben,

I delivered a SAM Best Practice Webinar in November of usage and metering where I went in details into what is needed, what data is collected etc. And indeed:

• Data is collected day after day but aggregated in Inventory Manager by week... and the first date of use may be visible only at the end of the first week.
• However, the "last used" date will then be the actual last used date of the file or installer evidence as collected by the usage agent.
• Usage is mixing installer (if activated) and file usage... and indeed, if no file evidence is mapped to an application (and no installer evidence is collected), no usage will be reported
• File usage is focused on applications deployed with MSI installer

  In the case of Visio, no file evidence was linked, it sounds like installer evidence usage is not reported, so... no usage was coming... then, I would expect a week latency between the date when the ARL added the link and the date when you will see the last used dates.

  To answer some of your questions

  A user uses Visio on Friday 15/4. What would the system display on the Monday 25/4? Consumption from the Friday 15/4 or the start of the week 11/4. No last used date would be visible until Monday... and Monday the Friday last used date will be reported. To be totally honest, I observe with a cloud custom with the Flexera agent some last used date that contain high number of computers every... 7 days. I would say that the summarization probably creates weekly batches for last used date.

  If this data upload failed to upload, whether that was because the user turned their device off or a network issue. What happens to the data, do we miss a weeks worth of data usage and we would have to wait until the 25/4?

  Data is uploaded daily

  https://docs.flexera.com/FlexNetManagerSuite2020R2/EN/GatherFNInv/index.html?_ga=2.127269389.1238023721.1650464034-2144349190.1633005666#SysRef/FlexNetInventoryAgent/topics/FIA-MMIFormat.html

  and there is an uploader that manages cases when an upload failed...

  https://docs.flexera.com/FlexNetManagerSuite2020R2/EN/GatherFNInv/index.html?_ga=2.127269389.1238023721.1650464034-2144349190.1633005666#SysRef/FlexNetInventoryAgent/tasks/FIA-Architecture.html

  "The uploader may be invoked directly by other components to upload files handed off through the command line; or it may be invoked by the scheduler to look in defined folders on the local device and upload all files present there. In this way, ndupload provides a scheduled catch-up service to upload files which the tracker failed to upload, and saved on disk instead. (And it also follows that the absence of the separate ndupload component in the Core deployment and Zero-footprint cases means that there can be no catch-up uploads after a transient failure of uploads by the tracker.)"

  Is there any thought why Internet Explorer and Edge are not reporting usage? Appreciate these are free applications, but especially with IE soon going out of support it would be helpful that I can inform the business we still have x usage on the application for example.

  In the session mentioned above, I develop the fact that applicates not deployed through MSI are not collected for usage. I am not sure if this is a technical constraint or a choice to filter out "useless applications". in the recording and related documents post.  I provide a way to use a "Manual mapper" to track any file (with the associated risk of more usage data to be collected). The registry entry is on the inventoried device and can be deployed through Group Policy (GPO). This is in the " Extending Usage Metering Collection In FNMS_v1.1.docx" attached file.

  You need the file to be tracked to a "product" (that could be "Any Application" in the usage log... then you need the file evidence to be present in the ARL (it could be with a "not for recognition" recognition rule) to actually report the usage against the recognized application. Note that installer evidence usage can also be collected, that enhances you chances to get evidences for all applications (even when they don't link to fiel evidences) but also contains false positives sometimes when installation package refers the wrong installation path (that will be stored in "add / remove" programs) if I understood well.

  I hope it helps,

  Best regards,

  Nicolas