Chrome OS: FileWave Inventory Extension Behavior (FAQ)
What
The FileWave Chromebook Inventory extension providescollects abilitiesChromebook toinventory managedetails yourthat devicesare beyondnot what can be doneavailable from the Google Admin console. console Belowalone. youThis willFAQ findexplains some answers to frequently asked questions aboutwhen the extension'sextension behavior.reports data and why FileWave inventory dates may differ from Google Admin console dates.
When/Why
We'll useUse the Inventory Extension mainlyextension to collect additional inventoryChromebook data from our Chromebooks, but also toinventory, request updated inventory informationinventory, and to initiatestart remote control sessions.
How Doesdoes it Work?work?
Q: How do I install the Inventory Extension?extension?
A: ReferenceUse the following link to see how to install the Inventory extension: Quick Start Guide for Chromebooks.
Q: What does the Inventory Extensionextension do?
A: ReferenceSee the following article for details on what the extension does: Chrome OS: FileWave Inventory Extension Capabilities for the full capability list.
Q: How frequently does the extension report data?
A: The extension reports data based on the frequency specified in the JSON configuration file. ItThe defaultsdefault tois once per day, butand isyou configurablecan bychange changing the valueit in the jsonJSON.
Q: Will the extension send data/verifydata no matter what?
A: No,No. thereThese areconditions a number of pre-requisites for data tomust be sent,true asbefore follows:the extension can send data:
-
DeviceThemustdevicebeis on and connected to anetworknetwork. -
The device
mustis notbe in a sleep stateasleep. -
A user
must beis loggedintoin,thebecausedevice (the extensionis executedruns in the usercontext)context. -
The extension
must actually beis installed forthethatuser aboveuser. -
The endpoint can reach the FileWave server. For off-network devices, that means the FileWave server must be reachable
byfrom theendpointinternet(i.e. if onpath theinternet,Chromebooktheisdevice must be able to reach the FW server)using.
Q: What will happenhappens if the device is offline/off/offline, off, or asleep when it should send inventory?
A: Nothing happens immediately. But, whenWhen the device comes back online with a user logged in, it should submit inventory right away.
Q: Will the Inventory Extensionextension work if the Chrome browser is not open?
A: It will not work in this case. No. The extensionsInventory extension is specifically a browser extension, so it works only works withwhen a user is logged in and browserChrome is open.
Q: When I look in inventory, I see a last sync date and a last connected date. Why are theseLast twoSync datesand different?Last Connected different in inventory?
A: Last connected dateConnected is usually the more importantuseful and meaningful data. value. It tells youshows when the device last talked directly to your FileWave server directly (i.e.through the extension talks to FW). extension. Last syncSync dateshows is the date/time at whichwhen the device last checked in with the Google Admin console.
Q: AHow lotfrequently ofdoes FileWave receive data comes to FileWave from the Google Admin Console. How frequently does this data get sent?console?
A: By defaultdefault, yourthe FileWave server synchronizes with Google nightly at midnight. You can force an immediate on-demand synchronization from the Google preferences tab.
Q: WhenWhy I look in thedoes Google adminAdmin console, I see differentconsole data thandiffer what I see infrom FileWave for some data. Why?inventory?
A: Most likely this is because theThe data probably changed sinceafter the last Google→ Google-to-FileWave synchronization. (See item above). But note, theThe device checks in with Google on aone certain frequency,schedule, and thenFileWave we syncsynchronizes with Google on another schedule, so there can be discrepancies simply based on time. another. A manual synchronization though should always bring the data up to date.