Discovery IP address configuration

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated July 25, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Discovery IP address configuration

    This topic explains how to configure the IP address ranges that ServiceNow Discovery uses to scan devices on your network. It covers methods to define which IP addresses or ranges Discovery queries, helping you control the scope and accuracy of network discovery.

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    Discovery can include or exclude specific IP addresses or ranges, enabling targeted scanning. It is important to note that IPv6 addresses are not supported for IP range or network definitions in Discovery.

    Key Configuration Methods

    • IP address list: Allows adding individual IP addresses or hostnames (mapped to IPs) that are not part of existing ranges or networks. Use this to specify exact devices to query.
    • IP address range: Defines arbitrary ranges of IP addresses to scan. This method lets you select segments of a network or subnet, but it can include private or broadcast addresses, which may cause inaccurate results. To maintain accuracy, only include IP addresses reserved for manageable public devices, and limit ranges to a maximum of /16 (around 65,536 IPs) for performance.
    • IP network: Specifies entire IP networks using CIDR notation (e.g., 192.168.0.0/24). Discovery automatically excludes network and broadcast addresses from scans, preventing errors like redundant or invalid device entries. This makes IP networks the preferred method for defining Discovery queries.

    Practical Guidance

    • If you do not know your network IP addresses, run Network Discovery first to identify IP networks, then convert these into range sets for Discovery scanning.
    • After importing IP range items, clear any update and metadata records if your instance integrates with sysmetadata and sysupdatexml tables to avoid conflicts.
    • To avoid performance issues, break large IP ranges into smaller segments rather than scanning very large ranges at once.
    • Using IP networks in CIDR notation is best practice because Discovery excludes network and broadcast addresses automatically, improving data accuracy.

    Additional Considerations

    Including broadcast addresses in scans may introduce significant data errors. Using IP networks helps prevent these issues by design.

    Related tasks include creating quick IP ranges for schedules, importing IP ranges via import sets, excluding IP ranges from Discovery sets, and managing global excludes for IP addresses.

    Use one or more of these methods in any combination to define the network or network segment for Discovery to query. You can include or exclude specific IP ranges from your query.

    Note:
    If you don't know the IP addresses in the network, run Network discovery first to determine the IP networks. Then, convert the IP networks into IP address range sets.

    If you have integrations which populate sys_metadata and sys_update_xml tables, make sure to clear the update and metadata records after the discovery_range_item or discovery_range_item_ip import occurs.

    Important:
    IPv6 addresses aren't supported for IP address range or IP network.
    There are three types of IP collections:
    IP collection type Description
    IP address list Use IP address lists to add individual addresses to query. These addresses aren't included in any existing IP range or IP network. You can enter the IP address of the device or a host name (DNS name). If you enter a host name, it must be mapped to an IP address.
    IP address range

    You can define arbitrary ranges of IP addresses to query. This process is a good way to include selected segments of a network or subnet. However, Discovery has no way of knowing if the IP range includes addresses for private networks or broadcast addresses, and scans all the addresses in the range. If the network and broadcast addresses are included, then the results are inaccurate. Discoveries configured to detect IP networks are more accurate than discoveries configured for IP address ranges. Only those IP addresses in your range that are reserved for manageable devices on the public network should be included.

    Note:
    To avoid performance issues, limit Discovery schedules to a maximum range of /16 (approximately 65,536 IPs). For better performance, consider splitting the range into smaller segments.
    IP network

    You can also scan an entire IP network. An IP network includes the range of available IP addresses in that network. The scan also includes the network address (the lowest address in the range) and the broadcast address (the highest address in the range). After you run network discovery, convert the IP networks that were found into range setsfor use in discovering other devices.

    IP networks are represented in CIDR notation. Examples of CIDR notation include:
    • 192.168.0.0/24
    • 10.11.128.192/26
    Discovery will not scan the network or broadcast addresses for a network. The equivalent ranges for the two networks are:
    • 192.168.0.1 – 192.168.254
    • 10.11.128.193 – 10.11.128.254

    To avoid introducing errors from broadcast addresses, configure Discovery to exclude them by using IP network definitions in CIDR notation. Discovery automatically avoids scanning network and broadcast addresses when using IP networks.

    Including broadcast addresses in Discovery scans can lead to significant errors in the data, such as redundant or invalid device entries. By excluding broadcast addresses, Discovery helps prevent these errors.

    This built-in control makes IP networks the best method of defining which IP address ranges to query.