Computers, servers and device details

Besides checking that devices are up, the collector reads what each device says about itself: model, serial number, operating system, firmware, memory, disks, interfaces, installed software and updates, services, neighbors and, for printers, page counts and supplies. Everything is read-only.

Two ways to read a computer

• SNMP: Linux, macOS, NAS boxes and network gear answer the standard HOST-RESOURCES and ENTITY MIBs. Windows has an optional SNMP feature too.
• WinRM (Windows): the richest source, and nothing needs installing. Windows Server has it turned on by default.

Read Windows servers with just an account

1. Create a dedicated domain account for monitoring and make it a local administrator on the servers (by Group Policy, for example). Other accounts can sign in, but Windows hides services, Defender status and some hardware details from them.
2. Make sure the Windows firewall allows TCP 5985 from the collector. On domain networks it usually does already.
3. On the collector, open Settings › Credentials and save the account (CORP\monitoring or monitoring@corp.example).

Over port 5985 every message is encrypted and signed with the account's NTLM session keys, the same way Windows' own tools do it. If a server also has an HTTPS listener on 5986, the collector uses that instead, with TLS channel binding. The password itself is never sent, and Basic sign-in is only ever used over HTTPS.

Tip: Windows 10 and 11 PCs have WinRM off by default. Turn it on by Group Policy (Allow remote server management through WinRM) or with winrm quickconfig.

Add computer sensors

1. On the Devices tab, select the device name to open its details.
2. Under Add computer sensors, choose the credential and Add over WinRM (Windows), or Add over SNMP.
3. The collector reads the device and adds CPU, memory and a sensor for every disk. Over WinRM it also watches stopped automatic services, uptime and the days since the last Windows update (a warning after 45 days).

Discovery adds CPU, memory and disk checks automatically for servers that answer SNMP. Disks warn at 85% used and go down at 95%; change the limits on each sensor.

Stopped services you expect

Some services stop on purpose, such as updaters and agents that run on a schedule. Open the device, choose Show stopped services, and pick Ignore here or Ignore on all servers. The warning clears straight away, and every change is recorded in the audit log.

Health review

Reports › Health review turns everything the collector knows into a ranked list for each site: Now (risk of an outage or data loss, such as a full disk or antivirus switched off), Soon (security or capacity risks such as missing Windows updates, unsupported Windows or network gear, low disk space, printers needing a visit) and Next (housekeeping such as supplies and stopped services). The overview compares sites side by side; open a site for its network gear, servers and printers. Print it for the site's lead or download every action as CSV.

Windows health report

Reports › Windows health lists every Windows computer with its version and Microsoft's end-of-support date, the last installed update and how long ago it was, the fullest disk, stopped services and antivirus status, worst first. Print it, save it as PDF or download it as CSV for a review or an audit.

Device details

Select any device name to see everything read from it, with tables for disks, interfaces, services, updates, installed software, supplies and neighbors. Details are read every 12 hours; Read now refreshes them. On the Devices tab, Device details shown lets each person choose which details appear under every device name, such as model, serial number, operating system or the fullest disk. Search also matches these details, so you can find every device with a given model or serial number.

Collectors linked to the hub also send a short list of details (model, operating system, serial number, memory, disks, last update, uptime and antivirus) so they show on the hub too. Addresses, user and domain names, locations and contacts stay on the collector.