Prepare for Device Scout deployment
Installing Device Scout is quick, but a little planning makes discovery work first time. Gather the network details it needs, agree the scan ranges and SNMP settings with your network administrator, and choose where to install it. Start with the Device Scout system requirements.
Gather the requirements
- Internet proxy details for the server, and proxy credentials if needed.
- Approval for outgoing internet access. Device Scout needs HTTPS (port 443) access to devicescout.insights.hpondemand.com.
- Optionally, the HP Insights Security white paper for your network or security team. It explains the network activity and data involved.
Questions for your network administrator
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is approval needed for SNMP-based network scanning? Should any subnets be excluded? | Device Scout discovers printers with SNMP. The Security white paper describes the network load to expect. |
| Which network ranges should be scanned for printers? | This is the most important question for a successful deployment. See Define printer host addresses. |
| Which SNMP community strings should be used? | Many organizations don't set private strings, in which case the default public string is used. |
| Where on the network will Device Scout be installed? | See Choose where to install it. |
Choose where to install it
- Device Scout can share a server, as long as the server meets the minimum hardware requirements.
- Choose a location that can reach every network range you want to scan. If there isn't one, install more than one Device Scout.
- Keep it as few network hops as possible from the ranges you scan. SNMP doesn't guarantee delivery, so congestion can stop Device Scout reaching some printers.
- If scanning all your ranges would take more than 24 hours, install more than one Device Scout. The Device Scout Discovery utility can estimate how long a scan will take.
You can limit discovery to a list of specific IP addresses instead of ranges. You then need to keep that list up to date in the web console, and new printers aren't found until you add them.
Verify the installation
After you install Device Scout:
Check the heartbeat
Go to Discover > Device Scout and check the heartbeat of the new Device Scout.
Run a test scan
Open the Device Scout Discovery utility. It uses the same SNMP scanning as Device Scout, and loads the settings from the Device Scout configuration in the web console. If your network team has approved a time window for discovery, use it within that window. See Device Scout Discovery Utility.
Select Scan Now. Printers appear in the right pane as they're found.
Upload the results
When the scan is complete, select Save to in the lower-right corner, then Upload to Server. A message confirms the upload.
Note: Printers uploaded with the utility continue to be monitored in HP Insights, even if they're never added to a scan range.
Check the results
In the Fleet Analytics views, check that:
- The number of discovered printers is what you expected. It can take two or three discovery sessions to find everything, because of temporary network problems or printers in sleep mode.
- Printer makes, models and serial numbers are correct.