What is the purpose of Discovery in IPAM?

• A. Discovery automatically detects IP-enabled devices on the network and imports their IP/MAC information into IPAM for accurate mapping and reconciliation
• B. It discovers devices to assign static MAC addresses
• C. It exports IP addresses to external systems
• D. It creates DNS records for every device

Answer: (A)

Discovery is about automatically finding devices on the network and collecting their IP and MAC information so IPAM can keep an up-to-date inventory. The best choice states that it automatically detects IP-enabled devices and imports their IP/MAC data into IPAM for accurate mapping and reconciliation. This is exactly what Discovery does: it scans the network to identify devices, gathers the IP addresses and corresponding MAC addresses, and brings that data into IPAM so the IP space can be mapped to real devices and reconciled with other sources of truth. This automation reduces manual data entry, helps spot gaps or conflicts, and supports consistent IPAM records. The other options describe functions that are outside Discovery’s primary role, such as assigning MACs, exporting addresses, or creating DNS records.