This article addresses whether Unix or Mac Agents can gather logged on user information.
Is there a way to configure the Unix or Mac Agents to gather logged on user information?
From version 17, the FlexNet inventory agent now collects information on macOS for the currently logged-in user including their domain. This is required with Mac software licensing when using Named User licenses. However, note that macOS does not track the last logged-in user, so that if no one is logged in when FlexNet inventory agent runs, macOS returns system
. Therefore, if you want the user name to appear in inventory, carefully review your inventory collection schedules for alignment with user working hours; or instead, use allocations of license entitlements to the user(s) in question. Relying on inventory from macOS may mean that the user name record bounces between the real user name and system
, depending on whether the user was logged in at each day's inventory time.
Dec 11, 2018 10:54 PM - edited Sep 03, 2021 10:12 AM
@amann - is there any update on where this activity is at?
Hi @bmaudlin, as of agent version 17, we can collect the current logged-in user:
"macOS FlexNet inventory agent now collects user information including domain for the currently logged-in user
On macOS, the FlexNet inventory agent now collects information for the currently logged-in user including their domain. This is required with Mac software licensing when using Named User licenses. However, note that macOS does not track the last logged-in user, so that if no one is logged in when FlexNet inventory agent runs, macOS returns system
. Therefore, if you want the user name to appear in inventory, carefully review your inventory collection schedules for alignment with user working hours; or instead, use allocations of license entitlements to the user(s) in question. Relying on inventory from macOS may mean that the user name record bounces between the real user name and system
, depending on whether the user was logged in at each day's inventory time."
I will amend this KB shortly to reflect above.
Hope this helps,
Alex
Hi
We never got it to work on our MacOS with the 16.0.1 agents. I don't remember if it was in a forum thread or in a support case where I got notified that under certain situation it will not work and that was fixed in version 2020R2.1 and onwards.
@mag00_75 - You are correct. You will need the 17.x Mac Agent release in July as part of 2021 R1. The logic of capturing User Information on OS X was updated in this new version as documented here:
https://docs.flexera.com/fnms/EN/InvAgentChg/index.html