Adding offline (but eventually will be online) assets

[DSKIM]

I'm looking for a way that I can easily add workstations to Lansweeper that are not yet deployed to a user, but still need to be tracked as "owned" in inventory by serial and the order number they came in on. When we receive a batch of machines, we are also sent a CSV which contains the serial number, type of workstation (ex: HP Z440 Workstation), MAC address, and the order number each machine belongs to. As a machine's lease ends, I shut it off, and replace it with a machine from our back stock using the same hostname and IP as the machine it replaced.

What I'm wondering is - how should I best go about this? Looking at the template LS gives you to input assets via CSV, I could put in dummy domain info and asset name, and set the state to "Stock". Would this information be updated and the state changed once the machine is online and scanned by LS? Will a new asset item be created when the machine is scanned leaving me to delete the old asset manually?

[DSKIM]

I can live with that as I don't have much use for the old info once the old machine has been pulled. Thanks for clarifying.

[DSKIM]

So I found this. But the following paragraph is a little confusing:

If you're importing assets that'll be scanned later on, keep in mind how Lansweeper uniquely identifies assets. If your import file does not include the information Lansweeper uses for its internal asset IDs, new assets will be generated upon scanning. For Windows computers specifically, you need to submit the machines' actual computer names and domain names in your import file. Alternatively, enable rename detection and submit the machines' MAC addresses, models and serial numbers. For non-Windows assets, you need to submit the assets' MAC addresses or IP addresses.

I have "Rename Detection" enabled, but it still will not allow me to import machines without a domain or name. Must I give these asset dummy names, or should I set the asset type to something else and let LS update it later when scanned?

Will the state field change to "Active" once scanned?

[Jeremy_D · Accepted solution]

DSKIM wrote:
Must I give these asset dummy names, or should I set the asset type to something else and let LS update it later when scanned?

You must submit a dummy domain and computer name in the CSV file when importing your Windows machines. Changing the asset type will not work, as Lansweeper will not change a non-Windows type back to Windows. If rename detection is enabled and you submit dummy domain/computer names in your CSV, Lansweeper should automatically update the domain/computer names to the correct values when the computers are scanned, provided you include the computers' MACs, models and serials in the CSV.

Keep in mind though that, even with rename detection enabled, you can never have two Windows computers in your database with the same domain name/computer name combination. If you're replacing a machine with another machine that has the same domain/name combination, you'll need to edit the domain or name of the original machine in Lansweeper first. Hit the Edit Asset button on the asset page of the original machine and change the computer name or domain to something else.

DSKIM wrote:
Will the state field change to "Active" once scanned?

Yes, but only if you check the "Automatically make non-active assets active when they are rescanned" option under Configuration\Server Options and if the asset's current state is "non-active". (Other states like "stock" are not changed.) More information on cleanup options is available in this knowledge base article.

[DSKIM]

Jeremy.D wrote:
Keep in mind though that, even with rename detection enabled, you can never have two Windows computers in your database with the same domain name/computer name combination. If you're replacing a machine with another machine that has the same domain/name combination, you'll need to edit the domain or name of the original machine in Lansweeper first. Hit the Edit Asset button on the asset page of the original machine and change the computer name or domain to something else.

What happens if the original machine is not renamed before being swapped out?

[Susan_A]

DSKIM wrote:
What happens if the original machine is not renamed before being swapped out?

The details of the new machine (scanned data and custom data) will overwrite the details of the old machine. Just to confirm: renaming the old machine in *Lansweeper* is sufficient. You don't need to physically rename the machine.