Data collection
Discovery tool collection schedule
After your initial discovery collection, the discovery tool continues to run on this schedule:
VMware discovery – every hour
Hyper-V discovery – every hour
The discovery tool also collects OS metrics through the following independent modules, each with its own schedule:
Database discovery – once a day
Network metrics – every 15 seconds, might be less frequent for large environments
Server performance metrics – every 10 minutes
Storage performance metrics – every 10 minutes
Server provisioning data – daily
Storage provisioning data – daily
Network interfaces – daily
Running processes – hourly
You can independently start, stop, or trigger each OS metrics module by using Collect data now.
To manually run a collection, from the Actions menu choose:
Start – Enables the discovery module.
Stop – Disables the discovery module.
Collect data now – Starts discovery immediately. Use this option, for example, after you make a change in your network.
These actions apply per module. You can control OS metrics modules individually.
OS data collection attempts
When a new server is discovered, the discovery tool attempts each configured credential for each IP address and the hostname. After the discovery tool finds a valid credential, it continues to use that credential unless you add a new credential.
After a collection failure, the discovery tool attempts to collect networking data for a server after 3 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 hours, and then 6 hours. After 4 failed attempts, the discovery tool continues to try all configured credentials once every 6 hours.
Discovered inventory
After you configure a discovery source, the Number of discovered servers value in the Discovery tool status frame begins to increment. The discovery status for the configured source changes to Enabled in the Collection module frame. The inventory page shows servers from all configured sources: VMware VMs, Hyper-V VMs, and imported bare metal servers. Each server shows its source and collection status per module.
Navigate to the Discovered inventory page to see the servers that the discovery tool has found. From this page, choose Download inventory to download a ZIP file (discovery_tool_export.zip) that contains up to 28 days of collected data, including MPA files for all configured sources, performance utilization data, database information, and server-to-server communication information.
You can download the ZIP file while the discovery tool continues to work, and obtain partial results. Upload this file to Migration assessment to obtain a business case for migration.
Data points collected
The discovery tool gathers comprehensive data across VMware, Hyper-V, OS metrics, database, and network components. The following sections detail the specific data points collected for each component.
VMware data collection
This table describes the VMware virtual machine information collected by the discovery tool:
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| vm_name | String | VM Info | "w2k22-snmpd-v2-en-us-mssql-2022-testcase4-1" |
| vm_id | String | VM Info | "vm-30920" |
| vm_uuid | String | VM Info | "4201ecf8-cc44-ee7e-01da-34dfb2acf6c0" |
| powerstate | String | VM Info | "poweredOn" |
| host | String | VM Info | "esxi-70-node1.testlab.local" |
| primary_ip_address | String | VM Info | "192.168.0.52" |
| cpus | Integer | VM Info | 2 |
| memory | Integer | VM Info | 4096 |
| total_disk_capacity_mib | Integer | VM Info | 32768 |
| os_according_to_the_configuration_file | String | VM Info | "Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or later (64-bit)" |
| max_cpu_usage_pct_dec | Float | VM Performance | 79.33 |
| avg_cpu_usage_pct_dec | Float | VM Performance | 45.06 |
| max_ram_usage_pct_dec | Float | VM Performance | 63.99 |
| avg_ram_utl_pct_dec | Float | VM Performance | 29.27 |
Hyper-V data collection
This table describes the Hyper-V virtual machine information collected by the discovery tool:
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| vm_name | String | VM Info | "win2022-hyperv-test-01" |
| vm_id | String | VM Info | "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890" |
| powerstate | String | VM Info | "Running" |
| cpus | Integer | VM Info | 4 |
| memory_mb | Integer | VM Info | 8192 |
| disk_paths | String | Disk | "C:\\VMs\\disk1.vhdx" |
| disk_size_gb | Float | Disk | 127.0 |
| network_adapters | String | Network | "00:15:5D:01:02:03" |
| ip_addresses | String | Network | "10.0.1.50" |
| host_name | String | Host | "hyperv-host-01.example.com" |
| host_os_version | String | Host | "Windows Server 2022 Datacenter" |
| cluster_name | String | Host | "FailoverCluster01" |
| hypervisor | String | VM Info | "Hyper-V" |
Bare metal data
Bare metal servers are not auto-discovered. They are imported through a CSV file. The discovery tool does not collect hypervisor-level data for bare metal servers. Instead, it collects database, network, and OS metrics data by using the OS credentials associated with each server during import.
Discovery tool's OS-related data
OS metrics data collection
The discovery tool collects OS-level metrics from servers through SSH (Linux) and WinRM (Windows). Data is collected across six sub-modules and exported into six CSV files.
Server inventory (server_inventory.csv)
Combines server provisioning (hardware and OS configuration) with aggregated storage performance. Collected every 24 hours.
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| server_id | String | Server Info | "vm-web-server-01" |
| server_name | String | Server Info | "web-server-01" |
| resource_type | String | Server Info | "virtual_machine" |
| power_state | String | Server Info | "Running" |
| os_type | String | Server Info | "Linux" |
| os_name | String | Server Info | "Amazon Linux" |
| os_version | String | Server Info | "2023" |
| primary_hostname | String | Server Info | "web-server-01.example.com" |
| primary_ip_address | String | Server Info | "10.0.2.101" |
| netmask | String | Server Info | "255.255.255.0" |
| total_num_network_cards | Integer | Server Info | 2 |
| total_num_disks | Integer | Server Info | 1 |
| cpu_count | Integer | Server Info | 4 |
| total_memory_gb | Float | Server Info | 15.88 |
| server_uuid | String | Server Info | "4201ecf8-cc44-ee7e-01da-34dfb2acf6c0" |
| smbios_uuid | String | Server Info | "4201ecf8-cc44-ee7e-01da-34dfb2acf6c0" |
| cluster_name | String | Server Info | "production-cluster-01" |
| hypervisor_object_id | String | Server Info | "vm-30920" |
| hypervisor_type | String | Server Info | "VMware" |
| hypervisor_version | String | Server Info | "8.0.0" |
| hypervisor_hostname | String | Server Info | "esxi-node1.example.com" |
| hypervisor_host_id | String | Server Info | "host-1234" |
| hypervisor_id | String | Server Info | "4201ecf8-cc44-ee7e-01da-34dfb2acf6c0" |
| disk_read_iops_avg | Float | Storage Performance | 12.5 |
| disk_read_iops_peak | Float | Storage Performance | 245.0 |
| disk_write_iops_avg | Float | Storage Performance | 8.3 |
| disk_write_iops_peak | Float | Storage Performance | 180.0 |
| disk_total_iops_avg | Float | Storage Performance | 20.8 |
| disk_total_iops_peak | Float | Storage Performance | 425.0 |
| disk_read_throughput_avg_mbps | Float | Storage Performance | 1.2 |
| disk_read_throughput_peak_mbps | Float | Storage Performance | 24.5 |
| disk_write_throughput_avg_mbps | Float | Storage Performance | 0.8 |
| disk_write_throughput_peak_mbps | Float | Storage Performance | 18.0 |
| disk_total_throughput_avg_mbps | Float | Storage Performance | 2.0 |
| disk_total_throughput_peak_mbps | Float | Storage Performance | 42.5 |
Server performance metrics (server_performance_metrics.csv)
CPU, memory, and network throughput utilization. Sampled every 10 minutes, aggregated over 28 days.
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| server_id | String | Server Info | "vm-web-server-01" |
| data_source | String | Server Info | "OS" |
| cpu_utilization_avg_pct | Float | CPU | 45.06 |
| cpu_utilization_peak_pct | Float | CPU | 79.33 |
| cpu_count | Integer | CPU | 4 |
| memory_total_gb | Float | Memory | 15.88 |
| memory_utilization_avg_pct | Float | Memory | 29.27 |
| memory_utilization_peak_pct | Float | Memory | 63.99 |
| network_in_avg_mbps | Float | Network | 0.52 |
| network_in_peak_mbps | Float | Network | 12.3 |
| network_out_avg_mbps | Float | Network | 0.31 |
| network_out_peak_mbps | Float | Network | 8.7 |
| network_total_avg_mbps | Float | Network | 0.83 |
| network_total_peak_mbps | Float | Network | 21.0 |
Storage performance (server_storage_performance.csv)
Per-volume disk I/O and space utilization. Sampled every 10 minutes, aggregated over 28 days.
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| server_id | String | Server Info | "vm-web-server-01" |
| data_source | String | Server Info | "OS" |
| disk_volume_id | String | Volume Info | "/dev/nvme0n1p1" |
| disk_mount_point | String | Volume Info | "/" |
| file_system | String | Volume Info | "xfs" |
| disk_total_gb | Float | Disk Space | 30.0 |
| disk_used_gb | Float | Disk Space | 12.5 |
| disk_free_gb | Float | Disk Space | 17.5 |
| disk_read_iops_avg | Float | Disk I/O | 12.5 |
| disk_read_iops_peak | Float | Disk I/O | 245.0 |
| disk_write_iops_avg | Float | Disk I/O | 8.3 |
| disk_write_iops_peak | Float | Disk I/O | 180.0 |
| disk_total_iops_avg | Float | Disk I/O | 20.8 |
| disk_total_iops_peak | Float | Disk I/O | 425.0 |
| disk_read_throughput_avg_mbps | Float | Disk Throughput | 1.2 |
| disk_read_throughput_peak_mbps | Float | Disk Throughput | 24.5 |
| disk_write_throughput_avg_mbps | Float | Disk Throughput | 0.8 |
| disk_write_throughput_peak_mbps | Float | Disk Throughput | 18.0 |
| disk_total_throughput_avg_mbps | Float | Disk Throughput | 2.0 |
| disk_total_throughput_peak_mbps | Float | Disk Throughput | 42.5 |
Storage configuration (storage_config.csv)
Physical disk hardware details. Collected every 24 hours.
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| server_id | String | Server Info | "vm-web-server-01" |
| disk_controller_id | String | Disk Info | "/dev/sda" |
| vmdk_vhd_file_name | String | Disk Info | "web-server-01.vmdk" |
| disk_volume_type | String | Disk Info | "Virtual" |
| disk_provisioned_gb | Float | Disk Info | 30.0 |
| disk_device_type | String | Disk Info | "SCSI HDD" |
| disk_interface_type | String | Disk Info | "SCSI" |
| disk_protocol | String | Disk Info | "LSI Logic SAS" |
Network interfaces (network_interfaces.csv)
Network adapter configuration. Collected every 24 hours.
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| server_id | String | Server Info | "vm-web-server-01" |
| interface_name | String | Interface Info | "eth0" |
| interface_index | Integer | Interface Info | 2 |
| mac_address | String | Interface Info | "0A:1B:2C:3D:4E:5F" |
| adapter_type | String | Interface Info | "vmxnet3" |
| virtual_network_name | String | Interface Info | "VM Network" |
| virtual_network_id | String | Interface Info | "dvportgroup-1234" |
| virtual_switch | String | Interface Info | "vSwitch0" |
| ipv4_address | String | IP Config | "10.0.2.101" |
| ipv4_subnet_mask | String | IP Config | "255.255.255.0" |
| ipv4_gateway | String | IP Config | "10.0.2.1" |
| ipv6_address | String | IP Config | "fe80::a1b:2cff:fe3d:4e5f" |
| ipv6_prefix_length | Integer | IP Config | 64 |
| ipv6_gateway | String | IP Config | "fe80::1" |
| dns_servers | String | IP Config | "10.0.0.2" |
| dhcp_enabled | Boolean | IP Config | false |
| interface_status | String | Interface Info | "Up" |
| vlan_id | Integer | Interface Info | 100 |
| is_primary | Boolean | Interface Info | true |
Running processes (process_metrics.csv)
Snapshot of running processes. Collected every hour, deduplicated over 28 days.
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| server_id | String | Server Info | "vm-web-server-01" |
| process_name | String | Process Info | "sshd" |
| process_id | Integer | Process Info | 1234 |
| process_command_line | String | Process Info | "/usr/sbin/sshd -D" |
| process_user | String | Process Info | "root" |
Network collection
The Network collection module helps you discover dependencies among servers in your on-premises data center. This network data accelerates your migration planning by providing visibility into how applications communicate across servers.
This module collects network data for servers from all configured sources, including VMware, Hyper-V, and bare metal. It uses WinRM to collect data from Windows servers and uses SSH, SNMPv2, and SNMPv3 to collect data from Linux servers.
Network data collection
The Network collection module captures TCP IPv4 connections in ESTABLISHED or TIME_WAIT state. These data points are collected:
Source IP, port, process ID, and process name
Target IP, port, process ID, and process name
State (ESTABLISHED and TIME_WAIT)
Transport protocol (TCP)
IP version (IPv4)
Count (number of times this unique connection was observed)
Database collection
The Database collection module gathers database (SQL Server) information from Windows servers across all configured sources, including VMware, Hyper-V, and bare metal. The module uses the WinRM protocol to remotely connect to each Windows server and run PowerShell queries to get information about all installed SQL Server services (components) on the server by using WMI namespaces, registry, and file properties.
A SQL Server component is a specific service or feature instance installed as part of a SQL Server deployment on a Windows server. The discovery tool collects Database Engine, Analysis Services, Reporting Services, and Integration Services.
Database data collection
The Database collection module gathers SQL Server component information. This table describes key database data points collected:
| Name | Type | Category | Sample Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine Type | String | Component | sql_server |
| Is Engine Component | Boolean | Component | Y |
| Status | String | Service | Running, Stopped, StartPending |
| Version | String | Service | 2015.131.5026.0 |
| Edition | String | Service | Developer Edition (64-bit) |
| SQL Service Name | String | Service | MsDtsServer130, Mssql |
| SQL Service Type | String | Service | SQL Server service, Integration Services service |
| Instance Name | String | Instance | MSSQLSERVER |
| Display Name | String | Service | SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER2017) |
| Start Mode | String | Service | Automatic, Manual, Disabled |
| Service Account Name | String | Service | NT Service/MsDtsServer130 |
| Is Clustered | Boolean | Configuration | N |
Note
Full format includes all service types. MPA format includes only database engine components. Not all fields are available depending on the SQL service type and configuration.
