ServiceNow Discovery not updating IP Address field

[Pranita Bahugun]

Hello everyone,

We have run into an issue with ServiceNow Discovery and wanted to check if anyone else has experienced something similar.

We have a server where the IP address was changed, but Discovery is not updating the IP details in the server table. Interestingly, if I manually remove the existing ip_address entry and then run Discovery, the new IP gets populated correctly. However, if the old IP detail remains in the record, Discovery does not overwrite it with the updated IP information. (There are no reconciliation rules that are setup)

Has anyone dealt with this behavior before? Is there a configuration or best practice that ensures Discovery updates the IP field automatically when the address changes, rather than requiring the old entry to be cleared first?

Thanks in advance for any insights or suggestions!

Best Regards,

Pranita Bahuguni

[vaishali231]

hey @Pranita Bahugun 

Discovery typically does not update a server's IP address simply because a different IP is found during a subsequent scan. Discovery identifies and reconciles CIs based on identification rules and relationships, and the behavior depends on how the server and its IP Address CI are being matched.

A few things to check:

Verify whether the IP change is being reflected in the IP Address [cmdb_ci_ip_address] table. Discovery often creates or updates IP Address CIs and their relationships to the server rather than directly overwriting the server record.

Review the Identification and Reconciliation process:

Check the Identification Rule for the server class being discovered.

Confirm which attributes are being used to identify the CI (serial number, FQDN, hostname, etc.).

Ensure Discovery is matching the existing CI and not retaining a stale IP relationship.

Examine the Discovery Pattern and Discovery Logs:

Check whether the new IP is actually being returned by Discovery.

Review the ECC Queue, Discovery Status, and Pattern Debug logs for any warnings related to IP processing.

Validate the CI relationships:

Sometimes the old IP relationship remains attached to the server, preventing the expected update behavior.

Compare the server's IP Address relationships before and after Discovery.

Since manually deleting the existing IP allows the new IP to be populated, it suggests Discovery is finding the new address but is not retiring or updating the existing IP relationship automatically. This can occur if the old IP CI is still considered valid or if the reconciliation process is preserving existing values.

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Regards

Vaishali Singh

Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb

[vaishali231]

hey @Pranita Bahugun 

Hope you are doing well.

Did my previous reply answer your question?

If it was helpful, please mark it as correct ✓ and close the thread . This will help other readers find the solution more easily.

Thankyou & Regards

Vaishali Singh

Servicenow Developer
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaishali-singh-2273361bb