If you're working with a network of any substantial size, using Network Discovery in Configuration Manager 2007 is usually more efficient if you've mapped your network topology before discovering potential clients and their operating systems. Doing this is more efficient because once you've determined the topology of your network, you can pick and choose which parts of it to discover, as well as when and in what order to discover the parts. This approach also allows you to more closely control the impact of Network Discovery on your network traffic.

The degree to which a large network is mapped at one time by Network Discovery is determined by the number of router hops that a Network Discovery run is set for. Each router hop made during the network discovery can significantly increase the amount of resources discovered if a network is broken into multiple nodes. For more information on how router hops affect Network Discovery, see About Router Hops in Network Discovery.

Once a topology-only discovery has been run, you can use the results as a map for running additional discoveries.

Note
You must have Modify permission for the Site security object class to use the Network Discovery method to determine your network topology. For more information about security permissions, see Classes and Instances for Object Security in Configuration Manager.

To determine your network topology

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, navigate to System Center Configuration Manager / Site Database / Site Management / <site name> / Site Settings / Discovery Methods.

  2. Configure Network Discovery as discussed in How to Configure Network Discovery with the following specifics:

    • On the General tab, select Topology from the Type of Discovery options.

    • On the Subnets tab, ensure that the Search local subnets check box is selected. This is normally done by default.

      Note
      If you know the specific subnets making up your network, you can clear the Search local subnets check box and use the New icon to add the specific subnets you'd like to search. For large networks, it is often best to search only one or two subnets at one time to minimize the impact on network traffic.
    • On the Domains tab, ensure that the Search local domain check box is selected. This is normally done by default.

    • Using the Maximum hops drop-down list, specify how many router hops Network Discovery should make in mapping your topology. If you are unsure, use a small number, as you can increase it later.

      For more information on how the number of hops will affect the mapping of your network topology, see About Router Hops in Network Discovery.

See Also