Devices should be configured to respond to SNMP requests whenever possible. Alternatively, at discovery time, can also gather information about Windows devices using WMI.

Important: You can add an SNMP agent (Windows service) from the Turn Windows Feature On or Off dialog for your current Windows device. In most cases, this Windows feature will already be enabled.

Note: In most cases, the information available using WMI is also available using SNMP. Where SNMP requests are more efficient than WMI requests, we recommend using SNMP for discovery.

Tip: For the best discovery results, configure all of the credentials used by devices on your network prior to initiating a discovery scan.

After discovers a device, it uses SNMP MIB or WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) data recorded on that device to gather any appropriate device properties and configuration information. The information it collects enables to identify the device and includes but is not limited to:

  • Device manufacturer and model.
  • Installed hardware and software components such as fans, CPUs, hard disks, and the version and type of operating system.
  • Specific services (such as HTTP or DNS).