Update: Cilantro v0.2a (alpha) for Spiceworks available

Because of the interest for this, I'm letting you try out the alpha version of Cilantro - this is NOT the finalized version of the program, but it should be functional enough to let you try it out.

Check out this post: http://www.vbshf.com/vbshf/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=330&posts=1

You'll want to read it to understand how the server configs and the add-ons work.

Need to run a localized tool against your computers indexed in Spiceworks?

By using Cilantro, you can access your inventoried computers and run your own localized management tools against them. By the inherent nature of a web interface (which is by design), accessing local resources in this fashion is not secure, so you need a locally installed utility to do this.

Cilantro comes with some built in remote management scripts, such as remote VNC push and control, ping, tracert, manage pc, remote desktop, remote assistance and more. These are just a few of my own scripted creations, but you can add or remove anything as you desire.

Currently, you can add your own tools by going into the Cilantro\add-ons folder and copying an existing xml file and follow the same format. Future versions of Cilantro will support dynamic switches (ones that you need to configure at runtime).

Accessing multiple servers?

You can set up multiple server configurations by specifying db file and web address for each config. You can also add, delete, and edit them on the fly without any external xml editing.


Need to view the computer statistics?

Cilantro can list a variety of Spiceworks details about a particular computer...and because of the open nature of the program, you can easily edit the SQL queries which return the data. Future versions should allow you to edit these on the fly as well.

Any time you pull a computer's details, a handy link will be located in the left-hand pane for you to view the complete Spiceworks computer profile for that resource.

What can you search for?

Currently, you can search for all computers by using a "*" wildcard, or a portion of a name using "*name"...also, you can search for last logged on user name (in the domain\name format), IP address, or computer description as listed in Spiceworks.

If you return more than one result, they will be listed in tabular format in the right-hand pane. If one result is returned, Cilantro will automatically bring you to the computer detail page.

BlackBerry GPS Tracking: Blip

GPS-Snitch Blip for BlackBerry
http://www.blacklinegps.com/blip/


Track your BlackBerry

If you have a GPS-enabled BlackBerry, you can use it as a tracking device and share your location with your friends and family by installing Blip, a small program released by BlackLine GPS.

Not only is this kinda fun, but it could be used to recover a lost or stolen device, or even possibly locate a person if they are lost.

Using Blip, you can view incremental device updates on a map, using the last published location.

The BlackLine GPS site GPS-Snitch.com, offers a a realtime 'track' mode that allows you to view just where the device is going as it is moving, but this requires that you purchase tracking credits (you get 5 when you sign up for free that expire in 6o days).

To me, 15 minute updates seem to be a small enough interval to get a general idea of where the person (or device) may be at.

Share and share alike

You can easily share your Blip status with your contacts directly from your address book. The contact would need to sign up for a free GPS-Snitch account and enter the invite code generated via your email to view your status.

From the website, a blurb about Blip (say that 5 times fast!):

Why Blip?
Blip gives value to you that will improve your life’s efficiency and enjoyment. How many times have you caught yourself wonder where someone was, or more importantly, needing to know? Blip helps you with situations like these but also gives you knowledge about where your circle of contacts are. When you want, you can become more spontaneous with social interaction when on the move and hook up with someone you know who is nearby. Knowledge is power.

GPS-Snitch also sells a line of GPS tracking devices for your car, child, or anything else you want to track for $350 (plus the tracking fee for real-time updates). The website tracks both devices using the same interface.

An accessory for Spiceworks: Cilantro

If you use Spiceworks (an excellent FREE web-driven systems management/helpdesk/network monitoring tool), then you know that you can't perform some actions against the computers that are in the SW database. For example, you can't set up your own custom tools to run against a computer since the application runs from a web interface...and your tools run locally.

So, I decided to write a little application that will allow you to do this. Combining some elements of my bloated HelpHTA app, and some nifty CSS, I bring you "Cilantro"!

Cilantro will query your Spiceworks database, show you a listing of computers based off of an inputted query via the search box, and then allow you to perform various actions against whichever computer you select, using localized tools & utilities.

The real benefit to the program is that not only are the queried system details shown to you, but you can add your own external utilities to run against the computer, extending the usefulness of Spiceworks tenfold!

Your utilities can be copied to an 'add-ons' folder, and you only have to create a small XML file (you can look at other ones that I will provide for a foundation to start from). Once you've added them and load the program, Cilantro will index the add-ons folder and place them into the program's menu bar.

This is not quite ready for mainstream use yet, I have some features to add and some tweaks to make, but what you see here is pretty much the finalized look. I just wanted to get your appetite going with a little "taste". :)

When it is done, I will let you know here so you can download it and try it out for yourself.

Are you interested in this? Let me know!