How does a network discovery tool work?

A network discovery tool works by scanning IP addresses and subnets across your network, typically by using the SNMP protocol. The SNMP protocol uses UDP polling to identify SNMP-compatible devices, a process with a minimal network performance impact. Since the devices have object identifiers (OIDs) stored on them, the network discovery software can “read” the identifying information to determine the device type.

Why is having a network device discovery tool important?

The basic steps for creating a discovery job on a network device discovery tool include: Choose the IP address ranges for the devices you want to discover. When creating a job, choose the scanning option you want to use to scale your implementation. These include IP ranges, subnets, IP addresses (which can let you scan specific addresses that fall outside of ranges), and Active Directory (which can let you add large subnets). Make sure you have settings that will search for all the device types you want to monitor whether SNMP-enabled or not. Set your discovery job to either be performed manually or automatically. The device discovery will begin running and can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the size of your network.

How does the network discovery tool work in Network Performance Monitor?

After you run discovery jobs, the network device detection software can automatically import and begin monitoring devices based on the default settings. If you want to be more selective in which devices and nodes are monitored, as well as which applications and interfaces on them are monitored, you can follow a few extra steps: In the LAN device discovery tool, you should see all the discovery jobs you built in the past. This information is extremely informative for providing an outline of your jobs, when they are scheduled to run, and when they last ran. From there, click on the option to import all the results, which lets you choose which objects you want to add for monitoring. As you go through the information, you’ll see the types of nodes discovered, the different interfaces, the specific nodes and devices, and specific elements of the nodes. Once you’ve made all your selections about what you want to monitor with your network discovery software, you can begin the importing process. The tool should now automatically monitor all the customized, selected devices.

Find and Map Devices With a Network Discovery Tool

Q: What is a network discovery tool?

A network discovery tool is a type of detection software built to find and help you identify all the devices on your network. The tool uses automatic network discovery to help you better understand what devices are on a local area network (LAN) either through manually running discovery or scheduled jobs. They may also provide the option to monitor those devices for updates moving forward, which can help you visualize the devices in your network and track their performance metric. With the help of an auto-generated map, a network device discovery tool can make it easier to drill down on specific nodes on your network to see device details, including device information, packet loss, current node status, average response time, and more. These details can help with troubleshooting specific devices when you encounter an issue in the network.

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Discover, Map, and Monitor Networks

Discover Network Devices

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Automatically Discover Devices Across Your Network

SolarWinds^® Network Performance Monitor (NPM) uses the Network Sonar Wizard to perform automated network discovery across your entire infrastructure. Provide IP addresses, IP ranges, or subnets along with SNMP credentials, and NPM handles the rest. Run a single discovery or schedule recurring jobs to catch newly added devices before they create blind spots. With network device discovery built in, NPM builds a detailed inventory of routers, switches, firewalls, and other SNMP-enabled hardware—so you always know what's connected, not what the spreadsheet says.

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Map Your Network Topology Without the Manual Work

Keeping network topology maps up to date by hand is tedious and error-prone—especially as your network scales. SolarWinds NPM makes network visualization effortless with dynamic, auto-updated maps built from your network inventory and discovery results. Create dozens of network maps, adjust visual features as needed, and display current device performance metrics directly on the map. When new devices appear during scheduled network discoveries, your topology updates automatically—so you always have an accurate picture of what's connected and where. NPM obtains topology information about your network via Network topology, CDP or LLDP, ARP, and CAM.

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Track Device Health and Performance in Real Time

Once network device discovery identifies your hardware, NPM polls the management information bases (MIBs) on each device to collect critical performance metrics. Monitor fault, availability, and performance across all compatible devices and display results in out-of-the-box and customizable charts and dashboards. This visibility makes it easy to track network usage and availability—so you can spot issues before they affect the services and applications your users rely on.

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Reduce Downtime With Proactive Network Monitoring

Beyond discovering your network, SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor is built to continuously monitor your network infrastructure and help ensure seamless business service delivery. NPM includes robust infrastructure monitoring tools that provide deep insights into your network—leading to faster problem-solving and less downtime. With network infrastructure discovery working alongside proactive alerts and dynamic historical baselines, your team can identify and resolve issues before they escalate into costly outages.

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Learn More About Network Discovery Tools

Get answers to common questions about discovering, mapping, and monitoring devices.

What Is A Network Discovery Tool?
How Does Network Discovery Work?
How Do You Run A Network Discovery Job?
How Do You Customize Network Discovery Scans?
Why Is Network Discovery Important For IT Teams?
How Does SolarWinds NPM Discover Network Devices?
How Does Network Discovery Help Reduce Downtime?

What is a network discovery tool?

A network discovery tool is detection software built to find and identify all the devices on your network. It uses automated network discovery through a network scanner to help you understand what devices are connected to a local area network (LAN)—either through manual discovery runs or scheduled jobs. Many network scanning tools also monitor those devices for ongoing updates, helping you visualize your network and track performance metrics over time. With an auto-generated map, a LAN discovery tool makes it easier to drill down into specific nodes to view device details such as packet loss, current status, average response time, and more. These details help with troubleshooting specific devices when you encounter an issue.

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What is a network discovery tool?
A network discovery tool is detection software built to find and identify all the devices on your network. It uses automated network discovery through a network scanner to help you understand what devices are connected to a local area network (LAN)—either through manual discovery runs or scheduled jobs. Many network scanning tools also monitor those devices for ongoing updates, helping you visualize your network and track performance metrics over time. With an auto-generated map, a LAN discovery tool makes it easier to drill down into specific nodes to view device details such as packet loss, current status, average response time, and more. These details help with troubleshooting specific devices when you encounter an issue.
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How do you run a network discovery job?
The basic steps for creating a discovery job include:
Choose the IP address ranges or specific subnets for the devices you want to discover.
Select your network scanning option—IP ranges, subnets, individual IP addresses, or Active Directory—to scale your implementation effectively. Make sure to configure the appropriate credentials (such as SNMP, WMI, or VMware) across various operating systems to search for all device types you want to monitor, whether they are SNMP-enabled or not.
Set your discovery job to run once manually or automatically on a recurring schedule.
Once started, the discovery begins running and can last from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on the size and complexity of your network.
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How do you customize network discovery scans?
After running discovery jobs, the network discovery tool can automatically import and begin monitoring devices based on default settings. To be more selective about which devices, nodes, volumes, and interfaces are monitored, follow these steps:
In the Network Sonar Discovery dashboard, review all past discovery jobs—their schedules and last-run dates.
Click the option to import the results, then choose which objects to add for monitoring.
Review the types of nodes discovered, available interface information (like switch ports and assigned VLANs), specific devices, and node elements.
Once you've made your selections, begin the import process. The tool then automatically monitors your customized selections.
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SolarWinds greatly helps us ensure that potential network issues are resolved before they affect service delivery which goes a long way to justifying the investment.

Phil Rogers

Head of Networks

London School at Hygiene and Tropical Medicine