Discover instances and items

Use Connector discovery to find, review, and add instances and items in the Edge Portal.

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Discovery lets you search a network, device, service, or other supported source for resources that a Connector can add automatically. Use Discover instances to find connection endpoints supported by one or more Connectors. Use Discover items to find data points within an existing instance.

The available discovery options and returned information depend on the selected Connector. A Connector only shows discovery controls for the resource types it supports.

Discovery does not add every result automatically. Review the candidates before selecting Add selected.

The network discovery functionality does no work on the Docker version of SIA

Before you begin

Install the Connector or Connectors you want to use.
Enable a Connector before discovering instances with it.
Create or discover an instance before discovering its items.
Make sure the instance is online before discovering items.
Confirm that the Connector supports discovery. The discovery button is hidden when the capability is unavailable.

Connector-specific requirements can include network access, credentials, an address range, a protocol setting, or access to the target system. Review the Connector documentation before starting a search.

Understand instance and item discovery

Discovery type	What it searches for	Where you start it	What is added
Discover instances	Supported devices, services, endpoints, or other connection targets	The Instances page or an installed Connector on the Connectors page	New instances for the selected Connector
Discover items	Available data points within one configured instance	The Items area of the instance	New items in that instance

Discover instances

You can browse all supported Connectors in an instance category or run a customized search with one Connector.

Start from the Instances page

Sign in to the Edge Portal.
Open Instances in the sidebar.
Select All instances, Industrial, Cloud & APIs, or Databases.
Select Discover instances.

The Connector list defaults to All. It contains installed Connectors that support instance discovery and match the selected category. Disabled Connectors are marked unavailable and are skipped.

Browse all supported Connectors

Leave Connector set to All.
Select Discover / Browse.
Wait while the portal scans each enabled, discovery-capable Connector in sequence using its default discovery settings.
Review the combined results. Select Cancel remaining if you want to stop Connectors that have not yet completed.

After at least one Connector has been scanned, the action changes to Browse again. The combined table identifies the Connector that returned each candidate.

Search with one Connector

Select a Connector from the Connector list.
Review and change its Discovery parameters as required.
Select Search instances.
Wait for the search to finish, or select Cancel search to stop it.

Selecting one Connector is useful when you need to change its discovery parameters. After a search has run, select Search again to start a new session with the current values.

Start from the Connectors page

Open Configuration > Connectors.
Find the installed Connector you want to use.
Open its instance section if required by the current view.
Select Discover instances.

Starting from a Connector selects that Connector automatically. If it is disabled, the dialog tells you to enable it before starting a new search.

Discover items

Open the instance that contains the items you want to discover.
Go to its Items area.
Select Discover items.
Use the default parameters or change them to match your search.
Select Search items.
Wait for the search to finish, or select Cancel search to stop it.

Item discovery searches the selected instance only, so there is no separate Connector selector. The button only appears when the Connector supports item discovery.

Item discovery is unavailable while the instance is offline. Restore the instance connection before starting another search.

Understand discovery parameters

Discovery parameters are defined by the Connector, so the fields can differ between instance and item discovery.

Field type	How to use it
Text or number field	Enter the value required by the Connector.
Selection field	Choose one of the values supported by the Connector.
Scan duration (ms)	Controls how long a standard discovery scan runs. The displayed default is 5000 milliseconds when the Connector does not provide another default.
Scan style	Selects the discovery method when the Connector provides more than one style.
Window	When Scan style is set to Windowed, enter the window in milliseconds or seconds. The normal Scan duration field is hidden.
Help control	Open the help text beside a field when the Connector provides additional instructions.

Parameter controls are locked while a discovery session is pending or running. Cancel the current search or wait for it to finish before changing them.

If a Connector does not require additional parameters, the dialog displays This connector does not require additional discovery parameters.

Follow the discovery status

Status	Meaning	What to do
Discovery is pending	The request has been accepted and is waiting to start.	Wait for the search to begin, or cancel it if necessary.
Searching for available candidates	The Connector is actively searching.	Wait for completion. A phase message can provide more detail.
Cancelling discovery	A cancellation has been requested but has not completed.	Wait until the status changes to cancelled.
Discovery finished	The search completed and its candidates can be reviewed.	Select the candidates you want to add.
Discovery cancelled	The search stopped before normal completion.	Review any candidates returned before cancellation.
Discovery failed	The Connector could not complete the search.	Review the displayed error, correct the cause, and search again.

Review discovery results

A result table can show:

Connector for combined instance discovery results.
Name.
Address for instance discovery.
Description.
Unit for item discovery.
Read/write for item discovery.
Sample value when at least one candidate includes a sample.
Parameters supplied by the Connector.
Status.

Use the result search to filter candidates. The default result page contains 50 candidates. You can display 25, 50, 100, or 250 candidates per page.

Select and add candidates

Review each candidate and its status.
Select the checkbox beside each candidate you want to add.
To select every available candidate on the current page, use the checkbox in the table header.
Select Add selected.
Review the import summary and candidate statuses.

You can select candidates across multiple result pages. Candidates that are already added, have conflicts, or are not importable cannot be selected.

When one instance is added successfully, the portal opens it. When multiple instances are added, the discovery dialog remains open so you can review the results. Added items appear in the current instance after its item data refreshes.

Understand candidate statuses

Status	Meaning	Action
Available	The candidate can be selected and added.	Select it when you want to add it.
Added	The candidate was added successfully.	Open the instance or item and review its configuration.
Already added	A matching resource is already configured.	Review the existing resource instead of adding a duplicate.
Conflict	The candidate conflicts with an existing resource.	Review the displayed detail and correct the existing configuration if required.
Not importable	The Connector returned the candidate for information but it cannot be added automatically.	Configure the resource manually if the Connector supports it.

Troubleshoot discovery

Message or condition	What to do
No installed connectors in this category support instance discovery.	Install a Connector that supports instance discovery, or open another category.
All supported connectors in this category are disabled.	Enable a supported Connector and reopen discovery.
Enable [Connector] before starting discovery.	Enable the Connector under Configuration > Connectors.
Item discovery is unavailable while the instance is offline.	Correct the instance connection and start discovery again after it is online.
Discovery timed out and The scan did not finish within the configured duration.	Increase the configured scan duration or window when available. Check the target and network, then run the search again.
No instances or items were returned	Review the parameters and target availability, then search again.
No candidates match the current search.	Clear or change the result search.
Discovery failed	Read the session error, verify the Connector and target settings, and run the search again.
The search cannot start, cancel, or add selected candidates	Read the returned error, refresh the status, and retry after correcting Connector availability, target access, or candidate conflicts.

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