Discovery & Collection
Overview
Discovery & Collection is the platform's data collection entry point. It answers two core questions: "Which devices should be collected from?" and "How do we onboard them?" It centralizes the entire pipeline — from automatically discovering devices on the network to initiating collection — so you never need to manually register targets one by one. Instead, you use zone scanning plus rules for automatic onboarding, then push collection configurations in bulk via templates.
The entire pipeline is powered by five sub-modules working together:
- Collection Zone: Defines an IP range and a set of collection protocols. The system automatically scans at the configured interval to discover active devices on the network.
- Collection Rule: When a collection zone finds a matching device, it automatically executes onboarding actions (add to collection group, associate template, enable collection point, apply tags, etc.) — turning "raw discovered devices" into "managed collection points."
- Collection Point: The actual managed collection target (a host or device). The source of all collection data.
- Collection Template: A set of reusable collection configurations that define discovery rules and collection behavior, which can be applied in bulk to multiple collection points.
- Collection Agent: A distributed collection executor that collects on behalf of the platform in network areas it cannot reach directly.
How the Pipeline Fits Together
The key to understanding Discovery & Collection is understanding the automated pipeline from "discovery" to "collection." The following steps illustrate a typical "auto-onboard a new device" flow, showing how the five sub-modules collaborate:
- Deploy a Collection Agent (optional): If the target devices are on a network the platform cannot reach directly (e.g., an isolated data center or private network), first deploy a collection agent in that network to initiate collection on the platform's behalf. Skip this step for directly reachable areas.
- Define a Collection Zone: Create a collection zone, specifying the IP range to scan, which protocols to probe with (ICMP / SNMP / TCP, etc.), and how often to scan. The system will "patrol" the range at this cadence.
- Configure Collection Rules: Define "what to do when a certain type of device is discovered." For example, "any device discovered by a particular collection zone that has SNMP enabled is automatically added to the 'Network Devices' collection group, associated with the 'General Network' template, and collection is enabled."
- Collection Points are Auto-created: When a matching device is hit by a rule, it automatically becomes a Collection Point in the list, carrying the template, group, and tags assigned by the rule — no manual creation needed.
- Templates Push Collection Config: The template associated with the collection point syncs a set of discovery rules to it, and the collection point begins producing data.
The pipeline is automated but not mandatory. If you already know exactly which device to collect from, you can skip collection zones and collection rules and manually create a collection point and associate a template. Auto-discovery simply saves you the repetitive work of registering devices one by one.
Five Sub-modules at a Glance
| Sub-module | Question It Answers | Typical User |
|---|---|---|
| Collection Zone | "Where do I look for devices?" | Operators managing network scope |
| Collection Rule | "What to do automatically once devices are found?" | Operators who want to automate onboarding |
| Collection Point | "Which devices are being collected from?" | Anyone who needs to view/manage collection targets |
| Collection Template | "How to reuse one set of collection configuration at scale?" | Operators managing large fleets of similar devices |
Common Operations
The list pages of all five sub-modules are standard data tables with consistent operations: column management, filtering, pagination, density adjustment, local preference persistence, and more. These common table operations are not repeated in each sub-module's documentation. See them all here:
→ Common Data Table Operations
Each sub-module's documentation only covers module-specific content: which columns are shown by default, how preferences are persisted, module-specific filters, and business operations.
Permissions
Discovery & Collection belongs to the "Discovery & Collection" resource domain. Each of the five sub-modules corresponds to an independent menu permission item (Collection Zone, Collection Rule, Collection Point, Collection Template, Collection Agent). Only roles granted the corresponding menu permission can see and access the sub-module in the navigation. Resource operation level (read-only / full access) is configured in Role Details — Resource Permissions.