Discover on Demand
Discover on Demand allows administrators to trigger an immediate, targeted device discovery scan directly from the HP Insights web console, without waiting for the Device Scout’s next scheduled scan.
Device Scout normally discovers printers on a scheduled basis, for example, weekly. When a new printer is added to the network, it will not appear in HP Insights until that scheduled scan runs. Discover on Demand provides a way to scan a small set of specific IP addresses or hostnames immediately, so newly added devices can be brought into HP Insights and secured straight away.
Note: Discover on Demand requires Device Scout version
When to Use Discover on Demand
Discover on Demand is designed for scanning a small number of specific IP addresses. For example, when adding a new printer to the fleet, verifying a printer is discoverable after a network change, or checking a specific device before securing it. It is not intended for scanning large ranges or entire subnets; use the Device Scout’s scheduled discovery for that.
| Scenario | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
| Adding 1–10 new printers to the fleet and want them available immediately | Discover on Demand |
| Verifying a specific printer is reachable and discoverable | Discover on Demand |
| Scanning a new office or floor for all printers on a subnet | Scheduled Device Scout discovery |
| Regular ongoing fleet discovery | Scheduled Device Scout discovery |
Running a Discover on Demand Scan
Step 1 — Open Discover on Demand
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Navigate to Discover > Device Scout.
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Select the Device Scout you want to use as the scanning agent, then click Discover on Demand.
Note: Only Device Scouts that meet the minimum version requirement and are currently enabled and online will appear in the Source Device list. If no compatible Device Scout appears, verify that your Device Scout is updated to version
Step 2 — Enter IP Addresses or Hostnames
In the Discover on Demand dialog, enter the IP addresses or hostnames of the devices you want to scan, one per line.
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Individual IP addresses and hostnames are supported (e.g. 10.0.1.204 or printer.company.com).
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IP ranges and CIDR notation are not supported. Enter each address individually.
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A maximum of 10 IP addresses or hostnames can be entered per scan.
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Addresses are not saved after the scan completes. The input field is cleared each time.
An approximate scan time is displayed below the input field and updates as you add or remove addresses.
Note: Only individual IP addresses and hostnames are accepted. Entering a range format (e.g. 10.0.1.1-10.0.1.10) or CIDR notation (e.g. 10.0.1.0/24) will produce a validation error and the scan will not start.
Step 3 — Start the Scan
Click Start Scan. The scan runs immediately. The Start Scan button is disabled while the scan is in progress. Progress updates appear in real time as devices are found. No page refresh is required.
A scan can run for up to one hour before timing out. In practice, a scan of 10 addresses typically takes around 10 minutes (approximately one minute per address).
Step 4 — Review Results
When the scan completes, a summary is displayed showing the number of devices scanned and the number found. A detailed list of discovered devices is shown below the summary.
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Devices that were found and identified as printers are listed with their IP address and device details.
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IP addresses that were unreachable or did not respond as a printer are noted in the results without an error — they simply do not appear in the discovered devices list.
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If an IP address entered as a hostname resolves to the same printer as an IP address also entered, both may appear in the results as separate entries. This is expected behaviour for the current release.
Discovered devices are automatically added to HP Insights and will appear on the Secure Printers screen, where they can be secured immediately.
Note: Multiple admin sessions If more than one administrator has the Device Scout screen open, scan progress and results are visible across all sessions. The results view may require a refresh or clicking See Result to reflect the completed state in other open sessions.
Concurrent Scans
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Only one Discover on Demand scan can be active at a time .
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A Discover on Demand scan and a scheduled Device Scout discovery can run concurrently without interfering with each other. Devices found by both methods are added to HP Insights independently with no duplication.
Device Scout Availability
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If the Device Scout goes offline after a scan has started, the scan will eventually fail with a timeout message. No partial results are shown.
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After a scan fails due to the Device Scout being offline, that Device Scout is temporarily removed from the Source Device dropdown. It reappears once it comes back online.
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Device Scouts below the minimum required version (
Scan Timeout
A scan that does not complete within one hour is automatically terminated and reported as timed out. This can occur if the Device Scout loses connectivity to HP Insights mid-scan. If a scan times out, check that the Device Scout is online and retry.