Discover New Computers and Devices

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When you connect a computer that has a Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows Server operating system to the domain, System Center Essentials in Windows EBS can discover and manage the computer.

System Center Essentials discovers a new computer in one of two ways:

  • If you have configured System Center Essentials for automatic discovery, System Center Essentials follows a daily schedule to automatically discover new computers and install the management agent.
  • You can start the Computer in Device Management Wizard in System Center Essentials to discover new computers and install the management agent.

For more information about System Center Essentials: On the Management Server, in the System Center Essentials console, press F1.

Note

If System Center Essentials is set up for automatic discovery, detailed information about a new computer may not appear on the Managed Computers and Devices page for up to 24 hours.

Note

You must use an account that is in the Domain Admins group to perform this procedure.

To discover client computers by using the Computer and Device Management Wizard

  1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Essential Business Server, and then click Windows Essential Business Server Administration Console.

  2. Click the Computers and Devices tab, and then in the tasks pane, click Discover computers and devices. The Computer and Device Management Wizard in System Center Essentials appears.

  3. On the Introduction page of the Computer and Device Management Wizard, click Next.

  4. On the Administrator Account page, click Use selected Management Server Action Account, and then click Discover. The wizard begins to discover the computers and devices on your network.

    Note

    If the wizard does not discover computers and devices, an error message appears. You can return to a previous page to change a setting or cancel the wizard.

  5. On the Select Objects to Manage page, under Select the devices you want to manage, review the computers and devices that were discovered by the wizard. Click Select All, and then in the Management Mode list, click Agent. Then click Next.

  6. On the Summary page, review the information about the computers and devices that will be managed, and then click Finish to install agents on the devices. During this process, the agents are scheduled for installation. After the agents are successfully installed, you can review information about the computers and devices on the Computers and Devices page of the Administration Console.

    Note

    After you add a computer to the domain and run the Computer and Device Management Wizard, it can take 90-120 minutes for the Group Policy settings to be applied to the computer. Until this occurs, you cannot see detailed information about the computer on the Computers and Devices page. You can accelerate this process by running gpupdate /force at a command prompt on the computer that requires discovery.