Network Discovery

Index

• Overview
• Default Network Discovery
• Customization Options
  • IP Address Ranges (and the Hosts file)
  • SNMP Credentials
  • Existing Device Behavior
  • SNMP Options
  • Monitoring Options
  • Post-Discovery Actions

Overview

Discovery refers to the process Statseeker uses to locate devices on your network, and depending on the type of Discovery being run:

• Test communications between Statseeker and the device for future data collection
• Collect configuration information from those devices, building an inventory of monitored hardware

The Network Discovery option uses select IP Address Range configurations (IPv4) or the Hosts file (IPv4/6) to locate devices for monitoring via both ICMP and SNMP. Monitoring via SNMP requires that the SNMP Credentials required to communicate with a discovered device have also been configured. For more information on any of these requirements see:

• The Discovery Process – for an overview of the Discovery process and the different types of Discovery available
• IP Address Ranges – configuring the ranges used by Discovery
• Hosts File – populating the servers Hosts file
• SNMP Credentials – configuring the credentials required by Discovery

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Default Network Discovery

A default Network Discovery can be run by:

• Selecting Admin Tool > Network Discovery > Discover My Network
• Choosing Network Discovery > Run Now

Once Discovery has begun the output summary will be displayed, updating as Discovery progresses. Details on each item can be viewed by click the associated help icon ().

The Discovery output summary and log are available for download once the process is complete and historical Discovery output is available from Admin Tool > Network Discovery > View Recent Discoveries.

The default configuration for a Network Discovery:

• References all enabled IP Address Range configurations
• New Devices:
  • Statseeker iterates through all saved SNMP Credentials and if the device responds to SNMP Communications
    • Assigns the credentials which allowed SNMP communication to the device for future Discovery/Rewalks
    • SNMP walks the device, collecting configuration data (determining what data can be collected from the device)
    • Includes\Excludes the device for monitoring based on the defined filtering rules (see SNMP Device & Interface Type Filtering for details)
    • Enables both Admin Status Polling and Non-Unicast Packet Polling
• Known Devices:
  • Current SNMP State = up queries the device using the previously assigned SNMP Credentials
  • Current SNMP State = down iterates through all saved SNMP Credentials in an attempt to establish SNMP communications (updating the assigned credentials where appropriate)
  • Rewalks the device, updating the device configuration as needed
• Runs custom Auto-Grouping rules

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Customization Options

The Network Discovery option can be customized to modify or remove tasks from, or add additional tasks to, the default Discovery process. To customize the Discovery process:

• Select Admin Tool > Network Discovery > Discover My Network
• Click Network Discovery > Customize
  • Additional options are available by clicking Show Advanced Options
• Update the Discovery configuration as required and click Start Discovery

The available options are:

• IP Address Ranges:
  • Select which IP Address Ranges to use, restricting the Discovery to a specific area of the network (reducing Discovery time) or specify a new (un-configured) IP Address Range
  • Switch from IP Address Ranges (IPv4 only) to the Hosts file (IPv4/6) as the source for IPs to target
• SNMP Credentials – specify which SNMP credentials to use during the Discovery (this may improve Discovery performance)
• Advanced Options:
  • Existing Device Behavior – modify how Discovery interacts with known (previously discovered) devices
  • SNMP Options – modify how Statseeker performs an ‘SNMP walk’ of the device (tuning the process for improved performance and assisting with devices that have difficulty communicating via SNMP)
  • Monitoring Options – modify the default status and data monitoring options for newly discovered interfaces
  • Post-Discovery Actions – Discovery output and Auto-Grouping options

IP Address Ranges (and the Hosts File)

The IP Address Ranges section allows for:

• The selection of specific IP Address Range configurations for use with the Discovery
• The specification of a new IP Address Range configuration, this will be saved for future use
• Switching from using IP Address Range configurations to the Hosts file as the source of IP addresses for the Discovery

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SNMP Credentials

The SNMP Credentials section allows for:

• The selection of specific SNMP Credentials for use with the Discovery
• The specification of new SNMP Credentials, these will be saved for future use

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Existing Device Behavior

The options in this section determine how Discovery deals with known (previously discovered) devices.

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SNMP Options

The SNMP Options modify how Statseeker performs an ‘SNMP walk’ of the device, tuning the process for improved performance and assisting with devices that have difficulty communicating via SNMP.

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Monitoring Options

The Monitoring Options modify the default interface status and data monitoring for newly discovered interfaces.

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Post-Discovery Actions

Post-Discovery Actions offers options to email the discovery output to a nominated recipient and to customize what Auto-Grouping actions are taken after Discovery completes.

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