Cisco ACI Discovery

[Tone1]

Hello,

anyone in here managed to get Cisco ACI Infrastructure into the CMDB via Discovery?

If so, how did you do it?

SNMP misses crucial information and i could not find any OOTB Pattern for Cisco ACI.

Thanks in advance.

[AJ-TechTrek]

Hi @Tone1 ,

As per my understanding Problem Summary is
* Cisco ACI is a software-defined networking (SDN) solution.
* SNMP discovery misses important components (like tenants, application profiles, endpoint groups, etc.).
* No official OOTB Discovery Pattern for Cisco ACI.

Solution Options to Onboard Cisco ACI into CMDB

1. Use Cisco ACI REST APIs (Recommended)
Cisco ACI exposes a comprehensive REST API that allows full access to:
* Fabric Nodes
* Tenants, EPGs
* VRFs, Bridge Domains
* Contracts, Interfaces, etc.

You can build a custom discovery pattern or script in ServiceNow using:
* REST API calls to Cisco APIC
* Populate the data into CMDB custom classes or extend existing ones

Steps:
1. Create a Credential Alias in ServiceNow for APIC (REST-based).
2. Build a Custom Integration (via IntegrationHub or MID Server):
* Use REST API Integration (e.g., /api/node/class/fvTenant.json)
* Parse the JSON response
* Map values to CI classes (e.g., cmdb_ci_network, cmdb_ci_appliance, etc.)
3. Set up a Scheduled Script or Flow to keep data in sync.
4. Optionally build a custom CI Class Model for ACI objects if they don't fit existing ones.

2. Third-Party Integrations
You can use external discovery tools that already support Cisco ACI, such as:
* Infoblox
* SolarWinds
* Device42
* NetBrain
* Then feed this data into CMDB via Import Sets or IntegrationHub ETL.

3. Custom Horizontal Pattern (Advanced)
If you have discovery experts:
* Build a horizontal pattern with identifiers, classifiers, and REST or SNMP probes.
* Create relationships (Depends on, Runs on, etc.) between the ACI objects.

Why SNMP Fails for ACI:
* SNMP doesn't fully expose logical constructs (e.g., tenants, EPGs).
* Cisco ACI relies heavily on controller-based architecture, which SNMP isn't built to interpret.

What You'll Need:

Requirement	Details
Cisco APIC access	With proper credentials
MID Server	With outbound internet or LAN access
Custom CI classes	(Optional) for ACI-specific objects
JSON parser skills	For API response handling
CMDB Mapping skills	To design relationships

Additional Tips from my understanding -
* Test API endpoints with Postman before building in ServiceNow.
* Use Transform Maps or Custom Script Includes to structure CMDB updates.
* Always follow CMDB CI Class Model and Data Normalization best practices.

Please appreciate the efforts of community contributors by marking appropriate response as Mark my Answer Helpful or Accept Solution this may help other community users to follow correct solution in future.
 

Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ - ITOM Trainer
LinkedIn:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay-kumar-66a91385/
YouTube:- https://www.youtube.com/@learnitomwithaj
Topmate:- https://topmate.io/aj_techtrekwithaj (Connect for 1-1 Session)
ServiceNow Community MVP 2025

[Shubham_Jain]

@AJ-TechTrek  Thank you for sharing thoughts! 

can we not use CISCO ACI Application from ServiceNow store to do discovery of this? 

kindly advise? 

[AJ-TechTrek]

Hi @Shubham_Jain ,

As per my understanding and analysis below will helpful.

1.No, the Cisco ACI Application from the ServiceNow Store is not a Discovery plugin.

2.That app is designed mainly for integration and visualization of ACI data, often leveraging APIs, but it does not perform Discovery patterns/credentials like the native Discovery & Service Mapping plugins do.

A.Cisco ACI Application (Store App) → Provides dashboards, data ingestion & APIs.
B.ServiceNow Discovery Patterns → Perform the actual ACI discovery and populate CMDB.
C.They can be used together: Discovery populates CMDB, and the Cisco ACI App consumes/visualizes it.

Please appreciate the efforts of community contributors by marking appropriate response as Mark my Answer Helpful or Accept Solution this may help other community users to follow correct solution in future.
 

Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ - ITOM Trainer
LinkedIn:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay-kumar-66a91385/
YouTube:- https://www.youtube.com/@learnitomwithaj
Topmate:- https://topmate.io/aj_techtrekwithaj (Connect for 1-1 Session)
ServiceNow Community MVP 2025

[Shubham_Jain]

Sounds clear on this part @AJ-TechTrek 

@but then how we perform the Cisco ACi discovery ?