Computer Inventory Management System

A comprehensive system for tracking 200+ computers and loaner devices with multi-user, role-based access — built with .NET 8, SQL Server 2025, Blazor WebAssembly, and Docker.

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Overview

The Computer Inventory Management System provides end-to-end tracking of desktops, laptops, and loaner PCs across an organization. A central ASP.NET Core API backs a Blazor WebAssembly dashboard for staff, while lightweight Windows Service agents on loaner machines auto-register hardware, send periodic heartbeats, and handle check-in/check-out automatically.

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Web Browser                               │
│                    (Blazor WebAssembly)                         │
└─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                          │ HTTPS
┌─────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      API Server                                  │
│                   (ASP.NET Core 8)                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Auth (JWT)  │  │ Inventory   │  │ Agent Endpoints         │  │
│  │ Controller  │  │ Controllers │  │ (for Thin Clients)      │  │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                          │
┌─────────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    SQL Server 2025                               │
│                      (Docker)                                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Loaner Computers                              │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │              Thin Client Agent                            │   │
│  │         (Windows Service - .NET 8)                        │   │
│  │  • Auto-registration  • Heartbeat  • Hardware detection   │   │
│  │  • Check-in/out       • Idle timeout auto-checkout        │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Project Structure

Computer_Inventory/
├── src/
│   ├── ComputerInventory.Api/          # REST API (ASP.NET Core)
│   ├── ComputerInventory.Core/         # Domain entities & interfaces
│   ├── ComputerInventory.Infrastructure/# Data access (EF Core)
│   ├── ComputerInventory.Web/          # Web UI (Blazor WASM)
│   └── ComputerInventory.ThinClient/   # Loaner PC agent (Windows Service)
├── server/                             # Server deployment configs
├── thin-client/                        # Thin client deployment scripts
├── docker-compose.yml                  # Production deployment
└── docker-compose.dev.yml              # Development (SQL Server only)

Features

Server Components

• REST API with JWT authentication
• Role-based access control (Admin, Technician, Viewer)
• Computer inventory tracking (serial, hostname, IP, location, status)
• User management with department assignment
• Maintenance scheduling and history tracking
• Audit trail for all changes

Thin Client Agent

• Automatic registration with the server
• Hardware detection (serial, CPU, RAM, storage, network)
• Periodic heartbeat to report online status
• Check-in/check-out tracking
• Auto check-out after idle timeout
• Runs as Windows Service

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Docker Desktop
• .NET 8 SDK
• Visual Studio 2022 or VS Code

1. Start Development Database

docker-compose -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d

2. Run the API

cd src/ComputerInventory.Api
dotnet run

API will be available at: https://localhost:5000 Swagger UI: https://localhost:5000/swagger

3. Run the Web UI

cd src/ComputerInventory.Web
dotnet run

Web UI will be available at: https://localhost:5001

Default Login

• Username: admin
• Password: Admin123!

Production Deployment

Full Stack with Docker

docker-compose up -d

This starts:

• SQL Server 2025 on port 1433
• API on port 5000
• Web UI on port 5001

Environment Variables

Copy server/.env.example to .env and configure:

SA_PASSWORD=YourSecurePassword!
JWT_SECRET_KEY=YourJWTSecretKeyAtLeast32Chars!
AGENT_API_KEY=YourAgentApiKey

Thin Client Deployment

Build the Agent

cd thin-client
.\build-package.ps1

Install on Loaner Computers

# Copy deploy/ComputerInventoryAgent.zip to target
# Extract and run as Administrator:
.\install.ps1 -ServerUrl "https://inventory-server:5000" -ApiKey "your-api-key"

Group Policy Deployment

See thin-client/README.md for GPO deployment instructions.

API Endpoints

Authentication

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/auth/login	User login
POST	/api/auth/register	Register new user (Admin only)

Computers

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/computers	List all computers
GET	/api/computers/{id}	Get computer details
POST	/api/computers	Add new computer
PUT	/api/computers/{id}	Update computer
DELETE	/api/computers/{id}	Delete computer (Admin)
PATCH	/api/computers/{id}/status	Update status
PATCH	/api/computers/{id}/assign	Assign to user

Agent (Thin Client)

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/agent/register	Register/update computer
POST	/api/agent/heartbeat	Send heartbeat
POST	/api/agent/checkin	Check-in/check-out

User Roles

Role	Permissions
Admin	Full access, user management
Technician	View/edit inventory, maintenance
Viewer	Read-only access

Configuration

API Configuration (appsettings.json)

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "DefaultConnection": "Server=localhost;Database=ComputerInventory;..."
  },
  "JwtSettings": {
    "SecretKey": "your-secret-key",
    "Issuer": "ComputerInventoryApi",
    "Audience": "ComputerInventoryClient",
    "ExpirationInMinutes": 60
  },
  "AgentSettings": {
    "ApiKey": "optional-api-key",
    "HeartbeatIntervalMinutes": 5,
    "CheckInIntervalMinutes": 15,
    "IdleTimeoutMinutes": 30
  }
}

Thin Client Configuration

{
  "ApiSettings": {
    "BaseUrl": "https://inventory-server:5000",
    "ApiKey": "your-api-key"
  },
  "AgentSettings": {
    "HeartbeatIntervalMinutes": 5,
    "CheckInIntervalMinutes": 15,
    "IdleTimeoutMinutes": 30,
    "EnableAutoCheckOut": true
  }
}

Development

Database Migrations

cd src/ComputerInventory.Api
dotnet ef migrations add MigrationName
dotnet ef database update

Running Tests

dotnet test

Documentation

Additional documentation lives in the docs/ folder:

Document	Description
API Changelog	Notable API changes and version history
Database Schema (DDL)	Full SQL Server schema definition
Stored Procedures	Reference for database stored procedures
Package Cleanup Strategy	Update-package retention and cleanup design
Service Tracker Prebuilt Images	Prebuilt image feature notes
Roadmap / TODO	Planned work and open items

Database migrations are tracked in server/migrations/.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Before opening a pull request:

1. Open an issue using the issue templates to discuss the change.
2. Follow the checklist in the pull request template.
3. Ensure dotnet build and dotnet test pass locally.

Security

This is proprietary software. Please report vulnerabilities privately — see the Security Policy. Never commit secrets such as .env files, connection strings, JWT signing keys, or .pfx / .p12 certificates.

Changelog

See the API Changelog for a history of notable API changes.

License

This project is proprietary software. Copyright (c) 2026 MKS. All rights reserved. Unauthorized copying, distribution, or modification is prohibited without written permission. See LICENSE for full terms.