‎Sep 03, 2019 10:14 PM
I have heard of that the FlexNet agent can have trouble gathering usage metering for some Adobe products - the MSI installer packages for these products are authored in an unusual way, and do not install executable files in a "normal" way. This results in the agent being unable to match a running executable to an application.
I would always recommend being cautious about automatically and blindly uninstalling software simply based on usage data that is gathered. There are enough scenarios and corner cases that make it difficult to get 100% accurate usage data that using a process that involves some sort of explicit check with end users before installing their software is wise - even if the data gets it right 95% of the time, the last 5% of annoyed users will generate a lot of noise.
Some other things to check when considering usage data flowing through the system are:
‎Sep 06, 2019 04:54 AM
I have heard of that the FlexNet agent can have trouble gathering usage metering for some Adobe products - the MSI installer packages for these products are authored in an unusual way, and do not install executable files in a "normal" way. This results in the agent being unable to match a running executable to an application.
I would always recommend being cautious about automatically and blindly uninstalling software simply based on usage data that is gathered. There are enough scenarios and corner cases that make it difficult to get 100% accurate usage data that using a process that involves some sort of explicit check with end users before installing their software is wise - even if the data gets it right 95% of the time, the last 5% of annoyed users will generate a lot of noise.
Some other things to check when considering usage data flowing through the system are:
‎Sep 06, 2019 04:54 AM
‎Sep 08, 2019 07:55 PM
For reference, here are some other discussion threads on a similar topic to this one:
‎Sep 13, 2019 02:42 AM
Chris,
How does one validate the 2nd bullet point: Remember that a file evidence recognition rule for the invoked executable must be associated with the application record in the ARL for usage to be tracked.
Is this something our internal engineer would have to validate for us?
I'm always concerned when reporting "last used date". Especially when the field is blank. I have no idea if it is accurate or not and can cause a lot of issues. I've been told that a blank "LUD" meant they had NEVER used the product. Is this not true?
Shelby
‎Nov 06, 2019 12:53 PM
@shelby_day,
The "file evidence recognition rule for the invoked executable must be associated with the application record in the ARL for usage to be tracked" requirement should be checked by verifying the relevant executables are listed in the discovered evidence, Adobe Acrobat XI Pro example screen shot:
Thanks,
‎Dec 02, 2019 02:42 AM
Take a look at the following new thread I have just posted which has some new insights and suggestions that may be at least partially related to this thread: Application usage metering with FlexNet agent on Windows for non-MSI applications
‎Dec 20, 2019 10:16 PM
@shelby_day - to validate file evidence recognition rules that are configured for an application, open the application record in FlexNet, select the Evidence tab, and click on the File button. Here is an example of what you would see for Microsoft Office Project 2016 Professional:
‎Dec 20, 2019 10:51 PM
In case it helps anybody reviewing this thread, see the following blog that has just been posted for a more extensive review of usage metering capabilities and configuration: Application usage metering using the FlexNet inventory agent
‎May 11, 2020 04:39 AM
Hi there,
Just wondering if you get any confirmation on this? I am trying to interpret the meaning of Blank data in the "Last Used Date" field? @shelby_day
‎Nov 23, 2020 08:49 PM
‎Nov 23, 2020 09:01 PM