The GLPI agent runs quietly as a background service, sending structured inventory data to your GLPI server on a schedule. Most admins know it collects "hardware and software info." But the details matter — what the agent reports determines what you can track, audit, and automate inside GLPI.
Hardware inventory
Every agent submission includes a full hardware profile: CPU model and core count, total and per-slot RAM configuration, disk drives with capacity and serial numbers, monitors with resolution and manufacturer, network interfaces with MAC addresses, and the machine's own serial number and BIOS/UEFI version.
This data feeds directly into GLPI's computer records. Serial numbers enable warranty lookups. RAM and disk details let you plan upgrades without physically inspecting machines. And when a user opens a ticket saying "my laptop is slow," the technician can check whether the machine has 8 GB or 32 GB before even responding.
Software inventory
The agent reports every installed program with its name, version, publisher, and installation date. On Windows, it reads the registry; on Linux, it queries the package manager; on macOS, it scans Applications and receipts.
This is where license compliance becomes practical. GLPI can compare the number of installations of a given software against the number of licenses you own. If you have 200 Adobe Acrobat installations but only 150 licenses, the discrepancy shows up automatically. Without the agent, this comparison requires manual audits that are outdated the moment they finish.
Operating system and network
The agent reports the OS name, version, build number, architecture, and last boot time. It also sends the full network configuration — IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, DNS servers, and DHCP lease status for each interface.
Last boot time is a small detail that matters more than it looks. A machine that has not rebooted in 90 days is probably missing security patches that require a restart. A simple GLPI report filtered on last boot time gives you a patch compliance view without needing a separate tool.
Peripherals and virtual machines
Connected USB devices, printers, and external monitors are reported with their vendor IDs and serial numbers. On hypervisors, the agent also reports hosted virtual machines, linking the physical host to its guests in the CMDB.
The peripheral data is useful for tracking equipment that tends to disappear — docking stations, external drives, projectors. If a user reports a missing docking station, you can check which machine it was last seen connected to.
How GLPI uses this data
Raw inventory is only useful if it connects to something. In GLPI, agent-collected data feeds into several workflows:
- Ticket context — when a technician opens a ticket, the linked computer record shows current hardware and software. No more asking the user what OS they run.
- Contract and warranty tracking — serial numbers from the agent match against contracts with start and end dates. GLPI can alert you before warranties expire.
- Budget planning — sorting assets by age, RAM, or disk capacity gives you a replacement shortlist based on actual specs, not guesses.
- Software license management — installation counts from the agent feed directly into GLPI's license tracking, making over- or under-licensing visible at a glance.
Common data quality issues
Stale records — machines that are decommissioned but never deleted from GLPI inflate your asset count. Set up a saved search for computers with a last inventory date older than 60 days and review it monthly.
Missing serial numbers — some vendors leave the serial number field empty in the BIOS. The agent reports whatever the hardware provides. For these machines, manually enter the serial from the physical label — GLPI preserves manual entries even when the agent updates other fields.
Duplicate software entries — version differences create separate entries (e.g., "Chrome 120" and "Chrome 121" both appear). Use GLPI's software dictionary to merge or normalize entries when you need clean license counts.
The agent does the collection work. How you configure GLPI to use that data — reconciliation rules, dictionary entries, automatic actions — determines whether you end up with a useful CMDB or an expensive spreadsheet.