Goals of discovery:

Tip: After you add monitoring to a device from Discovered Network view you manage it (clone, delete, curate its monitoring scheme, and so on) from My Network view. For example, monitored devices can only be deleted from WhatsUp Gold using the device management actions available in My Network.

Effectiveness and richness of information returned from network and device discovery is dependent on:

  • Credential list.

    Credentials associated with the scan profile enable the Discovery Service to query management objects, platform attributes, and configurations on the device.

  • Connectivity to networks and devices.
    • For OS/virtual/application layer information, ensure devices are powered on.
    • Ensure firewalls can be traversed (if you want to include a device for monitoring that is facing the DMZ, for example).
  • Connectivity to management services.

    WhatsUp Gold gathers performance metrics from platform and proprietary MIBs using SNMP, from devices running Windows using WMI, from Linux and UNIX machines using SNMP and SSH, and VMware-specific host and VM metrics using VMware credentials to query vCenter, Windows credentials for accessing Hyper-V hosts, and so on. When connectivity to management services such as these is available by way of open network routes, ports, and appropriate credentials, the Discovery Service can provide a more complete set of default health and performance monitors to the discovered device.

  • Freshness of scan and of results.

    If your network composition changes frequently, you can apply periodic scans to ensure freshness of information.

Note: As it scans, WhatsUp Gold Discovery must adapt to twist and turns in your site's network topology and overall configuration. Connectivity to management services and associating the proper credentials list with the scan profile are key to an effective scan that returns rich information.