Auvik’s scanning is optimized for private network infrastructure and will only scan RFC 1918 private IP ranges by default.
When Configuring Discovery
Prioritize Active Subnets: Add only subnets actively used for network infrastructure and user endpoints.
Avoid /8 or /16 subnets unless absolutely necessary: Large subnets can degrade collector performance and result in excessive scanning.
Use /24 or smaller subnets where feasible: This reduces scan overhead.
Best Practices for Setting Up Scanning
- Enable scanning only on subnets where you expect live devices.
- Avoid scanning full ranges (e.g., entire /16 or /12 blocks) unless necessary.
- Break up large networks into smaller blocks—like /24, /27, /28, or /29—when possible.
This helps improve scan speed and reduce unnecessary traffic
Avoid Oversized Subnets
- Scanning a /16 may take 50+ minutes to complete a single pass.
- Larger ranges, such as /12, can take many hours or days and are typically discouraged unless required.
Leverage Rule Precedence
Auvik uses a child subnet > parent subnet rule logic.
For example: If a /24 is set to “Don’t Scan,” but a /29 inside it is set to “Scan,” the /29 will still be scanned.
Excluded by Default Without Special Configuration
Auvik does not scan the following IP address ranges by default:
- 127.0.0.0/8 — Loopback addresses
- 169.254.0.0/16 — Link-local addresses
- 224.0.0.0/4 and 240.0.0.0/4 — Multicast and reserved ranges
- 255.255.255.255 — Broadcast address
These ranges are excluded because they do not represent routable networks or usable devices in a traditional sense.
Auvik will not scan the following without explicit setup:
- Public IP ranges (e.g., internet-facing or non-RFC1918 addresses)
- External or cloud environments without agent-based deployment or configured routing
- VLANs, VPNs, or firewalled subnets that are not routed to or reachable by the Auvik collector
How Auvik Schedules and Prioritizes Scans
- A scan is attempted every 3 minutes.
- Each cycle scans up to 15 /24 subnets.
- All networks are broken down internally into /24 blocks, regardless of the size you define.
Scan Prioritization Logic:
- Subnets with previously discovered devices are scanned more frequently.
- Subnets where no devices were found are deprioritized to reduce load.
This means newly added devices in unused subnets may take longer to be discovered.
Maintain Scanning Hygiene
- Review and update scan rules regularly to reflect your current network architecture.
- Remove outdated or unused ranges to prevent wasted scan cycles.
- Avoid scanning external-facing public IPs unless intentionally required and securely configured.
- Remove offline or decommissioned devices from the network.
- Regularly review scan settings to align with network topology changes.
- Avoid leaving rogue DHCP scopes or unused VLANs that can confuse discovery logic.