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Computer Systems - Technical Reference | CXTech

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Computer Systems - Technical Reference

Document ID: L2A-002
Module: Certero for Enterprise ITAM > Inventory
Menu: Computer Systems
Primary Entity: ComputerSystem

Overview

Computer Systems is the central inventory module for all discovered computing devices. It provides a unified view across all operating systems while supporting OS-specific properties and features through inheritance.

Menu Item

URL

Entity

Menu Item

URL

Entity

All Systems

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=ComputerSystem

ComputerSystem

Configurations

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=ComputerSystemConfiguration

ComputerSystemConfiguration

Microsoft Windows

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=WindowsSystem

WindowsSystem

Linux

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=LinuxSystem

LinuxSystem

macOS

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=AppleSystem

AppleSystem

IBM AIX

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=AixSystem

AixSystem

Oracle Solaris

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=SolarisSystem

SolarisSystem

HP-UX

/CerteroWebApp/DataGrid/Data?en=HpuxSystem

HpuxSystem

Data Model

Base Entity: ComputerSystem

All computer systems inherit from the base ComputerSystem entity.

Key Properties:

Property

Type

Description

Property

Type

Description

Id

int

Unique identifier

Name

string

Computer name/hostname

DomainName

string

AD domain or workgroup

FullyQualifiedDomainName

string

FQDN

OperatingSystemId

int

FK to OperatingSystem

LastInventoryDate

datetime

Last successful inventory

LastBootTime

datetime

Last system boot

IsArchived

bool

Soft-delete flag

ZoneId

int

Organizational zone

SerialNumber

string

Hardware serial

Manufacturer

string

Hardware manufacturer

Model

string

Hardware model

BiosVersion

string

BIOS version

TotalPhysicalMemory

long

RAM in bytes

NumberOfProcessors

int

Physical CPU count

NumberOfLogicalProcessors

int

Logical CPU count

IsVirtual

bool

Virtual machine flag

VirtualHostId

int

FK to host if virtual

OS-Specific Extensions

WindowsSystem

Property

Description

Property

Description

WindowsVersion

Windows version string

WindowsBuild

Build number

WindowsEdition

Edition (Pro, Enterprise, etc.)

DomainRole

Domain controller, member, etc.

InstallDate

OS installation date

ProductKey

Windows product key

ActivationStatus

License activation state

LinuxSystem

Property

Description

Property

Description

Distribution

Linux distribution name

KernelVersion

Kernel version

KernelRelease

Kernel release

Architecture

x86_64, ARM, etc.

AppleSystem

Property

Description

Property

Description

HardwareModel

Mac model identifier

ProcessorName

Apple Silicon or Intel

SystemVersion

macOS version

BuildVersion

Build identifier

AixSystem

Property

Description

Property

Description

TechnologyLevel

AIX TL

ServicePack

Service pack level

PartitionType

LPAR configuration

SolarisSystem

Property

Description

Property

Description

ZoneType

Global/non-global zone

ZoneName

Zone name if applicable

KernelVersion

Solaris kernel

User Interface

All Systems Grid

Navigation: Main Menu → Computer Systems → All Systems

Default Columns:

Column

Source

Description

Column

Source

Description

Name

ComputerSystem.Name

Hostname

Domain

ComputerSystem.DomainName

AD domain

Operating System

OperatingSystem.Name

OS name

Version

OperatingSystem.Version

OS version

Last Inventory

ComputerSystem.LastInventoryDate

Last scan

IP Address

NetworkAdapter.IpAddress

Primary IP

Manufacturer

ComputerSystem.Manufacturer

Hardware vendor

Model

ComputerSystem.Model

Hardware model

Zone

Zone.Name

Organizational zone

Available Actions:

Action

Access

Description

Action

Access

Description

View Properties

Click row

Open detailed view

Archive

Context menu

Soft-delete

Unarchive

Context menu

Restore archived

Delete

Context menu (admin)

Permanent delete

Export

Toolbar

Excel/CSV export

Add to Static Group

Context menu

Group membership

Run Command

Context menu

Remote execution

System Properties View

Navigation: Click any system row

Tab Structure:

Tab

Contents

Tab

Contents

Summary

Key system info, identification

Hardware

CPU, memory, disks, network

Software

Installed applications

Services

Running services (Windows)

Users

Local users and profiles

Updates

Installed updates/patches

Certificates

SSL/TLS certificates

Configuration

System settings

History

Change tracking

Related

Related entities

OS-Specific Features

Windows Systems

Additional Menu Items:

  • Services: WindowsSystemService

  • Startup Programs: WindowsSystemStartupProgram

  • Shares: WindowsSystemShare

  • Printers: Local printers

Key Data:

  • Registry information

  • Windows features

  • Installed updates (KB articles)

  • Local users and groups

  • Environment variables

Linux Systems

Additional Data:

  • Package managers (RPM, DEB, etc.)

  • Kernel modules

  • Mount points

  • Cron jobs

  • System services (systemd/init)

macOS Systems

Additional Data:

  • Applications (.app bundles)

  • System preferences

  • Kernel extensions

  • User applications

IBM AIX Systems

Additional Data:

  • LPAR information

  • ODM data

  • Filesets

  • LPP packages

Oracle Solaris Systems

Additional Data:

  • Zone configuration

  • Packages (IPS/SVR4)

  • Patches

  • SMF services

Virtual Machine Detection

How Virtualization is Detected

The platform detects virtual machines through multiple methods:

Method

Platforms

Method

Platforms

BIOS/firmware strings

VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox

Hardware identifiers

VMware, Hyper-V

Hypervisor connectors

VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix

Cloud metadata

AWS, Azure

Virtual Machine Properties

Property

Description

Property

Description

IsVirtual

True if VM detected

VirtualHostId

FK to host system

VirtualPlatform

VMware, Hyper-V, etc.

VirtualUuid

VM unique identifier

Data Collection

Agent Collection Schedule

Default collection components:

Component

Default Schedule

Data

Component

Default Schedule

Data

Hardware

Daily

CPU, memory, disk

Software

Daily

Installed apps

Services

Daily

Running services

Users

Daily

Local users

Full Inventory

Weekly

All data

Collection Triggers

Trigger

Description

Trigger

Description

Scheduled

Based on Configuration Rule

On Demand

Manual trigger from agent

Policy-based

Triggered by policy events

Startup

Collection on agent start

Configurations

ComputerSystemConfiguration Entity

Navigation: Main Menu → Computer Systems → Configurations

Stores point-in-time configuration snapshots.

Key Fields:

Field

Description

Field

Description

ComputerSystemId

Associated system

ConfigurationDate

When captured

ConfigurationType

Type of configuration

ConfigurationData

JSON/XML data

Troubleshooting

Issue: System Shows Wrong OS Type

Symptoms:

  • System appears under wrong OS category

  • OS-specific features not available

Resolution:

  1. Check OS detection in inventory

  2. Verify agent is collecting OS data

  3. Check for WMI/system query errors

  4. Re-run full inventory

Issue: Missing Hardware Information

Symptoms:

  • CPU/memory/disk shows as empty

  • Hardware tab incomplete

Resolution:

  1. Check agent permissions

  2. Verify WMI service (Windows)

  3. Check hardware queries in agent logs

  4. Some virtual platforms limit hardware visibility

Issue: Duplicate Systems

Symptoms:

  • Same computer appears multiple times

  • Different IDs for same hostname

Cause: System rebuilt without cleanup, or multiple discovery sources.

Resolution:

  1. Review: Miscellaneous → Duplicate Systems

  2. Archive incorrect records

  3. Merge if feature available

  4. Check unique identifier settings

Issue: Systems Not Updating

Symptoms:

  • Last Inventory date not changing

  • Data appears stale

Resolution:

  1. Check agent service status

  2. Verify network connectivity to Endpoint Server

  3. Review agent logs for errors

  4. Check Configuration Rule schedule

  5. Verify system matches rule criteria

API Reference

Endpoints

Method

Endpoint

Description

Method

Endpoint

Description

GET

/api/ComputerSystem

All systems

GET

/api/ComputerSystem/{id}

Single system

GET

/api/ComputerSystem/{id}/Hardware

Hardware details

GET

/api/ComputerSystem/{id}/Software

Software list

GET

/api/WindowsSystem

Windows only

GET

/api/LinuxSystem

Linux only

GET

/api/AppleSystem

macOS only

PATCH

/api/ComputerSystem/{id}

Update system

DELETE

/api/ComputerSystem/{id}

Delete system

OData Query Examples

# Windows 10 systems
/api/WindowsSystem?$filter=contains(WindowsVersion,'10')

# Systems not inventoried in 30 days
/api/ComputerSystem?$filter=LastInventoryDate lt 2024-12-01

# Virtual machines only
/api/ComputerSystem?$filter=IsVirtual eq true

# Systems in specific zone
/api/ComputerSystem?$filter=ZoneId eq 5

Technical Reference

Controllers

Controller

Purpose

Controller

Purpose

ComputerSystemController

Base system operations

WindowsSystemController

Windows-specific

LinuxSystemController

Linux-specific

AppleSystemController

macOS-specific

AixSystemController

AIX-specific

SolarisSystemController

Solaris-specific

HpuxSystemController

HP-UX-specific

Database Views

View

Purpose

View

Purpose

vwComputerSystem

Main grid view

vwWindowsSystem

Windows grid

vwLinuxSystem

Linux grid

vwAppleSystem

macOS grid

vwComputerSystemSummary

Summary data

Permissions

Permission

Access

Permission

Access

ComputerSystem.View

View systems

ComputerSystem.Edit

Modify properties

ComputerSystem.Delete

Delete systems

ComputerSystem.Archive

Archive systems

ComputerSystem.Command

Run remote commands

Revision History

Date

Author

Changes

Date

Author

Changes

2025-01-14

CXTech

Initial technical reference