DMI support from HMB Software

Note: HMB Software, Inc. is an independent third-party software company. They have made an extension to their product to allow WinBatch to access detailed DMI information. This information is presented by Wilson WindowWare as a public service and does not commit Wilson WindowWare to the support of their product or in any way suggest that their product is specifically recommended by Wilson WindowWare.

HMB Software, Inc.

White Paper: Gathering DMI information through Wilson WindowWare's Winbatch and HMB Software

What is DMI?
Why is DMI necessary?
What type of information does HMB Software provide using DMI?
What brands of computer does HMB Software provide DMI information for?
How do I gather DMI information using Wilson WindowWare's Winbatch and HMB Software?
Business Applications that use DMI information.

What is DMI?

Desktop Management Interface (DMI) is a method of managing computers in an enterprise. The DMI specification is a result of the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) efforts to create a common interface for managing personal computers and network servers.

The main component of DMI is the Management Information Format database (MIF). This database contains all of the information about the computing system and its components. Through DMI, a system administrator can obtain serial number, computer manufacturer, serial port information and a host of other system component information.

Why is DMI Necessary?

The Desktop Management Interface (DMI) acts as the interface between management software and a systems components. It creates a standard, manageable computer system that is easily understood by computer manufacturers and system administrators.

Management of computer systems and network servers is a daunting task especially in a mobile world where computers are moved from one location to another. DMI gathers computer system information and guarantees consistency across the type of information it provides. The resource and configuration information are available through an interface such as HMB Software and Winbatch.

What type of information does HMB Software provide using DMI?

This is just a sample of the wealth of DMI information that HMB Software provides. We can track any computers serial number with this information (please see our section on Business applications that use DMI information).

Bios Information
- Type
- Length
- Handle
- BIOS Vendor
- BIOS Version
- Starting Addr Seg
- BIOS Release Date
- BIOS ROM Size
- BIOS Characteristics
  - ISA Supported
  - MCA Supported
  - EISA Supported
  - PCI Supported
  - PCMCIA Supported
  - PnP Supported
  - APM Supported
  - Flashable BIOS
  - BIOS Shadowing
  - VL-VESA Supported
  - ESCD Supported
  - CD-Boot Supported
  - Selectable Boot
  - BIOS ROM Socketed
  - PC Card Bootable
  - Enhanced Disk Drive
- System Information
  - Type
  - Length
  - Handle
  - Manufacturer
  - Product Name
  - Version
  - Serial Number
  - UUID
  - Wake-up Type
What brands of computer does HMB Software provide DMI information for?
HMB Software gathers DMI information from any manufacturer that complies with the DMI standard including IBM, Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba. Our program does not require any DMI layer or any other overhead associated with DMI. Our only requirement is that you have Microsoft Windows 95/98 or NT/2000.

How do I gather DMI information using Wilson WindowWare's Winbatch and HMB Software?
HMB Software gathers DMI information from a computer and puts that information in a text file on the c: drive in a delimited format. We are capable of extracting the hundreds of items of DMI information from computers, but have listed 3 in our sample code below.
Here is a sample of how you can use Winbatch and HMB Software to extract DMI information:
```
	RunWait("c:\hmbsoft\assettrk\asset.exe","")
	; Your code here
	; This section parses the text file generated by HMB Software's
	; asset.exe file.  The text file contains the following information:
	; 1.  Computer's Manufacturer
	; 2.  Computer's Model Name (Type)
	; 3.  Computer's Serial Number
	; Please note, that the information contained in the text file
	; represents approximately 1% of the available OEM
	; DMI information.
	Message("DMI Information", "This Program is Finished")
	Exit
```
Business applications that use DMI information.
This is a sample of the many applications that our clients use the HMB Software program for. Track computer assets - every Company needs an accurate and up-to-date method to track computer assets. HMB Software will extract serial number, manufacturer, model as well as a host of other items of information to track a computer. This information can be tracked in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Microsoft Access database and many other formats. Prevent software piracy - Since DMI serial numbers are unique, HMB Software can uniquely identify computer hardware. As a software developer, you can make a function call to our program and verify that the computer your software is running on is the original computer the software was installed on. Our program will even prevent software piracy when a hard drive is imaged using Symantec Ghost or any disk imaging software.
HMB Software, Inc.
Gather DMI information from any compliant computer from within the Winbatch interface. With Winbatch and HMB Software, you can gather Serial Number, Manufacturer, Model, and a wealth of DMI information from computers including IBM, Dell, Compaq, Hewlett Packard and Toshiba.

Visit us at http://www.hmbsoftware.com
Email: support@hmbsoftware.com
Telephone: USA 847-372-0770
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Last Updated: 2001:11:08:12:41:14
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