How to Setup Credentials

This is a step-by-step lesson on how to setup credentials for scanning.  Several different types of credentials can be used, and it is important to setup the correct ones for the scans you are performing.  

This lesson is a prerequisite to scanning for inventory.

Credentials Management

Credentials Management

Navigate to: Setup > Discovery Setup > Credentials > Manage. In this data view, the user is able to review current credentials and create new credentials.

Select type of Credential to Create

Select type of Credential to Create
  1. Click the 'New' button to add a new credentials entry.
  2. By clicking on the drop-down, you are presented with several different credential types.  Each type of credential corresponds to a type of scan you may want to run.
  • AWS Credentials: allow for querying Amazon Web Services cloud estate resources.
  • Azure AD credentials: allow for querying Azure Active Directory/Office 365 users.
  • Cisco UCS credentials: allow for scanning of Cisco UCS Manager servers.
  • DB2 credentials: allow for scanning IBM DB2 machines.
  • ESX credentials: allow for scanning your virtualization infrastructure hosts.
  • FTP credentials: provides for access to FTP sites specified in Export Scan Jobs.
  • Google Directory credentials: provide credentials for querying Google Directory for Google Docs and Chromebooks.
  • Oracle credentials: allow for scanning machines with oracle server.
  • oVirt/RHEV credentials: allow for scanning of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization devices.
  • SNMP community credentials: allow for scanning network devices such as printers, routers and switches.
  • SNMP secure credentials: allow for access to SNMP using secure connection.
  • SSH private key credentials: are used for scanning Unix/Linux and macOS devices.
  • Salesforce credentials: allow for discovery of Salesforce.com users and licensing data
  • Simple SSH credentials: also used for scanning Unix/Linux and macOS devices.
  • Telnet credentials: allow for discovery of devices via Telnet (HP Neoware thin client terminals).
  • Windows credentials: are for scanning for Windows inventory, including Software Tags and OS Patches.

Adding New Windows Credentials

Adding New Windows Credentials

1. The User name and Password are those credentials that have admin privileges on the remote machines.  The User names should be entered in the following format:

For Domain-based credentials (examples):

 - NetBIOS_DOMAIN\Username

 - Username@FQDN_Domain.com

For Machine-based credential, simply enter the Username.  If the User Name is the same on all machines (for management of WORKGROUP-based machines), the credentials will be passed to each machine as if it were for that specific machine.

2. A key aspect of Asset Vision® credential management is where the credentials are stored. The default option is that they are stored on the PAD; we do not store them anywhere on our servers. If "PAD stored" is unchecked, the credentials will be stored on Scalable's servers. Naturally the credentials are encrypted and not decrypted until they are required to be used. In order to store the credentials on a PAD, a PAD needs to be selected.  The impact of storing credentials on a PAD is that each PAD requires a set of credentials for the machines it has access to; stated differently, credentials cannot be shared across PADs.  For this reason we give customers the option to store the credentials on our servers.  The credentials are RSA encrypted in our database fields. The database itself resides on AES encrypted disks. Despite the strong security model for credential storage, we offer this as an option, as certain companies have a policy of not allowing credentials to be stored off site under any circumstances.

3. The final credential option is IP Range set.  Credentials can be associated with certain IP ranges.  Quite often a customer with different domains and locations will have different sets of credentials for each.  This option allows that organizational dimension to be reflected in the way credentials are used.  The effect of specifying this option is that the PAD will use credentials, which have the same IP range specified as the current scan, before credentials that are range independent.

Save your credentials settings.

ESX Credentials, Protocols and Account Rights Requirements

VMware ESX credentials:

  • vCenter / vSphere management center runs on Windows and has a security management component that allows the registration of Windows accounts as vClient / vSphere administrators.
  • ESX has a similar arrangement, but being the OS it allows direct account creation.
  • Both have an HTTPS based API that the PAD uses to access them.
  • To access an ESX server, put the chosen account details into the ESX Credentials type.
  • To access the vCenter / vSphere management console, put the chosen windows credentials registered with the vClient / vSphere management center into the ESX Credentials type.

The following privileges are required for the account(s) in order for the PAD to scan either one:

  • System.Anonymous
  • System.View
  • Global.Licenses
  • System.Read