Network ports and protocols for WinDiscovery and Masterclock applications

Common network behaviors that affect discovery

• UDP broadcast and multicast are often not routed. Many routers will not forward broadcast or multicast traffic across subnets without explicit configuration.
• Firewall policies frequently block UDP by default. Even when ICMP (ping) works, UDP traffic may be blocked.
• Security changes can break discovery without device changes. ACL, VLAN, and firewall updates can interrupt discovery and management tools unexpectedly.

When to involve IT

• Discovery is required across VLANs, routed networks, or VPN connections
• Endpoint security or group policy controls the workstation firewall
• Discovery works on one PC but not another under the same network conditions

WinDiscovery port and related time services

WinDiscovery relies on UDP port 6163. Permit WinDiscovery traffic and responses between the management PC and device in accordance with network policy. A successful ping does not verify that UDP 6163 is permitted.

NTP and PTP ports carry their respective time services; they do not replace the WinDiscovery port requirement. If a device appears but configuration or updates fail, follow WinDiscovery discovers devices but cannot configure or update them.