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How to Set Up Network Discovery for the First Time

xAssets IT Asset Management User Guide
How To

How to Set Up Network Discovery for the First Time

Network discovery automatically scans your network to find computers, servers, printers, and network devices, then populates your asset database with the results. This guide walks through the first-time setup process.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure the following are in place:

  • The xAssets Collection Server is installed and the Discovery Service is running on it.
  • You have an administrator account with access to the target machines (or a Credential Pack configured with appropriate credentials).
  • Firewall rules permit the discovery protocols you plan to use (WMI for Windows, SSH for Linux/Mac, SNMP for network devices).
  • You have Configuration User or Administrator access in xAssets.

Step 1: Create Location Records

Locations represent the physical sites where your assets are located. Discovery uses locations to organise discovered assets.

  1. From the Standard Menu, navigate to Discover > Prepare > Manage IP Ranges and Locations.

  2. Click the Locations... button to open the locations editor.

  3. Click New to create a new location.

  4. Enter the location name (e.g., "London Office", "New York Data Centre") and any additional details such as address, building, or floor.

  5. Click OK to save.

  6. Repeat for each physical location on your network.

Tip: If you have many locations, use the Import... button to download a spreadsheet template, fill it in with your location data, and import them in bulk.

Step 2: Map IP Ranges to Locations

IP range mappings tell discovery which subnet belongs to which location, so discovered assets are automatically assigned to the correct site.

  1. Return to the Data Mapping -- IP Range to Location Mapping screen (or navigate to Discover > Discovery Dashboard > Preparation).

  2. Click New... to create a new IP range mapping.

  3. Enter the IP range using wildcard notation. For example:

    • 192.168.1.* -- scans the entire 192.168.1.0/24 subnet
    • 10.15.13.* -- scans 10.15.13.0/24

  4. Select the corresponding Location from the drop-down list.

  5. Optionally, select a Credential Pack if this IP range requires specific credentials different from the Discovery Service account.

  6. Click OK to save.

  7. Repeat for each subnet you want to discover.

Step 3: Run Your First Discovery

Start small -- discover a single subnet first to verify everything works before expanding.

  1. From the Standard Menu, select Discover > Discover a Location.

  2. In the location tree, select the location you want to discover and click OK.

  3. A confirmation dialog appears. Click OK to start the scan.

  4. The discovery runs as a batch job. Monitor progress via Settings > Recent and Running Batch Jobs.

Step 4: Review the Results

  1. After discovery completes, navigate to Discover > Discovery Dashboard > Discovered Assets.

  2. Review the Discovery Run Date Statistics query to see how many devices were found.

  3. Navigate to the Asset List to verify that discovered assets appear with the correct location, category, and basic details.

Step 5: Schedule Regular Discovery

Once you have confirmed that discovery is working correctly:

  1. Navigate to the discovery scheduling screen (see Scheduling Discovery Scripts).

  2. Set up a schedule (e.g., weekly or nightly) to keep your asset database up to date automatically.

Common Issues

Problem Likely Cause Solution
Discovery returns no results Discovery Service not running, or credentials lack admin access Check the service status on the Collection Server; verify the service account or Credential Pack has admin rights on target machines
Assets appear with no location No IP range mapping matches the discovered IP address Add the missing IP range mapping
Some machines are not discovered Firewall blocking WMI/SNMP/SSH, or machines are off Check firewall rules; verify machines are powered on and reachable