Can someone please help with any documentation or steps to Discover Nutanix Servers?

[PriyaranjanJ]

Can someone please help with any documentation or steps to Discover Nutanix Servers?

Like which credential needs to be configured, or OOB patterns that use for Nutanix Servers?

[Romario DPO · Accepted solution]

Sure! Here’s the translated response:

1. Prerequisites for Discovering Nutanix Servers

Before starting the configuration in ServiceNow, ensure you have the following:

-Access to the Nutanix API**: Nutanix APIs must be enabled. Nutanix Prism Central (or Prism Element, depending on your setup) provides a REST API for integration.

-Appropriate credentials**: Administrative or read-only credentials with permissions to access Prism Central via API.

-Discovery Module in ServiceNow**: You need the Discovery or Service Mapping module enabled in your instance.

2. Credentials to Configure in ServiceNow**

Set up credentials in ServiceNow so it can access the Nutanix servers:

1. Go to Discovery > Credentials.

2. Create a new credential record:

   - Type: API Key or Basic Auth (depending on the Nutanix Prism authentication method).

   - Username: The username for accessing Nutanix Prism.

   - Password/API Key: The password or API key generated in Nutanix.

3. Test the connectivity within ServiceNow to confirm the credentials work.

3. Configuration of Out-of-the-Box (OOB) Patterns

ServiceNow provides OOB patterns for discovering device and server information. For Nutanix, you’ll need to configure specific API-based patterns and define custom rules.

1. Identify OOB Patterns:

   - Check if ServiceNow includes specific patterns for Nutanix in the version you are using. Otherwise, you will need to create a custom pattern.

   - Typically, the pattern combines REST API discovery for Prism Central and SSH protocols for scanning hosted virtual machines.

2. Create/Edit a Pattern (Pattern Designer):

   - Navigate to Discovery > Patterns.

   - Look for patterns related to "REST API" or "Cloud Discovery" that can be adapted for Nutanix.

   - Add a REST API call to Nutanix Prism Central using its endpoint, such as:

     GET https://<PrismCentral_IP>:9440/api/nutanix/v3/

   - Set up authentication and parse the JSON responses returned by the API.

3. Parameters for the Nutanix API:

   Use common Nutanix API endpoints to collect data. Some examples include:

   - /clusters: For information on Nutanix clusters.

   - /vms: To list hosted virtual machines.

   - /hosts: For details on physical hosts.

4. Data Mapping

Configure data mapping so that retrieved information is organized into CMDB Classes (Configuration Management Database classes). The ServiceNow CMDB usually organizes this data into appropriate tables, such as:

- `cmdb_ci_server` (for physical servers),

- `cmdb_ci_vm_instance` (for virtual machines),

- `cmdb_ci_cluster` (for Nutanix clusters).

5.Testing Discovery

1. Initiate a discovery for the IP or IP range of Prism Central.

2. Ensure communication works via the REST API and that data is imported into the CMDB.

3. Review the discovery execution logs to fix any errors.

6 Useful Documentation

-Nutanix Prism Central API: [Official Nutanix API Documentation - https://www.nutanix.dev/

-ServiceNow Discovery: Refer to the Discovery and Service Mapping guides on the ServiceNow website for more detailed instructions.

If you need help with a specific step or with setting up custom patterns, feel free to ask! 😊

[PriyaranjanJ]

Thanks for the Inputs!

I'll go through them and post if i have any additional questions