> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.docusnap.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scanning Fundamentals

> How the gateway, scan modules, jobs and credentials work together, and what happens to the results of a scan.

A scan module describes a type of source – Windows, Active Directory or
VMware, for example. A job is the named, concrete configuration of a scan
module that the Docusnap Enterprise Gateway in your network executes.

## The Four Components

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Gateway" icon="server">
    The Windows service in your network that executes a job.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Scan Module" icon="layer-group">
    The type of source – Windows, Active Directory or VMware, for example.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Job" icon="list-check">
    The named configuration of a scan module: gateway, targets,
    credentials and schedule.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Credentials" icon="key">
    The access data the job uses to sign in to the source.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

A job stays in place as a configuration; each *execution* is a single run on
schedule. Docusnap365 uses both terms itself, for example *Next Execution*
and *Execution History*.

## Where the Results Come From

Whatever a job finds enters the inventory. If a find can be matched to a
type, it becomes an asset – the *Captured Assets* metric counts it. If it
cannot be matched to a type, it appears under *Unknown Systems* until it is
typed.

## Basis for Other Modules

The captured assets form the inventory that
[ITAM](/docs/en/itam/understanding-itam) manages for lifecycle, warranty and
cost, that [ISMS](/docs/en/isms/understanding-risk-management) assesses for
risk, and that [CVE analysis](/docs/en/analysis/cve) checks for known
vulnerabilities.

## Limits

Docusnap365 only captures automatically what a scan module exists for. The
[module catalog](/docs/en/scan/scan-modules) shows which sources those are.

## Related

The path from the first gateway to the first scan is in
[Scanning Your Network](/docs/en/getting-started/inventory) and in the tutorial
[The First Scan](/docs/en/scan/tutorial-first-scan). Individually:
[Installing and Registering the Gateway](/docs/en/scan/gateway-install) and
[Creating a Scan Job](/docs/en/scan/create-inventory). How credentials and
transmission are protected is in [Security](/docs/en/getting-started/security).


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