Prefix on server serial number from VMware via Discovery

[Henrik Jutterst]

Background:

We are running ServiceNow Discovery on VMware and it seems like serial number have a different format when the CI is updated from Discovery.

Discovery also adds a prefix to the serial number. 

Question:

Is there a setting for this on VMware Discovery or how can this be addressed so that we have the same serial number as displayed on the actual virtual server?

To my understanding the serial number is the same in both VMware and on the virtual server, but when Discovery is done, the serial number is written in another format and with a VMware- prefix.

//Discovery
VMware-42 23 62 aa 3b 11 bd 52-9f a4 f3 97 c3 05 db 01

//Scripted import
422362aa-3b11-bd52-9fa4-f397c305db01

[Henrik Jutterst]

Hi @MattSN and thanks for your input. I agree 100%!

I've already set up that rule but since the custom script goes via Table API, the IRE will not run. Atleast not to my knowledge.

Do you have any ideas about that?

I've asked script owner to change on their side and start using "CMDB Instance API" instead that goes via IRE. But no luck so far. I've thought of using ACL's instead for the script, but that's not going to be a sustainable solution in the long run.

But please let me know if you have any ideas to solve this.

Kind regards

/Henrik

[MattSN]

Hi @Henrik Jutterst 

That is is tough spot. Data hitting the Table API will not set the required tracking for data prescedence. Either a Scripted REST API plus a transform for the scripted data source or like you mentioned the CMDB Instance API.  Maybe ask the owner if they will let you build the script on their behalf?

[Rashmika BS]

We are facing the same situation here. Did you get this resolved?

[Henrik Jutterst]

Stoped digging into this issue, but I'm quite sure that it's not solved yet.

[Henrik Jutterst · Accepted solution]

I found documentation about this on the Doc site for Serial Number.

Reason was that one was VMware Serial number and the other was UUID

In the Serial Number table there are 4 different types of serial numbers having different purposes. 

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The Serial Number table is a many to one relationship linking back to the server CI. This table has a type field for specifying the type of the serial number (system, uuid, chassis, bios, or baseboard) and storing the actual value itself. Use the following Windows standards for serial number types in the Serial Number [cmdb_serial_number] table:

system: Product identification such as a serial number for software, a die number on a hardware chip, or a project number (for noncommercial products).

uuid: Universally unique identifier (UUID) for the product. A UUID is a 128-bit identifier that is guaranteed to be different from other generated UUIDs.

chassis: Manufacturer-allocated number that is used to identify a physical element. Value is the Serial Number member of the System Enclosure or Chassis structure in the SMBIOS information. This type represents the properties associated with a physical system enclosure.

bios: The assigned serial number of the BIOS. This type represents the attributes of the computer system basic input/output services (BIOS) that are installed on the computer.
baseboard: Manufacturer-allocated number that is used to identify the physical element. This property is inherited from CIM_PhysicalElement, and is sometimes referred to as the 'Motherboard Serial Number'.

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