Content of Topics

Installation/Update Topics

This area addresses all topics around the installation of JDisc Discovery.

→ I am getting installation error 2738. What can I do?

For some reason there are problems with an unregistered vbscript.dll on some Windows systems. This leads to installation error 2738 when the installation procedure tries to run VisualBasic scripts to configure the application. JDisc Discovery makes use of VisualBasic scripts to configure the software.

First, check that the vbscript.dll is not registered:

Make sure that vbscript.dll is not registered in HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU) by checking the following registry key:
HKCUSOFTWAREClassesCLSID{ B54F3741-5B07-11CF-A4B0-00AA004A55E8}.

Remove this key, if it exists in HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

Secondly, re-register DLL vbscript.dll:

  1. Start a command prompt in Administrator mode (Start/All Programs/Accessories/ right click on Command prompt, select “Run as Administrator”)
  2. cd %systemroot%system32
  3. regsvr32 vbscript.dll (you should see a dialog stating that the registration succeeded)
  4. Try re-installing JDisc Discovery

→ The installation went fine, but I cannot connect to the server!

In some cases, a personal firewall prevents the JDisc Discovery server from connecting to the embedded Postgres database.

If you have installed the software but you cannot connect to the server via the user interface for more than 5 minutes, then disable the firewall, uninstall the software, and reboot. Perform a reinstall with the personal firewall turned off.

In any case, we recommend to install the software on a server operating system (Windows 2003 Server or above).

→ Which operating systems can I install JDisc Discovery on?

Up to version 3.4
You can install JDisc Discovery on any Windows operating system, starting with Windows XP and above.

Starting with 4.0
Starting with JDisc Discovery 4.0, the product is a 64 bit application which can be installed on 64 bit operating systems only (starting with Windows 2008 or Windows Vista).

Important:
We strongly recommend installing JDisc Discovery on a server operating system since Microsoft has introduced a connection limit on their client operating systems starting with Windows XP SP2! This significantly impacts the discovery process and overall operation of JDisc Discovery.

→ As far as I know, JDisc Discovery is written in Java. Why can't I install JDisc Discovery on Linux/Unix?

The main reason why you cannot install JDisc Discovery on a Linux/Unix operating system is that many protocols that are required to discover Windows computers (such as WMI) are not available on the Unix platform. However, this does not affect the capability of JDisc to properly discover Linux and Unix computers.

→ Can I install JDisc Discovery within a virtual machine?

Yes, you can install JDisc Discovery within a virtual machine.

→ Do I need to install a database server to store discovered information?

No. JDisc Discovery’s installation procedure includes an embedded prostgres database. There is no need to setup a separate database server!

→ Can I install the user interface on a remote computer?

Yes, you can. Simply select the “User interface only” option during the installation process. The user interface communicates with the server via RMI (Remote Method Invocation) on a configurable port. Refer to the administration guide for more details on how to configure RMI ports.

→ JDisc Discovery does not start. What can I do?

JDisc Discovery comes with an embedded database. When installing the software on a client computer, a personal firewall might block the traffic between the discovery and its embedded database. We always recommend to install the software on a server operating system (Windows 2003 Server or above), since client operating sytems are limited regarding the number of network connections.

→ I would like to upgrade to the latest version. Of course without any data loss. How can I do that?

JDisc frequently updates its software. We distinguish between minor updates with smaller enhancements and bug fixes and major release updates. Our smaller upgrades do not get a new version number, but a new build number. Major upgrades do get a new version number (e.g. 2.9). Our license files are still valid when upgrading to new builds within the same version. However, when you upgrade to a new version (e.g. from version 2.8 to 2.9), then you need a new license file. If you have a support contract, then you’ll get it at no cost by sending your license request file to support@jdisc.com .

1. Installing Upgrades when the current installation has at least 4.0

Version 4.0 comes with an improved setup procedure which is able to backup the database and the license file during the upgrade process. However, we recommend to create an archive prior to start the upgrade process.

  1. Create a temporay backup folder outside the JDisc installation directory.
  2. Archive your database:
    Select the Administration > Database > Archive Database menu item and archive your database. Make sure to enable the option “include passwords within the archive”. Otherwise, you will need to re-enter them after restoring the database. Store the file in your temporary backup folder. Remember the encryption password. You will need it again when restoring the database.
  3. Archive your license file:
    The license file stays valid when upgrading between different build numbers of a single version. Copy the “license.txt” file from your installation directory to your temporary backup folder.
  4. Start the setup.exe from within the download ZIP.
  5. Follow the instructions.

2. Installing Upgrades when the current installation has version 3.4 or earlier.

In order to install minor upgrades (without a version change), you should perform the following steps:

  1. Create a temporay backup folder outside the JDisc installation directory.
  2. Archive your database:
    Select the Administration > Database > Archive Database menu item and archive your database. Make sure to enable the option “include passwords within the archive”. Otherwise, you will need to re-enter them after restoring the database. Store the file in your temporary backup folder. Remember the encryption password. You will need it again when restoring the database.
  3. Archive your license file:
    The license file stays valid when upgrading between different build numbers of a single version. Copy the “license.txt” file from your installation directory to your temporary backup folder.
  4. Stop all JDisc Discovery services from the service control manager.
  5. Uninstall the software and all Add-Ons
    Uninstall the complete software by uninstalling the add-ons first and then uninstalling the core product.
  6. Even if the uninstallation procedure asks for a reboot, the reboot is not required.
  7. Install the new version
    Install the new version and the add-ons as required.
  8. Restore the license file
    Copy the saved license file from step 3 to the installation directory and overwrite the existing license.txt file.
  9. Restart our Discovery Services
    Restore the JDisc Discovery service in order to force a reload of the license file.
  10. Check the license status from the Help > License Info dialog.
  11. Stop the application
    Open the User Interface und stop the application via Administration > Stop Application.
  12. Restore the database
    Use Administration > Database > Restore Database in order to restore the archived database.
  13. Start the application
    Start the application again with Administration > Start application.

3. Upgrading to a new version

An upgrade to a new version requires a new license file. Use the instruction from 1, but skip step 2 and replace step 6 by requesting a new license file and installing it.

→ I installed the software on a multihomed server (with multiple network cards). What do I have to take care of?

There are two aspects to look at:

  1. What network interface is used to scan the network?
    We are using Java libraries that implement protocols such as SNMP, SSH, or Telnet. Some of them might use the “wrong” network interface. In this case, the requests do not reach the target device and thus might cause a poor discovery result.Use the Java property “com.jdisc.discovery.ip” in order to configure the correct network interface. Insert the following parameter into the registry for the value “JVMParameters” within the registry key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREJDiscJDisc Discovery <x.y>Inventory Service”:-Dcom.jdisc.discovery.ip=<ip address>
  2. Which network interface is used to connect for the remote clients?
    JDisc Discovery uses the RMI protocol internally to transfer information from the client to the server and vica versa.Add the following configuration to the “JVMParameters” value within the  “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREJDiscJDisc Discovery <x.y>Inventory Service” registry key:-Djava.rmi.server.hostname=”<JDisc Discovery Client accessible IP Address>”

This feature is available starting with version 3.2 build 3220.

→ I forgot to enable remote access to the JDisc Discovery database during the installation process. How can I enable remote database access without uninstalling and reinstalling the software?

If you forgot to enable remote database access during the installation phase, then you can change it without reinstalling the software by editing two Postgres installation files:

  1. In %ProgramData%JDiscJDisc Discoverydbpg_hba.conf:
    Add the following line to the “#IPv4 local connections” section:host all all 0.0.0.0/0 md5
  2. %ProgramData%JDiscJDisc Discoverydbpostgresql.conf:
    Replace the line “#listen_addresses = ‘localhost'” by “listen_addresses = ‘*'”.
    The ‘*’ indicates that every IP address is entitled to access the database. Replace the * by an IP address in order to limit the access to a particular IP address only.

Finally restart the JDisc Discovery Database server using the service control manager.

→ JDisc Discovery installs the database files on c:ProgramData. How can I choose a different location?

By default, Product uses the Windows ProgramData directory for storing its database. However, the ProgramData directory is by default on the C: drive which is often used for the operating system only.

Always create an archive of your existing database first before you modify any database files!

Follow the steps below in order to move the database to another location or drive.

  • IMPORTANT: Create an archive of your database first!
  • Stop all JDisc Discovery services (including the database service) from the services control panel
  • Enable Show hidden files in the Windows file explorer
  • Navigate to c:ProgramData and copy the JDisc folder to the desired location.
  • Finally, we need to configure the database service to use the new location. Open regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesJDisc Discovery5.0Database. Edit the entry ImagePath and adjust the path behind the -D option. This is the path to the actual database files. It must end with db with possibly trailing backslashes.
  • Reboot your server in order to use the new service settings
  • Finally, we test whether everything is working fine by renaming the old directory. So just rename c:ProgramDataJDisc to c:ProgramDataJDisc.old.
  • Restart the JDisc Discovery services again from the service control panel.
  • Try to log-on. If you can logon, then everything works fine and you can finally delete the old database folder c:ProgramDataJDisc.old.

→ Which protocols/ports does JDisc Discovery uses to connect the user interface client to the server?

The JDisc Discovery user interface makes use of the Java encrypted RMI (Remote Method Invocation).

The port configuration resides in the file <installdir>/configs/Config.xml within the RmiRegistry section:

<RmiRegistry>
<RegistryPort>30470</RegistryPort>
<ServerPort>30471</ServerPort>
<ClientPort>30212</ClientPort>
</RmiRegistry>

IMPORTANT: In builds prior to build 4009, the server port was randomly selected. That made the firewall configuration nearly impossible. We have changed the behaviour in 4009 to use the configured port only!

On the JDisc Discovery server, you need to open the port 30470 and 30471. On the client, you need to open the port 30212.

The following table lists the protocols used by the JDisc Discovery user interface:

Protocol Port
RMI Registry (server side) 30470 (TCP)
RMI Objects (server side) 30471 (TCP)
RMI Objects (client side) 30212 (TCP)

→ Which other ports are being used locally on the JDisc Discovery server and client?

The JDisc Discovery user interface makes use of the Java encrypted RMI (Remote Method Invocation).

The port configuration resides in the file <installdir>/configs/Config.xml within the RmiRegistry section:

<RmiRegistry>
<RegistryPort>30470</RegistryPort>
<ServerPort>30471</ServerPort>
<ClientPort>30212</ClientPort>
</RmiRegistry>

IMPORTANT: In builds prior to build 4009, the server port was randomly selected. That made the firewall configuration nearly impossible. We have changed the behaviour in 4009 to use the configured port only!

On the JDisc Discovery server, you need to open the port 30470 and 30471. On the client, you need to open the port 30212.

The following table lists the protocols used by the JDisc Discovery user interface:

The embedded Postgres database server listens by default on Port 25321.

The JDisc Discovery server and the user interface open TCP and UDP connections. Java uses a randomly chosen port between 1023 and 65535. The user interface only uses TCP connections and the JDisc Discovery server also uses UDP (e.g. for the SNMP protocol).Furthermore our JDisc Discovery server communicates locally with the Postgres database server. It uses the same algorithm as described above to open the connection.

Discovery Topics

This  chapter explains how the discovery is working and which devices can be discovered.

→ What types of devices does JDisc Discovery support?

JDisc Discovery is not limited to a specific manufacturer or to a particular device type. Our goal is to support virtually any device that is connected to the network. However, different devices divulge different sets of information. Therefore, it is not possible to get the full set of information for all devices. JDisc Discovery gets very detailed information for computers running with the most common operating systems.

However it gets only basic information (model, brand, serial number, IP address) for other SNMP based devices such as switches and routers.

Detailed network documentation information is available for:

  • Windows computers with Windows NT 4.0 and above
  • HP-UX workstations and servers
  • Oracle Solaris workstations and servers
  • IBM AIX workstations and servers
  • Linux computers
  • VMware ESX(i) servers
  • MAC OS X computers

Basis identification is available for:

  • SNMP based devices (such as routers, switches, network printers)
  • IP phones

In case a new device has been discovered, which JDisc Discovery doesn’t recognize yet, please contact support@jdisc.com . We are able to integrate most of the new devices very quickly into our tool.

→ My Windows Computer is not beeing inventoried. How can I check whether WMI is successful or not?

Each Microsoft Windows operating system comes with a built in tool called “wbemtest.exe”. Start the tool on the discovery computer by opening a command line first and then start the product “wbemtest.exe” from the command line. That’ll bring up the following Window:

Click the Connect button in order to establish a WMI connection. This opens a new Window where you can enter the connection details such as IP address, user name, and password.

Always use the form domainusername for domains or computernameusername for local computer accounts.

When the connection fails, then you’ll receive an error message. On a successful connection, the buttons within the tool’s main area will be enabled.

→ Some devices are being identified as "Unknown SNMP Device". What can I do?

JDisc Discovery detects many SNMP based devices, but there are permanently new devices being released by different vendors. When there are major changes for current models or new vendors, then we need to implement the device support explicitly. We do that at no cost for our customers and the effort is usually very limited.

However, we need your support. We need a SNMP walk in a special format for the unknown devices. Once we have the SNMP walk, we can import the walk file into a SNMP simulator within our labs. This enables our development team to simulate your device within our network.

Download our SNMP Walk product in order to create the SNMP v1 walks in the required format. Submit the SNMP walk file to our support mail address support@jdisc.com.

When using SNMPv3, we recommend to download netsnmp and install it on your JDisc Discovery server and then

snmpwalk -O n -v 3 -a MD5 -A <auth-pwd> -u <user> -x DES -X <priv-pwd> <ip> .1

Usually within one or two weeks, we release a new build that includes the new devices.

→ Sudo: Which commands does JDisc Discovery execute as root?

Some commands require root access on Linux. JDisc Discovery gets root access either by using the su command or by using sudo (depending on the configuration). In order to properly configure sudo, you need the list of commands which JDisc Discovery executes as root.

JDisc Discovery executes the following commands as root:

  • ls
  • awk
  • cat
  • ethtool
  • mii-tool
  • lsof
  • pvecm status
  • clustat
  • df
  • smartctl
  • hdparm
  • dmidecode
  • ls
  • qm
  • virsh
  • runuser
  • ps
  • docker

If JBoss is installed then

  • <jboss-installdir>/bin/standalone.sh
  • <jboss-installdir>/bin/run.sh

When a service guard cluster is installed, then

  • cmviewcl

When db2 is installed, then

  • <installdir>/admin/db2licm

→ What kind of information can JDisc Discovery collect for devices?

No. JDisc Discovery’s installation procedure includes an embedded prostgres database. There is no need to setup a separate database server!

→ Do I need to deploy agents on the target computers?

No, there is no need to install proprietary agents on the target computers. JDisc Discovery uses standard protocols to identify devices.

However JDisc Discovery can, if configured accordingly, deploy a temporary agent on Windows computers. This improves data quality in some cases (e.g. with Windows NT 4.0). For some data, however, the temporary agent is required.

Read more in our Agentless vs. Agentbased Discovery Tools Whitepaper.

→ I am having WMI and remote registry access problems. What can I do?

Firewalls can block the access to WMI or remote registry on Windows computers and prevent getting detailed discovery information. JDisc Discovery offers the possibility to tunnel WMI and remote registry requests via its agents. That means that WMI requests are not executed remotely but by a locally installed JDisc Discovery agent. Local WMI queries are always possible without account. The same applies for registry accesses.

→ How long does the discovery take?

For performance reasons, JDisc Discovery discovers devices in parallel. The number of devices to be discovered in parallel may be configured in the Discovery configuration.

Depending on device load, network speed and performance of the discovery server, JDisc Discovery can discover up to 1500 devices per hour.

→ Which protocols/ports does JDisc Discovery use to discover devices on the network?

The list of protocols depends on the device type. Different devices support different protocols. For example, a Windows computer primarily uses the Windows registry and WMI. Linux computers are identified via telnet or SSH, whereas most switches are identified via SNMP.

The table below lists all ports and protocols used by JDisc Discovery:

Protocol Port
Domain Name System (DNS) 53 (TCP)
Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) 80 (TCP)
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) 443 (TCP)
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) 3268 (TCP)
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAPS) 3269 (TCP)
Network Basic Input/Output System (NetBIOS) 137 (UDP)<br>138 (UDP)<br>139 (TCP)
PING n/a
S7comm (Siemens SIMATIC PLCs) 102 (TCP)
Secure Shell (SSH) 22 (TCP)
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) 161 (UDP)
Server Message Block (SMB) 445 (TCP)
Telnet 23 (TCP)
VMware API (VIM SDK) for VMware Server 8333 (TCP)
VMware API (VIM SDK) for VMware ESX Server 443 (TCP)
Web Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) 5989 (TCP)
Windows Remote Login Uses the SMB Protocol
Windows Remote Registry Uses the SMB Protocol
Windows Management Interface (WMI) 135 (TCP) and a random port,<br>that depends on the Windows version.

→ Can I discover devices through a firewall?

Blocking by firewalls can prevent JDisc Discovery from getting details from devices on the network. Either open the firewall for the discovery server and the required ports, or use separate installations on either side of the firewall.

→ JDisc Discovery does not get details for my computer. What can I do?

There are many things that can prevent JDisc Discovery from getting proper device details. Misconfigured user accounts or passwords, firewalls, or disabled protocols can for instance impact discovery results.

Therefore, JDisc Discovery features many built in troubleshooting technologies, starting from simple reports and leading up to a rule based analysis of possible problems and a quality meter. JDisc Discovery specializes in getting access problems identified and fixed as quickly as possible.

Refer to the “Discovery Scenarios” and “Troubleshooting” in our user manual.

If nothing helps, simply generate a Device Support ZIP file (refer to support video) and sent it to our support.

→ What is an "Unidentified Device"?

JDisc Discovery classifies a device as an “Unidentified Device”, if the IP address replies, but none of the protocols succeed in obtaining further information. In this case, we know that a device with a specific IP address exists, but we don’t have any further information about the device.

→ Why do my Linux/Unix computers appear as "Unidentified Device"?

Linux computers are secured by default. In many cases, SSH is the only protocol available to access a Linux computer. Unfortunately, SSH does not provide any device information. Therefore it is impossible to identify a device with SSH as sole access protocol if there is no possibility of logging in with valid access credentials.

However you can activate remote login (“active” is the default value in the standard configuration) and define valid accounts and passwords. JDisc Discovery uses them to connect to the computers via SSH and to discover information details via system commands. Refer to “Discovery Scenarios” in our User Manual.

→ Can I exclude IP address ranges or device types from discovery?

Furthermore, you can define any number of IP address exclusion ranges. These are IP4 address ranges that are excluded from discovery.

JDisc Discovery can also ignore specific device types.

→ Can I schedule an automatic discovery?

Yes, you may even schedule discoveries independently for different areas of your network. This is especially useful if your corporation has sites in different time zones.

JDisc Discovery offers the following types of schedules:

  • Run once at a particular time
  • Run recurring (e.g. every 2 hours)
  • Run daily at a particular time
  • Run weekly on a particular weekday / time
  • Run monthly on a particular weekday / time

Furthermore you can define periods of inactive discovery (e.g. in times when backups are scheduled).

→ What are the pre-requisites for a good discovery topology?

There are several pre-requisites required for a successful discovery:

  1. Switches and routers need to be “managed”. That means, they must support SNMP.
  2. Switches and routers need to support either CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol) or LLDP (Link Layer Discovery Protocoll). Otherwise, the switch topology cannot be discovered. Routers and switches need to provide this information with the respective MIBs.
  3. To connect end devices with the switches, the switches need to support Bridge-MIB. Bridge-Mib contains a forwarding table listing all MAC addresses that can be connected on a port. Without  Bridge-Mib, there is no possibility to assign the end devices to the switch ports.
  4. The assignment of devices is based on MAC addresses of the devices within a network. Therefore, it is essential to identify the MAC addresses of all devices.

→ My Windows computers are members of an Active Directory. Which user should I configure for Discovery?

Our recommendation:

  • Create a “scan” user in the Active Directory for the discovery. This “scan” user does not have to or should not be a member of the domain administrators.
  • Add the “Scan” user to the local administrators group on all Windows computers in question. You can do this in Active Directory using group policies.

Configure the “Scan” user in JDisc Discovery: The best way to do this is to create a new directory group and then select the Scope> Directory tab to add the new “Scan” user to the directory hierarchy.

→ My Windows computers are not members of an Active Directory (standalone). Which user should I configure for Discovery?

Our recommendation:

  • Use the local built-in administrator user for discovery. You may have to activate it first, as it is mostly deactivated in the standard configuration.

Alternative:

  • You can also use another local user who is a member of the local administrators group.In this case you will only get few device details, as this local user is restricted by Windows (Limited User Accounts / LUA). The reason for this is that a Limited User Account (LUA) cannot claim higher privileges from remote that are only granted interactively by the User Account Control (UAC).

Configure the user in JDisc Discovery:

  • If each computer uses a different local user / password, select the respective Windows computer in one of the reports and then right-click the context menu: Manage> Change Accounts. There you then enter the user and the password in the lower two input fields (Admin / Root Account).
  • If you use the same local user / password for all Windows computers, it is best to create a new network / range group and select the Accounts> Clients & Server> Windows tab. Now you can create the local Windows user by clicking the Add button.

Reporting Topics

This section addresses all questions around the reporting functionality in JDisc Discovery.

→ Can I group devices?

JDisc Discovery has a powerful grouping concept. Groups can be defined in a hierarchical manner, plus conditions for groups can be defined. Whenever a device is discovered, it is matched against the group conditions. On success, it will be automatically assigned to the group. There is no manual interaction involved apart from defining the conditions.

The group conditions include:

  • Matches for network membership
  • Matches for membership in an IP address range
  • Matches for a Windows domain membership
  • Matches for membership within organizational units of a Microsoft Active Directory
  • Hostname matches
  • Manufacturer matches
  • Device model matches
  • Device types matches

→ I have seen many built in reports. Can I create my own individual report?

JDisc Discovery offers a powerful report generator. You can use it to generate your own individual reports by:

  1. defining the relevant attributes
  2. defining possible restrictions on attributes
  3. defining the appearance / sequence of the columns in your individual report.

You can use nearly all device properties (such as model, manufacturer, applications, etc.) in our custom reports.

Consider, for instance, that you would like to replace your slow old PCs with new ones. Therefore, you are looking for all laptops with a processor speed less than 1 GHz. Limiting the device type to “Laptop” excludes all devices which are not classified as laptop. Limiting the processor speed to “<1 GHz” excludes all modern laptops.

Custom reports can be saved for later re-use.

→ Can I export reports to CSV or Excel?

All reports can be exported either to CSV (comma separated values) or Microsoft Excel documents. Use the icons in the toolbar of the report window.

→ How can I provide the reports automatically to my colleagues?

You can schedule automatic export of nearly all reports. For this, you schedule the time and the target directory for your reports. JDisc Discovery executes those reports automatically and stores them under  the defined target directory.

Licensing

All about the topic licensing.

→ I have installed the free version and would like to test the software with more than 25 devices. What can I do?

We are pleased to generate a demo license for more than 25 devices for a fixed period for free! This allows you to test our software intensely in your network.

First, generate a license request file by opening the licensing dialog from the Help > License Info menu. Click on the “Request License” button and save the license request file on your hard drive. After having ordered the software, send this file to our Sales (sales@jdisc.com).

You have free support during the evaluation phase. So feel free to submit your questions to our support ticketing system. On request, we will also review your configuration and data during a short online session (usually 30 minutes to one hour) at no cost..

Please let us know in this email how many devices per operating system you do have in your network. This does not need to be a concrete number. A rough estimation is absolutely sufficient:

  1. Number of Unix systems (HP-UX, AIX, Solaris)
  2. Number of computers with Linux, VMWare, MAC OS X
  3. Number of switches and routers and of computers with a Windows operating system
  4. Number of any other devices (such as network printers, scanners, …)

We will sign the license and return it to you. Save the license.txt file in the installation directory, overwriting the existing file.

Restart the JDisc Discovery Windows service in order to reload the license.

Finally, check the license status from Help > License Info.

→ I bought a perpetual license. Can I distribute that license over multiple discovery server installations?

Yes, you can install as many discovery servers as you want as long as the total number of devices does not exceed the total number of devices purchased.

→ Which license models do you offer?

We offer different license models serving your purpose best:

  1. Perpetual license
    A perpetual license can be purchased once and has no time limit. Our optional support contract allows you to keep the software up-to-date. This license model is useful for IT organizations that plan to use our software on an ongoing basis.
  2. Project license
    A project license is useful for IT service providers or IT organizations, if the software is used only for the duration of a single project. Project licenses can be purchased on a weekly basis and are a cost-effective alternative to the perpetual license.
  3. Annual subscription
    In case the purchasing costs exceed your budget or you prefer a yearly fee, our annual subscription might be right choice for you!

→ What kind of devices do I pay licenses for?

Rules for the licenses:

  • Every device with an IP address (including virtual machines) counts as one device
  • Devices with multiple IP addresses (e.g. routers) count as one device
  • Management boards for servers count as separate devices
  • For virtual machines the respective OS counts

However, there are some exceptions to those rules:

  • Devices that are not identified do not count for the license (Unidentified devices, unknown SNMP devices)
  • Devices without an IP address (local printers, monitors, etc.)

JDisc Discovery’s device type filter can already exclude those devices that are not relevant for the licensing at the start. This saves you license cost, discovery time and network bandwidth!

→ How can I change my existing license to the new credits based licensing scheme?

When you still use a Small Business, Medium Business or Enterprise Edition license, you can migrate to the Professional Edition license. A good time to migrate your license is when your support contract or annual subscription expires or of course if you want to extend your license.

To convert your existing license to a new Professional Edition license, we need the number of devices in the four categories (Tier 3, Tier 2, Tier 1 and Tier 0). If you already run JDisc Discovery 3.2, you can open the License Information dialog via the Help »License Information menu. This dialog displays exactly this information. If you are running an older JDisc Discovery version, please follow these instructions to upgrade to the most recent JDisc Discovery version.

We calculate the number of credits of your new Professional Edition license based on the distribution of the devices in the four device categories and the total number of devices that you have purchased. And finally, we add 10% extra credits.

Example:

Suppose you have purchased an Enterprise Edition license including 1000 devices and your current device distribution looks like this:

  • Tier 3: 25 devices
  • Tier 2: 125 devices
  • Tier 1: 250 devices
  • Tier 0: 100 devices

In this example, you use only 500 units of the 1000 licensed devices. Because of that we extrapolate the number of devices in the four device categories according to total number of devices you have purchased. Thus we get this extrapolated device distribution:

  • Tier 3: 50 devices
  • Tier 2: 250 devices
  • Tier 1: 500 devices
  • Tier 0: 200 devices

Based on this device distribution the price calculator calculates 7800 credits. Finally we add 10% credits on top which makes up a total of 8580 credits.

Optimization

All about tuning JDisc Discovery for larger environments.

→ How can I increase the memory for my discovery process?

Starting with build 3310, this is no longer necessary as the server process gets the maximum memory.


If you are using builds up to 3309, follow the steps below to increase the memory.

Change the value for the registry entry “JVMParameter” below

  • HKLMSOFTWAREJDisc Discovery x.yInventoryService for 32 bit Windows installations
  • HKLMSOFTWAREWow6432NodeJDisc Discovery x.yInventoryService for 64 bit Windows installations

Add the value “-Xmx1500M ” to the parameter (see screenshot below).

In some cases, the value of 1500M might be to large for your installations. In this case, the discovery process will not start. Reduce the value and then try it again.

→ How do I increase the database cache?

The settings for the database cache are located within the file “postgresql.conf” in the “<installdir>dbdata” directory. Open the file with an editor and search for the setting “shared_buffers”. Increase the value from 128MB for instance to 512MB (see screenshot below).

Restart the “JDisc Discovery Database” service in order to refresh the settings.

Integrations

Questions about integrations and the WebService Add-On

→ What's the purpose of the WebService Add-On?

The free WebService add-on offers an interface to initiate specific actions or configurations via a SOAP API. The SOAP API is mainly used by our strategic partners which integrate specific JDisc funktionality into their solution.

→ How can I test whether the WebService is up and running?

The WebService registers its SOAP interface on port 9000 (can be changed in the configuration file) after one minute when the service gets started. You might check the web service by calling the following URL from any browser:

http://<JDiscDiscoveryServerIP>:9000/InventoryLogon?wsdl

When the service is active, then the URL returns the XML description of the logon web service SOAP interface. When the URL returns an error, then the web service is not active. Check the logs (logs folder) for error messages.

→ Is the WebService still required for the integration with i-doit?

No!

The WebService implements access to some JDisc Functionality using a SOAP interface on port 9000. However, with the new GraphQL-based API, the SOAP service is obsolete. I-Doit can access our GraphQL-API to perform the same tasks as with the WEB Service starting with i-doit Release 22.

Simply change the protocol in i-doit to HTTPS and use port 443 and then i-doit will use the GraphQL API and you can uninstall the obsolete WEB Service Add-On.

The GraphQL-API offers two major advantages:

  • It is using HTTPS by default (as with the WEB Service, HTTP was used by default)
  • It is a modern and powerful API that lets you automate everything in JDisc.