Open-AudIT: Inventory the Network You Didn’t Know You Had
In IT, half the battle is knowing what’s even on the network. That printer someone plugged in last year? The forgotten VM with root access? The old laptop running XP in the finance corner? These things don’t announce themselves. Open-AudIT helps you find them — before they cause trouble.
What It Does (In Plain Terms)
Open-AudIT is an open-source system for network discovery and asset auditing. Set it up on a server, point it at your network range, and it starts digging: IPs, OS info, installed software, MAC addresses, logged-in users, serials — it pulls everything it can from every machine it sees.
Behind the scenes, it uses protocols like SNMP, WMI, SSH, and WinRM, depending on the device. The results are pushed into a searchable interface, so you can see what’s out there, what changed, and what doesn’t belong.
Who Actually Uses It
– IT admins stuck managing undocumented or inherited networks
– Support teams doing cleanup after poor handoffs
– MSPs who want visibility into client environments
– Anyone tired of clicking through remote desktops to find basic info
If your daily job involves guessing what hardware or software is out there, Open-AudIT puts a stop to that.
Key Capabilities (Community Edition)
| Task | What It Helps With |
| Device Discovery | Pings, scans, probes — anything with an IP shows up |
| Hardware & Software Lists | Gathers specs, models, installed programs, serial numbers |
| Patch & OS Info | Flags outdated systems and missing updates |
| Change Detection | Logs new devices or changes in config over time |
| Query Builder | Create on-the-fly reports (‘show me all servers with <8GB') |
| Scheduled Jobs | Automate scans — daily, weekly, whatever suits |
| User Sessions | View login sessions across machines |
| Data Export | Pull info into CSV, PDF, or via API for integration |
What You’ll Need to Set It Up
– A Linux (or Windows) server — Ubuntu is most common
– LAMP or similar stack — Apache/Nginx + PHP + MySQL/MariaDB
– SNMP/WMI credentials if you want detailed insights
– Firewall exceptions for remote discovery
Some patience — the interface can be deep, but it’s powerful once learned
The Community Edition is free and capable enough for most small or midsize IT environments.
Setup at a Glance (Ubuntu Example)
1. Download the installer or repo
→ Official site: https://www.opmantek.com/network-tools-download/
→ Codebase: https://github.com/Open-AudIT
2. Install & configure the stack
Set up Apache, PHP, MySQL. Follow the install wizard.
3. Access the web panel
Usually available via http://your-ip/
4. Add discovery target
Drop in a subnet, credentials, and start scanning.
5. Review results
Devices are listed with details — hardware, software, users, history.
What Admins Actually Say
“We had no idea what was running where — Open-AudIT mapped the whole subnet in minutes.”
“It’s not pretty, but it finds stuff our paid tools missed.”
“Best for ‘What’s out there and who’s using it’ questions.”
One Thing to Keep in Mind
Yes, there’s a commercial version — with more automation, dashboards, and AD integration. But the Community build is still a strong option, especially for environments under 100 devices. You can run one discovery at a time, which is enough for most use cases.
