Skip to main content
Sherlock Suite

Product documentation

Which product are you working with?

Choose a product to see its guides and setup instructions.

All documentation

Set up a Network scanner

Run the scanner on a computer inside the network you manage. Setup creates its configuration; the scanner must then remain running to discover devices.

1. Create a scanner in the workspace

  1. Open Network and select Scanners.
  2. As a Network administrator, choose Add a scanner and give it a recognizable name.
  3. Add explicit private IPv4 ranges, such as 10.1.0.0/24. Keep the configuration within eight ranges and 1,024 addresses.
  4. Set the repeat interval between 5 and 1,440 minutes. Save the scanner.
  5. Copy the one-time token shown after creation. You will paste it into the local scanner's hidden prompt.

The token is displayed once. If it is lost, an administrator can replace it. Replacing a token disconnects the old configuration until you initialize the scanner with the new token.

2. Download the right executable

The Scanners page provides Windows x64 and ARM64, Linux x64 and ARM64, and macOS Intel and Apple Silicon downloads. It also provides SHA-256 checksums, third-party notices, and the setup guide. Choose the architecture of the scanner computer.

The OS ping utility must be available. Windows and macOS include it. Linux typically needs iputils-ping and uses iproute2 for neighbor observations.

3. Initialize the scanner

Windows

Open the executable for first-time setup, or run this from the folder containing it:

.\sherlock-network-scanner.exe --init

Linux and macOS

Make the downloaded executable runnable, then initialize it. These examples assume you renamed the download to sherlock-network-scanner:

chmod +x ./sherlock-network-scanner
./sherlock-network-scanner --init

Paste the scanner token at the hidden prompt. Do not put tokens in command arguments, screenshots, or shared notes. The default server is https://network.sherlocksuite.com.

4. Enable discovery and keep it running

Enable recurring discovery for the scanner in the workspace. After initialization finishes, run the executable again without --init. A paused scanner can be connected without performing discovery.

# Windows
.\sherlock-network-scanner.exe

# Linux or macOS
./sherlock-network-scanner

Check that the workspace shows a recent heartbeat and the scanner as Connected. Use Request scan now to request a scan, or wait for the next scheduled run. Closing the process stops local discovery.

Run unattended

The scanner does not automatically install a service. Use Windows Task Scheduler or a Linux systemd service for unattended operation. Run it as the same user who initialized it and pass --config with the full path to the configuration file. Keep credentials out of task arguments.

The default configuration is ~/.sherlock-network/scanner.json in that user's home directory. Use a dedicated private configuration directory. Do not start duplicate scanner processes with the same configuration.

Upgrade an existing scanner

  1. Stop the old process or scheduled service.
  2. Download and replace the executable for the same platform.
  3. Start it again with the existing configuration and token.
  4. Confirm its reported version and recent heartbeat in Scanners.

Upgrading does not enable paused discovery. Keep the configuration and any pending outbox file in place. See troubleshooting if the scanner does not connect.