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Using the Ignore List

Preview

This article explains how to use the Ignore List for more efficient and accurate network scans.

The Ignore List allows you to exclude specific devices from the scanning process. There are several reasons why you might want to ignore a device:

  • Exclude devices that are not relevant: In some cases, there may be devices on a network that are not relevant. For example, there may be devices that are used only for internal purposes. These devices may slow down the scan and create unnecessary noise in the results.

  • Reduce the noise: Excluding certain devices from the scanning process can help you focus on the devices that are most relevant to your needs.

  • Avoid triggering security alerts: Some security systems are designed to trigger an alert when they detect a large number of scans or requests from a single IP address. By excluding certain IP addresses or devices from the scanning process, you can avoid triggering these alerts and potentially raising unnecessary security concerns.

Overall, the use of the Ignore List can help you customize the scanning process to better suit your needs.

To add one or multiple devices to the Ignore List, proceed as follows:

  1. In the Scan Results select the check boxes next to the devices you want to ignore.

  2. Select the check box in the row corresponding to each device.

  3. Click Move to Ignore List. The Ignore List dialog is displayed prompting you to choose one attribute that will identify the selected devices. The following options are available: NetBIOS name, DNS name, MAC address, or IP address. Keep in mind that the IP address, unless statically assigned to the device, may change over time, so it may be not the best option to use for device identification.

  4. Click OK.

    NOTE: Audit results for the selected devices will be deleted.

Alternatively, you can add devices to the Ignore List by entering their identifying information by hand:

  1. Click Ignore List next to the Last Scan Statistics widget. The Ignore List dialog is displayed.

  2. Enter one attribute per each device you wish to add to the Ignore List. The supported attributes are: NetBIOS name, DNS name, MAC address, and IP address.

  3. Optionally, enter a comment with additional information, such as the reason for excluding the device from scans. Make sure to add "#" at the beginning of a comment line.

  4. Click OK.

Once a device is added to the Ignore List, it gets removed from the Scan Results table. To verify that the device has been added to the Ignore List, you can run a new scan and check the results to ensure that the device is no longer appears in Scan results.

Adding a device to the Ignore List should be done with care and consideration for the potential impact on the accuracy of scanning results. Make sure to review the list periodically and remove any devices that no longer exist or no longer should be kept ignored.

To view the Ignore List, click Ignore List next to the Last Scan Statistics widget.

The Ignore List is editable. You can modify each line, if required, or delete it altogether to restore the device in the Scan Results table.