interfacescan

Interfacescan is a procedure used to identify and inventory the interfaces present in a computing environment, including physical network interface cards (NICs), virtual interfaces, and software-defined interfaces. The term can refer to scanning on a single host, a subset of hosts, or across a network, to collect metadata about interface configuration and capabilities. Interfacescan is commonly used in IT administration, network engineering, and security auditing to understand topology and assets.

Approaches include active scanning, where probes or commands query interfaces and collect responses, and passive scanning, where data is gathered from traffic or system logs without generating traffic. Data typically collected includes interface name and type, operational status, MAC address, IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, MTU, speed and duplex, VLAN associations, driver and firmware information, and whether the interface is physical or virtual. In complex environments, interface data may be correlated with inventory systems or network topology maps.

Applications include asset inventory, change detection, performance troubleshooting, capacity planning, and security assessments such as identifying unauthorized interfaces or misconfigurations. Interfacescan can aid compliance efforts by maintaining records of hardware and configuration against standards.

Limitations include variability across operating systems and virtualization platforms, potential performance impact, and privacy or security concerns when scanning. Accuracy depends on access privileges and the timeliness of data; interfaces that come and go between scans may be missed. Ethical and legal considerations apply when scanning devices outside owned or authorized scopes. See also network discovery, interface enumeration, asset management.