Every device iPM watches starts the same way: it becomes a host, then gets one or more services attached to it. This article is the general reference for adding devices — First Monitoring Setup covers the same ground for your very first device if you need a step-by-step walkthrough.
Two ways to add a device
- The Wizard — best for adding one device at a time. You enter its IP Address, leave Ping enabled for a basic up/down check, and optionally provide SNMP details (Version, Port, Community or SNMPv3 credentials) so iPM can add relevant services automatically.
- Auto Discovery — best for onboarding many devices at once. Give it an IP range or subnet plus SNMP credentials to try, and it scans, probes, and lets you review and select which discovered devices to add.
While adding a device, it's worth assigning it to a host group (for example, by site, role, or vendor) — this is what Dashboard Filters and per-widget scoping key off later, so a few seconds spent here pays off across every dashboard you build afterward.
What happens next depends on the device type
Once a host exists, how you monitor it in more depth differs by what it is:
- SNMP-capable devices (most network hardware) — see SNMP Monitoring
- Linux/Unix servers — see Monitoring Linux Servers
- Windows servers — see Monitoring Windows Servers
- Switches, routers, and firewalls generally — see Monitoring Network Devices, plus the Cisco and F5 articles if that's what you're running
- VMs and cloud resources — see Cloud and Virtual Infrastructure Monitoring
Editing or removing a device
A host isn't permanent. Open it from its detail page (reachable from the dashboard or a host list) to edit its IP, credentials, host group, or attached services, or to remove it entirely if it's been decommissioned.