ServiceNow CIS-Discovery - Certified Implementation Specialist - Discovery

The image provided shows a ServiceNow expression used to concatenate two pieces of information. The $name_details[1] suggests that 'name_details' is an array or a list variable, and we're accessing the second element (considering indexing starts at 0). This indicates that 'name_details' is not a tabular variable but rather a list or an array, and there is a scalar value labeled '1' which is being used to index this array. The 'exec_info' and 'executableDir' are likely attributes or properties of the objects within the 'name_details' array and '$process' object, respectively. There is no indication that this is from a WMI query operation step, nor is there any inherent reason why this value could not be used in a pattern step. ServiceNow Discovery patterns can use such expressions to extract and concatenate data during the discovery process.

A MID Server needs to have access to the install.service-now.com domain to automatically stay up-to-date with instance versions. This domain hosts the MID Server upgrade files that are downloaded and installed by the MID Server when a new version is available. The MID Server checks for updates every 24 hours by default, or when the mid.upgrade.check_interval property is set12.

References:

1: ServiceNow Discovery Documentation, MID Server Upgrade section

2: ServiceNow Support Article, Connections to allow list for the MID Server

The image shows a part of a horizontal pattern in Pattern Designer that uses the WMI Query operation to retrieve information about the processes running on a Windows server. The operation takes a WQL query as an input parameter and returns a tabular variable that contains the results of the query. The tabular variable is named ‘WMI Query’ by default, but it can be renamed by the user. The WQL query in the image selects four attributes from the Win32_Process class: Name, MaximumWorkingSetSize, PageFaults, and PeakVirtualSize. These attributes are stored as scalar variables in the tabular variable, and they can be accessed by using the dot notation, such as WMI Query.Name or WMI Query.MaximumWorkingSetSize. Therefore, the most probable results of the image are a tabular variable named ‘WMI Query’ and two scalar variables named ‘MaximumWorkingSetSize’ and ‘PeakVirtualSize’.

References:

Pattern Designer | WMI Query

Win32_Process class

WQL (SQL for WMI)

Horizontal discovery patterns are a series of operations that tell Discovery which CIs to find on your network, what credentials to use, and what tables to populate in the CMDB. Horizontal discovery patterns use variables to store and pass information between the operations. By default, there are two variables that are automatically available for horizontal discovery patterns: infrastructure_system and computer_system. These variables store the information about the infrastructure and the computer system of the target CI, respectively. They are populated by the Horizontal Pattern probe and sensor, which enable Discovery to use patterns for horizontal discovery123.

References:

Patterns and horizontal discovery - Product Documentation: Tokyo - Now Support Portal

Horizontal Pattern probe - Product Documentation: San Diego - Now Support Portal

Using patterns for horizontal discovery - Product Documentation: Vancouver - ServiceNow

The SNMP Query operation on a pattern for a custom device query allows Discovery to retrieve information from the target device using the SNMP protocol. It is best practice to use the published manufacturer’s device MIB, which is the official and standard definition of the device’s SNMP data. Using the manufacturer’s device MIB ensures that the query is accurate, consistent, and compatible with the device. Modifying the default MIB information, enabling SSH as a secondary protocol, or using live devices in production are not recommended practices, as they may introduce errors, security risks, or performance issues123.

References:

SNMP Query pattern operation - Product Documentation: San Diego - Now Support Portal

Load a MIB file - Product Documentation: Vancouver - ServiceNow

How Loading of MIB file works on SNMP Browser ( Pattern Step - SNMP Query) - Support and Troubleshooting

The Automation Error Messages list displays the errors that occurred during the execution of Discovery automation scripts. From this list, you can view the details of each error, such as the script name, the error message, the device, and the time. You can also perform actions on the errors, such as retrying the script, ignoring the error, or creating an incident. To do so, you can use the options on the right navigation pane, which are categorized as follows1:

SELECT ALL: This option allows you to select all the errors in the list.

SELECT ONE: This option allows you to select one error in the list by clicking on the checkbox next to it.

ACTION ON SELECTED: This option allows you to perform an action on the selected errors, such as Retry, Ignore, or Create Incident. You can also choose to perform the action on all the errors in the list by selecting the All option from the drop-down menu.

ACTION ON ALL: This option allows you to perform an action on all the errors in the list, regardless of the selection. You can choose from the same actions as the ACTION ON SELECTED option.

References:

Discovery error messages: This article explains the different types of error messages and warnings in Discovery, and how to access and manage them.

According to the ServiceNow website1, the key capabilities of a ServiceNow ITOM Enterprise solution are:

Manage hybrid clouds: Gain visibility and control across your hybrid cloud environment with a single system of action for IT.

Proactively eliminate service outages: Identify issues and anomalies before they cause service outages with AIOps and machine learning.

Automate IT service operations: Automate common service requests, processes, and tasks with digital workflows and virtual agents.

Optimize IT service delivery: Align your IT resources and investments with business priorities and optimize service delivery performance.

References:

1: ITOM - Enterprise IT Operations Management - ServiceNow

The mid.discovery.max_pattern_payload_size property defines the maximum overall size for the returned payload that comes from patterns. This property is set on the MID Server and applies to all patterns that run on that MID Server. If the payload size exceeds this limit, the pattern execution fails and an error message is logged in the ECC queue. The default value of this property is 10 MB1.

References: 1: ServiceNow Docs - MID Server properties for Discovery and Service Mapping 2: ServiceNow Docs - Discovery payload size and processing