Handout and Return of Devices

Overview

LOGINventory offers the possibility to automatically generate an individual label including QR code for all assets - no matter if scanned automatically or created manually. If the QR code is scanned by a smartphone or tablet with a camera, a website opens on the device that displays the details of the asset.

Here, the handout of the asset to a specific user or the return of the asset can be documented. The receipt of the asset is documented on the smartphone with a digital signature, whereupon a corresponding entry is created in LOGINventory that is linked to both the asset and the user. In this way, the handout or return of all IT assets (e.g. laptops, monitors, docking stations, webcams, headsets, keyboards, mice, USB sticks) can be documented in a paperless manner and it can be seen at any time which user received / returned which devices and when.

Prerequisites & Preparation

Asset Present in LOGINventory

If an asset is to be transferred that already exists in LOGINventory, this requirement is already met.

If, on the other hand, an asset is to be transferred that has not yet been scanned / created in LOGINventory, there are various possibilities:

If it is a scannable asset (e.g. PC, switch), scan this asset, e.g. using the Remote Scanner or by running LOGINfo.exe (e.g. also via USB stick). If the asset is still in the incoming supply, or in a box that is not to be unpacked yet, but you already know some details of the asset (e.g. model, serial number, etc.), you can use the Asset Editor to create the asset already.

If it is a peripheral device, use the Asset Editor or convert an entry from the list of connected monitors or USB devices to a peripheral device.

Inventory Number Assigned

Make sure that an inventory number has been assigned to the asset: This should be done automatically if the check mark has been set in the dialog for managing inventory numbers so that new assets automatically receive an inventory number. If the asset has not yet been assigned an inventory number, you can also set a number in this dialog.

Web Viewer Published

In order to integrate a link to the LOGINventory Web Viewer in the labels to be printed, the Web Viewer must have been published first.

Using the Authorization Concept

To ensure that not every user can later scan the QR codes to view the details of a device or create lifecycle entries, we strongly recommend using the authorization concept. Adjust the settings so that, for example, only members from the IT department are administrators and "normal" employees in your company either have no access or only guest access.

Only users who have the Power User or Administrator roles can access the web viewer via the QR code.

Optional: Disable Automatic Update of the Owner

If a user is selected via the website called up by the QR code to whom a device is to be transferred, the Custom property Owner (main user), among other things, is changed as a result. This creates a link between the user and the device.

However, LOGINventory also offers the possibility to automatically update the Owner for devices where a last logged in user can be determined (e.g. scan of Windows clients, Windows servers, Linux clients, MacOS devices), if the Owner has not changed during X consecutive scans.

So if it is planned that the handover of such scannable devices via smartphone is also digitally documented, the automatic updating of the owner should be deactivated.

If, on the other hand, only the handover of non-scannable devices (USB sticks, docking stations, monitors, headsets, etc.) is to be digitally documented using a smartphone and the main user for scannable devices is still to be determined automatically, the option for automatic updating can remain activated.

Web Server Reachable from Smartphone

In order for the web page of the device to be displayed by scanning a QR code with a smartphone / tablet, the LOGINventory computer must be accessible with the web viewer from the end device. This is possible either by the smartphone being in a WLAN from which the internal LOGINventory computer can be reached. Alternatively, the web viewer can also be made accessible via a public address, e.g. using a port forwarder or reverse proxy. These settings must be implemented by the responsible administrator.

Label Printer and Labels Available

For printing the labels, you should have a label printer that is capable of printing the smallest possible labels so that you can also apply labels to small peripheral devices such as USB sticks or headsets.

Printing Labels

If the label printer is not accessible as a network printer but only connected to a client PC via USB, it is recommended to use the portable version on this client PC to print the labels.

To create a label for a device, navigate to a HardwareAsset, Device or PeripheralDevice entity query, e.g. the Assets node or the Peripheral Devices query.

Select one or more result rows in the Data View, and then select one of the reports in the ribbon menu whose name starts with "QR Codes".

If everything works as desired, you can print the report on the label printer and apply the appropriate labels to the devices.

Documentation of the Handout via Smartphone

If the QR code is scanned via smartphone, a URL like http://inventory-server/LOGINventory/details.aspx?invnr=Asset1001 opens. If you use the recommended settings of the IIS, you will be asked for a user name and password when calling this page (=Basic Authentication).

Use the username and password of a domain user who has the permission level Power User or Administrator in LOGINventory.

On the page that opens, you will now see various details of the device. Two buttons Handout & Return are available at the bottom. When the corresponding button is selected, further options will appear.

Thus, in the case of a handout, a user can now be selected here to whom the device is to be transferred. Furthermore there is a field to add a note and a signature field where the user can sign with his finger.

Completing the handout process using the Handout button deposits a lifecycle entry on the device containing the entered data and signature, and updates the Owner ( main user) of the device.

If the return of the device is to be documented, the procedure is similar, but no field is available for selecting the user and the Owner property is cleared.

Tracking of Handed Over Devices

By handing over / taking back a device, on the one hand the Owner (main user) of the device is updated, on the other hand a lifecycle entry is stored at the device (visible in the Info Widget, among others), which is linked to the corresponding user.

The evaluation of these entries is possible at different places in LOGINventory.

Evaluations of the Owner

Many included queries (e.g. Assets nodes, Peripheral Devices nodes) have the Owner property selected by default. Of course, you can adapt all existing queries or create new ones and, for example, add the columns Owner.UserAccount.FullName or Owner.UserAccount.Department to get additional information about the main user in the respective evaluation.

If you open the details of a user in the supplied User query by double-clicking, you can also see here, among other things, the devices for which this user is entered as the Owner. Many other included reports also use the Owner field by default.

Also in the expanded tree structure below the user you can see the user's Assigned Devices.

Evaluations of Lifecycle Entries

To view the Lifecycle entries of a device, the device can be selected in a Device, PeripheralDevice or HardwareAsset entity query (e.g. Assets node, Peripheral Devices node) and then the Info Widget can be opened.

Furthermore, the entries are also visible under Related Lifecycle Entries by double-clicking on a device or user.

In many of the supplied reports, the lifecycle entries are also displayed.