Finding every device, down to the switch port, across a global chemicals network
A global specialty chemicals manufacturer has deployed Rebasoft’s agentless discovery since 2010 to know what is connected across its plants and offices, and exactly where each device plugs into the network.
- 2010
- continuous network discovery since
- Unlimited
- devices and sites under one enterprise licence
- MAC → port
- every device traced to its switch and port
- 2
- continents: run by network teams in Europe and the US
The challenge
- A large switched network spanning manufacturing sites and offices worldwide, changing every day.
- Find any device fast: which switch, which port and which site, without walking the plant floor.
- No agents: much of what connects in a chemical plant cannot run software.
Our approach
- Rebasoft network discovery, IP address management and voice visibility, supplied through a partner in Belgium.
- Continuous SNMP discovery of switches, routers and their forwarding tables, mapping every MAC address to the port it is connected to.
- IP addresses and hostnames tied to each MAC, so a device can be found by any identifier.
What the network team gained
Device location in seconds
Search by MAC, IP or name and see the switch, port and site the device is connected to.
A live inventory
Switches, routers and connected devices discovered continuously, so the picture stays current as sites change.
Addresses under control
IP address usage tracked against what is actually on the wire, not a spreadsheet.
Device profiling
End-device profiling trialled to show which kinds of equipment were connected, supporting an internal cross-charging project.
Moved to a modern platform
Migrated from a legacy Windows server to a Linux virtual machine with its history intact, then onto the current virtual appliance.
A global team tool
Used by network specialists in Europe and the global network monitoring team in the US, under the company’s change control.
The outcome: one agentless view of what is connected across a global chemicals estate, and exactly where, maintained for more than fifteen years.
Why it matters for manufacturers
Find it fast
Every device traced to its switch port, at any site.
Safe for the plant
Agentless. Nothing installed on process or office equipment.
A long-term partner
Fifteen years together, built out from discovery into IP, voice and device profiling.