Hardware Model Creation in the cmdb_hardware_product_model

[klf1123]

When asset management originated, I recall being able to make hardware models in the cmdb_hardware_product_model table for the Service Catalog and Asset Creation. The CIs would be discovered and update, but the models did not need to reflect what was discovered. At what point did the requirement begin that the model needed to be created by discovery and reverse from an asset first creation to a CI first creation? How does this work for asset management and model management? The software models allow for a discovery model and mapping but the hardware does not, and I cannot figure out how to clean-up the model table or a best practice to do so. 

[Kieran Anson]

Hi,

I can't give a date on "when", but I might be able to help with an answer and a solution.

If you're managing the hardware model information manually, you could setup a reconciliation rule to prevent discovery from writing to the model field on certain classes.

How Discovery captures Model ID and Manufacturer for servers and devices 

Are you able to provide an example where this is causing a problem? That additional context may help the community understand your concern.

Thanks

[klf1123]

We have many data sources, and many manufacturers of hardware and it seems all to be discovered a bit differently and not always correctly. So, I am not speaking about one category specifically, but discovery or the third-party seems to require that the model number field get placed into the name in order to normalize the data and that is not always the case, nor does that seem correct since there is a model number field that discovery seems not to use. So, if there are items not discovered correctly which it seems designed to do how can you correct anything besides redoing patterns or trying to make the discovery function properly for every model when you have thousands of models in the environment. I feel the need to manually make corrections and simply cannot do that with the system designed as it is today. 

[Kieran Anson]

Potentially your SN instance isn't setup correctly? Hardware Asset Management offers a normalisation service to remove this burden. Yes different sources can discover the model of a device differently, particularly multiple 3rd party tools. ServiceNow discovery is consistent as it passes data to the same mechanism that either finds or created a model (based on company, model name, and model number).

Without further details, it's really hard to advise. But I believe your struggle may be down to your SN instance. 

Quick Start Guide - Normalization 

[klf1123]

Yes, we have all the normalization configured as per the OOB descriptions it just doesn't work very well. As we have to keep sending all the models in to the content service for them to create the mappings but not all the data from the sources has the model numbers so then we are asked to provide that to them manually.