Best Practices for Network Discovery with AssetXpert Docker

A Guide for Best Practices using the AssetXpert Docker for Network Discovery

This guide provides best practices for achieving the most comprehensive network discovery using the Netformx AssetXpert Docker. It assumes familiarity with AssetXpert and its Docker setup (refer to the “Get Started with AssetXpert Discovery Guide”). The goal of discovery is to identify as many multivendor network devices as possible and retrieve key inventory details such as serial numbers, product numbers, vendor names, and software versions.

Optimizing Discovery with Seed-Based Scanning

The recommended approach for network scanning is seed discovery, which enables the broadest and most efficient device identification while minimizing network requests. Instead of scanning predefined IP ranges—where some devices may be missed—seed discovery starts from known devices and expands based on actual network connections.

Configuring Seed Discovery

Seed discovery requires specifying one or more seed IPs in the ceconfig.json file. This can be done either manually or through the AssetXpert web GUI. Depending on your network setup, multiple seeds may be needed to maximize discovery.

To ensure a successful discovery, follow the key configuration steps found in the guide below.

If you have any questions, contact support@netformx.com.