Agentless Discovery for Scanning IT Assets

Available in: Lightning Experience

Available in: Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited Editions with Agentforce IT Service that have Discovery enabled.

Before you set up agentless discovery, prepare the Discovery Application host and confirm connectivity and access to Salesforce and the target systems in your scan scope. Coordinate with your network, security, and infrastructure teams so that scans can connect reliably and return complete asset data.

Start agentless discovery by downloading and installing the discovery application on a Windows host. The application acts as the scanning engine for agentless discovery. After installation, create discovery targets to define what to scan, such as IP ranges, hostnames, or cloud connectors. Each target includes one or more probes that determine how data is collected from systems in that scope. Probes gather information about the operating system, network, hardware, and applications. Associate credentials with each target to allow authenticated access and ensure accurate data collection.

Run scan jobs to manage and monitor agentless discovery. Each scan job initiates the scanning process, tracks the progress, and records when the discovery run starts and completes. The scan job also captures the targets covered and the data collected during the run. After completion, the discovery application sends the scan results to CMDB, where CMDB processes the information, identifies unique assets, and updates configuration items to keep data accurate and current.

See Key Terms in Discovery for definitions of discovery applications, targets, probes, and scan jobs.

• How the Discovery Application Connects Salesforce and Target Systems
  Keep asset data in CMDB accurate and current with reliable agentless scans. Understand how the Discovery Application receives scan instructions from Salesforce, collects asset details from target systems through supported protocols, and returns scan results to Salesforce for processing. Use this communication flow to plan network access.
• Prepare the Discovery Application Host for Agentless Scans
  Run reliable agentless scans and keep asset data in CMDB current by preparing a Windows host for the Discovery Application. Provide outbound access to Salesforce, protocol-specific access to target systems, and a service account with local administrator access. Verify connectivity so the application can run scan jobs and return results for processing.
• Agentless Discovery Network, Port, and Access Requirements
  Improve agentless scan reliability and keep discovered asset data current. Review the connectivity and access requirements for each supported probe before you create discovery targets.
• Download and Install the Discovery Application
  Use the Discovery Application to perform agentless scans and collect asset data without installing software on each device. The Discovery Application runs on a Windows host and securely connects with your network to detect systems, identify configurations, and send discovery data to Configuration Management Database (CMDB) for processing.
• Prepare Windows Targets for Agentless Discovery
  Improve Windows scan reliability and keep asset data in CMDB current by preparing target systems for agentless discovery. Configure account access, remote management, and firewall rules for the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) or PowerShell Remoting probe that you plan to use.
• Prepare Linux and macOS Targets for SSH Discovery
  Collect complete Linux, Unix, and macOS inventory data and keep CMDB records current by preparing target systems for Secure Shell (SSH) discovery. Provide a dedicated scanning account, the access required for system and hardware details, and network connectivity from the Discovery Application host before you create the discovery target.
• Prepare Network Devices for SNMP Discovery
  Discover switches, routers, firewalls, printers, and other network devices accurately by preparing them for Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) scans. Turn on a supported SNMP version, provide read-only access to the required management information, and allow connectivity from the Discovery Application host before you create the discovery target.
• Prepare Cloud and Virtualization Targets for Discovery
  Build a current inventory of cloud and virtual infrastructure by preparing provider accounts and VMware vCenter for discovery. Grant read-only access to the resources in scope, verify the required HTTPS connectivity, and capture the authentication details that you use to create discovery credentials and targets.
• Create Discovery Credentials for Secure Scanning
  Use discovery credentials to securely connect to systems and collect data during agentless scans. Credentials authenticate access to devices, applications, and cloud environments without manual sign-in. Create and manage credentials for supported types such as Windows, SSH, SNMP, or AWS to ensure accurate and authorized discovery results.
• Create a Discovery Target
  Create a discovery target to define where and how agentless discovery scans IT environments. Targets define the systems, IP ranges, and environments included in agentless discovery. Each target also specifies probe types that determine how those systems are scanned. When a target runs, it creates a scan job that collects discovery data and updates asset information in Configuration Management Database (CMDB).
• Configuration Fields for Target Categories and Probe Types
  Understand the configuration fields that define each agentless discovery target type. Identify which fields appear dynamically for different target category and probe types in the Configure Scan Target Details page so that you can configure discovery targets accurately.
• Manage Discovery Targets
  View, run, or manage existing discovery targets to maintain and reuse scan configurations efficiently.
• Monitor and Review Scan Jobs
  Monitor discovery progress and review scan results with scan jobs. Each scan job tracks the execution of a discovery target and provides detailed visibility into discovered assets, scan duration, and completion status. Use the scan job details to verify discovery coverage and ensure that your CMDB data remains accurate and up to date.
• Troubleshoot Agentless Discovery Scans
  Resolve target connectivity, authentication, and access issues to restore agentless discovery coverage and keep CMDB data current. Review scan job details and Discovery Application logs to identify where a scan stopped and apply the appropriate resolution.