Implementing Software Reclaim

When deployed, Software Reclaim helps organizations reduce software licensing costs, minimize security exposure, and streamline software asset management.

Prerequisites

Before implementing Software Reclaim, ensure the following:

• All target devices must have the 1E Client 24.5 (or later) installed. Reclaim capabilities are delivered with the Client.

• If you were previously an AppClarity user, AppClarity must be renamed to Software Reclaim in your license template file.

• Appropriate Enterprise Plus tier licensing must be enabled to activate Software Reclaim features.

• Ensure that your Catalog and Inventory Insights components are correctly configured. Refer to Catalog and Inventory Insights setup for further details.

DEX Pack Instruction set requirements

Download the Software Reclaim DEX Pack from 1E Exchange. This is an optional pack and includes an instruction that is used to show a pop-up to the end user for Reclaim.

Configuration

Enabling Software Reclaim in the 1E Client

Software Reclaim is disabled by default in the 1E Client. To enable it, configure the following 1EClient.conf settings during installation or afterward.

Name in 1EClient.conf	Installer property	Default Value	Description
Module.Software.Reclaim.Enabled	MODULE.SOFTWARE.RECLAIM.ENABLED	false	Enables or disables the Software Reclaim module.
Module.Software.Reclaim.IntervalMinutes	MODULE.SOFTWARE.RECLAIM.INTERVALMINUTES	360	Defines the frequency (in minutes) at which endpoints poll for Reclaim instructions. Maximum is 10,080 minutes (one week). There is no minimum limit.
Module.Software.Reclaim.UserInteractionEnabled	MODULE.SOFTWARE.RECLAIM.USERINTERACTIONENABLED	true	Determines whether optional uninstall policies prompt the end user for confirmation.

You can set these properties using one of the following methods:

• Specify the installer values listed in the table above during the 1E Client installation.

• Edit the 1E.Client.conf file (typically located in C:\Program Files\1E\Client\) and restart the 1E Client service.

You can also use the following 1E Client instruction to modify the 1E Client configuration and update values related to Software Reclaim.

Instruction	Description and readable payload
1E-Explorer-TachyonAgent-Set1EClientAgentConfig.xml	This instruction will modify 1E Client settings and restart the service after a random number of seconds. This prevents the DEX Platform becoming overwhelmed with a flood of client reconnects. Set 1E Client configuration property %agentconfig% to %agentconfigvalue% and restart the service after a short random delay.

Creating Software Reclaim rules

Once the Client settings are applied, define Software Reclaim rules in the DEX Platform. Refer to Reclaim Rules for more details.

The rules determine the following:

• Which software titles are eligible for reclamation.

• Whether the action is optional (requires user approval) or mandatory (silent uninstall).

• Which management groups or device collections the policies apply to.

Running Software Reclaim

Software Reclaim can be run using one of two supported methods. You can choose between command-line rules configured in the 1E Client or an instruction-based approach, depending on your requirements.

Using the 1E Client

1. Make sure you are using the DEX Platform including Software Reclaim.
2. Ensure you have installed 1E Client v24.5 as a minimum on your endpoints.
   • The 1E Client integration is required both for authentication capabilities and for Software Reclaim using instructions and rules.
   • The integration simplifies deploying Software Reclaim because it is bundled with the 1E Client installer.
   • The 1E Client allows you to reclaim software on a schedule by periodically querying the Reclaim web service. The Client integration takes a user’s consent for optional policies and uninstalls them.
   • The Reclaim web service is queried using the BackgroundChannel proxy, so there is no need to specify the web service URL. For authentication, the client certificate (with 1E Client connected to the Switch) is presented.
   • End-user consent is taken by launching the 1E.Client.Reclaimer.exe.

     

3. Create either an optional or a mandatory reclaim rule using Software Reclaim to cover the devices and software titles in your inventory.
4. On a device, the 1E Client will poll optional and mandatory rules after the interval specified in 1EClient.conf file.
   • Optional Policy: Optional pop-up will appear and ask for end-user input.
   • Mandatory Policy: The product will be uninstalled in silent mode.
5. You can track progress and errors in the 1E Client logs on your devices.

Instruction-Based Uninstallation

• For instruction-based uninstallation, an administrator must select the rule option Run an instruction. Refer to Reclaim Rules for more information.

• The Software Reclaim DEX Pack must be uploaded. This DEX Pack includes:

  • Two templates for uninstall instructions.

  • One template for displaying Reclaim options to the user.

• The instruction 1E-Exchange-Reclaim-ShowReclaimOptions must not be modified, as it is responsible for displaying Reclaim options on the user’s device.

  • If the Reclaim rule condition is set to optional, a user prompt will be displayed when this instruction runs on the device.

• An administrator must also select an appropriate uninstall instruction, which will remove the software when the policy is marked as mandatory.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) for Software Reclaim

User access to Software Reclaim capabilities is controlled through the DEX Platform's Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model. Permissions determine the following:

• Who can create and manage Reclaim policies.

• Who can execute configuration instructions.

• Who can view reclaim results and reports.

For more information on detailed roles and privileges, refer to Permissions and Role-Based Access Control cmdlets.

Role name	Role description
Solutions Core	View only.
Solutions Admin	View, edit and delete.

Differences between Software Reclaim and AppClarity

Software Reclaim replaces selected AppClarity capabilities while introducing a simplified usage-focused approach. The following table summarizes the key differences.

Category	Software Reclaim	AppClarity
Primary purpose	Usage-based software reclamation and automated uninstall actions.	Full Software Asset Management capabilities including entitlement, License Demand Calculation (LDC), normalization, and compliance.
Deployment model	SaaS only.	On-premises.
Feature scope	Usage only. Does not include entitlement, compliance, or LDC.	Entitlement management, compliance calculations, and license optimization.
Language support	English only.	Multi-language support available.
RBAC roles	SoftwareReclaim.Reclaim	AppClarity.Compliance AppClarity.Entitlement Repository.Compliance Repository.Entitlement
Repositories	Compliance repository renamed to Reclaim. Default is Default Reclaim.	Compliance repositories used for entitlement and license data.
Client components	SoftwareReclaimer.exe integrated into the 1E Client.	Reclaimer was separate; other components handled entitlement and compliance.
Uninstall method	Uses 1E Client and Reclaimer exclusively.	Custom Configuration Manager uninstall supported (now deprecated).
Policy management	Policies scheduled and managed via 1E Instructions.	Compliance-driven rule evaluation and entitlement-based actions.
Log location	Logs maintained through the 1E Client. (For Software Reclaim log details, refer to Software Reclaim Logs.).	Logs generated by AppClarity components and various repositories.