5.3

Getting Started Collecting Windows Custom Information
As a System Administrator, you can extend the data that VCM can collect by using a script, which will
allow you to view, report on, alert on, detect change on, and run compliance against data not currently
exposed by VCM. This extension allows you to view, report on, alert on, detect change on, and run
compliance against custom data not currently exposed by VCM.
You can use the Windows Custom Information data type to perform user-defined, script-based collections
from VCM-managed machines. To collect the custom data, you build a collection filter, which includes a
script and other parameters relating to the execution of the script and the handling of its results. When this
filter is used in a collection, the VCM agent will call a script engine to run the script, and will then parse the
results so they can be returned to the VCM database and displayed in the VCM console. As of this release,
VCM supports PowerShell scripting and XML output.
During the collection process, the VCM Agent launches PowerShell to execute the script, which in turn
generates an XML result file. The Agent then parses the XML result into a format that can be checked for
changes (deltas), and then those changes are returned to the Collector.
Prerequisites
Before collecting Windows Custom Information (WCI), you must ensure the following prerequisites are
met.
vCenter Configuration Manager Installation and Getting Started Guide
72 VMware, Inc.