An Operating System (OS henceforth) is a virtual entity that is installed onto a computer.
Each OS can have different sub components associcated with it, mainly:
Installed Software andLicenses, Installed Patches,
and defined Network Data. The OS menu allows you to manage all
Operating Systems and all their sub components.
Operating Systems List-
When first accessing the OS menu, or when clicking the list button - a listbox will appear allowing
to choose which OS type to show. This listbox will appear on top of all OS lists to allow for easy
navigation. The OS Types are editable using the "Manage Types" menu.
The list displayed is standard, allowing to view information about the OS, and access to edit and
delete functions. OS is displayed by type which is shown on top of the list. If more than one type
is shown, clicking on a type will show only OS of that type.
Search Operating Systems-
The OS Search dialog allows to display the OS depending on defined search criteria. The following
search cirteria are supported:
Note, that similar fields are desbribed together in the list below, although they are not dependant in
any way in search request - meaning you can search them independently of each other
- You can search the OS Name, Version and (associated) computer tag using a string search. If a value is typed
in one of these fields the search engine will display results where the specific field contains this value.
- The listbox type fields allow to search a specific value in the following fields: OS type, language, license and
person who installed the OS. For these fields you can choose a value, or choose the "Not Assigned" value
(where available) to search for fields that are empty.
- You may search for OS install date by using one or both date fields to specify upper/lower limit for the install date.
Adding an OS-
Clicking the 'Add' button on the top toolbar will start the 'Add Operating System' dialog.
Here is a decription of the fields in the form:
- OS Name: OS's name (usually the host part of the name)
- OS Type: Choose from the OS types in the listbox. The type defines the main OS
type such as Windows/Solaris and so forth. OS types are defined from the 'Manage Types' menu.
- Version: Specify the OS version.
- Language: Specify what is the main language the OS is installed in.
Languages are predefined in the 'Manage Types' menu.
- License: You can choose to assign a license to the OS. You may choose a license
from the listbox. The licenses are defined through the "Licenses" menu, and only
licenses that are marked as OS licenses will be displayed in the listbox.
- Install Date: Specify the installation date of the whole OS. If you click the
calendar icon to the right of the field you can make use of a pop-up calendar to choose
the date. Otherwise you can enter a date manually, as long as it conforms to the YYYY-MM-DD
format.
- Installed By: You can specify which user installed the OS. Choose from the user
list.
Copy an OS-
The copy button allows you to make a copy of an OS in one easy step. When copied, a new
OS record identical to the old one will be created: All OS data will be copied, changing
the OS install date to the copy date, changing the 'Installed By' field to the user
performing the copy operation, and copying all associated data: Network, Software &
Licenses, and patches installed. Note, that currently (version 0.81) license
data for installed software is not copied, rather, the new OS will have no licenses associated
with the software installed on it. (This does not apply to the license associated directly with
the OS itself, that license is copied and updated).
You can perform the copy operation by clicking the OS you wish to copy in the list, and then click
the 'Copy' button on the toolbar. You will be presented with a popup dialog requesting the following
information:
- New OS Name: - This field will assign a name for the new OS. This field cannot be
empty, and you'll be prompted if the new OS name is the same as the old one. (You can assign
the same name to the new OS if you insist, but that is not recommended since it may be confusing
to distinguish between two OS with the same name).
- Attach to Computer: - Choose from the listbox which computer to assign the new OS to.
You can directly assign to any computer desired, or to create an OS which is not attached to a
computer by choosing 'No Computer' from the listbox.
Editing an OS-
Editing an OS opens the same basic dialog as 'Add OS', but allows to perform additional operation
on an existing OS: you are allowed to edit sub components: Network Data,
Installed Software & Licenses and Installed Patches.
Clicking the 'Edit' icon on the right side of each section will open a popup dialog
which will allow you to edit the respective sub component.
Deleting an OS-
You can delete an OS by selecting it from the list and clicking the delete button. You'll be
requested to confirm the action. The deletion process will delete the OS record itself, with
all sub components: Associated Software & Licenses, Patches and Network Data.
