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Why did Discovery create a Windows Server CI for my Laptop/Desktop? - Support and Troubleshooting
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  • Why did Discovery create a Windows Server CI for my Laptop/Desktop?
KB0781898

Why did Discovery create a Windows Server CI for my Laptop/Desktop?


1333 Views Last updated : Apr 8, 2025 public Copy Permalink
KB Summary by Now Assist

Issue

Discovery may scan a Desktop/Laptop computer running a non-server edition of Windows - e.g. Windows 10 - and wrongly create a Windows Server CI for it.

Or an existing Computer CI for a desktop/laptop may get re-classified as a Windows Server.

Release

Any, where Discovery is installed, and Credential-less Discovery is enabled.

Cause

Discovery classifies Windows devices based on the Operating System version.

  • Windows Professional (NT, 2000, Vista, XP, 7, 8, 10) -> Computer [cmdb_ci_computer]
  • Windows Server (2003, 2008, 2012, 2016) -> Windows Server [cmdb_ci_win_server]

This is regardless of the hardware, form-factor, or function. e.g. a Laptop running Windows Server is a Server. A VM running Windows 10 is a Computer.

For the above to work, Discovery must have a Credential that is able to log into the host to find out the OS version/edition.

However, when there is no valid credential, Discovery may fall back to using Credential-less Discovery pattern, and that makes guesses based on NMAP scan results.

It may not have enough information to make an accurate guess, and in that situation defaults to Windows Server.

Resolution

Please configure the device to allow access by the Discovery Credentials entered in the instance, before scanning the device for the first time.


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