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Discover & Add Assets to Your Networks
Table of Contents
Network Discovery is a powerful feature that allows you to quickly identify network devices without manual intervention or third-party scanning tools. You can then quickly bring these devices under management in no time.
Syncro Users with appropriate permissions can create customized Discovery Profiles with scheduling options that minimize impact on business operations. The Discovery Profiles automatically scan and discover any devices connected to the network where a Syncro agent is already operating, including workstations, servers, printers, scanners, and other network-enabled devices.
Once additional devices are discovered, the Network Discovery feature facilitates Syncro Agent installations and assists in manual asset creation, streamlining the entire network management process. For example, you can use our Network Discovery feature to easily onboard new (Customer) Organizations. Simply install one Syncro Agent, run a scan, then easily deploy the Syncro Agent to all of the discovered devices!
Thus, Network Discovery significantly reduces onboarding labor, improves data quality, enhances regulatory compliance, and minimizes potential human errors in asset management.
Notes:
- Network Discovery is available to those on Syncro's Team Plan. No additional installation is required to use it.
- Syncro's Network Discovery feature provides a distinct network ping to identify active devices. You'll still need to use existing SNMP functionality for manually-created assets, as well as the monitoring capacity of the Syncro agent.
- The Primary Network Node must be a device with the Syncro Windows Agent installed. Ideally, this device is online often. At this time, Syncro also only supports remote installs of the Syncro agent on discovered devices running the Windows OS.
- As long as the Primary Network Node is connected to the same VPN as a device, then it will be discoverable.
- If you do not see the top-level Network Discovery tab, click your User Profile Menu, then select Tabs Customization to add it. Reload the page to see the changes.
- Customers are in the process of being renamed to (Customer) Organizations, and Contacts to End Users. You may see both in Syncro for the time being.
This document describes how to scan and discover devices using Network Discovery Profiles, as well as how to take action on newly discovered devices. You can choose to work with a specific (Customer) Organization, or across your entire Syncro account.
Create a New Discovery Profile
To discover assets on your networks, you'll create one or more Network Discovery Profiles.
Read on, or watch this short video to learn more:
For a Specific (Customer) Organization
To create a Network Discovery Profile for a specific (Customer) Organization, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the (Customer) Organizations tab/module.
- Locate the (Customer) Organization you want and click to open their Details Page.
- Select the "Network Discovery" subtab. Syncro displays the Network Discovery Profiles table. Note the Profiles view is selected:
- Click +New Profile. Syncro displays the Network Discovery Profile pop-up window.
- Complete the fields to set up your profile:
- Discovery Profile: Enter a descriptive name for this network discovery profile. The Profile Name must be unique for the selected (Customer) Organization.
- Primary Network Node: Select the name of the asset on the (Customer) Organization's network that has the latest version of the Syncro Windows Agent installed. Syncro uses this asset as a starting point/probe for the discovery process.
- IP Range/Subnet: Enter an IP address range or subnet for this discovery profile to scan, in CIDR notation (e.g., 192.168.1.0/24), then click the +. Syncro will validate your entry and add it to a list beneath this field. You can use a wildcard here, e.g.: 10.100.77.*. Please confirm the nodes for discovery have access to the selected subnets.
- Community String: Community String for SNMP v2 authentication. The default is “public.”
- Credentials: By default, Syncro uses existing credentials you select from the Credentials dropdown menu. Select “Create New” to supply new credentials (i.e. a username/password) instead. You'll need appropriate Syncro user permissions to view and/or create credentials. Credentials are needed to remotely install the Syncro Windows Agent on discovered devices. You can use credential store entries to populate credentials. Discovery profiles may also hold credentials associated with them without adding them to the credential store, if desired.
- Policy Folder: Select from an existing Policy Folder. See Assign a Policy for more information.
-
Discovery: Optionally, click the toggle to make your discovery profile recurring. Click the field to specify a Daily Discovery Time.
- Click Save & Run Now. Syncro saves your profile and immediately kicks off the discovery process. You'll see a Status of In Progress in the table.
- When a page refresh shows a status of Complete, click “Devices” to view the discovered devices:
Across Your Syncro Account
Note: If you do not see the top-level Network Discovery tab, click your User Profile Menu, then select Tabs Customization to add it. Reload the page to see the changes.
You can also create a Network Discovery Profile from the Network Discovery tab/module.
Click this tab in the primary navigation bar, then follow the same steps as described in “For a Specific (Customer) Organization” from step 4. The only difference is that you'll need to select a (Customer) Organization from the Network Discovery Profile pop-up window.
View & Run Discovery Profiles
Syncro lists any Network Discovery Profiles you've created in the Network Discovery Profiles table. You can view and run them from here.
Note: Be sure you're in the “Profiles” view:
For a Specific (Customer) Organization
To view and/or run a Network Discovery Profile for a specific (Customer) Organization, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the (Customer) Organizations tab/module.
- Locate the (Customer) Organization you want and click to open their Details Page.
- Select the "Network Discovery" subtab. Syncro displays their Network Discovery Profiles in the table.
This table contains the following information:- Discovery Profile: The descriptive name originally entered for the discovery profile. Click the hyperlink to open the Network Discovery Profile pop-up window.
- Status: The status of the discovery profile from its last run. Values are Completed (green), In Progress (blue), and Failed (red). You can hover over a failed status for more information. Refresh the page to see Status changes. Note: A run that takes more than 24 hours will show a Failed status.
- Last Discovery Date: The date the discovery profile was last run.
- Next Scheduled Run: If the discovery profile was set up as a recurring one, the time it will recur. If not recurring, Syncro displays N/A.
- # Discovered Assets: The total number of devices the discovery profile located during its latest run. Click the number to display the total number of devices the discovery profile located since its creation. Syncro displays N/A when a run is In Progress and 0 if no devices have been found.
- Click Run Now in any row to start that discovery.
- When the results are available (i.e. the Status is Complete), click the vertical ellipsis icon (
) in that row and select “View Results.”
Tip: You can also click “Devices” to view the devices discovered across all discovery profiles for this (Customer) Organization in the Network Discovered Devices table:
Across Your Syncro Account
Note: If you do not see the top-level Network Discovery tab, click your User Profile Menu, then select Tabs Customization to add it. Reload the page to see the changes.
To view and/or run any of the Network Discovery Profiles configured across your Syncro account, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Network Discovery tab/module. Syncro displays all of your Network Discovery Profiles in the table.
This table contains the same information as described in “For a Specific (Customer) Organization,” with an additional column to indicate the (Customer) Organization associated with each Network Discovery Profile. Click the hyperlink to open their Details Page. - Click Run Now in any row to start that discovery.
- When the results are available (i.e. the Status is Complete), click the vertical ellipsis icon () in that row and select “View Results.”
Tip: You can also click “Devices” to view the devices discovered across all discovery profiles for your Syncro account in the Network Discovered Devices table:
Edit or Delete a Discovery Profile
Note: If you do not see the top-level Network Discovery tab, click your User Profile Menu, then select Tabs Customization to add it. Reload the page to see the changes.
To edit or delete an existing network discovery profile, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Network Discovery Profiles table.
You can get here from either a (Customer) Organization's Details Page or from the Network Discovery tab/module in the primary navigation bar. Be sure you're in the “Profiles” view:
- Click the vertical ellipsis icon () in any row. Syncro displays your options.
- Select “Edit Profile” to edit the profile, or “Delete” to remove it. (Syncro will ask you to confirm deletions.)
View Network Discovered Devices
Syncro lists any discovered network devices in the Network Discovered Devices table. As with Network Discovery Profiles, you can view the devices discovered for a specific (Customer) Organization, or across your Syncro account.
For a Specific (Customer) Organization
To view Network Discovered Devices for a specific (Customer) Organization, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the (Customer) Organizations tab/module.
- Locate the (Customer) Organization you want and click to open their Details Page.
- Select the "Network Discovery" subtab. Alternatively, you can click the vertical ellipsis icon () in any row and select “View Results.” Syncro displays their Network Discovery Profiles in the table.
- Switch to the “Devices” view:
Syncro displays the Network Discovered Devices table. This table contains the following information:- Device Name: The name of the discovered device. Click the hyperlink to open the side panel, which displays more detailed information about the device. Syncro displays the Asset Name if the asset has already been created; if not, the Device Hostname (if available) or Device ID displays. See also Act on Discovered Network Devices.
- Discovery Profile: The Network Discovery Profile(s) that located the device. Click the hyperlink to open the Network Discovery Profile pop-up window.
- Status: The status of the discovered device. Values are: Unmanaged (gray), Install Failed (red), Installing Agent (yellow), Awaiting Approval (blue), and Managed (green). Syncro refreshes the status automatically, but you can trigger one with a page refresh.
- OS: The detected operating system type.
- IP Address: The IP address of the discovered device.
- MAC Address: The MAC address of the discovered device.
- First Observed: The date and time the device was first discovered.
- Last Observed: The date and time the device was last discovered.
Across Your Syncro Account
Note: If you do not see the top-level Network Discovery tab, click your User Profile Menu, then select Tabs Customization to add it. Reload the page to see the changes.
To view any of the Network Discovered Devices discovered across your Syncro account, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Network Discovery tab/module. Syncro displays all of your Network Discovery Profiles in the table.
- Switch to the “Devices” view:
Syncro displays the Network Discovered Devices table.
This table contains the same information as described in “For a Specific (Customer) Organization,” with an additional column to indicate the (Customer) Organization associated with each Network Discovery Profile. Click the hyperlink to open their Details Page.
Act on Network Discovered Devices
The “Act on Network Discovered Devices” portion of this feature is currently in EA (Early Access) for a subset of partners.
Once a Network Discovery Profile has located additional devices, you can take specific actions on them. For example, you might install Syncro Windows Agents, or create the asset using the information gathered.
First, click on a hyperlinked Device Name in the Network Discovered Devices table to open the right side panel:
The button that Syncro displays at the bottom is based on the device's status and Syncro user permissions. Actions may include:
| Action Button | Description / Possible Outcomes | Permission Required |
|---|---|---|
| Install Agent |
Available for discovered devices that show an “Unmanaged” status and support Syncro Windows Agent installation.
|
Asset - Create |
| Attempt Reinstall |
Available for discovered devices that show an “Install Failed” status so you can try again.
|
Asset - Create |
| Approve Agent |
Available for discovered devices that show an “Awaiting Approval” status. (See also: Asset Approval Process.)
|
Assets - Assets Pending Approval |
| Deny Agent |
Available for discovered devices that show an “Awaiting Approval” status. (See also: Asset Approval Process.)
|
Assets - Assets Pending Approval |
| Create Asset |
Available only for non-Syncro discovered devices that show an “Unmanaged” status and no associated asset can be located.
|
Asset - Create |
| View Asset | Redirects you to the Asset's Details Page. | Asset - View |
Tip: Most of the above actions are also available from the vertical ellipsis icon () in the Network Discovered Devices table. These include:
- Install Agent: Available for discovered devices capable of having the Syncro Windows agent installed.
- Attempt Reinstall: Available for discovered devices with an “Install Failed” status.
- Create Asset: Available for discovered devices when the Syncro Windows agent can't be installed (e.g., Linux machines).
- View Asset: Available for all devices in a “Managed” status.
Additionally the ellipsis icon may include these additional actions:
- Update Credentials: Available for discovered devices capable of having the Syncro Windows agent installed. Provides the ability to override Credentials provided in the Network Discovery Profile with device-level credentials. (Work in progress.)
- Delete: Available for devices in an “Unmanaged” status, this option deletes the device from the Network Discovered Devices table. Note that deleted devices will be re-created in future scans if they're still on the network. (Work in progress.)
Security Settings
Each distinct action a Syncro User can take using the Network Discovery feature is configurable as a granular privilege in the Admin tab/module.
For example, if you only want your technicians to be able to view and run discovery profiles, you can limit their access accordingly.
See the “Network Discovery” section of Security Permissions Reference for details.
Troubleshooting
Older agent versions may cause discovery runs to become stuck in the "In Progress" status for 24 hours. If you encounter this issue, please ensure that the Syncro Windows Agent on your primary network node is upgraded to the latest version and retry the discovery scan once the previous one has failed.
If you repeatedly get “Install Failed” statuses, you should:
- Confirm your credentials are correct,
- Look to see whether alternate, device-level credentials may be needed,
- Confirm that the Primary Network Node in the Discovery Profile is online and present on the network, and
- Check that a firewall isn't blocking the Syncro agent. (See also: Syncro Exceptions and Allowlists.)