How VMI find corresponding server CI? and How VMI deal with duplicated vm instance id from multiple vcenter?

[kevin33]

I am get little bit confuse for how VMI mapping with Server CI, I was thought by BIOS UUID/Serial Number, but I see duplicated BIOS UUID/Serial number due to backup/restore(dxxx cohesity), vm cloning, and DR configuration. They are definitely different VM but with same BIOS UUID. How VMI mapping to  server CI? 

Also by OOB identification rule in VMI, it use object id as identifier. Discovery put VM instance id(vm-xxxx)  to this field. But we have multiple vcenter instance, the ID will be duplicated when data collect from different vcenter. How this rule is working with multiple vcenter instance? 

TIA...

[Marc De Mol]

Hi Kevin,

I posted a similar question:

"Virtual Machine Instances" relating to "Windows server" or a "Linux server", how?

I have the feeling the VM stack is in need of some attention.

VMI's move around within a cluster, also in between clusters, even get duplicated.

How do we avoid duplicates and also link them the IP discovery resulting servers.

[Hannah20]

Q1:

This is how ServiceNow platform link VMI and servers/computer:

VMI: [Correlation ID]=42 25 6a a5 6d 2b d0 00-7d 26 72 fb 3e b6 d6 6f

server/computer: [serial number]=VMWARE-42 25 6a a5 6d 2b d0 00-7d 26 72 fb 3e b6 d6 6f

if the two records match, you will see the following relationships automatically:

1. server/computer--->Instantiates::Instantiated by-->VMI

2. server/computer--->Registered on::Has registered-->ESX (if VMI<-->ESX was created)

I don't know which OOTB business rule triggers it though.

Q2:

To deal with the duplicated vm id, we changed the OOTB Identification rule. 

OOTB: I forgot.

new: [Object ID, vCenter Instance UUID]

If the VMI records are created from ServiceNow discovery, you need to change the OOTB script:

sensor: VCenterVMsSensor

ootb:     index: [ [ 'object_id', 'vcenter_uuid' ], [ 'vm_instance_uuid', 'vcenter_uuid' ], [ 'vm_instance_uuid' ] ],

current: index: [ [ 'object_id', 'vcenter_uuid' ] ],

Hope it helps.

Hope it helps.