Network Router User Manual

The process for a scanning cycle
The following table describes the general process for a scanning cycle:
Table 12. The process of a scanning cycle
Stage Description
1 Scanning jobs are displayed in the Command Jobs window as they are scheduled:
v A job for a background scan is scheduled at midnight on the first day of the
refresh cycle defined in the Scan Control policy for a group.
v A job for an ad hoc scan is scheduled when you initiate the scan.
2 A job is ready to run follows this order:
v For background scans or ad hoc scans that run in scan windows, the job runs as
soon as an open scan window is available.
v For ad hoc scans that can run any time, the job runs as soon as possible after
you initiate it.
3 When a job is scheduled, the agent divides it into tasks:
v The first task created for all scans is a management (parent) task that oversees
the scanning tasks.
v For discovery scans, there is one additional scanning task.
v For assessment scans, additional scanning tasks are created based on the
priorities described in “Priorities for running tasks” on page 73.
4 When an agent is available to run the scan, the agent finds the task with the
highest priority. The agent then runs a subtask of that task. The subtask is equal to
the subtask size determined by the maximum number of IP addresses or of assets
defined for that agent in the Networking policy.
5 The remaining subtasks run as follows:
v If you have only one agent, the same agent takes the next subtask.
v If you have more than one agent, the first available agent takes the next subtask.
6 Subtasks continue to run until you pause or cancel the scan, or until one of the
following occurs:
v For ad hoc scans, until all the assets have been scanned.
v For background scans, until all the assets have been scanned or until the
scanning cycle ends, whichever occurs first.
Chapter 4. Understanding scanning processes in SiteProtector 75