How to handle duplicate assets

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vScope automatically identifies and merges assets across any data source. Merging is based on numerous criteria eg. serial number, domain, and name. If you find multiple representations of an asset in vScope, you can handle this in different ways.

1. Confirm duplicate in the data source(s)

Are you sure that it is a duplicate? Sometimes, what’s considered to be ‘one‘ asset can be found multiple times in eg. Active Directory or VMware due to replications or an old representation of the asset that is lingering in the data source. Please ensure that it is the same asset before proceeding.

2. Review Discovery suggestions

You can improve vScope’s handling of duplicate assets by reviewing suggestions. Go to Discovery Manager > Suggestions to discover what improvements can be made in your environment. For instance, domain names such as company.local and company.com, are not always considered as the same domain in vScope. By accepting/dismissing suggestions, you can
NOTICE: You need to be an administrator in vScope to review suggestions. Changes in suggestions are first applied after the next full discovery.

3. Create your own domain-matching rules

In some cases, the domain names may differ to such an extent that vScope is unable to match them. This can be easily resolved by entering a script in the REST API that enables the domains to be matched. For illustrative purposes in this example, we will be using “Domain1” and “Domain2. Do the following:

  1. Log on to your vScope and enter “/apidoc” in the URL, i.e.: https://vscope.company.com/apidoc/
  2. Find the endpoint: AllowStitchRule (discovery/stitcher/rules/allow/allowingRule)
  3. Paste the code below:
{ "enable": true, "equalDomains": ["Domain1", "Domain2"], "$c": ".AllowDomainMatchRuleAPISet" }
  1. Modify the code with the correct domain name. In the example below, “Domain1” and “Domain2” are the two domains that should be considered the same.
  2. Click on the “Try it out!” button. The rule will be executed.
  3. Perform a full discovery. The rule will not be applied until this step is completed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why are the assets not merged they have the same MAC address?

vScope usually merges two assets based on MAC addresses if both of the machines are running.

Why does vScope show duplicates from Active Directory and Azure?

  1. Check out the domain
    It is common that the domain used in the Active Directory (ISL.local) differs from the one in Azure Active Directory (infrasightlabs.com) which makes it hard for vScope to know that the assets should be merged. If domains are not suggested as discussed above, please contact Customer Success.
  2. Check “Intune Device ID”
    This value shows if Azure has one or many unique identifiers for the machine. vScope will not stitch assets with different Intune Device ID.

How can I view current rules for merging duplicate assets?

Using the endpoint:

GET /discovery/stitcher/rules/allow

will list all rules on how to merge assets.

Contact Customer Success

If you need help, feel free to reach out to customersuccess@infrasightlabs.com.