Best Method of Scanning Remote Workstations?

[random_name]

*New customer*

In short, which scan method do most customers use to scan remote workers' laptops? I can see how WMI may prove to be impractical because it would need to be scheduled at the exact time someone's PC is both online and connected to VPN. Which scan method do most customers utilize for this purpose and why?

Also, if we do decide to deploy the LS agent and they come into the office where they get picked up on a WMI scan, will Lansweeper log two assets or is it smart enough to know that they're the same device? Same question for the AD scan - if we pull in computers from AD, WMI, and the LS agent, would we end up w/ three assets?

[Bruce_B · Accepted solution]

If the asset can be identified as a Windows computer when on prem, it shouldn't cause any duplicates. The key variable here is firewall rules (port access). Lansweeper uniquely identifies Windows computers based on a combination of domain and computer name, both of which can be retrieved without credentials via NetBIOS calls (139, 445 TCP, 137 UDP). Lansweeper will attempt to retrieve this information if it thinks it's dealing with a Windows computer. When performing IP scanning, an asset is treated as a potential Windows computer if it can be accessed via TCP 135.

If a Windows computer is scanned via LsAgent ordinarily, and sometimes visits the office, this will not generate a separate asset if:

• IP scanning: when Lansweeper scans the Windows computer via IP scanning, it can access the asset via Port 135 and it can retrieve NetBIOS name and domain name, with or without credentials.
• AD scanning: AD scanning guarantees identification and name/domain retrieval, so there should be no potential for an issue here.

[Tim_N]

Hello @random_name 

The short answer to your question is; no, you won't (or shouldn't) get duplicates. 

The longer (and more detailed) answer is that results will be based on credentials being used while onsite. If the scanner isn't able to retrieve content from the asset, it may see it as similar but not identical...therefore duplicate your assets. 

To keep this from happening, make sure your remote system's credentials are included in Lansweeper. This way, when onsite, the asset will be scannable and no duplicates should occur. 

In the end, an asset brought in by AD (that can't be scanned because the user is offsite) and the LsAgent-scanned system may duplicate and that's primarily because the AD system hasn't been scanned for in-depth details. The results will show un-unscannable asset brought in by AD. 

So, a workaround to something like this might be to put your remote users inside a separate OU that is not scanned by Lansweeper. This way, LsAgent will do all the work...but when the user comes onsite, the IP-based target range will also discover it, (and with appropriate credentials) will be scanned, and simply update the asset. 

We've worked hard to keep from having duplicates. I hope this helps and makes sense for your environment.