Scan Methods

AssetExplorer has the following scanning methods to discover IT assets.

 

Windows Domain Scan

Windows machines in a domain or a workgroup can be scanned using this mechanism. For domains, the list of workstations are fetched from Active Directory and scanned for hardware and software inventory. Agents have to be installed before performing a domain scan.

 

Network Scan

An entire network or range of IP addresses can be scanned using this mechanism. The devices that can be scanned include Linux, Mac, Solaris, AIX, HPUX, machines, VMWare and Hyper V devices, Cisco IP phones, and other SNMP-supported devices like printers, routers, switches, etc. Although Windows machines can be scanned here, it is recommended to use Windows domain scan.

 

Individual Device Scan

This scan is used to scan an individual device by providing appropriate scan credentials.

Bulk Scan

This scan is used to scan a list of devices by choosing them from the asset list view and by providing appropriate scan credentials.

 

Scanning WAN Environment

This scan is used for scanning devices that are not reachable from the central SDP/AE server. This scan is done by deploying individual remote servers in remote sites and pushing the data to the central SDP/AE servers in a periodic manner.

 

Scanning Roaming User Devices

This scan is used to scan roaming user devices that are not in the corporate networks and helps in the periodical scanning of such devices. This mechanism is supported only in agent-based Windows, Linux, and Mac devices.

 

Scheduled Scan

This scan helps to scan devices that are already in the system and also to detect new devices added to the network.

 

Agentless Scan

Although this mechanism is not recommended, it can be used for scanning Windows, Linux, Mac, and HPUX machines using scripts.