Audit room PC usage for free?

[PotNoodleTech]

I know software such as Impero can do this - but is there any easy and free way to audit user logins in an IT room? I need to give definitive stats on how much a room is used. Windows 7 clients.

[JackCPickup]

In some of my schools I run a simple script that records logon/logoff times of users and computer name, would that be enough information for you?

[sonofsanta]

Probably overkill if you don't already have it in place, but a FOG server will record login history for a computer, and we've used that to compile stats on rooms before.

 

It's a bit depressing how little some PCs are used, particularly in light of the arguments necessary to remove them sometimes

[PotNoodleTech]

Thanks both!

 

Hi sonofsanta - that sounds interesting. So if I install FOG server it has the capability if immediately logging, logins without me having to set any of the imaging stuff up? Don't need it for imaging, use MDT.

 

Thanks!

[sonofsanta]

You'd need to install the FOG service on each computer, and I have no idea how to do that as FOG was set up and is administered by one of my techs, but you shouldn't need to do any of the imaging stuff if you don't want to.

 

FOG runs on Ubuntu for us, there should be ample instructions about on setting up the server.

 

This looks a likely set of instructions for pushing the client out: http://www.bauer-power.net/2011/09/how-to-deploy-fog-service-client-from.html#.VH2FrsnXx8Z

 

Once it's running, just go to your FOG server in your web browser, search the host you want to look up, go to Login Hist and select the date from the drop down:

Edited December 2, 2014 by sonofsanta