By default, server discovery occurs every 15 minutes and service discovery occurs every 24 hours. This scheduled seems to be very confusing to users and leads to misunderstandings regarding the auto-discovery process.

For example, a common issue is that a new JBoss AS instance is brought on-line and when the user goes into RHQ, they expect to see it in the Auto-Discovery queue. However, in many cases they don't and the instant assumption is that something is wrong with their configuration or with RHQ's ability to discovery their new AS instance.

To continue along the same line, once the AS instance is discovered and added to inventory all seems well. However, once the user drops a new application into their AS instance (manually) they go back to RHQ expecting to see it show up. In some cases the user waits a several minutes or hours hoping the problem resolves itself but it never does which leads them to the same belief as with server discovery. Something is wrong. They spend time trying to figure out why the new application isn't being discovered.

The common resolution users tend to resort to is restarting the RHQ server and agent and this seems to resolve their problem. This then gives them the impression that the RHQ system has to be restarted to pick up some changes.

Although the discovery schedule is clearly documented, the UI makes no mention of it.

The recommendation is to either make discovery happen in a more real-time way or give discovery schedule feed-back to the user in the resource list. For example, the Auto-Discovery queue could indicate when the last Platform and Server discovery occurred and when the next scheduled discovery will occur along with given an option to invoke discovery now. Additionally, the last Service discovery could also be displayed along with the next scheduled discovery and an option to perform Service discovery now.

Because Service discovery and import is not done through the Auto-Discovery queue, it would probably be better to get rid of the Auto-Discovery queue and put the functionality directly into the Resource list view. Showing "NEW", "IGNORED", and "COMMITTED" resources along with when the last auto-discovery was done and when the next one is scheduled and options to force discovery of specific resource types for specific or all platforms.