Active scanning & Computer Objects

[BUSD]

Did a search but didn't see anything... I noticed that there are a lot of computers (592 out of 2260) that are getting RPC errors. While troubleshooting, I noticed that a few computers reported IPs that are currently used by successfully scanned computers also showing up in lansweeper with the same IP but different name.

Does active scanning add computers to the database even if they are unused and empty computer objects? Sometimes computer objects will stick or our techs will not delete the computer object after removing it from the domain to be e-wasted or moved to another site, etc. Sometimes, they will just reimage a machine without first removing it from the domain. So that computer object is no longer used.

Does lansweeper 4 add all computer objects to the database without verifying it is actually being used? I don't remember this happening with 3.5.

As a side question, are there any scripts that may be used to clean up unused computer accounts by verifying whether they are no longer being used?


Thanks

[BUSD]

Unfortunately, we don't use DHCP. All static IPs. So my question still stands, if I use IP scan rather than active scan, would I only get live machines?

[Hemoco]

BUSD wrote:
Unfortunately, we don't use DHCP. All static IPs. So my question still stands, if I use IP scan rather than active scan, would I only get live machines?

You will get only live machines in both scans.

One exception: if you start the service active scanning scans computers seen in the last 14 days (these might not all be active)

[BUSD]

That must be what it is then. So any DNS entries that correspond to old unused computer objects will be added to the Lansweeper DB? It would make sense that the workstation was probably reimaged by one of our techs without removing it from the domain first which meant the DNS record and computer object still remained.

Is there a setting or way to set Lansweeper up so that it will only add computers to the domain if they are, in fact, pingable? Would I have to turn off active scanning and move to IP scanning to do that? That would mean doing an IP scan of about 21,000 IP numbers throughout the week. Would IP scanning for windows machines tax the system?

Thanks in advance.

[Hemoco]

BUSD wrote:
That must be what it is then. So any DNS entries that correspond to old unused computer objects will be added to the Lansweeper DB? It would make sense that the workstation was probably reimaged by one of our techs without removing it from the domain first which meant the DNS record and computer object still remained.

Active scanning only tries to scan computers that are "seen" by the domain controllers, so this wouldn't explain your problem.
Better would be to check your DHCP servers and make sure that they update the DNS servers.

[Hemoco]

Lansweeper service looks up the IP address of the FQDN name in DNS.
Maybe they are both pointing to the same IP?

In the "scanning options" screen are options to clean up old computers from Lansweeper.

[BUSD]

How is it, then, that I have two computers in lansweeper with different computer names but the same IP (we use static IPs). The names of the computers were similar (something like RM202-T and RM202-TT). I looked in Active Directory and I do see both computer objects. Just trying to figure out how that happened and see why it is I am getting so many RPC errors.

I am not using OU scanning. No IP scanning either. Just active scanning.

As for if I meant in active directory or in lansweeper, I meant both.

[Hemoco]

Does active scanning add computers to the database even if they are unused and empty computer objects?

No

Does lansweeper 4 add all computer objects to the database without verifying it is actually being used?

Not with active scanning, for scheduled OU scanning: yes.

As a side question, are there any scripts that may be used to clean up unused computer accounts by verifying whether they are no longer being used?

Do you mean in active directory or in Lansweeper?