Discover asset relations

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You can gain deeper insights into your IT environment by visualizing the relations between your assets. Asset relations can either be discovered automatically based on the network information available in your inventory, or are created based on your scanning settings.

Explore relation types

Diagrams can display three types of relations. You can select any relation in a diagram to display information such as the relation type, start and end date, information port, or comments.

SNMP relations

SNMP relations are discovered automatically based on the network information available in your inventory. By correctly configuring your SNMP credentials, you can improve both the discovery and display of these relationships in your diagrams, reducing orphan assets and minimizing the number of manual relations you need to create.

To enable SNMP relation discovery, configure your SNMP credentials:

1. In your Lansweeper Site, go to Discovery > Credentials.

2. Select Create credential.

3. Select SNMPv1 or SNMPv2.

4. Enter the required information, and save the credential.

By default, if Lansweeper discovers more than 4 devices connected to a switch port, the port will be deemed an uplink (a port connecting a router, switch, or internet gateway).

Other discovered relations

In addition to SNMP, Lansweeper automatically creates certain relations based on your scanning settings. Most of these are detected through Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) and are stored in your inventory.

Diagrams can also display relations between Print Servers and their printers. This works when the PortName field in the Print Server’s printer list contains the IP address of a printer. Printers with a PortName that matches the IP of a printer in the network are automatically connected to the Print Server in diagrams.

These relations appear automatically and cannot be removed or manually modified.

Manual relations

Manual relations are user-defined connections created directly in your inventory, using asset relations.

You can manually create relations between assets directly from your diagram. To add a relation:

1. In your diagram, find the asset you want to connect. Use search or filters if it’s not immediately visible.

2. Open the asset, and select Add new relation.

3. In the pop-up window, enter the information required.

4. Select Create.

The new relation will appear on your diagram.

Explore relation display options

Selecting an asset in a diagram will highlight all its relations in orange.

Relation styles

Depending on the relation type, relations are displayed with different styles:

• SNMP relations: represented by a solid blue line with a small dot

• Other discovered relations: represented by a solid blue line with an icon indicating the relation type

• Manual relations: represented by a solid blue line with an icon indicating the relation type

Depending on the connection type, relations are displayed with different styles:

• Solid line relations: represent direct links between the assets currently visible in the diagram

• Dotted line relations: represent indirect links involving one or more child objects.

Select a dotted line to expand the diagram and reveal the child objects and their connections.

Logical groups

To simplify diagrams, some asset relations are grouped logically. This helps keep layouts readable, especially when many connections exist.

Assets with a shared IP location

Assets can be grouped by configured IP locations in your inventory. In large diagrams, grouping by IP location is enabled by default to improve performance.

To disable grouping by IP location in your diagram:

1. In your diagram, go to Settings.

2. Deselect IP location under Grouping behavior.

Location asset type

Assets connected to a Location asset type are grouped together.

To disable grouping by location in your diagram:

1. In your diagram, go to Settings.

2. Deselect Location (asset) under Grouping behavior.

You can add an asset to a location by adding a new relation with Is located in as the relation type. Regenerate the diagram to update the logical group.

Physical machines hosting virtual machines

Physical hosts and their virtual machines are displayed as a logical group.

Shared properties on virtual environment templates

Certain virtual properties are grouped automatically, including DataCenters, ESXi Clusters, Datastore Clusters, Datastores, and Disks.

Relation groups

When multiple connections exist between two assets (or groups of assets), they are consolidated into a relation group. A label shows how many connections are grouped.